[Advaita-l] Contradictions between Shankara and his disciples

[S Jayanarayanan]

--- Aravind Mohanram <psuaravind at yahoo.com> wrote:

I suspect your questions are asked in the spirit of dispute rather than
enquiry. I like debates between schools, but FYI, this forum is meant
for discussions that lead to an understanding of the Shankaran
tradition, not for espousing doctrines such as achintya-bhedAbheda
(i.e. ISKCON propaganda) that are known to be absurd. 

[..]

> So, in that case, how valid are the instructions of the acharya?
> aren't they also a product of our ignorance/mind, that we
> perceive/hear them only due to our ignorance, but in reality they
> don't have any value? Why should one take illusory instructions
> seriously? 
>  

These questions have been asked and answered several times on this
list. Please search the list archives before raising objections.

An illusory tiger in a dream can wake up a person, causing a "real"
event. This shows that an entity in a certain level of reality can
cause a person to come out of that level of reality. Similarly, the
case of "illusory" scriptures removing the ignorance of the Self. 

Read the BR^hadaaraNyaka upanishhad 4.3.22, which says that in Brahman,
the Vedas are no Vedas. 

> In the Gita, verse 2.12, Krishna talks about the individuality of the
> Himself, Arjuna and the kings - this is a clear indication that Lord
> Krishna sees plurality and provides His timeless instructions because
> of the difference that is perceived between the teacher, Himself and
> the taught, Arjuna. Any comments?
>  

The verse would be perfectly true even if there were only one Self in
multiple bodies. 

Check gItA verse 7.18 to see how Krishna regards a GYAnI. And please
verify the meaning in Sanskrit yourself, without depending on ISKCON's
twists.

> Thanks,
>  
> Aravind.
> 

Regards,

Kartik

>  
> 
> 
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