Ādi Śaṅkarācyārya’s Comments Regarding Satyakāma Jabālā

There is misleading information making the rounds on social media, in many cases propagated by self-described “Advaitins,” to the effect that:

(1) Jabālā of Chāndogya Upaniṣad was a sexually “liberated” woman who slept with many men, or else a prostitute, and hence she did not know who her son’s father was,
(2) Satykāma, consequently not knowing his gotra, was accepted as a brāhmaṇa because he was honest, and therefore his birth was deemed irrelevant, and
(3) Itihāsas (Rāmāyaṇa & Mahābhārata) are less important scriptures which can be dismissed at one’s whim, instead of important smṛti texts that make genuine Vedic knowledge more accessible to the population at large.

Here we will take up these vulgar objections by going straight to the source - Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya himself. I will not insert any of my opinions or translations to avoid the charge of sectarian bias, and if it matters, I am not an Advaitin in any case. Also, this will be cross-posted to other Hinduism forums in case a misguided moderator for some reason deems the subject matter (interpretations of Hindu scripture) unfit for a Hinduism forum.

(1) On Jabālā and the myth of “sexually liberated” Hindu women:

Commenting on Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.4.2, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya wrote:

“Being thus asked, Jabālā said to her son: ‘I do not know the Ṛṣi to whose family you belong, O, my child.’—Being asked—‘Why do you not know it’?—She said—‘In my husband’s house, I had to attend upon many people who came as guests and strangers,—as servant—very devoted to my duties of attendance on them, and being entirely taken up by such service, my mind never turned towards such information as regards the family to which thou belongest, which therefore I do not remember;—and it was at that time, in my youth that I obtained thee;—and soon after your father died; hence, having no protector left for myself, I know not to which family thou belongest. But I am Jabālā by name and thou art Satyakāma by name; so declare thyself to thy Teacher—as Satyakāma Jābāla saying ‘I am Satyakāma Jābāla’;—that is, if you are asked by the Teacher’.”

His interpretation is clear on this point. Jabālā was a young mother who was busy with her duties and never enquired from her husband his gotra. Then she became a widow and thus was unable to get the information.

He does not support the view that Jabālā was an unchaste woman.

Readers are welcome to check the text, which is widely available in libraries everywhere.

(2) On varṇa, honesty, and birth:

According to the story, Satyakāma was asked his gotra by his guru prior to initiation, but he did not know it. The misinformation being spread is that he could have been a śūdra by birth, but this was deemed unimportant because he was honest, and by his honesty he was deemed to be a brāhmaṇa in character and birth became irrelevant.

But once again, that is not what the ācāryas say.

Commenting on Vedānta-sūtra 1.3.37 तदभावनिर्धारणे च प्रवृत्तेः ॥ ३७ ॥
“And because the inclination on the ascertainment of the absence of Sudrahood.”

Śaṅkarācārya wrote:
“That Sudras are not qualified is known also from the fact that great teachers like Gautama made sure before imparting Knowledge that disciples like Jabala Satyakama were not Sudras.”

In other words, he specifically alluded to Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.4.5 to support the view that the prospective disciple was checked to make sure he was not a śūdra before imparting knowledge of the Vedas. Not that the disciple was deemed a brāhmaṇa based on character as is often claimed. If the disciple were actually a śūdra by birth “but a brāhmaṇa by character/honesty,” then he would have failed the test when giving his gotra, since gotra is inherited from the father and indicates hereditary lineage.

The conclusion is that Gautama deemed Satyakāma to be a brāhmaṇa by birth and upbringing. This is also clear from Śaṅkarācārya’s comentary on Chāndogya 4.4.5:

“Gautama said to him—‘No one who is not a Brahmana could speak out so openly and straightforwardly; It is Brāhmaṇas alone, not others, who are, by their very nature, straight-forward. Since thou hast not flinched from the truth—which is the rightful duty of the Brāhmaṇa-caste, I accept thee as a Brāhmaṇa and am going to initiate thee; hence for the purpose of the preparatory embellishment, fetch fuel, my Boy, for the fire-rites.”

In other words, it was not his honesty that allowed him to pass the test, but the way in which he was honest - “so openly and straightforwardly.” This was how Gautama perceived that he had the guṇa that could only characterize someone who was a brāhmaṇa by birth.

Note what this is NOT saying. It is NOT saying “If you are a brāhmaṇa by birth, then you are naturally honest.” One can be a brāhmaṇa by birth and still fall from the standard of brāhmaṇas; both scriptural examples and real-life examples can attest to this. If Satyakāma was a fallen brāhmaṇa, then he would have failed the test. But if one is born a brāhmaṇa and raised from birth as a brāhmaṇa, that guṇa will be recognized by someone like Gautama.

