Bhakti yoga

[Venkatraman.Chandrasekaran at NOKIA.COM]

> > Ms.Stephanie wrote:
> > I understand Iswara to be a manifestation of Brahman. Is this true?
>
> Sri Jaladhar wrote:
> Ishwara is saguna (with qualities) Brahman.  TRuly Brahman is nirguna
> (without qualities) so where did those qualities come from?  
> The answer is they are superimpositions projected by the ignorant jiva.
> 

While it is true that the qualities are superimpositions, they can't be 
rejected like one rejects the jagat's unreal nature. Because the qualities
of the saguNa brahman help in chitta-Sudhdhi for the bhakthas (dvaitha kind).
Even the great Acharya has indulged in the nectar of the qualities in his
GovindaashTakam, Karaavalamba slOka etc.,

While Acharya says "bhakti is constant contemplation of one's real nature"
in Vivekachudamani, Sri Madhusudhana Saraswathi was a bhaktha of Krishna.
How can one adore a Saguna form of Brahman and at the same time hold in 
one's heart the idea "I am That" ? Is the form of saadhana adopted by Sri Madhusudhana same as what Acharya has described in Vivekachudamani ?

Thanks and Regards,
chandrasekaran.
>From ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG Fri Jun 21 21:11:25 2002
Message-Id: <FRI.21.JUN.2002.211125.0700.ADVAITAL at LISTS.ADVAITAVEDANTA.ORG>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 21:11:25 -0700
Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: MSR <miinalochanii at YAHOO.COM>
Subject: shivaanandalahari bhaashhya - verse 61
Comments: To: shriimaataa <ambaa-l at egroups.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Verse 63 -- <:aN^kolaM> ...

<bhaktisvaruupaM nishchinoti -- aN^kolamiti | nijabiijasantatiH
nijaani cha taani biijaani cha teshhaaM samuuhaH aN^kolam.h aN^kolo
vR^ixa visheshhaH taM yathaa svayameva praapnoti | asya vR^ixa
visheshhasya bijaani paripaakakaale bhumau patitva purushhaprayatnaM
vinaiva punaH svasthaanaM pravishanti iti prasiddhaH | suuchikaa
ayomayii suuxmachalaakikaa ayaskaantopalam.h ayaskaantaH svayaM
lohakarshhaNashaktopalavisheshhaH taM yathaa, saadhvii pativrataa
naijam.h aatmiiyaM vibhuM bhartaaraM yathaa, svayaM lataa vratatiH
xitiruhaM vR^ixaM yathaa, svayaM sindhuH sarit.h saridvallabhaM
nadiipatimiha atra yathaa praapnoti, chetovR^ittiH chittasya
vyaavR^ittiH pashupateH mahaadevasya paadaaravindadvayaM
charaNapadmayugaLaM svayamupetya sadaa sarvadaa tathaa tishhTatiiti
yat.h  saa bhaktiH paramashive priitiH tatsaayujyaM me bhuuyaditi
pritirityuchyate abhidhiyate | bhaktiretadR^ishiiti nishchinomiiti
bhaavaH || 61 ||>*

Footnote

* <aN^kolaakhyo vR^ixavisheshhaH kvachiddaxiNe prasiddhaH | tasya
biijaani yathaa patanti tadaa vR^ixamuula eva patanti | tad.h
dR^ishhTaantena praakR^ita sukR^itavashaat.h kashschid.h
bhagavadupaasane pravartate | svayameva bhagavantaM
sarvamuulakaaraNamaashrayate | dvitiyo dR^ishhTaantaH ayaskaantopalaM
suuchiketi | yatha ayaskaantaH  suuchikaaM svayamaakarshati tathaa
bhagavaaneva kaanichit.h shubanimittani pradarshya bhaktaM
svayamaakarshaati | atra puurvotpexaya bhakterutkarshhaH | tritiiyaH
saadhvii naijavibhumiti | yathaa saadhvii proshhitabhartaaraM sadaa
chintayantii tadvighnaM na sahate tathaa bhaktaH bhagavataH
bhaktivighnaM na sahate | chaturthaH lataa xitiruhamiti | yathaa
lataaM kashchidaadaatumichchhati chet.h tathaa lataa truTyati, tathaa
bhaktasya bhagavachchintanasya vighne sati shariiraapaayo.api
saMbhaavyate | pa~nchamaH sindhuH saridvallabhamiti |  yathaa nadii
prahavanti samudraM praapya tena sahaabhedaM praapnoti ekii bhavati
evaM dR^iDhabhaktibalaat.h  bhaktaH atraiva shivaabhedaM praapnoti iti
bhaavaH | atra dR^ishhTaantaH -- yathaa bhaagavate gopyaH
shriikR^ishhNaantardhaanena tatvirahitataptaaH aatmaanaM kR^ishhNaM
manyante sma | taduktaM ``kasyaashchit puutanaayattayaaH
kR^ishhNaayantatyapibat.h stanam.h" iti | (bhaa 10--30--14)
atrottarottarabhakti bhuumikaasu utkarshhaNavarNanaat.h
saaralaN^kaaraH | bhramarakiitanyayaH pa~nchamabhuumikaayaM saadhakaH
aachaaryaiH anyatra nibaddhaH |>

--
Author: anonymous
I will post the source reference for this text along with the next
(random) verse I choose to post.
---

In the past we had few good posts (esp. one from Giri) on this verse.
This verse is also discussed in detail in Acharya Calls, which is
available online at kamakoti.org.



==ambaaL daasan

Ravi

sharaNAgata raxakI nivEyani sadA ninnu nammiti mInAxI

http://www.ambaa.org/  http://www.advaita-vedanta.org

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