Advaita 1001: Sri Shankara's and Sri Ramana Maharshi's insights into Advaita

[Gummuluru Murthy]

On Fri, 8 Nov 1996, Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian wrote:

> Gummuluru Murthy wrote:
>
> >My readings about Shri Shankara's and Sri Ramana's approach to Advaita
> >suggest a vast difference in their approach. So I pose this question to
> >a hypothetical class in a hypothetical introductory course in Advaita
> >1001: Compare and contrast Sri Ramana's and Sri Shankara's approaches to
> >Advaita and their insights into true Advaitic experience.
>
> May I know why you think they are different? I ask this because there is a
> dialog like this in the talks:
>
> Someone asked the Maharshi "I heard that you teach sha.nkara's philosophy. Is
> that true?". The Maharshi replied that he taught what he had experienced, but
> others found that it tallied with sha.nkara's teachings.

I am well aware of that dialogue between Shri Ramana and one of the
visitors. I fully agree that there is no difference in what Shri Shankara
and Shri Ramana were saying. As both Aikya and M & E Shearn point out
in their response, both teachings of Shri Shankara and Shri Ramana
point to the same: recognition of the Self.

>
> Now, I myself have noted a practically no differences between what the
 Maharshi
> taught and the gauDapaada kaarikaa, or the upadeshasaahasrii.
 VivekachuuDaamaNi
> was also translated into Tamil prose for the convenience of his devotees and
> was quoted often by the Maharshi. That being the case I am not sure about what
> you mean by the teachings being different. Thanks for any clarifications.
>
I am not saying the teachings are different. Their approaches are
different which I mentioned in my previous posting: contrasting Shri
Shankara's zeal to Shri Ramana's nrlipta or oudaaseenya bhaava (correct
English word escapes me), about the lineage of disciples of Shri
Shankara vs Shri Ramana not saying about anyone as a direct disciple
of Shri Ramana; about Shri Shankara's pro-active stance in spreading
Advaita vs the almost let the world take its own course approach of
Shri Ramana. May be, as Shri Giri pointed out, it has to do with the
time when these two great persons appeared and their pre-ordained
courses. As Aikya said, their visions are the same and we are blessed
to know both.


> Ramakrishnan.
> --
> Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant (May faulty logic
> undermine your entire philosophy)           -- strong Vulcan curse
>                   http://yake.ecn.purdue.edu/~rbalasub/
>

Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
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Adau ante ca yan nAsti vartamAnepi tat tathA !
                                GaudapAda in Mandukya kArika
What did not exist at the beginning and what is not going to exist at the
 end is as good as non-existent even in the present.
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