[Advaita-l] Shankaracharya on the non-triviality of the entire Vedic corpus

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Hari Om V Subramanian ji

In your view, what exactly is the meaning of word sattva-shuddhi occurring
in Gita Bhashya 5.12 and at many other places which is precursor of
jnAna-prApti.

Is it same as sattva-samshuddhi of Gita 16.1?

Regards
Sudhanshu Shekhar.

On Mon 16 Mar, 2020, 01:11 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> From kena pada bhAShya -
> सर्वमेतद्यथोक्तं कर्म च ज्ञानं च सम्यगनुष्ठितं निष्कामस्य मुमुक्षोः
> सत्त्वशुद्ध्यर्थं भवति ।...
> विशुद्धसत्त्वस्य तु निष्कामस्यैव
> बाह्यादनित्यात्साध्यसाधनसम्बन्धादिहकृतात्पूर्वकृताद्वा
> संस्कारविशेषोद्भवाद्विरक्तस्य प्रत्यगात्मविषया जिज्ञासा प्रवर्तते ।
>
> All karma and upasana well performed by the mumukshu who is free of
> desires, will yield chittashuddhi to hi. such a one alone ...will get the
> thirst for knowledge of the supreme.
>
> On Sun, Mar 15, 2020 at 2:58 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > We could add this passage too to the list already provided:
> >
> > अग्निहोत्रादिलक्षणं कर्म ब्रह्मचर्यादिलक्षणं च अनुग्राहकं भवति
> > विद्योत्पत्तये. (Taittiriya Up.Bhashya 1.11)  [for the karmas such as
> > Agnihotra, as also the practices of celibacy, etc., undertaken in the
> past
> > lives, become helpful to the rise of knolwedge....]
> >
> > regards
> > subbu
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 8:51 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Shankaracharya on the non-triviality of the entire Vedic corpus
> >>
> >> It is well known that non-Advaitins have a charge on Shankara that he
> >> gave undue importance to the Vedanta, Upanishads and trivialized the
> karma
> >> part or veda purva bhaaga. However one who is familiar with the Bhashya
> and
> >> other literature of Shankara would easily conclude that such a charge is
> >> born of lack of a proper study and correct understanding of the
> Bhashyas.
> >> Here are some passages from Shankara that give us a glimpse of the
> heart of
> >> Shankara on this matter:
> >>
> >> न हि वेदवाक्यानां कस्यचिदर्थवत्त्वम् कस्यचिदनर्थवत्त्वमिति युक्तं
> >> प्रतिपत्तुम् , प्रमाणत्वाविशेषात् ।  Brahmasutra Bhashyam 3.2.15
> >>
> >> [It is not reasonable to think that some of the Vedic passages are
> >> meaningful and some are not. This is because all vedic passages are
> equally
> >> authoritative.]
> >>
> >> He has said this in the context of discussing the true nature of
> Brahman:
> >> whether it is without form or with form and the vedic passages that
> teach
> >> both.
> >>
> >> Ishavasyopanishad Bhashyam: introduction to mantra 9:
> >>
> >> न हि शास्त्रविहितं किञ्चिदकर्तव्यतामियात् ।   [Nothing that the
> >> scripture enjoins is unworthy of adherence.]
> >>
> >> वेदानुवचनेन ब्राह्मणा विविदिषन्ति यज्ञेन दानेन तपसा अनाशकेन
> [bRRihadAraNyaka upaniShad (4.4.22) says: 'tametam vedAnuvachanena
> >> brAhmaNA vividiShanti, yajnena dAnena tapasA anAshakena'
> >>
> >> The brAhmaNa-s seek to know Brahman through the study of the veda-s,
> sacrifices, charity and austerity consisting in a dispassionate enjoyment of
> >> sense-objects.] Shankara concludes the discussion on this passage thus:
> एवं कर्मकाण्डेन अस्य एकवाक्यतावगतिः [In this manner, that is, the relevance
> of the Veda PUrva-prescribed nitya karma that are meant for acquiring
> chitta shuddhi,
> >> the Moksha-teaching Jnana KANda becomes aligned as one 'complete
> shAstra'.]
> >>
> >> तस्मात् न ब्रह्मैकत्वं ज्ञापयिष्यन्तो वेदान्ता विधिशास्त्रस्य बाधकाः ।
> न च विधिशास्त्रम् एतावता निर्विषयं स्यात् । नापि उक्तकारकादिभेदं
> विधिशास्त्रम् उपनिषदां ब्रह्मैकत्वं प्रति प्रामाण्यं निवर्तयति ।
> स्वविषयशूराणि हि प्रमाणानि, श्रोत्रादिवत् ॥ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
> bhashya 2.1.20
> >>
> >> Shankara says: The Vedanta-s, Upanishads, that teach the sole Oneness
> that is Brahman, do not contradict the veda purva bhaga that deals with
> >>
> >> injunctions. Nor by this much the veda purva becomes void (of
> substance). Nor again does the veda purva that has bheda, difference (of
> doer, doing,
> >>
> >> etc.), dislodge the authority of the Upanishads in the matter of the
> non-dual Brahman. And here Shankara makes a phenomenal statement: pramanas,
> >>
> >> means of knowledge, are authorities in their own fields, like the sense
> organs such as the ear (which has its own field of sound and not any
> other).    field)
> >>
> >> At the beginning of the Bh.Gita Bhashya, Shankara says: द्विविधो हि
> वेदोक्तो धर्मः, प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो निवृत्तिलक्षणश्च, जगतः स्थितिकारणम् ।
> प्राणिनां
> >>
> >> साक्षादभ्युदयनिःश्रेयसहेतुर्यः स धर्मो
> ब्राह्मणाद्यैर्वर्णिभिराश्रमिभिश्च श्रेयोर्थिभिः अनुष्ठीयमानो ...
> >>
> >> The Vedic Dharma is two-fold: pravritti and nivritti, both of which
> form the basis for the sustenance of the
> >>
> >> world. This Dharma is directly conducive to the attainment of worldly
> well-being and ultimate liberation.
> >>
> >> Thus, for Shankara, the Veda pUrva bhAga is an indispensable element in
> the attaining of the goal of the Upanishads.  It is a saadhya-saadhana
> >>
> >> sambandha between the purva and uttara kaanda-s. The Veda, in its
> entirety, is the means for attainment of the Parama Purushartha. In a
> >>
> >> nutshell, Shankara's message about the Veda is: one cannot afford to
> ignore, neglect or belittle any part of the Veda, whether it is about
> injunction,
> >>
> >> arthavada or instruction about Brahman Atman.
> >>
> >> Link to Shankaracharya's 'Saadhana Panchakam that starts with the
> exhortation:
> >>
> >> http://vedantadc.org/sadhana-panchakam-of-sri-shankaracharya
> >> वेदो नित्यमधीयतां तदुदितं कर्म स्वनुष्ठीयतां
> >>  तेनेशस्य विधीयतामपचितिः काम्ये मतिस्त्यज्यताम्‌।
> >> पापौघः परिधूयतां भवसुखे दोषोऽनुसन्धीयतां
> >>  आत्मेच्छा व्यवसीयतां निजगृहात्तूर्णं विनिर्गम्यताम्‌॥१॥
> >>
> >> Om Tat Sat
> >>
> >>
> >>
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