Life's Arithmetic

Many aspects of life can be expressed using formulae to enable easy comprehension. Is it possible to express the essence of life itself using a formula? Can the life span of a human being explained through an equation? Has any attempt been made to explore Life's Arithmetic? Many people may have attempted this before. There may be many methods of explaining life's purpose. Everyone desires to be happy. Whatever may be one's pursuit; whichever may the direction in which the efforts are made, the ultimate aim is to be happy. Thus life's multiple goals ultimately lead to paths to find happiness. Hence the entire life span of a person is spent in chasing happiness. Life span and running behind happiness are two faces of the same coin. Finally there should be sufficient time to enjoy that happiness achieved with lot of efforts. We see many people around us who procure all the tools required for a happy life, after rigorous efforts. But when the time for enjoying the fruits of those efforts arrives, life itself ends.

Poet-Philosopher Bhartruhari has given a wonderful interpretation of Life's arithmetic. In his "Vairagya Shataka" he sums up the the relation between life span and finding happiness through a beautiful arithmetical formula. Bhartruhari takes the span of human life as one hundred years. Why only one hundred years? Human body has its own limitations. Even with best efforts it is difficult to preserve the body in working condition for a hundred years. Better health care facilities are no doubt increasing life span, but still very few live to celebrate their 100th birthday. A study has shown that 50 years ago, one in 67,000 people reached this milestone. One in 6,000 is able to celebrate 100th birthday now. In percentage terms it is less than 0.02%. Even in respect of these centenarians, very few are active and live by themselves at that age. Global life expectancy as per WHO reports is about 72 years. Let us accept Bhartruhari's stipulation of 100 years to start with.

Bhartruhari deducts half of this 100 years spent in night and sleep. It was true in his time, more than two thousand years ago. Activities then started with sunrise and ended with sunset. Not so in these times we live. Electricity has ensured that life goes on 24x7. Even then human beings require sleep for rest and recuperation. 50 years calculated by Bhartruhari as active life span can be accepted even today, considering the average life expectancy of 72 years. 

Human life can be broadly divided into three phases; childhood, adult and old age. Bhartruhari deducts half of this 50 years for childhood and old age. Why is it so and is it right? It stands to reason as he explains. Childhood is a phase when one does not know what to do and old age is a phase when one cannot do what he wants to do! A deduction of 25 years allowed for these two phases is also fair and the real productive life span thus further gets shrunk to 25 years. 

This 25 years is the core life span for being happy. But Bhartruhari says it is not that simple. Further deductions are required from this 25 years for sickness, separation from loved ones, and serving others. You cannot be happy when you are sick. You cannot be happy when you are away from your loved ones. You cannot be happy when you are serving others because you are not living for yourself! Ultimately, there is not much time available for being happy and enjoying fruits of one's hard labor during the productive years. Bhartruhari concludes by saying that there is no time left to be happy in one's life.

Bhartruhari's formula for life is this:  

आयुर्वर्षशतं नृणां परिमितम् रात्रौ तदर्धं गतं |

तस्यार्धस्य परस्य चार्धमपरं बालत्व वृद्धत्वयोः ||

शेषं व्याधि वियोगदुखभरितं सेवादिभिर्नीयते |

जीवे वारितरङ्ग चञ्चलतरे सौख्यं कुतः प्राणिनाम् ||

Ayurvarsha shatam nrunaam parimitam ratrou tatardhamgatam

Tasyardhasya parasya chardhamaparam baalatva vruddhatvayoh

Shesham vyadhi viyogadukhasahitam sevaaadibhirneeyate 

jeeve vaaritaranga chanchalatare sowkhyam kutah praaninam?

Life span is hundred years, half of it is gone in the night

Half of the remainder is lost in childhood and old age

Rest of the period is spent in sickness, separation and service

In life, uncertain like a wave on a water body, where is the time for happiness?

*****

All this leaves us to ponder over a very important issue. Is it never possible to be happy? Then does it mean that Life's arithmetic leads us to conclude that the very purpose of life is futile? It is not so. Real happiness lies in enjoying the process of life. It is not at all separated from other aspects of life. Happiness is to be found in the hard earned rest at the end of a tough day's work. Happiness is to be found in childhood innocence and old age maturity and wisdom. Happiness is to be seen in the service of others one receives when he is sick. Happiness is to be identified when one reunites with the loved ones after long separation. Happiness is to enjoyed while serving others selflessly or even while serving for earning one's livelihood. 

If and when we understand this secret of life, we have solved the problems of Life's Arithmetic. Do we not find happiness everywhere now?

Damn the cupid....

The word "Centurion" means "The commanding officer of a roman army, of one hundred men". This word is often used now with reference to a cricketer who scores hundred runs in a match.  The terms "Double centurion" and "Triple centurion" are used to describe an achievement of scoring two hundred and three hundred runs respectively.

