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Book Review
Spiritual classic
THE WISDOM OF SRI DATTATREYA AS EXPOUNDED IN TRIPURA RAHASYA: K. S. Subramanyam; Sura Books Pvt. Ltd., 1620, J Block, 16th Main Road, Anna Nagar, Chennai-600040. Rs. 95.
DATTATREYA'S WORK Tripura Rahasyam (Jnana Khandam) is one of the greatest Vedanta classics of the pre-Sankara period. Like the Yoga Vasishta and the Sura Samhita it anticipates in quite a remarkable fashion the fundamentals, the crucial essentials of Sankara's Advaita Vendanta.
All the classics of the ancient Indian spiritual tradition seek to instruct man on his real nature, his relationship to the universe in which he lives, moves and has his being and the reality behind the massive appearance that keeps him and all of us so engrossed and deluded. Dattatreya, the Acharya of Tripura Rahasyam (of which only the middle of the three Khandas — Mahatmya Khanda, Jnana Khanda and Charya Khanda) is now available, was the offspring of the great Brahmarishi Atri and his model of a spouse, Anasuya.
Three other works are attributed to Dattatreya — the Avadhuta Gita, the Dattatreya Upanishad and the Jivan Mukta Gita, which enforce the same teaching.
The 2163 verses of the Tripura Rahasyam (Jnana Khandam), are the teachings of Dattatreya as narrated by Haritayana (also called Sumedha) to Narada. It is set forth with great clarity and has a commentary by Srinivasa Panditha.
One will find in the general teaching of the Tripura Rahasyam significant similarities to the teaching of Vashishta to Dasaratha Rama, in the Yoga Vasishta. Incidentally the author, K. N. Subramanyam, seems to accept the common, somewhat uncritical view, that Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, is also the author of the Yoga Vasishta.
Dattatreya emphasises the need to worship Goddess Tripura, hailed in the Lalita Sahasranama as Brahma Vidya Swarupini, as the Ultimate Reality and the goal of human spiritual endeavour.
The 22 chapters of the book deal with Dattatreya's stress of Vichara and the greatness of satsanga, the story of Hemachud who was instructed in the need of Shraddha, the nature of Brahman, the nature and content of wisdom of the Self, the nature of the phenomenal universe, the story of Ashtavakra (who defeated his father's victor, in a unique manifestation of prodigious intellectual gifts), the different types of Jivanmukti and the Srividya Gita. These chapters often recall the stories in the Yoga Vasishta.
The book is a marvel of clarity and depth of learning and sets forth its contents in a pleasant and humane manner. It is an invaluable guidance to the spiritual seeker.
S.R.
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