[Advaita-l] Eternal Loka

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 12:25 PM, Bishwa Prakash Subedi
<bpsubedi at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Dear Vidyasankar Sudaresan and Rajaramjee:
>
> Namaskar.
>
> Regarding the issue under discussion that "a pure devotee does not want
> moksha", it is not only the Vaishnavas and Sri Prabhupada and his followers
> (bhakti margis) but even Shri Adi Shankaracharya also in many contexts
> contended that devotion is above jnana and moksha. For instance in
> devyapradhakshamapanastotra's 8th vers Shri Shankara says:
>
> I don't have the desire to attain Moksha, neither I have the desire to
> attain luxuries and resplendence in the world. I don't have expectations of
> sciences, and O the Moon-faced Goddess! I don't even desire for luxuries
> and comfort. O Mother! Thus, I beg You, that whenever I am born, give me
> the chanting of these names to me — Mridani, Rudrani, Shiv, Bhavani.||8||
> Similarly, Madhusoodana Sarasvati also is said to put devotion on high
> status than jnana...
>
> Bishwa Prakash Subedi
> Kaski, Nepal
>
>
>
Sir,

Pl. note that such literature is not really rejecting the Upanishadic idea
of moksha but only eulogizing bhakti.  It is arthavAda.  The stotra
literature is chiefly aimed at bringing chitta-shuddhi to those who are not
suited, qualified, for the Upanishadic moksha sAdhana.

In the case of Madhusudana Saraswati, pl. see what he means, also, in
absolute terms, despite his bhakti-based writings showing Krishna as the
Supreme:

[the introductory verse to the Advaitasiddhi of Sri Madhusudana Saraswati]
मायाकल्पितमातृतामुखमृषाद्वैतप्रपञ्चाश्रयः
सत्यज्ञानसुखात्मकः श्रुतिशिखोत्थाखण्डधीगोचरः ।
मिथ्याबन्धविधूननेन परमानन्दैकतानात्मकं
*मोक्षं प्राप्त इव स्वयं विजयते* विष्णुर्विकल्पोज्झितः ॥ इति   ।

The verse says 'VishNu (Brahman) who is innately satya, jnana and sukha, is
the abode of the universe consisting of the unreal dvaita of knower,
knowing and known conjured up by mAyA, and owing to the
akhaNDAkAravRtti-based realization of His native Ananda svarUpa, being
freed from the apparent bondage shines as though liberated, free from all
the vikalpa-s.'

It should be noted that the other bhakti-verses/works of Madhusudana
Saraswati are 'avirodha', non-contradictory, to his Advaitic works.  It can
also be stated that the latter supersede the former.

This purport of Advaita has not been recognized by the schools that are
opposed to Advaita.

regards
subrahmanian.v