[Advaita-l] Vedanta webclasses

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

PraNAms to all
We have completed last weekend the Kathopanishad. In the last
class on Panchadasi text we have covered slokas 64-69 of Ch. II. The recordings
are available at the website given below. 
 
We are going to cover and complete
the Atmabodha text today and tomorrow from 3:00PM-4:00PM EST. After that there will
be two months break and we will resume the classes taking different texts
starting from April. 
In the Panchadasi
text Shree Vidyaranya provided an elaborate description about maayaa. The
salient points to remember are: 
1. maayaa is
parameswara shakti or potential power that rests on a locus – the locus being
Iswara - in essence  pure sat chit ananda swaruupam. 
2. It – as though-
occupies only part of Brahman while Brahman being part-less. 
3. This is not
a contradiction but involves transcendence since mayaa is of lower order of
reality compare to Brahman. It is like sleeping in a pitch dark room yet
dreaming a bright sunny day in the dream. The dream sunlight is not contradictory
to the pitch dark room that I am sleeping since the order of reality for both
is different. 
4. Hence maayaa
comes neither under category of sat nor asat. That is it is mithyaa – sat asat
vilakshaNam. The presence of force is evident from the effects since any change
of state involves a driving force. Apparent creation involves apparent change
of state, requiring apparent forces which is maayaa. Mayaa is therefore yaa maa
saa maayaa – that which appears to be there but not really there from the
absolute point.  However for those who take the apparent as real, it appears are real just as for a dremer the bright sunlight is real.
5. mayya occupies
only part of Brahman - this aspect comes from Shruti pramANa – Vidyaranya quotes purushasuuktam
and B.Geeta 10-42 in support. 
6. In the order
of creation is, from aatma by maayaa the space is created. Space, Vidyaranya
defines as that which accommodates – that which provides avakaaSham. However, as
discussed in the beginning of the chapter, space has the property of shabda as
one can spatially locate an object by hearing a sound. 
7. The
existence of the space is supported by the pure existence which is independent.
Space IS when we say, the Is-ness comes from space. For this scripture is
pramANa since it says (Tai. Up) from aatma space is created – aatmaanamaakaashaH
sambhuutaH.. Hence sat – the pure existence which was there before creation is
the material cause for space since scripture says – it became many –
prajaayeyeti – becoming involves material cause just as gold became many
ornaments. Hence being material cause the essence of space is SAT only. 
8. However sat
or pure existence being imperceptible, we only cognize (or recognize) space as
we perceive as a gap between two points observed simultaneously. We say space
is  or space exists. 
9. Just as when
we say Ring is or bangle is – we are paying more attention to the name and form
(attributes) than the substantive (gold), we are paying attention to the superimposed
name and form as space is – ignoring the substantive – Is-ness of the space.
This is true for all objects that we perceive – says Vidyaranya in the above
slokas. 
10. In essence
we are paying attention to the superficial names and forms as real ignoring the
substantive from which it came, by which it is sustained and into which it goes
back – the pure existence that I am. In essence what is real we ignore and what
apparent we give reality – This is the power of maayaa. 
Hence Krishna
says ‘daiveem esha guNamayi mama maayaa duratyayaa|
maam evaye
prapadyante maayam etaam taranti te| 
This maayaa of mine is of divine origin and
is difficult to cross unless one surrenders completely to Me. Surrender
involves in essence giving up all wrong notions about the reality of the world
and recognition of the fact that the world is only apparent and not real – Which
Shankara says in capsule form – jagat mithyaa. 
Atmobodha
slokas that we are going to take involve meditation versus to drop the wrong
notions that are pointed above. 
Hari Om!
Sadananda
http://www.livestream.com/advaita_sadaji