headers
Sriram Krishnamurthy | 1 Sep 2007 08:07
Picon

Importance of faith and need for a Guru

*What is Faith?

Shankara defines faith as firm belief in the words of the Guru and Sastras
and it is the means to realize the Truth. This has been highly eulogized in
the scriptures. For instance, in the Gita it is said, "Man is what his faith
is".

Who is a Guru?

Who is the Guru in whom we are supposed to have intense faith? The Upanishad
declares that he indeed is fit to be a Guru who is the Knower of the Truth
and who is well versed in the scriptures. It is obvious that if the Guru be
one who is not a knower of the Truth then his guiding of the disciple will
be like that of a blind man leading another blind man.

*

*Hallmark of the Guru and the Disciple

Further, the Guru must have only the interest of the disciple in mind and
not have any selfish motive. Such a Guru is indeed the boat to cross the
ocean of transmigratory existence. The disciple for his part must approach
the Guru in all sincerity without the feeling that he himself is competent
to attain the state of perfect bliss. If one does not seek guidance in the
spiritual path, one would be in jeopardy as the path is subtle and fraught
with many obstacles.

Sometime ago a person came to Acharyal (Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha
Mahaswamigal) and said that he was suffering from intense body pain.
Acharyal immediately recognized it as due to improper practice of spiritual
(Continue reading)

Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
Sriram Krishnamurthy | 1 Sep 2007 12:30
Picon

Several Succeeding Stages of the Purificatory Process

Several Succeeding Stages of the Purificatory Process
The individual consciousness is made to pass through varying strata of
mental and emotional states, pure, neutral as also impure, as the muddy
water is made to pass through a try of sand, charcoal and some germicidal
medium, for the task of filtering away of gross impurities, the rough grains
of the sands of worldly experiences suit and suffice admirably. But for the
subtler impurities like the gaseous ones in water a medium like black
charcoal is required. This is the recrudescence of disturbingly un-spiritual
thoughts and tendencies that dismay and upset the Sadhak on the onward
course of their spiritual development. The process takes place almost
entirely upon the mental and emotional plane. Their inner working is very
curious and interesting. They take place in both the waking as well as the
dream states and in the latter in two slightly differing shades of dream
consciousness rather difficult to distinguish

Source : Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, Sri Swami Sivanandaji Daily
Readings.

Om Tat Sat,
Sriram
Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
Aditya Kartik | 1 Sep 2007 05:53
Picon

UMA SAHASRANAMAM

Hello
This is Aditya from Chennai. I was very imressed after seeing this website.
Can you please help me by mailing the devanagiri script of UMA SAHASRANAMAM,
if you have. We have been in serach of this composition for quite some time
and eager to get one.

Kindly reply to the same id, if you have it or if you have nay chances in
getting this in future, please do send it across to me.
Thanks in advance

regards
Aditya
Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
sriram | 1 Sep 2007 18:14

Re: AchArya on the Objects of the Waking State(B.S.II.2.29)

Dear Sri Vyas
You have said maya is more appropriate to be called as delusion rathr than
illusion.But I think maya has no equivalent in english vocabulary.Adi
Shankara is the one to use this word maya -ma =not and ya=there for the
first time to indicate that our human value system is very wrong and because
of this only we  humans find it difficult to cross this ocean of samsara.The
Bhaja Govindam gives  many examples of maya and avidhya is its
foundation.Ofcourse for English only knowing people we have to give some
near meaning words but then their perception of maya may be totally
different as Advaitins are labelled as mayavadins.
R.Krishnamoorthy.
From: Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@...>
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
<advaita-l@...>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 4:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] AchArya on the Objects of the Waking
State(B.S.II.2.29
Permalink | Reply | 2 comments |
headers
Jaldhar H. Vyas | 1 Sep 2007 20:42
Gravatar

"Bhoomidhanam " Appeal for Land (fwd)

Please reply to  S.G.Swaminathan <madrasipanditji@...> if you
can 
contribute to this.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@...>

        		    SRI ADI SANKARA SEWA TRUST, LUCKNOW (Reg.)
     		  D-1385/4, Indira Nagar, Lucknow- U.P. 226016
                          Ph-9839120282, 0522-3241950
VEDAKHILOO DHARMA MOOL:			DHARMO RAKSHTI RAKSHTA:
                            Appeal
Shri Adi Sankara Sewa trust is running a Vedic karmakand pathasala
since 5th June 2001 with present strength of 45 students. The Trust
providing to the students shelter, cloth, food, study materials and
education of Krishna/Sukla Yajur Veda, Prayogam/Karmakhand,
Jyotisham, Samskritam, and Speaking course of English, on free of
cost. Shri Kamakoti Gatikasramam Trust Kanchipuram, Sri Mahaswami
Shatabdi Mahotsava Trust Mumbai & Local philanthropist society
providing the financial support every month to run the Ved pathasala
smoothly. From the beginning there are eight Students completed the
studies and practicing as Vaidik/Karmakhandi We have so far shifted
4 places and presently we are paying a rent of rupees 10000/-per
month, which erodes major amount we mobilize for running the
pathasala. In view of the above we propose to purchase a plot of
land about 10000 sq ft. for building pathasala. The cost of
approximately will be around 17 lakhs including registration.  In
the land in addition to pathasala, a temple, library, Gowshala, an
out patient clinic and old age home is proposed to be built.
  	"BHOOMIDHAN" is one of the best of the "DHANS". "BHOOMIDHAN"
(Continue reading)

Permalink | Reply | 3 comments |
headers
Jaldhar H. Vyas | 2 Sep 2007 00:08
Gravatar

Re: AchArya on the Objects of the Waking State(B.S.II.2.29)

On Sat, 1 Sep 2007, sriram wrote:

> Dear Sri Vyas
> You have said maya is more appropriate to be called as delusion rathr than
> illusion.But I think maya has no equivalent in english vocabulary.

