[Advaita-l] Shortest Sentence in English is a Mahaa Vaakya?

[Swamisarvabhutananda]

OM 
The idea is the sa it could be used by the brahmacharis who are studying with a 
Swami.

Sent from my iPad

> On 28-Mar-2015, at 3:59 pm, H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 23 Mar 2015, Venkatraghavan S wrote:
> 
>>> sa gurumevAbhigachchhetsamitpANiH
> 
> What is the purpose of going to a guru with "samitpANiH"?
> 
> If sanYAsA was a necessary condition for a mumukshu sishyA to qualify to
> receive brahmavidyA, then presumably the shrotriyam brahmaniShtham guru
> would also necessarily be a sanyAsI, and given up agni kAryA as a result. Of
> what use is samit to such a guru?
> 
> This Mundaka verse 1-2-12 observes that the spiritual aspirant should ,
> after concluding by due analysis that the results attainable by all the
> apara vidyas are transient and not worth striving for whereas what he
> desires for is that which is of the nature of Nitya, Indestructible, Devoid
> of fear, Kutastha (Bereft of modification ) etc , develop vairagya and
> approach a Guru for guidance. Tradition has it that a shishya should not
> approach a Guru emptyhanded. But the aspirant in this case has nothing to
> call his own. Even such a situation should not deter him from approaching a
> Guru. Thus the word samitpanih could be understood to refer to any or all
> of the following aspects.
> 
> 
> 
>   1.
> 
>   The Aspirant could collect Samith for this purpose being easily and
>   freely available
> 
>   2.
> 
>   The Gurus invariably had a Gurukula catering to the spiritual
>   requirements of several aspirants in different Ashramas like
>   brahmacharya/vanaprastha etc. Samith being required for the Nityakarmas of
>   all such aspirants thus served a very useful purpose.
> 
>   3.
> 
>   For the same reason Samith is always considered a very sacred material
>   and hence has a very respected position in our spiritual activities.
> 
>    4.
> 
>   Vairagya. The aspirant givesup all material possessions even to the
>   extent where he can access only the freely and easily available Samith to
>   be offered to the Guru.
> 
>   5.
> 
>   Mumukshutvam. The aspirant is so intensely desirous of approaching a
>   Guru that he does not mind doing so even if he were to carry just the
>   freely available Samith as an offering.
> 
>   6.
> 
>   Humility. The aspirant is not ashamed of openly displaying his poverty
>   by making such an offering.
> 
>   Perhaps this would summarize what the Upanishad wants to convey by the
>   use of the word Samitpanih.
>   7.
> 
>   Regards
> 
> 
> On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 1:59 PM, Venkatraghavan S via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> 
>> Dear Sri Jaldhar,
>> 
>>>> sa gurumevAbhigachchhetsamitpANiH
>> 
>> What is the purpose of going to a guru with "samitpANiH"?
>> 
>> If sanYAsA was a necessary condition for a mumukshu sishyA to qualify to
>> receive brahmavidyA, then presumably the shrotriyam brahmaniShtham guru
>> would also necessarily be a sanyAsI, and given up agni kAryA as a result.
>> Of what use is samit to such a guru?
>> 
>> Btw, I'm not disputing the requirement for sAdhana chatushtayam or
>> sanyAsA's utility in perfecting those qualifications, merely querying why
>> samitpANih is used here. I don't think the upaniShad would use a term
>> superfluously in general or merely use it as a proxy to denote respect in
>> this particular instance.
>> 
>> Did Shvetaketu take up sanyAsA to qualify for the teaching, or for that
>> matter, UddAlaka aruNi?
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Venkatraghavan
>> On 23 Mar 2015 06:58, "Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l" <
>> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> On Tue, 17 Mar 2015, sreenivasa murthy via Advaita-l wrote:
>>> 
>>> Is mahavakya upadesha has to be given only to sanyasins? Why ?
>>> 
>>> Something which often gets lost in this discussions is that there are two
>>> basic kinds of sannyasis.  Those who have taken it up a spiritual
>>> discipline with a view to preparing to achieve jnana and those who have
>>> already achieved jnana and therefore are in sannyasa by default because
>>> there is nothing left in this samsara for them to desire.  Both of them
>>> will respond to the mahavakya in a different way.
>>> 
>>> Are not the
>>>> householders entitled for Atmajnana?
>>> 
>>> As part of a brahmachari's vedadhyayana he also learns the words of the
>>> upanishads and as a grhastha it will be part of his svadhyaya but at this
>>> point it is book-knowledge.  Only by the threefold process of shravana,
