[Advaita-l] THE ABSOLUTE

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Mar 25, 2023 at 9:21 PM Shrinivas Gadkari via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namasate,
>
> Firstly, I am no scholar of vedAnta, only a student.
> Let me explain my line of thinking, and there will be a lot of people
> here who will disagree with me. That is fine. This is based on my
> understanding and is an approach to vedAnta that appeals to me.
>
> Sure, para tattva is without any miseries and sufferings of this
> world of duality. However, I am convinced that this world of
> duality is not only anAdi, but it is also ananta. (The world of
> duality is as real to super evolved beings like viShNu and shiva,
> as it is to you and me. Then what to talk of others). In that case
> I would like to understand how the jnana/ vijnana related to para
> tattva can help transform this world of duality (at least that part
> of it that pertains to me) into a better world of duality.
>
> Speaking in the language of the well known rope-snake analogy.
> Agreed, there is no snake in reality but only a rope. Only in absence
> of adequate light, the rope appears to be a snake. However, I know
> that there will always be periods of inadequate light.



Dear Srinivas,

Your question below is full of meaning. The way I understand your question,
the solution is all over there in the Scriptural texts. All the teaching of
reducing rajas and tamas by increasing sattva is to enable the jiva to see
the world as the proverbial 'garland' of your quest.  The Jivanmukti viveka
of Swami Vidyaranya, for example, says that the first aim of the aspirant
is to eschew rajasic and tamasic tendencies by increasing sattvic ones. But
this is not the ultimate. For the realization of the Absolute, the
Paramarthika Tattva, Nirguna Brahman, even the sattva has to be given up by
Knowledge, Jnana, which is Vijnana here.

So, the answer to your question is there.  The sarvatra sattva drishTi
which could mean sarvatra Vishnu/Shiva/Devi drishti (in the saguna mode) is
first to be achieved. This is the teaching of the 10 and 11 th chapters of
the Gita: Vishvarupa darshana.  Beyond this is the Arupa darshana that is
what I said in the last sentence in the above paragraph.

Swami Paramarthananda puts it succinctly: From Ekarupa bhakti to Vishvarupa
Bhakti to Arupa bhakti/jnana.

warm regards
subbu


> And in these
> periods, I would like the rope to appear as a garland of flowers or some
> pleasing object and not a frightening snake. My quest is how to achieve
> this result. Knowing that in reality there is no snake, but only a rope,
> is just not enough.
>
> With regards,
> Shrinivas Gadkari
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Unquote.Do Upanishads teach about such a vastu?
> Can the  scholars of Vedanta in this group provide an answer basedon their
> anuBava?With respectful namaskars,Sreenivasa Murthy
>
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