सह वीर्यं करवावहै (saha vIryam karavAvahai) - May we do great things together

In this the third part of the verse commencing saha nA vavatu, we see the focus shift from asking for something for the self (protection, material objects) to asking for enablement to do something with the knowledge gained. This verse is translated in many places as “may we do our studies with vigour or energy”. I humbly believe this can mean more than just asking for enthusiasm / vigour / energy for our studies, and to go deeper in to the meaning and import of the same.

What is the purpose of education, or seeking? For most of us for most part, it is a means to a livelihood. At some point, maybe it goads us as we strive to understand ourselves and our place in this cosmos. Even for evolved and detached souls like Adi Sankara, or Ramanujacharya, or in more modern times Swami Vivekananda or Swami Chinmayananda, the fruition of knowledge is in its application and in transferring it further to other people; in short, in making the world a better place. Study or knowledge is not an end in itself. It is an impetus to something far bigger.


Now, to be able to contribute (through our knowledge), there are some things that need to be aligned. We need to have learnt the “right” things (values, skills), learnt them well, and then we need to apply them for the right objectives.


This is said pithily by the great Tamizh savant Tiruvalluvar. In one of his kuraL (adhikAram 40, kuraL 391), he says


கற்க கசடறக் 

கற்பவை கற்றபின்

நிற்க அதற்குத் தக 

kaRka kaSaDarak 

kaRpavai kaRRapin 

niRka adaRkku taga


“Learn thoroughly and without mistakes that which is worth learning, and having learnt it, live according to that”


(On a personal note, this kuraL is particularly dear to me; this was one of the few kuraLs that my late mother taught me long back.)


So, can the verse “saha vIryam karavAvahai” mean - may we do great things together? In my mind, the build up of the verse leads to this quite well - we seek removal of obstacles (dangers, impediments), then we seek abundance for ourselves, and then what? We need to now start contributing to the world that we have been taking from so far.


What we need to do - what in Sanskrit is termed karma - is up to each one of us to decide for ourselves. This small two syllable word perfectly encapsulates the concept of free will, and an extreme internal locus of control on actions. Unfortunately, the word has come to denote “luck” or “fortune” in common English usage, which is an external locus of control “What can I do? This is my karma!”. Yes, this IS luck, good or bad, but one that that WE have made for ourselves. Anyway, this is a pet peeve, and I’ll stop ranting on it now!


Enough and more has been written about karma, and it is more than the work of a lifetime to study, analyse and absorb all of it. I’ll close with what for many of us would the top of mind recall when we hear the term “karma” ... the first line of Bhagavad Gita verse 2.47


कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। 

karmaNyEvAdhikArastE mA phalESu kadACana |


“You have control only on your actions, not of the fruits thereof” 


saha vIryam karavAvahai - may we both apply our learning to make this world a better place


P.S.: As someone who went through Six Sigma Black Belt training, I see an interesting parallel with BG2.47 quoted above. You can control your inputs and modify your processes, but you cannot control the output directly. There is a factor of environment that comes in, that is not in your control. Not a perfect parallel I know, because in the corporate world outcomes are what matter, not the effort you put in (inputs) and sometimes not even how you go about that work (process). But it is telling that the methodology forces you to stop focusing on the output, once you define the inputs and process that are expected to lead to the desired output. Focus on the inputs and process, and the output will fall in to place.


——————————————————————————————————


Benedictory verse from the 2nd part (brahmAnandavalli) of the taittiriya upaniSad 

ॐ सह नाववतु ।

सह नौ भुनक्तु ।

सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु  मा विद्विषावहै ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

OM saha nAvavatu |

saha nau bhunaktu |

saha vIryaM karavAvahai |

tejasvi nAvadhItamastu mA vidviShAvahai |

OM shAntiH shAntiH shAntiH ||

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