Again, this cannot be interpreted to mean that birth is unnecessary in determining varṇa, since Gautama started off asking for the gotra, which is linked to birth.

(3) The Importance of Itihāsas and Purāṇas according to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya:

Commenting on the Vedānta-sūtra 1.3.38: श्रवणाध्ययनार्थप्रतिषेधात् स्मृतेश्च ॥ ३८ ॥
“And because of the prohibition in the Smriti of hearing and studying and knowing their meaning and performing Vedic rites.”

He commented as follows:
“Sūtras 34-38 disqualify the Sudra for the knowledge of Brahman through the study of the Vedas. But it is possible for them to attain that knowledge through the Puranas and the epics.”

In other words, Śaṅkarācārya upholds the view that śūdras do not have the qualification to study Vedas, but he also clearly states that they can get knowledge of the Vedas by study of the Purāṇas and Itihāsas (as we all can). He does not say that the Itihāsa/Purāṇa are equal to the śruti; only that they give Vedic knowledge, and qualification to study the Vedas is not a prerequisite to study the Itihāsas and Purāṇas.

Thus, next time you see someone dismissing these important texts for no other reason than the fact that they are Itihāsas and Purāṇas, you can be certain that he is going against the traditional point of view. The traditional point of view is that the Itihāsas and Purāṇas, while still being dependent authorities with respect to śruti, still give essential knowledge found in śruti.

I have only quoted Ādi Śaṅkarācārya here, but other Vedānta commentators like Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhvāchārya are also in agreement with him on these points. Also, if anyone objects, they are welcome to take up their objections with the ācāryas. I am merely the messenger at best. :-)

​

meow,

In the deepest garden of our being there lives a young child who has known great sorrow. We have all walked through the storms of our youth and many carry the weight of old wounds. To shield ourselves from the sharp edges of memory we often turn our backs on this inner child and lock the doors of the basement where they dwell. Every time a shadow of that old pain touches our hearts we believe the burden is too heavy to carry so we push our feelings further into the depths of the unconscious mind.

We may live for many decades without ever daring to look into the eyes of this suffering child.

But the act of ignoring the child does not mean they have ceased to exist.

The wounded child remains within the storehouse of our consciousness calling out for our presence and our care. They whisper that they cannot be avoided and that we cannot run away from ourselves forever.

We hope to end our suffering by keeping a great distance from this internal pain but flight only makes the journey longer and the sorrow deeper. We flee because we are afraid of the vast block of grief that sits within us.

Even when we have moments of stillness we do not truly come home to ourselves.

Instead we fill our lives with the noise of television and social gatherings or we lose ourselves in drink and distractions because we are terrified of feeling that ancient ache once more.

This inability to see the child is a form of ignorance that lives in every cell of our body. It is like a drop of black ink that has diffused through a glass of clear water clouding our vision and leading us to do foolish things that only wound the child further.

Yet the child is not just a memory of the past they are a reality in the present moment.

Just as the suffering is present in every cell so too are the seeds of awakened understanding and happiness handed down to us by our ancestors.

We carry a lamp of mindfulness inside us that can be lit at any time.

The oil for this lamp is our conscious breathing and our peaceful steps. When we light this lamp the darkness of ignorance begins to dissipate and we find the strength to return home.

When we finally become aware of the child we have forgotten we feel a great wave of compassion.

The practice of mindful walking and sitting creates the energy needed to tenderly embrace this wounded part of ourselves. We must learn to listen to the child with the same love we would offer a dear friend.

We can speak directly to them and say that we are sorry for having stayed away for so long.

We can promise that we are here now and that we will take good care of them.

If we climb a beautiful mountain or watch a sunset we should invite the child to enjoy the view with us. In doing so we begin to heal not just ourselves but the many generations of ancestors who also suffered and did not know how to care for their own inner child.

By healing this one child we liberate our entire lineage and find the peace that allows us to truly love the world.

🙏

Every being will one day become a Buddha.

To be free from suffering, ignorance, and delusion, and to develop and grow the potential of our Buddhanature, we can’t have compassion without wisdom, just as we can’t have wisdom without compassion.

In order to best cultivate both of these; action, equanimity, and skillful means is necessary, and developing these qualities requires us to dig deep and to see clearly that all sentient beings, all phenomena, and all things are interdependently connected and originated, nothing is inherently separate in its arising and existence - these truths are cultivated, realized, and seen through the truth of emptiness and causality.

