Sandarbhasūkti - part 22

185. Bhṛṅgakīṭa-nyāya

Bhṛṅga means the fly/bee. It is also called bhramara. It builds a nest out of mud. It brings in other insects and uses them. The bhṛṅga goes around making a buzzing sound. The insect in the nest listening to it it seems becomes the bhṛṅga! You become the company you keep. A bad person might become good due to good company, the reverse can also happen. This nyāya is used to drive home the concept that the jīvātma constantly thinking about the paramātma would finally become the paramātma. It is also called the bhramarakīṭa-nyāya.

186. Bhautavicāra-nyāya

Bhauta is someone who has been possessed by a bhūta (ghost). His line of thought is bhautavicāra i.e. random ramblings. In the work called ātmatattvaviveka the story which serves as the source of this nyāya is found.
Someone possessed, who was roaming around, reached the palace. Near the main entrance there was a mighty elephant with its huge tusks. It was trumpeting now and then. Seeing the elephant which looked like a rain bearing cloud, dark and huge, he started thinking.

1. What is this? Is the darkness eating a radish?
2. Or a cloud is raining cranes and thundering?
3. Or as per the maxim “rājadvāre śmaśāne ca yastiṣṭhati sa bāndhavaḥ” is it some relative of mine?
4. The dark object on the floor might be some shadow?

Then he refuted his own chain of thoughts with logic

1. Darkness doesn’t flap huge winnows, so it isn’t darkness
2. Cloud doesn’t possess four pillars, so it isn’t cloud
3. A relative would never wield a stick, so it isn’t a relative
4. Shadow doesn’t spit out human skulls, so it isn’t a shadow either.

To summarize this isn’t even a thing!

So he imagined all these things.

1. The ears are winnows
2. The legs are pillars
3. The trunk is a stick
4. The droppings are human skulls

Just because some fool thinks about something in a particular fashion, the actual entity would never change. This is the crux of this nyāya.

187. Bhraṣṭāvasara-nyāya

Avasara - at the right moment, bhraṣṭa - that which went the awry i.e. a lost opportunity. A householder had fixed a particular time in the afternoon to offer bhikṣā. Whoever visited his house during that time, he would give them food. After that he would be busy with other duties and so he would not be present in the house. Whoever came late would have to go empty handed. One cannot argue that since he has given food to so many others he should give food to the one who arrived late too.
In a debate when the arguments grow, we should propose or dispose at the right time. If not it will be a lost opportunity.

188. Makṣikā-nyāya

The fly seeks a spot on our body which is injured. Likewise crows search for filth. To describe people who are always hellbent on finding flaws this nyāya can be used.

189. Maṇimantrādi-nyāya

Fire burns. There is a gemstone which allegedly can stop it doing so. Likewise the burning power can be subdued by mantras too. So we come to know that the deterrent to the burning nature of the fire can be such a gemstone or the mantras.
Any effect is due to some cause. The cause has the capability of producing such an effect. It is evident and doesn’t need some extraneous logic to prove it. But sometimes even in the presence of the cause the effect might not manifest. Clouds may be present but they don’t rain. Fire might be present but it won’t burn. This nyāya finds application in such situations. This suggests that there is some deterrent which is acting leading to the cause not producing the desired effect.
The śāstrakāras opine the desire of the company of women would be a deterrent to acquire knowledge. Someone constantly thinking about his beloved. When a preceptor teaches something the student should gain knowledge. This is the rule. If the student is not gaining anything then it means there is some deterrent which is acting in this situation. It might be the desire for his beloved!

190. Madhu paśyasi durbuddhe prapātaṃ nānupaśyasi

Fool! You see the honey; but you seem to miss the gorge! There is a verse in devī-bhāgavatam which goes on similar lines.

मधु पश्यति मूढात्मा प्रपातं नानुपश्यति ।
करोति निन्दितं कर्म नरकान्नबिभेति च ॥
“The fool only sees the honeycombs which are present on some tree leading to the gorge and happily ventures there to collect honey. He doesn't realize that the gorge is too steep and dangerous. Likewise people eagerly do pāpa, they don’t think about the consequences i.e. naraka.”

The relevant story comes from the Mahābhārata. Specifically in vana-parva we find this,

मधु प्रपश्यन्ति न तु प्रपातं यद्द्यूतमालम्ब्य हरन्ति राज्यम् ।
“The kauravas are seeing the honey but not the deep gorge. They are deceiving the pāṇḍavas by game of dice and snatching the kingdom by unfair means.”

Whenever we venture into a new thing we should always analyze the pros and cons beforehand. Where the sorrow exceeds joy, where the results are bad rather than good, this nyāya warns us to discard such endeavors.

191. Madhyamaṇi-nyāya

The middle gem in the necklace or a pendant. In general a sapphire or a ruby is placed as the middle gem. The middle gem enhances the beauty of the necklace on either side. Similarly in the nose ring, between two pearls a ruby is placed. When a word in a sentence is tightly coupled with both its preceding and succeeding word this nyāya is used. This is similar to dehalīdīpa-nyāya.

192. Markaṭakiśora-nyāya

Markaṭa is monkey, kiśora is offspring or a baby. It holds on to its mother tightly. The mother would go on jumping from one branch to the other. If the offspring loosens its grip then it would definitely fall and die. The mother isn’t too concerned though. But the offspring lives only if it can hold tight.
Bhakti from one perspective is like this nyāya. The bhakta would always be diligent in his deeds and take refuge under bhagavān. For another perspective, see mārjālakiśora-nyāya.

This is the twenty-second part of the multi-part translation of the Kannada book "Sandarbha Sukti" by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Dr. N Ranganatha Sharma. Thanks to Dr. Sharada Chaitra for granting us permission to translate this wonderful work. Thanks to Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh for his inputs. The original in Kannada can be read here