You are right.

> Adi Shankara is the one to use this word maya -ma =not and ya=there for the
> first time to indicate that our human value system is very wrong and because
> of this only we  humans find it difficult to cross this ocean of samsara.The
> Bhaja Govindam gives  many examples of maya and avidhya is its
> foundation.Ofcourse for English only knowing people we have to give some
> near meaning words

Yes this is all I meant by that statement.  Translation is more of an art 
than a science and delusion is not perfect but atleast nearer than illusion.

  but then their perception of maya may be totally
> different as Advaitins are labelled as mayavadins.

Well the term "mayavadi" is more used by people trying to score debate 
points instead of lovers of truth so I don't think we should care too much 
about it.

--

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@...>
Permalink | Reply | 1 comment |
headers
Ramesh Krishnamurthy | 2 Sep 2007 05:41
Picon

Re: AchArya on the Objects of the Waking State(B.S.II.2.29)

On 02/09/07, Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar@...> wrote:
>
> Yes this is all I meant by that statement.  Translation is more of an art
> than a science and delusion is not perfect but atleast nearer than illusion.
>

Indeed, translation is an art. Also, the same word may be understood
differently depending on one's vasana-s. To me, delusion is a somewhat
negative term - a better equivalent for avidya than maya. The negative
term has its utility in the sense that it prods the seeker to overcome
it.
Maya to me has positive connotations - the wondrous world of name and
form, which is empirically real, of which the shastra-s are a part, in
which the laws of physics operate, which pulsates with energy, and so
forth.

As they say Shiva is Shakti at rest, Shakti is Shiva in motion!

Ramesh
Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
chandramouli gunnala | 2 Sep 2007 09:51
Picon
Favicon

Four Mahavakyas

Dear Atmaswaroopa, Om Namo Narayanaya

Four Mahavaakyaas- one from each Veda- are very
important and powerful.These spell out the non-duality
of Jiva and Brahman.

Could enlightened Vedantins discull these Mahavaakyaas
in detail for the benefit of seekers.

In the service of the Lord,
C.Gunnala

      Try the revolutionary next-gen Yahoo! Mail. Go to http://mrd.mail.yahoo.com/dc/landing
Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
michael reidy | 2 Sep 2007 10:21
Favicon

AchArya on the Objects of the Waking State (B.S., II.2.29)

Dear Vinayaka,

The difference between the points of view of Gaudapada and Shankara 
concerning the dream state is really that between a broad intuition and 
a closely argued philosophical position.  On the one hand there is the 
sense of absolute reality which as it were annihilates the relative and 
on the other hand the concept of various levels of reality nested one 
within the other like Russian dolls.  

It is possible to discern traces of Idealism in the approach of 
Gaudapada in relation to the topic of dreaming vis a vis the waking state.
" As the dream objects are unreal in a dream, so also, because of that 
very reason, the objects in the waking state are unreal.  But objects ( 
in the dream state ) differ because of existence inside ( the body ) and 
because of contraction  ( in the dream )."  Karika II.4

Shankara's commentary traces the logic of this position thus.  In the 
dream state objects are perceived, in the waking state also objects are 
perceived.  We know that the objects in the dream state are unreal even 
though they are perceived.  By parity of reasoning we can infer that the 
objects in the waking state are also unreal for the reason that they are 
perceived.

As we can see the attention is being switched from the objects as such 
to the awareness.  Hidden in that approach is a theory about what it is 
that we are directly aware of in any mode of consciousness.  In Karika 
IV.27 this is made clear:
"Consciousness does not ever come in contact with external objects in 
all the three states.  There being no external objects how can there be 
any be any baseless false apprehension of it?"
(Continue reading)

Permalink | Reply | 0 comments |
headers
br_vinayaka | 2 Sep 2007 14:24
Picon
Favicon

AchArya on the Objects of the Waking State (B.S. II.2.29)

Namaste Sri Jaldhar-ji,

You have written:

"For instance a diamond and a lump of coal are both
actually forms of 
carbon yet these things have different names and forms
and are assigned 
very different values by conventional society.  But
surely we can say that 
coal and diamond are two forms of one thing without
having to say "coal and 
diamond do not exist"?"

I strongly feel asking of such questions itself is
wrong. Because, in the mAndUkya upanishad nAntaH
prajnam mantra all types of prajna is negated totally
'including' the simultaneous awareness of all the
objects, which is associated with ishwara. So, when
reality is intuited, we are not aware of the forms of
carbon like coal or diamond to compare/reconcile, but
it is  something like being one with carbon itself. 

Ever aware of reality alone with the 'knower-known'
process being sublated for ever, is the state of a
jnAni.

Such kind of confusion arises when bening ajnAni one
wants to know the post realized state of a jivanmukta!
I have read in some places that, ajAtivada is upheld
(Continue reading)

Permalink | Reply | 4 comments |

Gmane