ATMA BODHAM “KNOWLEDGE of the SELF” : Mantram 49. - Swami Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

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Friday,  16  Jun,  2023. 05:30.

(68 Mantras in 9 Chapters)

C. THE UNIVERSAL ATTITUDE: (47-50)

Mantram- 49: As a Worm Transforms into a Wasp

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Mantram - 49: As a Worm Transforms into a Wasp

1 

Jeevanmuktah tu tat vidvaan  =   The liberated soul, endowed with Self-knowledge,

2 

poorva-upaadhi-gunaan tyajet;  =   gives up the traits of his previous equipments.

3 

sah sat-chid-aadi-dharmatvam  =   and verily becomes of the nature of Satchidananda,

4 

bheje bhramara-keeta-vat.  =   even as a worm would transform into a wasp.

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Once again the class enjoyed a real treat in listening to Acharyaji’s magnificent 

explanation of the simile used in this verse. He captured fully the marvel of transformation 

from an ordinary being severely limited by his body and mind ‘prisons’, to the liberated sage 

who rises above these limitations and becomes a “super-man” far exceeding ordinary 

humans. The simile is a striking one which shows how such a transformation is possible in 

actual life.

“Bhramara Keetavat”: The Worm and the Wasp

4 

One has to be an enjoyer of Nature to appreciate this superb simile. What follows 

is the stunning detail which Acharyaji poured into this simile :

Have you ever seen a wasp building its nest? With great difficulty it brings a tiny 

lump of clay, moistened with its saliva. It finds a suitable spot where no one will disturb it 

and places it there. With its legs it maneuvers the ball of clay firmly. Then it flies off quickly 

to get the next ball because it must return before this ball dries up, so that the next ball can 

be stuck to it. This is so interesting to see.

When numerous balls are in place, the wasp comes along one day with a small worm 

and places it inside in such a way that its eyes are facing it directly. Then the wasp takes its 

position at the entrance and just sits there, glaring intently on the worm. The worm also 

stares at the wasp all the while, but out of fear, terrified by the sight of the wasp. If it takes 

its attention off the wasp even for a second, the wasp gives it a little sting and pulls it to 

attention once again! 

And what does this intent concentration by the worm on the wasp bring about? 

There may be a biology book which explains the whole thing differently, but we are 

interested in the poetic beauty of a philosophic idea here: We behold a marvel of nature –

just the constant fixed attention on the wasp soon transforms the worm into another wasp!

Application of the simile :

1-3 

The spiritual seeker is the worm. As a worm he is helpless to do anything, 

severely limited by its cumbersome, ugly body to that pitiable state. The stare at the wasp 

with such intense ‘fearful’ concentration is the practice of meditation on the Self. After a 

prolonged practice of this meditation, the seeker-worm emerges as a completely 

transformed being. He acquires the freedom of a new ‘body’, completely different from the 

one that limited him before. He can now fly into great heights of ecstacy; he can behold the 

whole universe as himself; and he can now raise himself above all limitations that he 

suffered from previously. He is a free being, entirely different from his old personality-based 

existence.

The transformation of worm to wasp is a perfect comparison to what the meditator 

achieves through his meditation, when he becomes a Self-realised Jivanmukta.

Another aspect of this simile is that it resembles the Guru-disciple relationship 

perfectly. The wasp is the Guru and the worm the disciple. The nest is the Ashram. The 

disciple comes to the Guru’s Ashram. He is placed under the discipline of the Guru. It may 

appear to be a fearful discipline with all the frightful glaring and the stings, but how 

appropriate it is to what the Guru has to do to achieve the transformation in his beloved 

disciple!

[The class really enjoyed this comparison, and the hilarity in which it was presented 

by Acharyaji. That has to be highlighted here, for after all Vedanta is not just a dry study. We 

never imagined that Vedanta could be so much fun!]

The final message is: The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself. It may 

seem an impossible transformation, but then who would have imagined that a worm could 

become a wasp? The emergence from the severe psychological limitation of an ignorant 

human to a God-realised saint is even more remarkable than a worm becoming a wasp.

*****

Next

Mantram - 50: As “Atma Rama” – the Inner Saga of Rama

To be continued

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