[Advaita-l] Re: Bhutas and Tantra

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

Dear Bhaskar,

>  praNAm Ravi prabhuji
>  Hare Krishna

But in one message you pointed out that the vinayaka shankara referred to
is
ganesha, because shankara hails from south and the worship of ganesha is
popular in south. I dont think that is a fair statement, especially when
you
are drawing a conclusion that worship of ganesha is tamasic.

>  prabhuji, frankly speaking, still I am not clear where exactly I have
made conclusion.  I said shankara *may be* talking about *one of the forms
of gaNeSa* used in tAntric sAdhana.  I've given the examples of shakti &
ucchiShTha gaNapati being worshipped by tantra sAdhaka-s.  If it is not one
of the many aspects of gaNeSa, kindly let me know.  Prabhuji, I think there
is a lot of difference in saying worshipping *gaNeSa* is tAmasic &
worshipping *one of the forms of gaNeSa* is tAmasic.  Same is the case with
Sri Adi parAshakti, we smArthas do worship her as jaganmAtha,
annapUrNeshwari, lalitha tripura sundari mAtha etc. in a divine &
auspicious form (soumya rUpa). But whereas in vAmAchAra mArga tantra
sAdhaka-s worship same bhagavati in rudra rUpa, runda mAlini, bhadra kAli
etc.

>  When I was personally interacting with Sri Jaldhar prabhuji to prove
supremacy of Sri Krishna over other deities, Jaldhar prabhuji had quoted
*kalau chandi vinAyakau* from Appaiah Dikshita's work *chandi path*.  In
kaliyuga worship of chandi & vinayaka more suited. So, prabhuji, we cannot
say that appaiah dikshita advicing us to worship only tAmasa rUpa of these
deities since it is addressed to all kaliyuga people.

>  As I mentioned in gaNEShArThavaSIrsham gaNeSa treated on par with
parabrahman & eulogised him as tvam sAkShAtdAtmAsi nityam, tvamEva
pratyaksham brahmAsi, tvam guNa, avastha, dEha traya athItaH etc.etc. So,
prabhuji I am not altogether denying the efficacy of worship of gaNeSa.
Hope I made myself clear on this.

I dont think you can ever make an objective estimate what the landscape was
and what
greatly practiced south at shankara's timein an objective manner. After all
we are not so certain at all about his date in the 1st place.

>  Disputing the birth place & date of shankara is a different issue
altogether.  But prabhuji, elsewhere in this same thread you said, this
list takes dakShiNamnaya Sringeri maTha's word as final.  Kindly let me
know whether there is any objection raised about shankara's birth place is
not in south india by any of the sringEri shankara maTha scholars??

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!
bhaskar