>>> manana, and nidhidhyasana can that be turned into jnana.  By that time he
>>> will no longer have any use for samsara.
>>> 
>>> The Vedic Rishis were not sanyasins.
>>>> Yajnavlkya Of Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad was a gRuhasta
>>> 
>>> And as Maitreyibrahmana shows, he settled all his vast wealth on his
>> wives
>>> and left grhasthashrama.
>>> 
>>> and he taught
>>>> Brahmavidya to Janaka who was a  a King. Ajatashatru who taught
>>>> Brahmavidya
>>>> to Balaki was a king.
>>> 
>>> Shankaracharya discusses Janaka in the bhashya on Gita 3.20.  Such people
>>> only engage in "play-acting" so that their subjects who lack proper
>>> understanding might not unthinkingly imitate the vairagya of a jnani and
>> be
>>> led astray.
>>> 
>>> Saunaka who was a gruhasta was taught paravidya by Angiras. The very
>>>> first mantra of Mundaka Upanishad states : "sa brahmavidyAM
>>>> sarvavidyApratiShThAm jyEShThaputrAya prAha ||"
>>> The jyeShTaputra mentioned is atharva who is a mind-born son of brahma
>>> (i.e. prajApati not brahman.) and is not a grhastha.  He taught it to
>> Angih
>>> who taught SatyavAha BhAradvaja who taught a~Ngirasa.  It was he who
>> taught
>>> the great householder (mahAshAlin) shaunaka.
>>> 
>>> So  the Upanishadic tradition is that The Guru imparts Brahmavidya to a
>>>> shishya who approaches Guru with humility.
>>> 
>>> What the upanishad says is that shaunaka vidhivadupasanna "approached him
>>> [a~Ngirasa] according to ceremony or in the proper manner."  What is that
>>> ceremony or manner (vidhi)?  Why sannyasa of course!  If shaunakas prior
>>> state had been acceptable, there would be no need for a "proper manner".
>>> Interestingly Shankaracharya implies that there was no standard vidhi in
>>> ancient times and it is shaunaka who has formalized it. Be that as it may
>>> shaunaka despite his wealth and power chose to give it up for the sake of
>>> moksha.  That is the point of that story.
>>> 
>>> That is the true and genuine
>>>> tradition. Brahmavidya is not the monopoly of sanyasins . Any man who
>> has
>>>> that intense desire for mukti is entitled for Atmajnana.
>>> 
>>> He is entitled to desire it but the upanishad goes on to say (1.2.12)
>>> 
>>> parikShya lokAnkarmachitAnbrAhmaNo nirvedamAyannAstyakR^itaH kR^itena |
>>> tadviGYAnArthe sa gurumevAbhigachchhetsamitpANiH shrotriyaM brahmaniShTam
>>> ||
>>> 
>>> "Having examined the worlds won by karma, let a brAhmaNa be free of
>> desire
>>> and think "there is nothing eternal produced by karma" and with that in
>>> mind approach with samidh in hand, a guru who is learned and immersed in
>>> brahman."
>>> 
>>> By "free of desire" it doesn't mean "free of most desires except an
>> iPhone
>>> and a fancy car." and when it says to approach a guru who is brahmaniShTa
>>> "immersed in brahman" it doesn't mean "mostly immersed in brahman except
>>> when making a powerpoint presentation in the weekly sales meeting."!
>>> 
>>> On Tue, 17 Mar 2015, sreenivasa murthy via Advaita-l wrote:
>>> 
>>> When Sri Shankara  wrote commentary to Bhagavadgita , he wrote certain
>>>> teachings to suit the needs of the persons of that time. The> same may
>> not
>>>> hold any water in the present times.
>>> 
>>> And what time would that be?
>>> 
>>> What was possible during the times of Upanishads is also possible during
>>>> the present times.
>>> 
>>> Exactly.  Sannyasa is just as possible in "present times" as ever :-)
>>> 
>>>   The social conditions, living conditions etc. have changed.
>>> 
>>> And so?  Vedanta is asking the mumukshu to give up "social conditions"
>> Are
>>> you implying this can't be done now?
>>> 
>>> It is absolutely necessary that the method of conveying the fundamental
>>>> metaphysical truths should change  to suit the needs of the present day
>>>> mumukshus.
>>> 
>>> Any "fundamental truth" which is subject to the vagaries of fashion can't
>>> be very fundamental.  The needs of the mumukshus of today -- to withdraw
>>> from maya and seek satya -- are no different than they ever were so the
>>> method of Vedanta is also no different."
>>> 
>>> It is a matter of deep regret that the clinging to redundant
>>>> ideologies and obsolete sampradayas.
>>> 
>>> Ha! You regret it so much you joined a group of people learning about
>>> Shankaracharya and his "obsolete" sampradaya.  That sampradaya which if
>> it
>>> had not cling to redundant ideology, today Suleiman Murthy would be
>>> discussing the fine points of the koran on Islam-l.  If as you say
>> humility
>>> is the entry-point to Brahmavidya, you have just disqualified yourself.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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