[Advaita-l] Two Advaitic verses with a profound combined purport

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste Subbu-ji,
Indeed, like a ladder used to climb a tree is left behind once the desired
result of reaching the top has been achieved, once Brahman has been known,
there is no need to cling on to the very siddhAnta that 'takes' one there.
One can feel gratitude to the shAstra and the guru for revealing that
beautiful reality, but there is no need for continued attachment to them.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan


On Tue, Apr 16, 2019 at 10:24 AM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Sriharsha, the author of the 'Khandana-khanda-khAdya' says:
>
> अभीष्टसिद्धावपि खंडनानां अखण्डिराज्ञामिव नैवमाज्ञा ।
> तत्तानि कस्मान्न याभिलाषं सैद्धान्तिकेऽप्यध्वनि योजयध्वम् ॥
>
>
> [Though what is intended is secured by the arguments refuting the other
> schools, they are not like an edict of a king who is deemed to be above
> it.  Therefore, there is no reason as to why they (arguments) may not
> be levelled as desired, even against the path delineated by the siddhAnta.]
>
> Shankaracharya has said in the adhyAsa bhAshya:  All shAstra-s,
> including those directed at teaching the means for moksha, belong to
> the realm of avidya.  And that includes 'advaita'  as a framework.
>
> Here is a very significant statement from Sri Vidyaranya, in His
> commentary to the Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1:
>
> After delineating the various other systems like Nyaya, Sankhya,
> Shaivaagama, on their respective theories on creation, (which all hold that there
> is a real creation) he concludes:
>
> //(Let it be so).  Where is the harm, thereby, for us the Vedantins?  There
> need be no apprehension that the Maayaavaada is vitiated by such
> developments, inasmuch as the illusory formulations of Gautama
> and others - any formulation being illusory because it is dRsya, i.e. object
> of cognition external to Atman - have been generated by the very
> Maya which gives rise to the illusion of samsara of wonderful variety
> in all living beings from Brahmaa down to the tiniest creature.
>
>
> *On the same principles, it may perhaps be urged that the account
> of evolution given expression to by the Vedantas is also anillusion.  We admit that it is so.  And it is the very object of theVedanta to teach that the whole creation is an illusion*.//
>
>
> Gaudapada says the word 'advaita' itself is only relative.  The word is used
> only to distinguish this from concepts like 'dvaita'.  A realized
> person will not see any framework as absolutely real.  He might use one
>
> or the other or a combination of several to help others who might seek
> his help.  All schools lose their identity in the ultimate Truth that
> is no school by itself.
>
>
> regards
>
> subbu
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 16, 2019 at 2:47 PM Venkatraghavan S via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Namaste Raghav ji,
>>
>>
>>
>> I am reminded of a verse from Sri Harsha
>> एकं ब्रह्मास्त्रमादाय नान्यं गणयतः क्वचित् ।
>> आस्ते न धीरवीरस्य भङ्गः सङ्गरकेलिषु ।।
>> What can all these arguments do to us, who have the irrefutable Brahman on
>> our side?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Venkatraghavan
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>