[Advaita-l] Fw: Did Madhusudana Saraswati Reconcile Bhakti and Advaita?

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Sorry. Please read as Achintya Bheadabheda.

Sunil KB



________________________________
 From: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>
To: "advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> 
Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2012 3:19 PM
Subject: [Advaita-l] Fw: Did Madhusudana Saraswati Reconcile Bhakti and Advaita?
 


Madhusudana Saraswati had difficulty in understanding Adi Sankara in the beginning probably due to his proximity to the Achintya Vedaveda school. However with efforts he could understand Adi Sankara. Now the Advaita does not talk about any other liberation than the Sayyuyya Mukti where there is nothing but total union. In muktis like Sarupya or Salokya mukti there is scope for coexistence with Bhakti but not so in the Sayyuyya mukti.

Sunil KB



________________________________
From: Rajaram Venkataramani <rajaramvenk at gmail.com>
To: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>; A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> 
Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2012 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Did Madhusudana Saraswati Reconcile Bhakti and Advaita?





On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 7:24 PM, Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com> wrote:

You said
>
>Quote
>
>
>Nor is there any scope of saying 'Jnana is the eternal condition' in the case of the Jnani post death.
>Unquote
>How do you reconcile that with "Prajnanam Brahma"?
>
>Regards
>Sunil KB
>
>
>Rajaram: I should not interfere Sri Subrahmanian answering that. My understanding is that Madhusudana Saraswati uses eka jiva vada to address this. According to this, there is only one jiva and liberation happens only when this jiva is. This jiva's liberation is in turn dependent on the liberation of all its reflections. So, when "your jiva" gets liberated it is only partial. So, you actually remain one with Ishwara and can appear in this world again at His will. Now, akhandakara vrtti in the case of jnana and bhakti rasa vrtti in the case of bhakti are modifications of the mind. However, they are in their essence non-different from Brahman in the case of jnana and sweet Lord in the case of bhakti. So, neither jnana nor bhakti have the contingency of perishability. 
 
________________________________
> From: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
>To: rajaramvenk at gmail.com; A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
>Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2012 9:49 AM
>
>Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Did Madhusudana Saraswati Reconcile Bhakti and Advaita?
>
>
>On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 3:56 AM, <rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Please tell me where Adi Sankara says this. It is commonly attributed to
>> Madhusudana but never found it in his works. It does summarize the spirit
>> of advaita tradition towards accept of dualism for bhakti. However, bhakti
>> does not need two entities. Madhusudana says that the highest bhakti is
>> with the conception "I am He". Radha and Krishna are one but they exchange
>> the highest prema. It is the same with Siva and Vishnu, Nara and Narayana
>> etc.
>>
>> Reply-To: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>,
>>
>> Kindly permit me to say that too many words really do not help. Adi
>> Sankaracharya could say the most complicated things in the simplest
>> possible way. He said "Bhaktyarhta kalpitam Dvaita Advaitadapi sundaram".
>> Bhaktri is only when the Bhakta and Bhagavan are two seaparate / different
>> entities, though there is no denying that Bhakti is a very beautiful thing..
>>
>
>In Advaita the concept of Bhakti can be taken to mean devotion in several
>levels depending on the aspirant's state of maturity.  The culmination
>comes in 'JnAni tu Atmaiva' where the Lord says in the Bh.Gita : 'the Jnani
>is verily My Self'.  However we must note that this description of the
>supreme Bhakta (of the four types of bhaktas spoken of in that context)
>holds in the plane of vyavahara, that is even when the Jnani is alive in
>his physical body.  In Advaita, after death of the Jnani, there is no way
>one can talk of Bhakti or a supreme bhakta/bhakti.  A Jnani, while alive
>can very well think of the 'supreme bhakti' as stated above and also enjoy
>the bhakti of the type:  pUjaartham kalpitam Dvaitam advaitaadapi sundaram"
>where one can experience horripilation, shed  copious tears in ecstasy,
>sing, dance, etc. as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa did.  Nevertheless there
>is absolutely no room for either of these two broad types of bhakti (sAdhya
>or sAdhana) after the Jnani has shed the physical body and mind apparatus.
>There is no way 'bhakti' however high it is, continuing in the post-death
>state in the case of a Jnani. Nor is there any scope of saying 'Jnana is
>the eternal condition' in the case of the Jnani post death.  For, while
>being alive one can, if practiced adequately, engage oneself in Nirvikalpa
>Samadhi and be in the bliss of the Self or be a subject of
>'vedAnta-vAkyeShu sadA ramantaH' [have excursions into the woods of
>Upanishadic utterances].  After death there is no  way any of these can
>continue or be taken up at the will of the Jnani who is in body/mind case.
>Advaita does not accommodate these 'states' in the videha-kaivalya context.
>
>Jnana or Bhakti can only be a means to liberation; jnAnAdeva kaivalyam.  If
>someone says 'bhakti' is the means to kaivalyam, Shankara has explained it
>as: 'jnAnalakShaNayA bhaktyA'.
>
>subrahmanian.v
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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