[Advaita-l] How to approach Sankara's Gita Bhasya?,

[Srikrishna Ghadiyaram]

hariH Om !!

--- Ravi <ravi at ambaa.org> wrote:
> 3. The books by gambhiraananda and krishna warrier
> are both good books. 
> I have the latter. But there in one key to
> understand giita from the 
> point of advaita-vedaanta. shankara makes it clear
> in the preface and 
> you should keep this in mind as you read. If not,
> shankara's position 
> will not make sense to you.  This key is: vedic
> dharma is two-fold -- 
> pravrtti and nivrtii maarga. The adherent of these
> two are different. 
> That is these cannot be practised simulataneously.
> The qualifications 
> or adhikaari laxanam for these classes are so
> different. Hence, you 
> should understand what is said to whom. Not confuse
> one with another. 

I have listened to Svami Ranganathananda of
Ramakrishna Mission talk about this subject, and he
talks at length saying that this is the wrong
interpretation of Sankara's words. He also uses the
same Sankara's commentary word by word and no where it
seems to say that these two are separate paths. To
some extent he sounds to say that from pravritti man
grows to nivritti; not as a different path.

It is worth while if you can read Svami
Ranganathanda's commentary which is very very
interesting and seems to flow along with the present
day scientific thought.

> This same approach adopted by shankara for iishaa
> vaasya upanishad 
> makes it very clear and understandable.  Even though
> krishna  tells 
> arjuna of all options, he advises him to follow
> pravrtti maarga.  This 
> two-fold divison. differences in their
> qualification, and that they 
> cannot be mixed is very important from the point of
> view of advaita-
> vedanta. pravrtti maarga followed as per the
> guidelines of bhagavaan, 
> will either prepare the disciple to undertake
> nivrtti maarga  or lead 
> him directly to brahma loka and then to krama mukti
> (gradual 
> liberation). 
> 
> These are my opinions. And it is needless to say
> that I may be wrong. 
> So beware!
> 
> 
> Ravi
> www.ambaa.org 
> 

Om Namo Narayanaya !!

Srikrishna


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