[Advaita-l] A POINTER

[sreenivasa murthy]

Dear Readers,
Pranams to you all.
              Comprehending the meaning of theUpanishad Mantras.
When I commenced my study of the Upanishads my Revered Guru conveyed to me how themantras pertaining to the svarUpalakShaNa of Brahman or Atman or to put it inother words one's own true nature are to be related to oneself . I am  culling out an excerpt from an articlewritten by a sage of the 20th century, which gives out in a very clear andprecise way the methodology.

Quote:
Interpretation of scripture is no doubt necessary and helpful to comprehension,but its guiding principle must be furnished by Life, not by scripture.Otherwise we shall be involved in the fallacy of mutual dependence. One part ofthe scripture cannot be reconciled with another part, apparently  opposed to it, except by subjecting both tointerpretation. Surely there must be an external standard by which we judge thestatements. We are not unthinking machines to accept the arbitrary doles fromthe hands of the interpreter who, as a man, ought also to depend on someobjective criterion on which he relies for common acceptance.
WHICH IS THE OBJECTIVE STANDARD?
It cannot be tradition which is many- tongued , being subjected to change bytime and social contingencies and divisions. It cannot be individualpredilection which will not appeal to all minds. It cannot be perception orinference, as these are confined to a narrow part of life, while the Truths disclosedby the scriptures relate to all Life.
The only trustworhy point of reference, the only basis on which allinterpretations must take their stand, if they are not to be merely scholasticsort, must be Life and Experience as a whole. The dicta of texts must bechecked by experience which includes our intuition of the three states viz.waking, dream and dreamless sleep. A harmony between these two terms of theequation establishes the authority of the scriptures, whose service in enablingus to realize the highest Truth becomes thereby invaluable andincontrivertible.
UNQUOTE:

This was the basis on which my Revered Guru taught me the Upanishads.

The purpose of posting this letter is that it may help the mumukshus who areyearning to realize THE ULTIMATE TRUTH beyond which there is nothing more leftto realize or comprehend.

With warm and respectful regards,
Sreenivasa Murthy