[Advaita-l] Re: Advaita-l Digest, Vol 2, Issue 1

[Jay Nelamangala]

VidyAshankar,  namaste.

>
> Or conversely, why don't you take avyakta in 12.1 as "Unmanifested
> impersonal Brahman"?
>
We don't  take avyakta in 12.1 to be NirguNa Brahman
because Sri Krishna is talking about "pari-upAsanA" here.
>From what I have learnt,  upAsanA, dhyAna, tapas,
nidhidhyAsanA are all synonyms.

How do you do upAsanA on an attributeless,  inconceivable entity?
What is the advaita understanding of pari-upAsanA here?

I am asking this question,  not for the sake of asking, but I genuinely
would like to know ,  what exactly one does in nirguNOpaasanA?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vidyasankar Sundaresan" <svidyasankar at hotmail.com>
To: <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 7:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Re: Advaita-l Digest, Vol 2, Issue 1


>
> >It is not peculiar.   The 12th chapter begins with that question.
> >UpAsanA of  avyaktA ( chit-prakrti) or You ( SriKrishna) which is
better?.
>
> avyakta in chapter 12 is not prakRti, except in AnandatIrtha's thought.
>
> >aE-vam   sa-ta-ta-yu-ktA  yaE
> >bha-ktA-stvAm  pa-ryu-pA-sa-taE |
> >yaE  cA-pya-xa-ra-ma-vya-ktam
> >taE-SHAm   kaE   yO-ga-vi-tta-mAH || 12.1
> >Which is considered to be more perfect, those who are properly engaged in
> >Your
> >devotional service, or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the
> >unmanifested?
>
> So, according to you, it is incorrect to take avyakta in this verse as
> referring to nirguNa brahman.
>
> >
> >But  SriKrishna has already rejected it by saying
> >avyaktam vyaktimaapannam manyante maam abudhdhayaha || 7.24 ||
> >Only the un-intelligent think that I have manifested from the
Unmanifested
> >impersonal Brahman.
>
> Hold on, you just said that in chapter 12, avyakta is cit-prakRti. Why are
> you inconsistent? Suddenly, in 7.24 you want to take avyakta as
> "Unmanifested impersonal Brahman". Why don't you take avyakta in 7.24 also
> as prakRti?
>
> Or conversely, why don't you take avyakta in 12.1 as "Unmanifested
> impersonal Brahman"?
>
> >
> >So,  what do you think  this avyaktaa  is?  if it is not chit-prakrti or
> >Shree- tattva.
>
> You tell me. You take it as two different things in two different places
in
> the same text.
>
> For me it is very clear. avyaktaM vyaktim ApannaM manyante mAm
abuddhayaH -
> the meaning is straightforward. abuddhayaH mAM avyaktaM manyante vyaktim
> ApannaM.
>
> abuddhayaH - those without intelligence
> mAM - me
> avyaktaM - the unmanifested
> manyante - think
> vyaktim Apannam - as having manifested.
>
> "The unintelligent think of me, who am really unmanifested, as having
taken
> a manifest form."
>
> In 7.24, Krishna tells us that although he appears to have a form, he
> remains really Unmanifested - nirvikAra. In 12.1, arjuna asks about the
> different types of devotion, those who are attracted to devotion to the
form
> he has apparently taken as compared to those who are devoted to him as the
> unmanifested one. Krishna says that the path of the latter is more
difficult
> - the path of jnAna is indeed difficult. Try controlling the senses (an
> essential prerequisite for jnAna) even for a small period of time. But
> difficult does not mean impossible. jnAnI tv Atmaiva me matam, says
Krishna
> (chapter 7). The jnAnI is the Lord's own self. Simply because there is
> ultimately no distinction between one jnAnI and another.
>
> Vidyasankar
>
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