Vichar Sagar - An Introduction - 1.1
Amongst the many Prakarṇa granthas (introductory texts) on Vedānta, Vicāra Sāgara was once considered the foremost due to its ease of language (deśa bhāṣa), comprehensiveness, and poetic structure. It was written by a late-nineteenth-century mendicant named Niścaladāsa of the Dādū Dyāl sect. The text had great popularity amongst all scholars and sadhus of India, to the extent that the great Swami Vivekananda remarked, "It has more influence in India than any other work written in any language in the last three centuries." The text was ardently studied and, to a great extent, is still studied with enthusiasm by many Sikh institutions and Sampradayas of the past and today. It was also known for being studied in Gurmukhi schools throughout the Punjāb, with many scholars seeing it as an indispensable study for becoming an accomplished Giānī (Sikh scholar).
Niścaladāsa - An Acquaintance
Prior to examining its contents, it is important to recognize and appreciate the author of this great text, Niścaladāsa.
Niścaladāsa was reportedly born in 1791 to a Jāṭ family in Dhanana Village, Jhajjar District, Haryana. He lost his mother in childhood and was raised by his father, who worked as a farmer. It is said that his father took to vairagya(renunciation) and moved to Delhi with the young Niścaladāsa, where they lived in an āśrama, serving saints and listening to Dādu Vāṇī (the teachings of Dādu Dyāl) under the guidance of Śrī Alakhrām Jī. Seeing Niścaladāsa's sharp intellect, Śrī Alakhrām Jī initiated him as a disciple and later sent him to the Dādū Maṭha in Varanasi, where he studied under scholars such as Swami Kīkārāmjī. Niścaladāsa returned to Delhi at the age of 35 and resided in the village of Kihaḍaulī, where he spread the non-dualistic teachings of Advaita.
Recognizing the difficulty in accessing the teachings of Advaita due to caste restrictions and the complexity of Sanskrit grammar (Vyākaraṇa), logic (Nyāya), and hermeneutics (Mīmāṃsā), Niścaladāsa decided to create a text that would help the layman understand the core of non-duality or Advaita Vedanta. He undertook the task of comprehensively covering the entirety of Indian philosophy, especially Advaita Vedanta, in the medium of Hindi poesy. Niścaladāsa began composing the text at the request and with the support of his protégé, King Rāmasiṇha of Būnḍī. Niścaladāsa continued spreading Advaita to any students curious to learn until his demise in 1863 AD.
Structure of the Vicāra Sāgara
Vicāra Sāgara literally means "Ocean of Enquiry," with Vicāra referring to "enquiry" and Sāgara meaning "ocean." In structuring the text, Niścaladāsa did not use the popular term adhyāya for chapters. Rather, he organized the text by means of seven waves, or Taraṅgas, which constitute this "ocean of enquiry." The first two Taraṅgas deal in great detail with the fourfold criteria (Anubandha-catuṣṭaya) for commencing the study of a text. The third Taraṅga sheds light upon the relationship and importance of the Gurū for the śiṣya (preceptor and disciple).
It is in the fourth Taraṅga that we are introduced to the allegory of King Śubhasantati, who renounces his kingdom and expresses his desire to retire to the forests in hopes of attaining emancipation. His three sons, Tattvadṛṣṭī, Adṛṣṭī, and Tarkadṛṣṭī, inspired by his actions, abandon their kingdom and wander in the forests. Eventually, they approach a learned Gurū to dispel their suffering and help them attain the ultimate, everlasting bliss of Brahman. The essence of the text is contained within the dialogue between the Gurū and his three disciples, which spans the fourth to sixth Taraṅgas. In the seventh Taraṅga, concepts such as Karma, Videhamukti, and Jivanmukti are notably addressed, and we witness the arrival of King Śubhasantati, who illustrates the path he took. This seventh Taraṅga also details the aftermath and demise of the three brothers.
The Tippaṇis (Footnotes) of Pītaṁbara Puruṣotammajī
Some regard Vicāra Sāgara and its Tīkā (commentary) to have been written by Niścaladāsa in the style of Champū, where both poesy and prose are amalgamated. Other scholars attribute only the mūla (original) verse to Niścaladāsa and assign the Tīkā (commentary) and Tippaṇis (footnotes) to Pītāṃbara. Pītāṁbara was a great scholar of Vedānta, known for writing works such as Vicāracandrodaya, which is often studied as a preliminary text to the Vicāra Sāgara.
The Structure of the Blog
Rather than attempting a full translation of both the Vicāra Sāgara and its Tippaṇīs, which would be extremely tiresome and utterly confusing, we have decided to create a series of blog posts in English to explain and elaborate on Vicāra Sāgara in depth, accompanied by Sriman Sant Darshan Singh Ji Shastri's oral exegesis of the text (spoken in Hindi) (Coming soon).
Sources and Material Used
Śrī Svāmi Niścaladāsa Praṇīta Vicāra Sāgar - Ācaryā Dr. Kishoredās Svāmī 'Vidyāvaridhiḥ'
Śrī Vicāra Sāgara Aur Śrī Vṛtti Ratnāvali - Khemrāj Śrī Kṛṣṇdās'
The Pedagogical Concern: An Analysis of the Sanskrit Vicārasāgara of Vāsudeva Brahmendra Sarasvatī - S. Bhuvaneshwari
The Metaphysics of the Upanishads: Vichar Sagar - Lala Sreeram
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