Poet and philosopher Bhartruhari  is the Original Triple Centurion.  All other centurions are only his followers.  Except that Bhartruhari did not play Cricket.  The game or its name were not known in his time.  In many Indian languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Marathi, a hundred is called a "Shataka".  Bhartruhari has scored three hundreds by writing his three famous works "Shringara Shataka", "Vairagya Shataka" and "Neeti Shataka".  He might have even scored many more, but this is what we are left with now.  At least this much, to our good fortune.

Not much is known for sure about Bhartrihari.  He is reckoned as one of the great philosopher and lyrical poets of India, widely read and quoted even today. Some opine that he was the Buddhist grammarian mentioned by the Chinese traveler I-tsing, who visited India in the 7th century AD.  But a study of his celebrated works indicate that Bhartruhari was a worshiper of Shiva and not a follower of Buddha. Some stories say that he was a King of Ujjain, a city in present Madhya Pradesh or Central India, and lived in the 1st century BC.  He is also said to be the elder brother of King Vikramaditya (of Vikram-Betal fame?) after whom Vikrama Shaka (Computing time and years) is reckoned.  It is said that Bhartruhari abdicated the throne in favor of his brother Vikramaaditya after an incident which created disgust in him, after learning about his queen's infidelities. Vikramaditya is said to have two brothers, one of whom was by name Bhartruhari.  But it is also argued by some that Bhartruhari was younger to Vikramaditya.  What he was or who he was is not of importance now. What really matters is the worth of his works and the essence they carry even today.

Bhartrihari is considered as the author three collections or Shatakas of poems. There is also an opinion that he was the author of a Sanskrit Grammar work by name "Vaakyadeepika". Some others feel that the two Bhartruharis are different. The Sringara Shataka gives us little pictures of love. The Vairagya Shataka describes a gradual withdrawal from worldly matters, and the Neeti Shataka deals with ethical conduct. Bhartrihari portrays Sanskrit at its best: a lot is said in a two or four stanza verse on which pages of commentary can be written.  There is a deep sense of maturity displayed in all these creations.

One of the slokas in his "Neeti Shataka" is said to be the result of an event that occurred in his life.  He was engrossed in his life as a King and also enjoyed his domestic life.  He had a beautiful Queen and was deeply loving her.  A sage came to meet the King once and wanted to have an audience with him privately.  When only the two of them were together, the sage took out a fruit from his bag and handed it to the King.  He told the King that it was a divine fruit and should be given by him to the person he loved most in this world.  After the sage left, the King gave the fruit to his queen as she was the person he loved the most.  While giving the fruit to her, he told her about the visit of the sage and his instructions to give the fruit to his most loved one.

Next morning, one of the servant maids of the palace came to him and presented the same fruit!  He was surprised and asked her how she got the fruit.  She very shyly told him that one of the servants of the palace gave it to her as she was his beloved, but she loved the King and hence she was giving it to him.  When he called the servant and inquired from him, the servant reluctantly told the King that the Queen had given him the fruit.  The King realized the futility of worldly love and decided to renounc the throne.  He handed over the reins to his brother Vikramaaditya and went away to lead the life of an ascetic and later on wrote the three Shatakas.

The second verse of the "Neeti Shataka"sums up this episode thus:

यां चिन्तयामि सततं मयि सा विरक्ता, साप्यन्यमिच्तिजनं सजनोन्यसक्तः |
अस्मत्कृते च परितुष्यति काचिदन्या, धिक् तां च तं च मदनं च इमां च मां च ||

Yaam chintayami satatam mayi saa viraktaa, saapyanyamichhatijanam sajanonyasaktaha,

Asmatkrute cha paritushyati kaachidanya, dhik taam cha tam cha madanam cha imam cha maam cha 

"I am always thinking of her but she is not interested in me.  She is interested in some other man. That other man is not interested in her but he is fond of another woman.  That other woman is fond of me.! (All of us are chasing someone who is not interested in us). Damn her, damn him, damn the Cupid.  Damn her and damn me as well".

Thank God, the sage had only one such fruit with him and did not give similar fruits to others in this world!  Otherwise more than half in the world would have renounced the world ended up as hermits.

Ujjain is a beautiful place. The magnificent Mahakaala temple is a key attraction and the Shivalinga therein is one of the twelve jyotirlingas.  A half a day local sight seeeing trip in beautiful horse carts (Victoria or tongas) takes us to different locations of Ujjain along the banks of the river Shipra.  One such spot is called "Bhartruhari Gufaa" or the cave in which he is said to have lived in the later years of his life.  It is a stone structure and one of the stone slabs in the roof is broken in the middle and standing without support.  The imprint of a palm can be seen below this slab, at the point where the two broken pieces stand.  Legend has it that Lord Indra became scared of the penance by Bhartruhari and used his "Vajrrayudha", a celestial weapon to destroy the structure. But Bhartruhari used his palm to defend himself and keep the structure from falling down.

The three Shatakas are a source of time tested wisdom.  Bhartruhari has been my companion whenever I am traveling and helps me in easily putting up with hours of travel and seemingly endless waiting in airports and railway stations.  Each time one reads and contemplates on his verses, new meaning and insight unfold.  His two line or four line pieces will keep the flame of eternal knowledge burning for generations to come.