stem (?) of munja grass

[Ashok Aklujkar]

Vidyaara.nya's Pa;cada;sii (7th NSP edn, 1949), verse 1.42:
yathaa mu;njaad i.siikaivam aatmaa yuktyaa samuddh.rta.h /
;sariira-tritayaad dhirai.h para.m brahmaiva jaayate //

Commentator Raamak.r.s.na on this:

yathaa yena prakaare.na mu;njaad etan-naamakaat t.r.na-vi;se.saad i.siikaa
garbhastha.m komala.m t.r.na.m yuktyaa bahir-aavarakatvena sthitaanaa.m
sthuula-patraa.naa.m vibhajana-lak.sa.nopaayena samuddhriyate, evam aatmaapi
yuktyaa anvaya-vyatireka-lak.sa.nopaayena ;sariira-tritayaat
puurvoktaac-chariira-tritayaat dhirai.h brahmacaryaadi-saadhana-sa.mpannair
adhikaaribhi.h samuddh.rta.h p.rthak-k.rta;s cet sa para.m brahmaiva
jaayate.

I do not know where a picture of mu;nja grass can be found. However, the
references in literature indicate that the grass must have been in common
use for girdles of boys undergoing initiation and for making of  ropes,
mats, footwear, nooses  etc.  See An Illustrated Ardha-magadhi Dictionary,
vol. 4, pp. 181-82, in addition to Sm.rti literature in general under
mau;njii.


On 22-03-2002 08:40, "Yaroslav Vassilkov" <yavass at YV1041.SPB.EDU> wrote:

>       As far as I can understand this and similar contexts, the object of
> comparison is
> the stem of the munja grass, which is hidden from sight somehow (is probably
> deep
> inside the blade of grass). If a man happens to cut or tear the leaf and take
> the
> stem out once, then he knows where the stem hides in the blade, can 'see' it
> and
> show it to others. In the same way the yogin who obtained once the vision of
> Atman inside himself, from that moment is able to see it not only inside
> himself,
> but probably also in the bodies of other living beings.