saattvika tyaagam

[Kartik Jayanarayanan]

Sorry for bringing out an old thread into discussion, but I just
remembered this over the weekend:

Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian wrote:

> Ravi wrote:
>
> >>>There is a profound and beautiful step in shrIvaiShNava rituals
> called saattvika tyaagam. Even though we (smaarta-s) do phala tyagam
> at the end using the mantra "kaayena vaacha", we do not observe the
> saattvika tyaagam. Dont you  think we should adopt this?<<<
>
> This wreaks havoc with the advaitic philosophy that Ishvara is only
> the phaladAtA. That Ishvara is only phaladAta is brought out clearly
> in the trishatI bhAshhyam, when sha.nkara argues against the
> mImA.nsaka-s. I forget the verses now.
>
> If one believed that Ishvara was really the doer, then why go through
> 3 steps or any steps at all for that matter? One would just quietly go
> about letting things happen. In any case all this is completely
> delusional, sorry but that's my view. As per this process one gives up
> the delusion that he is the doer (or claims to) and gets into a bigger
> delusion that Ishvara is the doer. That's absurd. I am sure someone or
> the other will take offense, but I have to say this since I feel this
> practice has no place in advaita.
>

There is, however, some shruti basis for this practise (saattvika tyAgaM).
In the atharvashI.rshhaganapati upanishhad (part of the atharva veda, this
is chanted during vinAyaka chaturthi even by yajur vedins), one of the
prayers is:

tvaM eva pratyakshaM brahmAsi .
(Verily, You are the perceptibly evident Brahman.)

Without doubt, Ganesha is being hailed as the Ishvara. And also:

tvaM eva kevalaM kartAsi .
(Verily, You alone are the doer.)

The upanishhad seems to say that there is no other doer but Ishvara. There
is simply no other way to interpret the above verse. I don't know if
saattvika tyAgaM is advaitic, but it is not contradictory to attribute ALL
doership to the Ishvara.

[..]

> Rama
>

-Kartik

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

Archives : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l.html
Help     : Email to listmaster at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Options  : To leave the list send a mail to
           listserv at lists.advaita-vedanta.org with
           SIGNOFF ADVAITA-L in the body.