[Advaita-l] Discussion on Bhagavat Gita

[Shyam]

> With respect to philosophical import, though,
> dvaitins
> and other devotees say this verse (and pretty much
> this chapter) is proof of Krishna's supremacy, and
> that the jivas are distinct, which is why Krishna
> urges Arjuna (and others) to worship Him. How to
> interpret this in advaitic terms? Does it mean we
> must
> interpret Bhakti as love of the self, rather than as
> love of the particular individual Krishna?

Pranams Suresh-ji
An excellent thread - my salutations to you for
initiating this.

I can offer my perspective primarily from the
philosophical import - will, along with you, await the
invaluable input from the scholars here on the
grammar.

One's true self is Ishwara alone, and to the one who
develops ananya parAbhakti where the objective of
devotion is naught but a severe longing for oneness
with Ishwara by an understanding of one's true nature
to be non-separate from Him, then of course such a one
is dearest to Ishwara. Brahman from the standpoint of
the avidya-borne ahankAra-formatted jiva is Ishwara
and once the latter has been sublated by Jnana, what
remains is only One. 

Dharma in this context is virtues - values - and they
are amrtam because they are nectarine - conducive to
immortality, and hence they alone are worthy of being
sought after or worshipped(paryupAsate). "To worship"
is "to seek" - and what do we all seek - knowingly or
unknowingly - is to be complete, and only through a
life of dharma, of virtues that are deliberately
sought after, and subsequently cultivated and
nurtured, do we develop the chittashuddhi that enables
us, when exposed to the acharyopadeshA, to realize our
intrinsic eternal nature to be of bliss or
completeness.

Humble pranams
Hari OM
Shyam
 


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