liilaa and celebrating duality

[Subrahmanian, Sundararaman V [IT]]

As an action oriented person a sadhaka calls jnAni a stitaprajna (B. Gita
2nd Chapter)
As an emoting individual he calls jnaAni a bhaktha (B. Gita 12th Chapter)
As an enquiring person, he calls jnAni a guNAtIta (B. Gita 13th Chapter)

All these names but refer to the same jnAni depending upon our view point.

[...]

In much the same way, lIlA and mAyA are the same.  A jnAni sees only
brahman, but to prashTu: the (questioner), he has to give a meaningful
answer for the perception of plurality.  mAyA and lIlA are models that are
used to "explain away" the universe to a sAdhaka.  If the questioner is an
enquiring person, a jnAni explains the plurality by calling it mAyA.  If the
questioner is a bhakthA, a jnAni explains the plurality by calling it lIlA.

mAyA and lIlA are one and the same.

- Culled from lectures by Swami Tatvavidananda, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.

Regards,
SVS



-----Original Message-----
From: Ravisankar S. Mayavaram [mailto:miinalochanii at YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 2:19 PM
To: ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG
Subject: liilaa and celebrating duality


I must admit I did not read the entire thread on kAshmir shaivism, etc.
Two comments in one of the earlier mail, caught my attention.

liilaa
-------

1) Whose liilaa?? In regard to advaita vedaanta  you cannot answer
"brahman". brahman is nishkala, nishkriyaa, paripuurNa and advaitiiya.
Things such as I am alone, let me play with myself, constitutes a
defect and it can not be admitted at level of paramArtha.

2) liilaa is vyAvahAra and it is that of iishvaara. It in in the realm
of avidyaa. iishavara has mAyA as HER limitation. You can say mAya is
HER power. Think of it, when I walk a dog with chain. As much as the
dog is bound by a chain to me, I am also bound to the dog by the same
chain. iishvaara is there only in vyAvahara. In paramArtha concept such
as iishavara, jiiva etc do not exist.

3) To see liilaa, you should be in vyAvahAra and in clutchess of
mayaa/avidya. Even if the veil is micron thin, it is still there.


celebrating duality
--------------------

1) Duality is in vyAvahAra. Those who see it are in it.  if you accept
it as true, you are bound to be bound by it. Rather, you are already in
in its bondage.

2) To develop vairaagyam and pursue aatma vichara, a sannyAsin rejects
it. He rejects the world and seeks seclusion, to avoid further
enmeshing. You cannot remain in charcoal dust filled room, wearing
white clothes and be free from taint. Even the air in the room will be
tainted by its dust. Only the space is free from it, as it acts like a
substratum. So is the case with world. Even an attachment for deer will
end up putting you deep into the womb of samsaara.

3) I dont know what the new-age idea of "celebratting duality" means.
If you are in duality, the traditional way to celebrate it is according
to iishavAsya verse 2.

kurvanneveha karmaaNi jijiivishhechchhata{\m+} samaaH .
evaM tvayi naanyatheto.asti na karma lipyate nare .. 2..

---
Like we have different theories of creation, concepts such as liila are
used for different levels of saadhakas,

Your comments are welcome.

Ravi


=====
ambaaL daasan

Ravi

sharaNAgata raxakI nivEyani sadA ninnu nammiti mInAxI

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

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