[Advaita-l] Questions regarding Adwaita vedanta.

[sriram]

Dear Sri     Srikanta
Your observation is right.Sri Adi Sankara`s concept of Maya is greatly 
misunderstood.They think that maya is false or that which is nonexistent.But 
really maya is that which clouds one`s thinking to believe what one wants to 
believe in.R.Krishnamoorthy.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "srikanta" <srikanta at nie.ac.in>
To: <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 8:32 PM
Subject: [Advaita-l] Questions regarding Adwaita vedanta.


> Pranams.
> I am following with interest the Emails on the above topic.
> There was one Email that in Padma Purana it is said that one must giveup
> one's duty,whereas Shankara in his Gita Bhashya says,one must perform
> one's duty as advised by Krishna to Arjuna.
>
> It must be remembered that In the Bhagawadgita Arjuna is in delusion,and
> asks Krishna whether Sanyasa has to be taken rather than performing his
> duty.As against this confusion Krihna says:Svadharme nidhanam sreyah!
> But this doesnot mean that Karma is greater than Sanyasa.To Arjuna who is
> deluded without clarity the Lord advises him.
> As regards the statements in PadmaPurana much has been introduced by the
> later writers.The blasphemous statements against Adwaita and Shankara has
> been introduced between original texts by anti-Adwaitins.In fact,I have
> studied a book which was written in 1930's about a debate with Adwaitins
> vs Dwaitins(followers of Madhwacharya) presided by the Uttaradhimutt chief
> Satyadhanatheertha.There we see a brilliant exposition and defense of
> Adwaita by the Vedanta scholars of Yesteryears.It may come as a shock to
> the present generation of followers of Adwaita,but this debate has been
> going on ever since.We need to eschew shallow scholarship of the kind
> mentioned in the Emails to understand Adwaita vedanta in its proper
> perspective and in its pristine glory.
>
> For instance Madhwacharya interprets the Mahavakya,"Sa atma tattvamasi" as
> sa atma atattvamasi"Do we require a statement from the Sruthi to
> understand "Thou art not that"?.A sruthi is required to make one
> understand
> that we donot know.
>
> The ISCON which follows Sri Chaitanya criticises Shankara because what
> Adwaita says goes against their creed.They confuse Mayavada with 
> Shankara's
> Brahmavada which is based on the Upanishads.Buddhism also uses the word
> Maya,but without substratum(Niradhistana) tattva,where as Adwaita is based
> on Svadhistana tattva.There is a substratum for the world
> appearance.Infact, in the Bhagawadgita Krishna says that there are only
> two paths:Jnana Yogena Sankhyanam,Karma yogena yoginam",He doesnot mention
> Bhakthi Yoga as a path.The Suddhadwaita of Vallabhacharya came much before
> Ramanuja and Madhva.
> The Vishishtadwaita of Ramanuja and the Dwaita school of Madhwacharya have
> come much later.The early Meemamsakas who were against Shankara came much
> later in the garb of these later schools to criticise Adwaita.In the olden
> days ,only Adwaita was understood by the word,"Vedanta".These debates
> continue till present day.
> Bhava Shankara Desika me sharanam.                      N.Srikanta.
>
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