[Advaita-l] Fw: Re: waking, dreaming, sleeping, as mutually supportive

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear friends,

It is well known that the The Upanayana or Maunji is a Sankshkara, which entitles the three higher varnas to their scriptural studies. There may be some rare exceptions like the case of Satyakama but let us kep it aside for now. The Vedas have to be taught to the initiated students only after a lot of background preparations like the teachings of the Vedangas before a student can really be allowed to learn the Vedas, so that they would recite the mantras properly and would also derive the right meaning. The Mahabharata even exhorts one to read the puranas and the epics before studying the Vedas.That is why Manu had prescribed severe deterrent punishment if any Shudra wants to learn the veda steaithily.

However the Shukla Yajur Veda tells us that the Shudras can be told the sacred Mantras and Sri Sureshvaracharya, one of the greatest authorities on Yajur Veda very well knew that. In view of this there does not appear to be any restrictions on the intiation of the Shudras to Sannyasha. Thus the Shudra initiate to Sannyasha can be given the knowledge of the Veda and the Vedanta by the guru, whoever he is. That may also be the reason why the Shringeri Math, which was looked
after by Sri Sureashwaracharya,  was specifically meant for the Yajur
Veda. I am not surprised if a past mathadhipati of the Sringeri Math initiated  non-dvija to Sannyasha.

In view of the Dwarka Math and the Kanchi Kamakoti Math claiming association with Sri Sureshvaracharya  it appears to me that he could have helped the Mathaadhipati of the Dwarka Math and also took the young initiate in the Kanchi Kamakoti Math under his wings. Our divine parents only know what is the truth.

Regards,

Sunil K. Bhattacharjya


--- On Sun, 10/25/09, Vidyasankar Sundaresan <svidyasankar at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Vidyasankar Sundaresan <svidyasankar at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Fw: Re: waking, dreaming, sleeping, as mutually  supportive
To: "Advaita List" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009, 7:01 AM


> 
> Quote: "...Whether a non-brAhmaNa can become a saMnyAsin..."
> 
> My answer is, there is no scriptural sanction for non-brahmin to don ochre
> robe for such permission would have then given a valid reason as to their

Sorry, that is where you are dead wrong. That there is scriptural sanction for
all dvija-s to enter the traditional saMnyAsASrama is affirmed by sureSvara in
his vArttika on the bRhadAraNyaka. As you know, dvija includes all those who
have the upanayana saMskAra.

> purushartha.  However non-Brahmins set up Mutts and become inmates most of
> them aagama based rarely Vedantic.  They are as good as buddhist sanghams

There are only four purushArthas for all human beings. Of these, moksha is no
exclusive property of any varNa. What do you mean by vedAntic purushArthas
in the plural? Or are you redefining the word purushArtha?


> Vedaantic purushaarthas are clearly valid only for the Brahmins and who can
> deny that it has scriptural sanction.  Others have other purusharthas and
> that is how their guna-karmas are divined.
> 
> Aren't we going back in circle again and again?

No, we are each staying exactly where we are. 

Vidyasankar
                           
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