[Advaita-l] Fw: How shruti is antya pramANa in advaita vEdAnta?? (fwd)

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: savithri devaraj <savithri_devaraj at yahoo.com>


--- sriram <srirudra at vsnl.com> wrote:

> Dear Members
> I could see this mail only now.I think Faith in  the
> Sruthi means a positive
> one that Its sayings are hundred percent true and
> following the same will
> definitely lead to Liberation/moksham.A guru is
> required to understand the
> sayings of the Sruthi  in the right manner.
> Sri Sachidanendra Saraswathi Swamigal is attributed
> to have said that Sri
> Adi Sankara had held the view that Anubhava also
> plays a part and that this
> is more valid than the Sruthi.

Namaste sriram,

There is a mis-understanding in your attribution
above.

Shankara and Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati Swamiji
both say that Sruti is the only pramANa for brahman,
but when seeming inconsistencies arise in sruti
vAkyas, then anubhava and sruti anusArita tarka can be
used to resolve the inconsistencies. That's all. As
you know, Shraddha is a basic minimum qualification
for brahmajignAsa.

There is no question of anubhava being more valid than
sruti at all. If that is the case, all of us in
ignorance experience the world as real, is that the
ultimate reality then? (Yes, Shankara says in Gita
bhashya that even if Sruti says that the fire is cold,
it is not acceptable because anubhava says otherwise.
This is only for emphasis on the proper method of
understanding and deliberation of sruti statements).
In fact Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati Swamiji
whole-heartedly declares that moksha is possible for
an eligible seeker at the instant of just hearing the
sruti vakya from a guru, while many other advaitins
say that more practice and meditation is required.

Hope this helps,
Savithri