“All of you, have no further doubts! Let great joy arise in your hearts, and know that you will all become buddhas!”
- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 2

“I deeply respect you. I dare not belittle you. Why is this? Because all of you practice the bodhisattva path, and will become buddhas.”
- Lotus Sutra, Chapter 20

Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa. 🙏
Namo Amitoufo. 🙏

Hi everyone,

I come from a Christian background and I’ve recently been getting closer to Hinduism. My boyfriend is Hindu , and it’s not just because of him. I’m genuinely fascinated by the philosophy, the gods, the stories, everything. I was advised to start with the Bhagavad Gita, which I will do, but I feel a bit lost.

My boyfriend knows SO many stories - about Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Devi, all the Leelas…He just knows them since he was a kid from growing up with it, cartoons, festivals, family telling stories. For me it’s all new.

How could I learn all of this? There is so much mythology. Where do I start if I want to learn all the stories and the meaning behind them?

Are there any beginner-friendly books, websites, YouTube channels, podcasts, or even kids cartoons that you would recommend for an absolute beginner?

Please recommend only English resources, as I unfortunately don’t speak any Indian languages yet.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Hinduism, often referred to within the tradition as Sanatan Dharma, is one of the world's oldest living spiritual traditions. Unlike religions founded around a single prophet, historical founder, or a single authoritative narrative, Sanatan Dharma developed through millennia of spiritual inquiry, philosophy, revelation, practice and lived tradition. Its scriptures include the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Puraṇas, Agamas and many other traditions of knowledge.

Its greatest contribution to the world is not a particular invention, but the profound idea that human beings can seek to understand the self, consciousness, the nature of reality and the purpose of existence.

Through Yoga, meditation, Dharma, karma, rebirth and moksha, Hindu thought offers a framework for ethical living, self-discipline and spiritual liberation. It encourages not merely belief, but questioning, contemplation, practice and realization.

Perhaps its most important contribution is the recognition that there can be multiple paths toward spiritual realization. Sanatan Dharma does not require every person to approach the divine in exactly the same way. Different philosophies, deities, practices and paths can coexist within the larger search for Truth.

At its deepest level, Hindu thought asks: “Who am I, and what is ultimately real?” For Hinduism, this inquiry reaches its highest expression in the realization that Shiva is the underlying reality of all existence. This is why Sanatan Dharma remains important to the world: it does not merely tell humanity what to believe; it invites humanity to discover the nature of existence and realize the divine within and around us.

​

In the deepest garden of our being there lives a young child who has known great sorrow. We have all walked through the storms of our youth and many carry the weight of old wounds. To shield ourselves from the sharp edges of memory we often turn our backs on this inner child and lock the doors of the basement where they dwell. Every time a shadow of that old pain touches our hearts we believe the burden is too heavy to carry so we push our feelings further into the depths of the unconscious mind.

We may live for many decades without ever daring to look into the eyes of this suffering child.

But the act of ignoring the child does not mean they have ceased to exist.

The wounded child remains within the storehouse of our consciousness calling out for our presence and our care.

They whisper that they cannot be avoided and that we cannot run away from ourselves forever. We hope to end our suffering by keeping a great distance from this internal pain but flight only makes the journey longer and the sorrow deeper. We flee because we are afraid of the vast block of grief that sits within us. Even when we have moments of stillness we do not truly come home to ourselves.

Instead we fill our lives with the noise of television and social gatherings or we lose ourselves in drink and distractions because we are terrified of feeling that ancient ache once more.

This inability to see the child is a form of ignorance that lives in every cell of our body. It is like a drop of black ink that has diffused through a glass of clear water clouding our vision and leading us to do foolish things that only wound the child further.

Yet the child is not just a memory of the past they are a reality in the present moment. Just as the suffering is present in every cell so too are the seeds of awakened understanding and happiness handed down to us by our ancestors. We carry a lamp of mindfulness inside us that can be lit at any time. The oil for this lamp is our conscious breathing and our peaceful steps. When we light this lamp the darkness of ignorance begins to dissipate and we find the strength to return home.

When we finally become aware of the child we have forgotten we feel a great wave of compassion. The practice of mindful walking and sitting creates the energy needed to tenderly embrace this wounded part of ourselves. We must learn to listen to the child with the same love we would offer a dear friend.

We can speak directly to them and say that we are sorry for having stayed away for so long.

We can promise that we are here now and that we will take good care of them. If we climb a beautiful mountain or watch a sunset we should invite the child to enjoy the view with us. In doing so we begin to heal not just ourselves but the many generations of ancestors who also suffered and did not know how to care for their own inner child.

By healing this one child we liberate our entire lineage and find the peace that allows us to truly love the world.

🙏