saattvika tyaagam

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

>  This post is from my brother Karthik.
>

>Quote from the BG (3.22) (translation by A.G.Krishna Warrier)
>----------
>"I have, Arjuna! no duty whatsoever to discharge in all the three worlds;
>there is nothing I have not won, and nothing remains to be won by Me; still
>I ceaselessly work."
>
>Shankara's commentary: In all the three worlds, Arjuna! no duty whatsoever
>exists for me to discharge. Why? There is nothing unobtained and nothing
yet
>to be obtained, by Me. Nevertheless I ceaselessly work.
>----------
>
>Better is BG (3.24):
>----------
>"If I don't work the worlds will perish; I may cause confusion, and may
ruin
>these living beings."

See BG 5. 14 - na kartRtvaM na karmANi lokasya sRjate prabhuH, na
karmaphalasaMyogaM svabhAvastu pravartate.

ISvara does not impel the jIva to work, nor create the objects of such
work. It is svabhAva, the intrinsic nature of things, that operates. In
Sankaracharya's commentary, svabhAva is described as avidyAlakshaNA prakRti,
mAyA.

If the above verse is seen to contradict other ideas of ISvara within the BG
itself, Sankaracharya's commentary again points out how this is not so. He
draws attention to BG 7. 14, daivI hy eshA guNamayI. In chapter 7, two
natures (prakRti) of ISvara are described, and tied in with the description
of kshetra-kshtrajna-yoga in chapter 13.

The problem with the Bhagavad Gita is that it can be selectively quoted to
prove every contention and its opposite. What the Gita says about ISvara
has to be understood by taking the text as a whole.

Vidyasankar

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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>From ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG Fri Oct 15 20:37:48 1999
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Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 20:37:48 +0530
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From: "Dr. S.R.Marur" <smarur at EASI.SOFT.NET>
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Subject: Sankara SampradhAyam - 19
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Now, a person is a Hindu. He gets converted to Christianity. How does
he do it? A 'Father' of that religion conducts the ceremony of baptism
for him. Only when it is done, he'll be considered to be a christian.
Otherwise, will he not continue to be a Hindu?

Similarly, only when Siva-dhIkkai or samAchrayanam or mudhrAdhAranam
is done, a person becomes a saiva-siddhAnthi or a srI Vaishnavaite or
a mAdhwA.

A person who gets converted to Christianity, leaves our vEda -
shAstrA-s. [*On the other hand*] the one who adopts other
siddhAnthA-s, except advaita, follows the respective schools, while
retaining vEda-shAstrAs. Even the AchAryA-s of these samprdhAyam-s are
the ones who have accepted the pramAnA of vEdA-s and smrithi-s.
However, they insist on some rites, in addition to those prescribed by
vEdA-s and smrithi-s. Only when these rites are carried out, one would
be considered to have become a vaishnavaite or a saivaite or a mAdhwA.

Otherwise, he continues to be a smArthA; it can even be concluded
that he is the follower of Shankara Bhagawadh pAdAl. Arguing thus, am
I trying to grab more number of people to my sampradhAyam or what?

If AchAryAl had ever recommended any new samskAram to be done for an
advaitin, then what I said could be wrong. But, AchAryAl had never
suggested any thing like that. He had never segregated any one as
an advaitin. He let His devotees contiune to follow the immemorial
smArtha sampradhAyam and the pUrna vaidhIka matham. He never
introduced any separate samskAram for an advaitin. Therefore, all
those who have not undergone any new samskAram, are His followers, by
default.

Neither the dhIkshai nor mudhrAdhAranam nor samAchrayanam had been
mentioned in the vEdA-s. What is recommended [*in vEdAs*] is only
the gAyathrI upadEsam after upanayanam, as a pre-requisite, before
the starting of vEdic education, for those belonging to the first
three varnA-s, qualified to have this knowledge. Only upanayanam is
suggested for 'bhrama-kshathra-vaisyA-s'. Even that is not there for
the fourth varna. Even without this, he [*the one belonging to the
fourth varna*] is accepted to be the follower of vEda matham.
AchAryAl had retained the same frame-work(vazhi-murai) [*of vEdA-s*].
He has not introduced any new samskAram.

SmArthA-s should not feel bad that they don't have any new samskAram
prescribed. Whatever is mentioned in vEdA-s is more than sufficient
for us.

Is there any reference either to the mudhrAdhAranam or samAchrayanam
or siva-dhIkshai of srI RAmachandhra mUrthy or Krishna paramAthmA
in texts such as RamAyanA, Bhagavatham etc? No.

If other siddhAnthi-s argue that they [*such rites*] are not
applicable to them as they are avathAra purushA-s, then that is not
a correct logic.

Why because, it is mentioned in RamAyanA that Rama along with His
brothers had done vEda-adhyayanam [1]. Adhyayanam is possible only
after the upanayanam. From this, His upanayanam becomes an explicit
fact. Similarly, there is a reference to the upanayanam of Krishna
paramAthmA, being conducted by VasudEvar and DEvaki, immediately after
their release from 'kArAgruham' [2]. Subsequently, KrishnA is said to
have started His guru-kula-vAsam under a bhramin known as SAndIpanI
and completed the vEda-adhyayanam like any other ordinary student [*of
His times*].

Why are only these things [*such as upanayanam, guru-kula-vAsam,
adhyayanam etc*] required for avathAra purushA-s? On their own, within
a moment of their willing, could have they not mastered all the
vEda-shAstrA-s?

Why should RAmA learn asthra-shasthra-abhyAsam, 'palai'and 'athipalai'
mantrA-s from VishwAmithrA?

So, it becomes clear [*from the above instances*] that they have got
upanayanam done and compeleted the vEda-adhyayanam to set an example
regarding an ideal way of life for the mankind. Whatever thay had done
is adequate for us. srI Bhagavadh pAdhAl has enjoined that anything
that is in excess of/more than what has been said in the vEdA-s and
also in smrithi-s, the creation of maharshi-s by closely following
sruthi-s, is not at all required for us.

Though the AchAryA-s of other sampradhAyam-s have introduced new
samskAram-s while accepting the vEda-shAstrA-s, their followers are
forced to relinquish many things that have been prescribed, with out
any Siva Vishu bhEdham, by shAstrA-s, due to their philosophy. So,
though there are few new additions, some [*of the earlier
samskAram-s*] do get dropped. We can be satisfied that we have
neither of these.

Our AchAryAl had advocated 'Do not add anything to the immemorial
shAstrA-s! Nor miss out even a single element of it [*in practice*]!'.
He removed only the newly accumulated dOshA-s, cleansed and brought it
back to its original form.

--------------

[1]. 'vadhikAdhyayanE rathA:'. 18th sargam, bAla kAndam, srImadh
     VAlmIki RAmAyanam.

[2]. 'atha sUra suthO rAjan ... dvijasamskrithim'. 45th sargam,
     10th skandham, srimadh BhAghavatham.


                                .... to be continued

Regards,

Sudhakar

----------------------------------------------------------------
Translated from,
HH Sri Chandhra sEkharEndhra Saraswathi Swamiji, 'Sankara
SampradhAyam'. Deivathin Kural (in Tamil), Vol. II, Second
Edition, ed. rA. Ganapathi, Vanathi padhippagam, Chennai,
pp: 119-157 (1980).
---------------------------------------------------------------

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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