[Advaita-l] YogAmRRitaM by R. Visvanatha Sastri - Introduction

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste all.

Recently, both on this list and on the advaitin list some 
discussions have been centering  around the fundamental
doubt: Whether there is a difference between the ‘yoga and
samadhi’ talked about in the yogasutras of Patanjali and
the ‘yoga and samadhi’ talked about by exponents of
advaita. For the answering of this elementary question –
note that only the question is elementary, the answer is
not – I looked into my father’s (unpublished) manuscript 
‘GitAmRRita-mahodadhiH’ in Sanskrit completed in 1953. It
contains 2400 verses in five chapters of which the last
chapter (containing 435 shlokas)  is called ‘yogAmRRitaM’. 
The first four chapters are ‘brahma’, ‘praNava’, ‘advaita’
and ‘j~nAna’  - amRRitams. I straightaway got into the
fifth chapter and very soon found that this is the exact
question he is dealing with there. So I promised myself  to
write it up for this list and the other list,  along with
an English translation to be supplied by me.

The task has not been easy. I have only finished half of
the homework as of now. But I am at it. I shall present as
much of this fifth chapter of  that work as possible, but
in instalments. I am sure the readers also will have to be
given time to read and absorb it in small doses.

My translations are very weak, before the powerful words
that my father has used in the work. So very often instead
of a translation I give only a synopsis of a whole block of
shlokas. Often I have also indicated my ignorance  by
putting a question mark in my English translation. I am
sure scholars on this list would be able  (and would be
willing, I hope) to  help me. And here we go.

Note that my father’s work in original had only shlokas but
later at my request he interpolated them  with his own
prose commentary at appropriate places of his choice, also
in Sanskrit. Both are presented in this series of mine.   

Just for information the whole work ‘GiTAmRRita-mahodadhiH’
was intended to be put on the web by me and that project is
still on, though dormant. The first 294 verses of the first
chapter brahmAmRRitaM  with my synopsis in English can be
seen at 
http://www.geocities.com/profvk/Appa/Gitamrtam.html

God willing, my first posting on this series will be on
March 14.

PraNAms to all advaitins on this list  and to my father.
profvk


Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

You are welcome to have a look at any of the following  books on my website:
http://www.geocities.com/profvk

1. Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision & Practice
2. Live Happily, the Gita Way
3. Advaita Dialogue for beginners.
4. Discourses of the Paramacharya on Soundaryalahari.