[Advaita-l] Reply to Sri Vidyamanya Tirtha's observations

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste Vidyasankar

There is a book in Google books - Mimansa and Advaita. If you read the book
you can see Kumarila and Mandana and Adi Sankara are all saying Nitya Karma
is for PapaKshaya and Citta Suddhi. Kumarila is supporting Moksha also. He
is saying no point in going to heaven and enjoying all the time. When Citta
Suddhi happens the Jnana is automatic because in Nitya Karma Upanishad
reading is also included. Adi Sankara is making this statement in Br Up 4 -
4 - 22. When he reads Vedas and Upanishad daily with Purified Mind the
Upanishad Vakya Jnana will happen automatically.

I am not saying Guru is not required. Guru will only teach Upanishads but
student without Citta Suddhi will not get Jnana. He has to practice Nitya
Karma including reading and meditating on Upanishads. Mandana is saying
both meditation and Yajnas will be required.

All these years the olden Vedantists and modern Vedantists have argued Adi
Sankara is against Yajnas. But it is a lie. Adi Sankara supported Yajnas if
they are Nitya Karma.


On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 9:27 PM, Vidyasankar Sundaresan <
svidyasankar at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> > But a Gruhastha has every right to purify his mind with Nitya Karmas like
> > Sandhyavandana and many Yajnas. He can practice Karma Yoga. By
> Purification
> > of mind he will come to the door step of Atma Jnana. He can do Sravana,
> > Manana and Nididhyasana of Upanishad Vakyas and become Atma Jnani. He has
> > used all the portions of the Veda like Mantras, Brahmanas and Upanishads
> to
> > get Atma Jnana. Then he can take Vidvat Sanyasa.
>
>
> So, what happened to your earlier stance that yajnAdi karmA-s are required
> for
> realizing brahman AFTER the knowledge, ahaM brahmAsmi, has already arisen?
>
>
>
> And please note that vidvat saMnyAsa is not something that is to be given
> or
> taken. It just is, as the natural state of brahmanishThA. No karmA is
> possible
> or even necessary as a step toward brahman realization for vidvat
> saMnyAsin-s.
>
>
>
> > In Br Up 4-4-22 Adi Sankara is explaining the path for Brahmana
> Gruhasthas.
> > They can get Atma Jnana easily by following Karma Yoga itself. By
> following
> > Karma they can come almost full distance to Moksha.
>
>
> Whence this "almost full distance"? What is the step involved in covering
> that
> last remaining gap? Read further and go to Br Up 4-4-23, where the text
> says,
> SAnto-dAnta-uparatas-titikshus-samAhitaH and read the bhAshya thereon,
> where Sankara bhagavatpAda introduces the word saMnyAsa, highlighting the
> importance he gives to this ASrama.
>
>
>
> That said, going from brahmacaryASrama directly to saMnyAsa is a rarity.
> The
>
> typical path that would apply to most people is one of progressing through
> the various ASrama-s, with saMnyAsa as the final stage. Everything prior to
> that is preparatory. After saMnyAsa, how can yajnAdi karmA-s be possible,
> whether as means to brahman realization or otherwise? A gRhastha, who is
> attached to the performance of karmA till the very end, is not eligible for
> saMnyAsa, either of the vividishA or the vidvat kind. Which means he is not
> a brahmajnAnI, as he is still subject to kartRtva buddhi, one of the
> effects
> of avidyA.
>
>
>
> > The tragedy is most of the Vyakhyana Karas have not understood the
> > concessions Adi Sankara has given to Brahmana Gruhasthas. They are all
> > misunderstanding the importance of Karma and saying silly things about
> > Karma like Karma is useless for Brahma Jnana. They are not realizing ALL
> > PARTS of Veda are important for Atma Jnana. Karma Kanda is not inferior
> > and Upanishads are not superior. Both have a role.
>
>
> Which vyAkhyAna-kAras are you talking about here? None of the traditional
> authors has misunderstood the importance of karmA for those who are not
> ready for saMnyAsa. But at the end, there is an important step of the
> giving
> up of all karmA, either through a formal renunciation process or as a
> natural
> state of jnAna. At the end, jnAna stands apart from karmA.
>
>
>
> The core concept of jnAna-karma-samuccaya vAda, that karmA is needed for
> realizing brahman after the rise of upanishad-vAkyajanita jnAna, is
> utterly and
> completely rejected by Sankara. If you think that those who talk about
> this are
> mistaken when they seem to thereby devalue karmA, please go back to my
> first
> question to you in this response.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Vidyasankar
>
>
>
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-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh