Vedanta - Discussion Forum I (introductory))

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Good read: 73 page PDF.
Vedanta for Beginners - by Swami Shivananda

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<b>MANASOLLLASA – A TREATISE ON ADVAITA</b>

Jaya Jaya Shankara! Shree Lalita Mahatripurasundari Paraabhattaarikaa Sametaaya Shree Chandramouleshwara Parbrahmane namaH!

Manasollasa is a wonderful treatise on Advaita by Sri Sureshwaracharya, the great disciple of Acharya Shankara. This is actually a commentary on Acharya's Dakshinamurthy Stotra. This is called Manasollasa – ` that which exhilarates the mind'. However, I would like to add that before getting such joy out of a tough metaphysical work like this, a taste for the same has to be assiduously cultivated. This Manasollasa itself has a commentary by a seventeenth century scholar named Raama Tirtha. Presented here is a summary of this invaluable work, with invaluable notes by Sri Swami Harshandaji of Ramakrishna Ashrama.

`This exists', `This reveals itself', thus proceeds ordinary life. And, in which thing is this `existence or revelation' established? Is it established in those respective things? Or in God, the Self of All? What is the nature of Ishwara or God and Jiva or individual soul? And, what is the nature of this `being, which is the Self of all? ` These are the questions asked by the disciple. As a result of the merit acquired over several previous lives, the spirit of discrimination (Viveka) and detachment (Vairagya) has dawned upon him. This has endowed him with the required competence (Adhikara) to enquire into the nature of Truth.

Every object that is grasped by our senses appears to exhibit two characteristics: existence (Astitva) and the capacity to be revealed (Prakaashatva). The question is where these two are established? Are they separate for each object and exist in the object itself? Or, are they universal and exist in Ishwara, the common substratum and Self of the entire creation? How does Jiva know that Ishwara is the Lord and Self of all? What is the means of achieving this knowledge? What result does he gain by that knowledge? Is it obtaining something new like heaven, which was not there before? Or, is it a rediscovery of an already established fact, like rediscovering the necklace on the neck, which had been forgotten due to absent-mindedness? How does this identity between Jiva and Ishwara come about?

Now, the preceptor starts replying to all these queries. All the fourteen worlds exist in Ishwara. The entire world, though inside Him, appears to be outside, like the reflection in a mirror, due to Maya. Just as one, in a dream, sees the world within oneself as if it is separate, in the same way, during the waking state also, this world should be judged. It is deduced that, in dream, the reality of the objects is nothing but the reality of oneself. Then, what specialty is there in the objects seen in the waking state, which are insentient and quickly destroyed? Thus, the common point between the dream state and the waking state is that in both cases, the objects of experience are transient.

The revelation of the objects in dream is due to the light of oneself and not due to anything else. Similarly, in waking state also – so do the wise ones decide. The point to be noted here is that any object, which cannot exist independently, cannot also reveal itself independently. How can an object, which does not exist, reveal itself? Just as one who has woken up from sleep, does not see the objects shown in dream, even so, one does not see the world, after attaining knowledge par excellence. This knowledge is the realization of atman or Brahman, the basis of all existence and consciousness. When the Jiva who has been asleep due to beginning-less Maya, wakes up, then, he realizes the non-dual Self, which is beyond the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. Ignorance of, and mistaken notions about, the atman are as good as sleep, or perhaps worse than sleep. Sleep breaks in a natural way without our effort, whereas only rigorous Sadhana can remove ignorance and false understanding. The awakening from Maya comes as a result of the teachings of a competent Guru.

By the kindness of the Vedas and the spiritual preceptor, by the dint of the practice of yoga, as also by the grace of the God, when the knowledge of the Self arises, the aspirant sees the whole world as swallowed up by the fullness of the `I' principle i.e. the Self. The atman-Brahman principle can never be known through the medium of the senses or even the intellect or by inference. Its existence and nature are known only through the revealed scriptures or Vedas.

Just as one becomes a king in a dream, enjoys all the desired objects, conquers an enemy in the battle-field, is defeated later by another enemy, retires into forest and performs austerities, and thinks that he has lived for a very long time, even though it was for a very short period, as long as the dream lasts. In the same way, in the waking state also, he rules over the kingdom fancied by the mind, and does not perceive how his life is getting destroyed by the powerful floods of the river of time. Like the sun covered by clouds, the Atman being greatly deluded by Maya, appears like one who knows little and can do little. However, the reality is only one. It is the atman-Brahman principle. It is this same principle that appears both as Ishwara and as Jiva. The example of the king given above clarifies this point. It is the same person that becomes both the king and the forest mendicant. Both these conditions have been brought about by dream state. In the same way, it is association with Maya that makes the Atman appear as Ishwara. Entering into the created world and subjecting himself to the influence of Maya, he becomes the Jiva. There is no separate or independent entity called Jiva at all. Whatever work a person accomplishes by his own power or whatever knowledge he gains by his own capacity, with regard to that, he is described as `emperor', `king', `servant' or `Lord'. Thus, anyone who achieves anything great in this world, by dint of his own efforts and capacity, is an Ishwara with regard to the achievement. The point to be noted however is that, it is due to the identity with Ishwara that the powers of knowledge and action have been transferred to all the living beings. That the Jiva is also Ishwara is established by the fact of the accretion of the powers of Ishwara on the Jiva. What is meant here is that the power of knowledge and action, Jnana Shakti and Kriya Shakti, really belong to Ishwara. He alone is independent. These powers are also seen in the Jiva, but they are borrowed powers like the heat in a red-hot iron ball. Because the jives exhibit these powers which belong to Ishwara, therefore it may be inferred that Ishwara is in them, as their very Self. Hence His Sarvaatmatva or the quality of being the Self of all is proved.

Like the light of sun, it is knowledge or consciousness that shines by itself in all such apprehensions as: `This is a pot', `This is a cloth'. When an object like a pot or a cloth is seen in sunlight, it is actually the sunlight that is reflected from those objects that is being seen. And, sunlight does not need a second object to reveal itself. It is self-revealing. Similarly, when we know an object as, `This is a pot', it is actually the consciousness of our self that is revealing itself. If knowledge or consciousness were not self-existent, then the world would have become blindly dark. If Ishwara did not possess any Kriya (activity), then, how can day-to-day life proceed? But what is this Kriya? Kriya or activity is of the nature of movement and transformation. When knowledge or consciousness flows out, then activity rises as its effect, as it were. Here Ishwara is being described as Sarvajna (all-knowing) and Sarvakarta (doer of all), thereby attributing two important characteristics of Jnana and Kriya to him.

Kriya or activity manifests itself in two ways: Parispanda, which means vibration or movement as in the case of an arrow, shot from the bow. The second way is called Parinama, which means transformation or change of state as in the case of gold being made into ornaments. Now the scriptures say that Kriya is a product of Jnana. How it is so, can be explained as follows: When a person sees a small boulder on his path, lifts it with his hands and clears his path, a long chain of actions will have taken place. First, his mind- stuff, with the reflection of the consciousness of Atman in it, flows out through the eyes, envelopes the boulder and produces the knowledge, `This is a boulder'. Second, he thinks, `Since this is obstructing my path, let me remove it'. Third, he lifts it with his hands and removes it elsewhere. It is actually this last part, which is actual Kriya. For this, the hands are the gross instrument. This instrument in turn is moved by the power of Prana, the vital breath of life-force energy. This Prana, is situated in the body and supported by the Atman, which is consciousness personified. Thus it is seen that Kriya is the end product of Jnana. This atman that is the Antaryamin (the indweller) is really Ishwara. Hence whatever activity is seen in living beings, it is to be understood as having ensued from Ishwara Himself.

Activity abides in production, attainment, refinement and change. It gets manifested in such actions as are indicated by the verbs, `He does', `He goes', and `He goes', `He rubs' etc. what we mean here is that Kriya is abstract and that it gets manifested through certain actions. `Doing' as in the case of a potter, `produces' a pot. This is Utpatti or production. `Going' as in the case of a traveler returning home results in his `attaining' his home or goal. This is Praapti or attainment. `Rubbing' as in the case of the goldsmith brings about a `refinement' in the ornament through polish. This is Samskaara or refinement. `Cutting' as in the case of a tree-feller makes the tree undergo a `change' or disfigurement. This is Vikaara or change. All these are different aspects of Parinama or transformation. The first, Parispanda or movement has already been illustrated in the boulder example.

Ishwara, in the bodies of Brahma, Vishnu and other deities, appears to be omniscient. In gods, human beings and animals, respectively in the decreasing order, his knowledge becomes limited. Beings born out of the womb, the egg, moisture and springing from the earth-these four classes, again, have less knowledge in the decreasing order starting from the first. Ishwara, the Sarvajna (all- knowing) has become the Jiva who is a Kinchijna (the little-knowing). What is the reason for it? It is just a question of manifestation of knowledge, which depends upon the type of body the Jiva inhabits. In the scale of evolution, higher the type of body, greater the manifestation of knowledge. Similarly, lower the type of body, lesser the manifestation of knowledge. When the Supreme Atman, the unlimited light is realized, it will be discovered that everything from Brahma (the creator) upto a blade of grass is only a fanciful idea like that of a dream. On waking up from sleep, all the fanciful creations of dream just disappear. Similarly, when the infinite Atman is realized, this finite creation also disappears.

The Upanishads describe the Atman thus, ` The Atman, smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest, dwells in the hearts of the creatures. The desire less one, being free from grief, realizes the glory of Atman through the purity of senses and mind'. Now, let us examine the views of some prominent schools of thought regarding the material cause of the wold.

According to the Vaisesika school of thought, the material cause of this world is Paramanu or atoms of the elements earth, fire, water etc. They try to prove their theory as follows: `Just as clay and not Ishwara, is the material cause of a pot, which is seen invariably as consisting of clay, in the same way, it is the atoms combined that form the material cause of the world and not Ishwara. The various qualities like form, taste, smell etc. that may appear in the products of these atoms, are really produced from those qualities in the atoms themselves. Even here, the agency of Ishwara is not needed'.

As far as created objects are concerned, there are three Kaaranas or causes that contribute to their production. They are: Samavayee Kaarana or inherent cause, Asamavayee Kaarana or non- inherent cause and Nimitta Kaarana or efficient cause. `Samavaaya' is a technical term of Nyaya-Vaisesika school. It is the relationship by which a quality inheres in the qualified object (eg. Redness in rose or motion in a moving object). Extending this principle further, this school says that an effect like a pot inheres in the cause, the clay, from which it is made to manifest. So, clay is the Samavayee Kaarana for the pot. The potter's wheel and the stick are Asamvayee Kaaranas or non-inherent causes. The potter himself is the Nimitta Kaarana or the efficient cause. In creation, according to this view, Ishwara plays only the third role as Nimitta Kaarana and not the first two. The material cause is always reflected in its effects. Since Ishwara is not reflected in this world, therefore, He is not the material cause. This is the conclusion of these schools.

Now let us examine briefly the conclusions of the Sankhya school in this matter. Pradhana comprises of the three Gunas or qualities: Rajas, Satva and Tamas. Among them, rajas is red in color and is of the nature of constant change. Satva is white in color and is of the nature of light. Tamas is dark and is of the nature of concealing or covering. They are respectively the causes of creation, sustenance and destruction of the world. This is what the Sankhyas declare. If the Nyaya-Vaisesika school accepts Ishwara at least as the Nimitta Kaarana, the Sankhya school has completely dispensed with Him!

These theories can be easily refuted. Most of these schools of thought depend upon two methods of knowledge: Pratyaksha (direct perception) and Anumana (inference), laying great emphasis on intellect and reasoning. The Vedanta school depends primarily on Aaptavakya or shabda (verbal testimony of the scriptures) using logic also, to meet the other schools on their own ground.

The main contention of Advaita Vedanta is that the fundamental truth is one, without a second, Adviteeya. It is the Atman-Brahman, which is pure existence (sat), pure consciousness (chit) and pure bliss (Ananda). Since this world is a fact of our experience and since its creation has to be explained somehow to satisfy our curiosities, we may consider two examples. Firstly, this world of wonderful varieties existed in Ishwara, even as a mighty tree with its several roots, branches, leaves and fruits, existed in its seed, in an undifferentiated form. When the power of Ishwara called Maya, under His direction, projected space and time, this `seed' of the world got evolved into all its varieties.

Secondly, this projection of the world is not a real creation like the potter making a pot out of clay, but the illusionary manifestation brought out by Ishwara just by his own will, like the magician producing articles of magic. This obviates the need for a material cause outside Ishwara, which would otherwise militate against the conception of Advaita.

It is an accepted fact that the material cause is invariably present and perceptible in all the effects. For instance, clay is present and perceptible in the lump, the finished pot, and in broken pot-shreds. Since `existence' is invariably present and perceptible in all objects of the world, that itself is the material cause. If the Paramaanus or the atomic particles are the material cause of this world, they should have been perceived in all the effects, starting from the seed right upto the tree and fruits. But they are not. Again, since the Paramanus are invisible, the world, which is their product, also should have been invisible. Hence the Paramaanus are not the material cause of this creation, but Ishwara.

It is acceptable to all that the effect exists in its cause. Hence existence and revelation follow in all the effects. If the effect pre-exits in the material cause, it is to be conceded that it is the material cause that is appearing in another from, as the effects as for example, the clay appearing as a pot.

Since `existence' and Sphurattaa (the capacity to reveal itself) are present in all objects of creation, therefore Brahman, which is sat and chit, should be accepted as the material cause of this world. When a flower is transformed into a fruit and milk into curd, the qualities of color, taste etc., are seen to be different. It is normally accepted by all that the qualities in the material-cause produce similar qualities in the effects. For instance, the red color of the thread produces red color in the cloth woven out of that thread. If this principle is applied, the attempt of some to show that in a series of transformations (as for example, a seed ultimately becoming the fruit) each succeeding effect becomes the cause for the next, fails. When the flower becomes the fruit or milk becomes curd, they differ from each other very widely. Hence it is to be accepted that all these are appearances of Brahman only.

Cause and Effect (eg. Seed and sprout), part and whole (eg. Threads and cloth), species and individual (eg. Feline family and cat), quality and qualified (eg. Red color and red cloth), action and that which is endowed with action (eg. Movement and a moving object like a wheel)- all these are only ideas superposed on Brahman, which is pure consciousness. These various dualities are only appearances in Brahman brought about by Maya.

Neither for the atomic particles nor for the Pradhana of the Sankhyas, consciousness has been conceded. In the process of creation of the world, consciousness and action are seen associated with the living conscious entity only. It is only a living conscious entity that can set forth the process of creation. Without a potter, the pot can never be produced. Hence it is only Ishwara that can set forth the creative process of the world. The atomic particles of the Vaisesika theory and the Pradhana of the Sankhya theory (comprising of the three Gunas), which are accepted as the matrix for creation, are both without consciousness and hence incapable of creation.

Curd is produced from milk by the power of action of Ishwara, in the form of time. By the power of knowledge of Ishwara, this world of knower, known and knowledge is produced. The Sankhyas who posit Pradhana, the insentient principle as the cause of creation, give the example of milk becoming curd by itself, without being associated with any conscious entity, as the proof. Even here however, it is the Kriya Shakti of Ishwara, in the form of time that is always associated with Ishwara that is responsible for this transformation.

Thus, it is never bereft of association with the conscious principle called Ishwara. As regards the creation of this world, which can be divided into the knowing entity, the known entity and knowledge itself, it is due to the Jnana Shakti or the power of knowledge of Ishwara. Knowledge is of two types, the Nirvikalpa (without modifications)- which reveals the object and the Savikalpa (with modifications)- which however is manifold since it reveals name and form. When we perceive a jar, the first cognition that we get is a very general one, `This is jar'. Closer examination reveals many more things like, `This is a small red jar made of clay, with a lid, and two holes on the right side'. The former is Nirvikalpa and the latter is Savikalpa. Other examples for Savikalpa knowledge are will, doubt, misapprehension, memory, cognition of similarity, determination, guess, and the incapacity to determine the real nature of things.

The Charvakas (materialists) accept only Pratyaksha or direct perception as the means of knowledge. The Vaisesika School and the Buddhists accept in addition, Anumaana or inference also. The Sankhyas accept all these, along with Shabda or scriptural testimony. Pratyaksha is the means of knowledge by direct perception through the physical senses like the eyes, nose etc. Anumaana is the inferential knowledge gained by perceiving some signs invariably associated with the objects as; as for instance, in guessing the existence of fire by seeing smoke. Shabda is verbal testimony, the words of honest and authoritative people. Scriptural testimony is the highest among such verbal testimonies since the scriptures contain super-sensory knowledge revealed to the sages. Some of the Vaisesikas also accept this. Others accept Upamaana or comparison in addition.

The Purva Mimamsa school has branched off into two sub- schools founded by Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara. Prabhakara accepts Pratyaksha, Anumana, Shabda and Upamana along with Arthaapti or implied knowledge. Consider the example, ` Devadatta, who is growing fat, is never seen to eat by day'. Hence, the implication is, ` He must be eating by night!' Kumarila Bhatta accepts all these along with Abhaava or non-existence as the sixth. The Pauranikas accept all the six along with Sambhava (possibility) and Aitihya (tradition). Abhaava is also called Anupalabdhi or non-perception. The non- perception of a pot in the niche proves its non-existence there. The Pauranikas are those who believe in the ancient legends and lores, handed down usually by oral tradition. Sambhava means possibility. When a drum of fifty litres has been fully filled by grain, and if an additional quarter litre of grain is brought near it, it shows Sambhava or possibility of accommodating that additional quantity also. This is another means of knowledge. Aitihya is a means of knowledge that has been handed down by tradition. For example, people may believe that an evil spirit haunts a banyan tree near the burial ground, if that knowledge has been handed down by tradition for generations.

The Vaisesikas describe six Padarthas or categories of objects as follows: Dravya (substance), Guna (quality), Karma (action), Saamaanya (generality), Vishesha (speciality) and Samavaaya (inference). All objects of this world that are perceived by the senses and the mind have been grouped under six headings by the Vaisesikas as narrated here. The Dravyas are nine: the Five Bhootas- earth, water, fire, air and ether or sky, space, time, soul and mind. The Gunas are twenty-four: sound, touch, color, taste, smell, dimension, number, conjunction and separation, separateness (the quality that makes a thing appear to be separate from others), weight, liquidity, distance, nearness, oiliness, tendency, knowledge, aversion, pleasure, pain, desire, merit (invisible good effect produced by the performance of righteous actions), demerit and effort. Tendency again is of three types: the speed that causes movement in an arrow discharged from the bow is the first. The impression that causes remembrance of what is seen, heard and experienced is the second. That which is called elasticity, causing recovery to the former condition- as seen clearly in the case of a branch or the leaf of the birch tree that is pulled-is the third. The wise ones describe action as fivefold: throwing up, throwing down, motion, expansion and contraction. `Generality' is said to be of two kinds: the superior and the inferior. The superior is `existence' itself. Liquidity, attributes etc., which exist following this `existence', form the inferior generality. Specialties, which are responsible for differential knowledge, are infinite. Because the objects that are met in this world are infinite, the `specialties' in them-what make them appear different from one another- are also infinite.

In Sankhya school, the important categories listed are Prakriti, Pradhana (the chief), Avyakta (the unmanifest), Avidya (nescience), Ajnana (ignorance), Akshara (the indestructible), Avyaakrita (the undifferentiated) and Tamas (darkness). As a result of the contact of the reflection of the consciousness of Brahman in Maya, Mahat (the great), Kaala (time) and Pumaan (Jiva or individual soul) are manifested. From Mahat is born Ahankaara or ego-principle. Mahat is also called Buddhi (cosmic intelligence). It is the first evolute of Prakriti or nature. Kaala or time is a mode of the power of Brahman that arises out of association with Prakriti. Pumaan. The individual soul, though unborn and independent, somehow gets into the grip of Mahat and consequently suffers as doer and enjoyer of good and bad actions. Ahankaara is what endows individuality and separateness to a created object. As already stated, Pradhana consists of the three Gunas. Now, let us consider the evolutes of the Pradhana. The five elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth are produced out of the Taamasic aspect of Ahankaara. So, also the five qualities of sound, touch, color, taste and smell, in that order.

These five qualities are the objects of the five sense organs, ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose. Antahkarana (the internal organ) and the five sense organs are produced out of the Satva aspect of Ahankaara. The Antahkarana or the internal organ comprises of Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Ahankara (egoism) and Chitta (mindstuff). Doubt, determination, arrogance and memory are the objects of these four aspects of Antahkarana respectively. The following are understood to be Jnanendriyas or organs of knowledge or perception: ear, skin, eyes, tongue and nose. The five Karmendriyas or organs of action (namely speech, hands, feet, organs of evacuation and generation) and the five vital airs (Pranas) are produced out of the rajas aspect of Ahankara. The objects of these organs of action are respectively speech, seizing, movement, evacuation and pleasure. The five vital airs are: Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vyana. The followers of the science of Sankhya understand the fundamental principles of the world as twenty-four in number, comprising the five elements, the five vital airs and the fourteen senses. Counting Mahat, Kaala, Pradhaana, Maya, aVidyaa and Purusha (same as Jiva) along with the above, the Pauranikas describe the fundamental principles as thirty. Maya is associated with Ishwara but his under his control. Avidyaa is associated with the Jiva, but overwhelms him. This is the basic difference between the two.

The various Tatvas or principles put forward by these different schools have been dubbed as Vikalpas, only conjectures, and not real. It is Ishwara Himself who has promulgated those various views by assuming the forms of the Rishis (sages) who were the founders of those schools. It was said before that the world was non- different from Ishwara before creation. However, even after the creation has come into existence, it continues to be non-different from Him. All living beings exhibit the traits of Iccha, Jnana and Kriya before they perform any act. And, these three are really the traits of Ishwara. Hence all the beings are aspects of Ishwara. Again, these traits have been manifested because of Ishwara's association with Maya. Hence the world, which is a creation out of these three traits, is also Maya. Since Ishwara possesses infinite power, He is able to create everything, sustain it and destroy it, just by His free will, independently, without needing the help of a second object i.e. without the help of a material cause or an instrumental cause.

Ishwara, who is eternal, does not become a `doer' just by the activity of the means of Kriya. Nor does he become a `knower' by the activity of the means of knowledge. He is verily self-resplendent. The idea is that one who is a knower or doer by virtue of external means, is subject to change. What is subject to change cannot be eternal. Then, how does Ishwara exercise his Kriya Shakti and Jnana Shakti? It is by his mere presence, like a magnet or a king, whose presence is enough for others to do their duties.

According to Advaita Vedanta, Ishwara is Abhinna-Nimitta- Upaadaana-Kaarana i.e. He is both the efficient cause and the material cause of this world. Secondly, creation is a projection out of Himself by his power of Maya. Thirdly, the whole process of creation, sustenance and destruction is just an illusionary exercise. Thus it becomes clear that Ishwara is the unchanging eternal Reality. It is a well known universally accepted principle that while discussing about things beyond the reach of the senses, one should proceed from the seen to the unseen, from the known to the unknown. The of quoted example for the Nimitta Kaarana is the potter. The potter has to exert himself to produce the pot. This exertion involves the use of his limbs. That means, he is a Saririn (embodied being) with limbs or parts. Anything that is embodied or comprising of parts gets destroyed one day. If Ishwara is accepted as only the Nimitta Kaarana, He has perforce to be admitted as an embodied being subjected to change, decay and death. This however is against all scriptural statements. Also, there is no example in this world by which we can illustrate that a thing can be changeable and yet eternal. Hence, the views of the Sankhyas and Vaisesikas cannot be accepted.

If Ishwara possessed Gunas like Buddhi etc. eternally, then, being endowed with an eternal desire, He would have to engage Himself in the act of creation of this world, eternally. Then, since the inclination towards action will not cease, the bondage of transmigration also will not cease. Therefore this creation of the world by Ishwara is only a phenomenon of Maya. Existence and revelation have passed on from the eternal Ishwara into these objects, which are similar to unreality, insentient and transient. This passing on (Sankrama) is not like the passing on of heat from the fire to the iron ball. In that case, reality will have to be conceded for the free iron ball, which is against Advaita. It is more like the borrowed reality of the snake in the rope or silver in nacre, wherein the snake or silver do not exist apart from the substratum, which alone is real. The existence of these objects is the existence of the Atman alone and not anything apart from it. Similarly, their revelation is not different from the revelation of the atman.

The various kinds of perception as also their objects are connected together in the ego-sense like the groups of pearls on the string. When the light of the Atman is reflected in the mind, it is called Ahamkara or ego-sense. This itself is the Jiva, the individual soul. The various kinds of knowledge that arise out of perceiving various objects of the senses coalesce in this ego-sense. The existence of those objects (Sattaa) and knowledge about them (Sphurana) are perceived only through thus ego-sense, which again is only a reflection of the Sphurana of the Atman. Previously, existence itself had been denied to the objects of the world. Here, granting an empirical existence for them, their unity I the Atman-consciousness is being shown.

This world appears to all as verily non-different from light. The waves, bubbles etc., do not have an existence of their own, separate from water. Neither the waves nor the bubbles have any independent existence apart from water. Similarly, all the objects of this world, which derive their Sattaa and Sphurana from the Atman, are Atman alone in reality.

That knowledge which enters into an object producing the awareness `I know (this object)', later on, rests on the inner Self as `This was known by me'. This proves that Sphurana or revelation is a quality of the Atman and not of the outside object. The effects like jar etc. rest upon their material causes like clay etc. Since this world is non-different from light or consciousness, it has to rest on the supreme Lord.

Just as a mirror becomes dirty by the dust on it, knowledge also gets covered by ignorance. Hence, the beings are deluded by that. If the non-dual principle is the Reality, then, how is it that the living beings cannot comprehend it? The dirt on the mirror covers it, making it incapable of reflecting things. Similarly, Ajnana or ignorance which is begginningless (Anaadi) and indescribable (Anivrchaneeya) covers the Jnana of the beings. Consequently, they perceive the world of duality, develop desires, involve themselves in action, get deluded and suffer. Just as it is the `great sky' that appears as the `pot sky' due to the limiting adjunct of the pot, in the same way, the difference between the Jivatman and Paramatman has been wrought by the limiting adjunct of the body. So, it is the body that is the root of all troubles! Once the spirit that pervades it, but which really transcends it, is realized, identity with Paramatman is established. We shall further see the process of achieving this. The identity between the Jiva and Paramatman is exhibited by sentences such as, `That thou art' – Tat Tvam Asi. Normally Tat refers to a distant object and Tvam to a person nearby. Brahman as Ishwara, who is the creator of this apparently infinite world naturally appears to be `there', at a great distance whereas a person with whom we are talking is `here', near at hand. Hence, the supreme Brahman who is the cause of the world is stated as the meaning of the word Tat (that). On the other hand, the Jiva who is limited by the body etc., is named by the word Tvam (thou). One who is seen in `that' place, time and condition is said to be `that person'. Similarly, one who is seen in `this' place, time and condition is said to be `this person'. Consider a simple example to illustrate the method recognize the identity between Jiva and Brahman. If the person Devadutta whom we saw yesterday evening in the market comes to our house this morning, perhaps in a different dress, we still recognize him immediately as `This is Devadutta'. In doing so, the two times, the two places and the two dresses are brushed aside and only the person himself has been taken into consideration. Similarly, while interpreting the sentence of identity of Jivatman and Paramatman viz., Tat tvam Asi (That thou art), the qualities of the two that appear directly (for eg., being inside the body, being outside; little knowledge and omniscience; little power and infinite power etc. ) should be given up as incidental, and take the person himself who is the Atman\Brahman, the pure consciousness.

In the sentence tat tvam asi, the relation between the words `Tat' (that) and `tvam' (thou) is one called Samaanaadhikarana. Adhikarana means `substratum' and `Samaana' means `same'. So, the word means, `having the same substratum'. When we say, `this is a blue lotus', blueness and lotusness inhere in the same substratum, the flower called the blue lotus. The idea here is that both the words tat and tvam have the same substratum, which is pure Chaitanya or consciousness. Meanings may differ, but the thought remains the same. Also, the relation between the meanings of these two words (tat and tvam) is that of a Visheshana and Visheshya. Visheshana is a quality. Visheshya is that which is qualified. `Blue' is the Visheshana. `Lotus' is the Visheshya. Similarly, the Jiva, being the meaning of `tvam', is the Visheshana. Ishwara, the meaning of `tat', is the Visheshya. This great sentence `that thou art', teaches identity through Lakshya and Lakshana. Lakshana is an implication. Lakshya is what is implied. When a red horse is running, if we say, `Oh! Red is running', the word red implies the red horse. `Red' is the Lakshana and the horse is the Lakshya.

The meaning of a sentence is of three types: Vaachyaartha, Vyangyaartha and Lakshyaartha. Vaachyaartha is the direct meaning as in the sentence, `Bring the cow'. Vyangyaartha is the suggested meaning as in, `Hari is with conch and discus'. The word `Hari' has several meanings such as lion, monkey, Lord Vishnu etc. To show that it is Vishnu that is meant here, the words conch and discus are used. This fixes the meaning of Hari. In Lakshyaartha, t is the implied meaning that is important, rather than the direct. Consider `The Kalinga is a hero'. Though actually the word Kalinga means a country, here it means a citizen of that country.

The Lakshana or implication by which the Lakshyaartha is derived is of three types: Jahad-Lakshana, that in which the direct meaning is completely given up in favor of the implied one. Consider the example, `The cowherd village is in the Ganges'. Since a village cannot exist in a river, it implies that it is `on the bank' of the river Ganga. Here the direct meaning has been completely given up (jahad = giving up). Next comes Ajahad-Lakshana, that in which the direct meaning is not given up, but something in addition is implied. For instance, `White is running'. Since the color white cannot run, it is the white horse or rabbit that is implied. Here, `white' is not given up (ajahad = not giving up), but `horse' is added. The last is the Jahad-ajahad-Lakshana, also called Bhaaga Lakshana and Bhaaga tyaaga Lakshana, in which a part of the direct meaning is given up, but another part is retained. The ofquoted example is, `This is that Devadutta' which we have already seen. In the sentence tat Tvam Asi, both Jahad and Ajahad Lakshanas do not hold good. This sentence, which is a Mahavakya (the great sentence) is to be interpreted by means of Bhaaga Lakshana.

When words coined due to different causes point towards the same object, then, the relationship of these words is one of Samanadhikarana. Just as the `pot sky' is neither a modification nor a part of the sky, similarly the sentence says that the Jivatman- because of the entry (of Paramatman) into the forms created by His own Maya, as the Jivatman- is neither a part nor a modification of Paramatman. This Paramatman is known through the Veda and logic, as being without parts and modifications. In the Madhyadina recension of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.1.20) there is this statement: `all these arise out of the atman'. The Gita says, ` In this world of beings, it is My own eternal part that has become the Jiva (15.7)'. Hence the doubt arises whether the Jivatman is a modification (Vikara) or a part (Amsha) of Paramatman. This is confronted by illustrating the above `pot sky' example. If Ishwara consisted of parts or limbs, or were subjected to modifications, He too would be destructible. One who is Himself destructible cannot be the ultimate cause or creator. Thus by logic, we have to concede that He is indeed without parts and modifications. The following Vedic mantras clearly show that He, who is in this body as Jivatman, is really Ishwara or Paramatman. `Having created it, It entered the very same (Taittareya Upanishad 2.6)', `Having entered (it) in the form of Jivatman (Chandogya Upanishad 6.3.2)', `That this (person) has entered here, right up to the tips of the (finger) nails (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.7)'. The following Sruti statements clearly show that the Supreme Self is without parts, beyond modifications and the cause of all causes. ` (I take refuge in Him who is) without parts, beyond all activity, peaceful, without defects and stains (Sve. Upanishad 6.19)`, ` (The wise see the Original Cause of all beings as) eternal, all-pervading, inherent in all, extremely subtle, indestructible – (Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.6)', `He is the cause, the Lord of the master of all senses; there is none who has generated Him, nor one who is His master – (Sve Upanishad 6.9)'.

The sentence `tat tvam asi' is also not verily devoted to praise as in, `You are Indra'. One who is not Indra (the king of gods) may be praised as if he is Indra. Like that, is the Jivatman being praised as if he is Brahman? No; because in the beginning of that teaching it is stated, `My dear, in the beginning of creation, the eternal Truth, one without a second, alone existed (Chandogya Upanishad 6.2.1)'. At the end again, it is said, `All this has Sat as its self (Chandogya Upanishad 5.8.7)'. Thus it is obvious that the whole topic centers round the Supreme Self. Nor does this sentence advocate similarity as in, `The boy is like fire'. Nor does it prove a cause and effect relationship as between clay and pot. To prove similarity between two objects, there must be something in common either with regard to physical features or qualities or action. Since Paramatman ahs none of these things, such a comparison is not at all possible. The Sweta Upanishad says, `There is no image of that (4.19)'. Since Paramatman is limbless, cause and effect relation is also impossible. It is also not a sentence that teaches the relationship between the species and the individual as instanced by `This is a defective cow'. Each of the individual cows has the common characteristics of the species in it. Like that, if Ishwara is the species and Jiva is the individual, then Ishwara will have to be considered as an unconsciousness lifeless entity like the `cowness'. Similarly, this great sentence also does not imply a quality- qualified relation as in, `Blue lotus'. That is, if Jiva qualifies Ishwara, He will become a bound soul. On the other hand, if the Ishwara qualifies the Jiva, the latter will be ever free, thereby nullifying the need for all the scriptures, which are preaching the way to liberation.

This sentence does not advocate contemplation as the attitude of God in images. Upasana or contemplation is not the subject matter of Chandogya Upanishad (6.8.7), wherein this sentence appears. The word `Asi' does not permit of such an interpretation. Nor is the sentence a flattering compliment as for instance in treating the king's representative as if he is the king himself. That the sentence is repeated nine times in the Upanishad, and has some discussions also, does not lend itself to the above said possibility of being mere flattering.

Thus, none of the above hold good with regard to the sentence tat tvam asi. The issue can be finally clinched by declaring on the strength of the Srutis that it is Ishwara who has entered the creation and appears as the Jivatman. Hence the sentence teaches identity by pushing aside the differences brought about by the Upadhis (limiting adjuncts), which are not real.

Just like the awareness of heat in iron, wood etc., which have been pervaded by fire, so also the awareness of the atman in the conglomeration of body, senses, mind, intellect, vital airs and ego- sense, due to the pervasion of the atman in them, is experienced by the ignorant. If Brahman is the Self of all, how is it that It is not experienced? Identification with the Upadhis is the reason.

The five aspects of human personality, which cover the glory of the atman, like sheaths as it were, preventing its full manifestation, are called Pancha Koshas. They are: Annamaya Kosha (the sheath of the physical body), Pranamaya Kosha (the sheath of the senses and the vital airs), Manomaya Kosha (the sheath of the mind), Vijnanamaya Kosha (the sheath of intellect) and Anandamaya Kosha (the sheath of bliss). For realizing oneself as the Atman, one has to practice Pancha Kosha Viveka, discrimination that one is not any of these five Koshas.

The Atman, having entered the Annamaya Kosha, which is the physical body, appears variously as fat and lean, as a child, as dark, or as associated with Varna and Ashrama. Then, having entered the Pranamaya Kosha, the Atman feels: `I am living', `I am hungry', `I am thirsty'. Having entered into the Manomaya Kosha, he feels: `I am doubting', `I am definite' and so on. The Atman says in the Vijnanamaya Kosha, thinking: `I know'. Having entered into the Anandamaya Kosha, which is nothing but Ahamkara (the ego-sense), he enjoys the results of merits and meditations practiced in the present and previous lives, thinking, `I am happy'. Thus, the supreme Lord, though omnipresent, being covered by the five sheaths, which are like armors, appears to be limited.

Just as the sun enters into water and shines as many, so also Ishwara enters the various bodies and appears as many. We shall now see that being cause or effect is only an accidental characteristic for the Jiva and the Brahman. It is not considered as real. In order to point out the moon- say, on the first or second day after new moon, when it is scarcely visible-one may guide our sight gradually by pointing out a tree, and then its branch and then the moon seen in the direction of that particular branch. Though the branch has nothing to do with the moon, it serves the purpose of pointing to its whereabouts. This is called Shaakhaachandranyaaya, the maxim of the tree-branch and the moon. Such a devise, which helps to draw our attention to the truth, is called Tatastha lakshana or accidental characteristic. Here, the tree-branch is a Tatastha lakshana of the moon. As opposed to this, there is the swaroopa lakshana, the natural characteristic, like the brightness of the moon. We say that Ishwara (tat) is the `cause' of the world. The Jiva (tvam) is the `effect' since he resides in the body-mind complex, which is an effect of creation. However these are not real and are only Tatastha Lakshanas. The natural characteristic of the moon is said to be great effulgence. Similarly, the natural characteristic of these two (Tat and Tvam) is existence-consciousness-bliss or sat-chit-ananda. Gods, animals and human beings do not have an existence separate from light. Since Jiva is non-different from light, he is said to be the universal Self. Thus, when the knowledge that the Self is of the form of light or pure consciousness is well established, the Jiva will attain the state of Kaivalya, from which there is no return. If one is established – even by chance (say due to the extraordinary merit of the previous lives, suddenly manifesting in this life) – in universal Selfhood, then, being freed from all sins, he will be venerated in the world of Shiva. That great one in whom the universal Selfhood has become perfectly mature, he is verily the Supreme Lord, capable of taking others beyond Samsara.

Some dualists raise this objection, ` Objects like pot, cloth, and so on, exist by themselves and reveal themselves, not because they are pervaded by Ishwara'. The objection is plain and simple. We do not see Ishwara anywhere in these objects. Hence, let us concede that they exist by themselves and reveal themselves to us because they really exist. This objection can be answered as follows. The cognition of an object which gives us an awareness not only of it existence but also the details about it, producing the knowledge such as, `I know this small red pot full of water', has been analyzed by Vedanta and is described as follows: the Antahkarana (internal organ or mind) is the subtlest Upadi nearest to Atman. The consciousness of Atman is reflected most in it. The Antahkarana is capable of flowing out through the senses like the eyes and establishing contact with the objects outside, bringing back their image. When this image which is also a reflection of the consciousness in that object, becomes one with the reflection of the Atman-consciousness in the Antahkarana, knowledge arises. A powerful light kept in a pot full of many holes, comes out through these holes and illumines the various objects upon which it falls. Similarly, the consciousness of the Atman (which is the same as Paramatman) comes out through the sense organs like the eyes and produces the knowledge `I know this object'. If outside objects were capable of independent existence and power of revelation, then all people should be getting knowledge of all objects always! Then, sense organs like eyes would have been superfluous. In other words, without the `I –consciousness', the `this-consciousness' would have been meaningless. Then, the world is as good as not existing. If we consider the present time also, there is no independent reality for objects, which did not exist before creation or will not exist after destruction. Therefore, their existence or reality is established in Ishwara, who is without `pastness' and `futureness'. If the insentient objects of this world could reveal themselves without the help of Ishwara, then all would have been revealed to all or nothing at all would have been revealed. Thereafter, all people of the world would have been similar, being either omniscient or ignorant! Again, if the capacity for self-revelation were equal to both the sentient beings and the insentient objects, then, the power to know and the power to be known should both be equally existent in them. In that case, there being nothing to regulate the functions of the senses, taste and smell should be grasped by the eyes!

It is Ishwara who shines in the two reflections – Jnana Shakti and Kriya Shakti – the two portions of the Antahkarana, which are like the clean front part and the dirty hind part of a mirror. Due to the excess of Satva Guna, the intellect (like a clean mirror) is able to comprehend the reflections of objects, since it is impelled by the power of the Atman reflected in it. Thus, we should understand clearly that Jnana Shakti is nothing but the intellect with the reflection of the Atman-consciousness in it. Though the intellect is a product of all the three Gunas, the suppression of rajas and Tamas by Satva is necessary for Jnana to rise. The Gita says, `Knowledge arises by Satva, avarice by rajas, delusion and heedlessness come into existence, as also ignorance, by Tamas – Gita 14.17'.

All the sense organs, by their connection with the Antahkarana, are like the spokes fixed to the rim of a wheel. The sense organs are able to grasp the sense-objects only because of the Antahkarana behind them. The Nadis are woven into the Antahkarana like the threads woven in fishing net. All the sense-organs proceed towards their respective objects like sparks of fire, through these nadis which have spread up to the sense-receptacles. A nadi is an energy channel within the body that carries prana.

The middle part of the body, two angulas (finger widths) above the anus and two angulas below the sex-organ, is called Moolaadhaara. Resembling the vulva of a virgin, it is triangular in shape with the apex down, wherein is established Parashakti, called Kundalini. She is responsible for Prana (the vital air functioning in five different ways), Agni (the heat in the abdomen, responsible for digestion of food), bindu (unmanifested state of sound) and nada (subtle sound). A nadi called Sushumna has one end of it situated at the apex of Moolaadhaara, the other end reaching right up to the Brahmarandhra. At the root, it resembles a half-cut bamboo and comprises six supports. These six supports are variously described as the six lotuses or the six Aadharas.

Two more nadis called the Ida and Pingala exist, which arise from the two side corners of Moolaadhaara. Sushumna goes straight, and intertwining it are Ida and Pingala. The three appear as a single unit. These three are together called nadi Chakra. From this, various other nadis proceed. Gaandhari and Hastijihvaa start from Swadhishthana Chakra and end at the nose. But during Kundalini Pranayama, when Ida and Pingala are filled with air, Gaandhari and Hastijihvaa come into contact with the Nabhi Chakra and are raised upto the eyes.

The region of the navel, resembling a hen's egg, is the center place of nadi Chakra, from which more nadis have sprung. The two nadis, Pusha and Alambusa spread up to the two ears. There is a nadi called Shuklaa, which goes up to the middle of the eyebrows. The named Saraswati, which ends in the tongue, propagates speech. The Nadi Vishwodari digests four types of food. The four types of food are: Bhojya (what does not need chewing, like pudding), Lehya (what is to be licked only, like honey), Bhakshya (what is fit for chewing, like hard sweetmeat) and cosya (what is to be sucked, like fruit juices). Payasvini, situated in the throat, drinks water and causes sneezing.

There are three nadis arsing out of the nadi Chakra that face downwards. Of them, Raakaa squirts the semen; Siniivaali and Kuhoo are responsible for excreting urine and faeces. The nadi called Shankhini takes the essence of food that is eaten, to the cavity in the head and accumulates nectar there. In total, there are hundred and one nadis. Out of them, only the Sushumna goes to the Brahmarandhra. The Vedanta teaches that by going up through it, one should become liberated. According to the Upanishads, there are two paths by which the soul of a dead person can depart: Dhoomaadimaarga or the path of smoke which brings it back again to this world of transmigration; Archiraadimaarga or the path of light leading to Brahma Loka or Satyaloka from which there is no return. Sushumna, connected to the Brahmarandhra, leads to the Archiraadimaarga. This is clearly proved by the quotation from the Kathopanishad ^6.16): ` There are a hundred and one nadis of which one has proceeded towards the crown of the head. By going up through it, one attains immortality. The others spread out in other directions and they serve the purpose of exit only, but bringing back the soul'. When a person enjoys objects like sound etc., through sense- organs like ear etc., which are impelled by the merits residing in the intellect, then that state becomes the Jagrat or waking state. It is the Buddhi (intellect), with the Atman-consciousness reflected in it, that thinks it is the Kartaa or the doer. Hence, the results of those actions, Punya and Paapa, reside in the Buddhi. The chief characteristic of Jagrat or waking state is experiencing sense- objects through sense-organs.

When the person – with these sense organs being withdrawn – enjoys the objects created by the mind due to the impressions of the waking state, then, that becomes the Swapna or dream state. The chief characteristic of this state is that the enjoyment or experience of sense-objects is purely internal. Mind itself creates those objects, being impelled by the impressions left on it by the experiences of the waking state. When even the mind is withdrawn, that state is said to be SuShupti or deep-sleep state. In this state, there is no experience based on sense-objects, either external or internal. All that arises in the waking and dream states is unreal, and inert like a blind person. And, it is Ishwara that shines in all beings in the form of `I'.

Ahamkara (the feeling of `I') is of three types: Nirvikalpa (without any modification), Suddha (pure) and Malina (dirty). The Nirvikalpa Ahamkara, which is cleansed of all ideas, is the highest Brahman itself and can be compared to the sky, which is free from dust, darkness, smoke and clouds. At the time of discrimination, due to the elimination of body etc., the pure Ahamkara is seen a little as Brahman even as the sky limited by the stars. Ahamkara is the reflection of the Atman in the Buddhi. When this is absolutely pure, it is identical with the Brahman. Like the sky enveloped in darkness and offering no space, the dirty Ahamkara appears impure due to the contact with the body, the senses etc. the total identification with the body, the sense organs, the mind etc., leaves practically no scope to discern the Atman in the Ahamkara. When the Jiva wakes up to the sense of his being Ishwara, he will become omniscient and the doer of all. Ishwara, who had been excessively deluded by Maya, shines by knowledge. By meditation on the Ahamkara, which is without modifications, the Atman knowledge shines. Discriminative knowledge frees the Ahamkara from Maya. Meditation on its true nature fully manifests the Atman. When the covering called Avidya is got rid off, this supreme Lord in the form of Dakshinamurthy shines by himself. Till now, the various arguments against the identity of Atman and Brahman were countered. Now let us tackle various other views, which often confuse and confound people. Let us begin with the Charvakas. They claim, `Direct perception is the only means of knowledge. The four elements (earth, water, fire and air) are the ultimate truth. There is no liberation apart from death since no soul is admitted to exist. Lust and lucre are the only two values of life to be pursued by human beings. Dharma is just go-by. Moksha is not an independent value to be striven for, since it is nothing but death that is available without much effort. Ishwara, the creator, does not exist. If the Atman existed apart from the body, let then it be seen in front of us like the pot! It is the body that is seen as short, tall, youth, child etc. and hence is the only reality'. This is the view of the Charvakas.

Some ignorant people based on the knowledge of experience as, `I breathe', `I live', `I am hungry' etc., think that the prana is the Atman. Some others, based on the experience, `I hear', `I know', say that the intellect is the Atman. Let us examine their views.

How can objects like the body etc., which are inert like stone and hence the non-self, get the knowledge of `I' without the connection with Ishwara? Firstly, this body is not the Atman for the following reasons: Like the pot, it is seen. It is Drishya (the seen) and not the Drk (the seer). It is inert, because it has no life or consciousness of its own. It has a form and anything that has a form is limited. Also, by losing the form, it can be destroyed. It has parts, and hence is liable to disintegration. It is a compound of the five elements. Any compound can be destroyed when broken into the constituent elements. The body continues to be seen even in states of swoon, deep sleep and death. But the Atman is not comprehended then since it is different from the body. If the body itself were the Atman, then, even when in swoon or deep sleep or death, the `I' consciousness should have continued to exist. Since this is not seen, it should be concluded that the Atman is different from the body.

Even as the sun is the first cause of all activities of the earth, the Atman is the chief cause for the activity of the body. Every person considers the body as `my body'. None at any time feels, `I am the body'. Lute and other musical instruments do not produce sound. They just manifest the sound that is already there in an unmanifested form. Similarly, the ear is also just a means of apprehending sound. The eye, like the moon, is also just a means of apprehending form and color. People who are deficient in sense-organs say, `I have no sense organ', `I am dumb', `I am deaf'. Do they then have no Atman?

Neither is the prana the Atman since there is no awareness in the deep sleep state. A person goes to the state of deep sleep in order to get rid of the fatigue of the experiences in the waking and dream states. But the prana is still active, protecting the body. So, it means that in the deep sleep state, the sense organs have retired but the prana is still active. If prana were to be the Atman, then it naturally becomes the Lord of all the sense organs. Then, how can there be retirement of the sense organs when the prana is still active? When the king is still fighting in the war, the soldiers will certainly retire! Therefore the prana cannot be the Lord of the sense organs.

The intellect or Buddhi is not Atman either. It is born out of Atman and dissolved into Atman. Hence, this intellect, which did not exist before birth and after dissolution, cannot be proved to exist by itself. The Buddhists claim the sanctity of the doctrine of Kshanika Vijnana Vaada, according to which the momentary consciousness itself is the Atman. They argue that each wave of knowledge of Buddhi or Vijnana gives rise to the next, thus maintaining a stream of consciousness and this stream itself is the Atman. Now, when the second Buddhi (thought) is born, is it still connected with the first, which is in the process of dying and hence still present? Or is it already dead and gone? If the first alternative is accepted, then it leads to the possibility of innumerable thoughts being simultaneously present creating enough confusion. If the second is accepted, one has to concede that something is produced out of nothing. Both these conclusions are logically indefensible and unconvincing.

Till now, it has been proved that the body, the sense organs, the prana, the mind and the intellect – none of these, singly is the Atman. Let us now refute the possibility of the whole group being the Atman. The moment a part is separated from the whole, the whole ceases to be whole. Hence the moment a person loses a limb or a sense organ, he should continue to live as a conscious being. Then what about those born with physical or mental deficiencies?

The size of the Atman is a point that is often discussed by the various Darshanas. The schools of Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, yoga and Advaita Vedanta consider the Atman as Vibhu or all-pervading. The Jaina school thinks he is of the same size as the body. Some schools of Vedanta like Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita consider him as Anu or atomic. If the Atman had the same size as the body it occupies, then growth and old age cannot come to a child. If he undergoes changes like the body, he will also get destroyed like it. This disproves the Jaina theory. Vedanta considers the mind as atomic and not the Atman. Like the small mirror reflecting the vast expanse of the sky, the mind can reflect the all-pervading Atman. The mystery of an entire world being created by this atomic mind in the dream state is solved by this reflection theory. It is the delusory feeling of `I' with regard to the body that causes the Samsara. This feeling of identification of the self with the body is due to Avidya or nescience. This then gives rise to Kaama or desire, to fulfill which, karma or action is done. To experience its results, more births become necessary. This is how Samsara or transmigration comes about. The Veda, for the sake of facilitating liberation, has taught that Ishwara has entered inside the beings. By this, Veda is trying to make us understand that we are different from the body and the senses and to make us strive to realize the true nature of the self. This great delusion, called Maya, can confound even those good at disputation. Doubts and disputes will continue as long as Brahman is not realized, since Maya will then be acting in full swing. It gets dissolved immediately after realizing the Brahman, which is eternal auspiciousness.

Consider some doubts! If it is averred that this world is established in Ishwara in the waking state also, just as it was established in him in the dream state, then: In the deep sleep state, what appears to whom? In that state, who is the being that is constant? This is the objection raised by the Sunyavadins, nihilists among Buddhists. This is funny, but listen to their views: `Everything is momentary and void. Each and everything is born in one moment, stays for one moment and is destroyed in the next moment. Everything is self-comprehending i.e. there is no division of the knower and the known. The bodies of the beings are assemblages of the five Skandhas. These Skandhas are: Roopa skandha, Vijnana skandha, Sanjnaa Skandha, Samskara Skandha and Vedanaa Skandha. The objects and sense organs are called Roopa skandha since they are `formed' (Roopa=form) in the mind. Knowledge of the sense-objects and sense organs is christened as Vijnana skandha. Name, quality, action, species and knowledge of specialty – this is the fivefold aspect of the Samjnaa Skandha. For the cows, the `name' is stated to be `cow'. The `species' is `cowness', which is inherent in all cows. `Quality' is whiteness etc. `Actions' are referred to when we say, `It goes' etc. `Knowledge of the specialty is of this form: `This animal has horns, four legs and a tail'. Thus, the Samjnaa Skandha is stated to be limited to these five. Attachment, as also merit and demerit are called Samskara Skandha. Happiness and misery, as also liberation is named as Vedanaa skandha. Verily, apart from these five Skandhas, no other Atman exists at all. Nor is there any creator called Ishwara at all. The world contains in itself all the excellence. In other words, the various processes in this world, like creation or regulation,

[Sunder]

(continued from previous post)


Now, remembrance is actually `re-cognition', cognition of something that has already been cognized. If none existed during the deep sleep state and it was all void according to the Buddhists, then who is it that recognizes himself as, `It is I who slept' after waking up? Devadutta's previous experiences can be remembered or re- cognized by Devadutta only and not by Brahmadutta who did not undergo those experiences. So, this proves the existence of a permanent Atman who endures through all the states of consciousness. If void is the cause of this world, then the world itself cannot be proved to exist. If there is none to assemble the Skandhas and the Paramanus, there will be no assemblage since there is no cause to achieve it. In the absence of a potter, the mere existence of clay, wheel and stick will not automatically produce the pot. Similarly, if Ishwara, the sentient creator is not accepted, then there can be no creation. What for does the Buddhist, who denies the existence of the Atman keep religious vows? Since according to him, the `conscious entity' is constantly changing, the `entities' that perform the religious acts like fasting are different, so also the `entities' that will reap the fruits of these acts! If one earns something and another enjoys it, why should the person take all that trouble?

A person engages himself in some action or desists from it, depending on the previous experience and memories of pleasure or pain. Actions giving pleasure or pain are repeated, others are given up. This is possible only if the continuity of the personality is accepted, which is what Pratyabhijnaa or re-cognition indicates. If this Pratyabhijnaa is an illusion, then no continuity of activities is possible in this world.

Giving room is an essential act of Akasha (space or ether), which proves its existence. In the same way, being a doer, knower etc., are the essential acts that prove the existence of the Atman. Because the Atman is a conscious independent entity, therefore, he can think and act. Conversely, because a person can think and act independently, therefore he is a conscious entity, the Atman. Acts of thinking and doing proceed from the awareness of oneself first as a conscious entity. Because the Atman is of the nature of truth, knowledge and bliss, even at the time of deep sleep, he is recognized through the statement, `I slept happily'! Being a knower and doer, based on which the existence of the Atman was proved, is an obvious fact in the waking state and to a lesser extent, in the dream state also. But what about the dreamless sleepless state? Since there is remembrance of the deep sleep experience (Pratyabhijnaa) after waking up, the existence of consciousness is proved; hence the existence of the Atman also. Awareness of himself (Jnana) and feeling of joy (Sukha) even without the existence of and contact with a second object, prove that he is Satya – Jnana – Sukhatmaka.

Karma is the object of action. Kartru is the agent of the action. When the effect of the action of an object is upon the agent itself, the usage is called Karma Kartari Prayoga. For eg., `Rice is cooked'. Here, in the process of re-cognition, after deep sleep, the person who recognizes and the person recognized are both the same. How is this possible? Because, the Atman is self-revealing. When we say, `I see', `I go' and so on, it is obvious that the rel `I', the Atman, which is separate from the body, the senses, the mind etc., and acting as their Lord, that is doing all this. This fact can be discovered by Viveka or Vichaara (discrimination) as taught in the Srutis by the enlightened sages.

It is because of the great deluding power of the Lord, Maya, that the materialists, Buddhists and others, who, though interested in knowing the truth, could not know it! When this Maya is dispelled by the grace of their Lord, the Atman who is ever present automatically shines. It is the Atman who is beyond the three states of consciousness, namely waking, dream state and the state of deep sleep. It is he who is free from all defects like attachment, aversion or delusion. He is the one who can be compared to the seed of the banyan tree. This seed is extremely small, but produces a mighty banyan tree. Similarly, the Atman is extremely fine and subtle, but is capable of manifesting this apparently limitless universe. The Atman is without parts or modifications. Anything that has parts or gets modified is liable to destruction. Since the Atman is eternal, he is partless and without modifications. He is the unmanifest. He cannot be comprehended by the mind like the other objects. He is full and all-alone. The Atman inside is the Supreme Lord of the outside world also.

Words have been coined to describe experiences got through the senses and the mind. Since the nature of the Atman is beyond the ken of sense-experiences, it cannot be grasped by the ordinary, impure mind nor described through words.

We already proved that the Atman is both the material cause and the efficient cause of the world. Hence, from the standpoint of this world of names and forms, which constantly undergoes changes, the Atman is Savikalpa (with changes). But, when the Upadhis (limiting adjuncts) like the body etc., are ruled out or negated, he shines in his own glory as Nirvikalpa (changeless). If a person considers Brahman as non-existing, then he himself will become verily non-existent. If he knows Brahman as existing, then people know him as existing. Whatever be the state, the sense of `I' inside does not change. `I who was a child, am now an old man', `I who had slept, am waking up now'- this is how the `I consciousness' persists through all the states.

The knowledge, `that is that', with regard to any object perceived previously, and being perceived now, is said to be Pratyabhijnaa or recognition. Just as, after eliminating the different place, time, shape etc., which are incidental, the same object which is inherent is described as, `This is that', in the same way, after eliminating `little knowledge' etc., brought about by the contact of Maya, the knowledge that the Atman is omniscient etc., is Pratyabhijnaa or recognition of the Atman. The young one of an animal proceeds to drink the milk of its mother by itself, because of the remembrance of the experience of the previous lives. Because it is not possible for a newborn baby to drink the milk of its mother's breast without the remembrance of a previous experience, therefore, it is concluded that the Atman is eternal even in different bodies. Hence the wise should Pratyabhijnaa as a means of knowledge. It is to be included under the category of Pratyaksha (direct perception) itself.

The Atman, who exists at the previous time of experience and subsequent time of remembrance, recollects the object, which is in himself as an impression. Let us hear more objections from the dualists. `If mere remembrance of objects is described as Pratyabhijnaa, then how can remembrance attain the status of a valid source of knowledge with regard to the permanence of the Atman? Pratyabhijnaa is a form of memory. At the time of remembering an object, the object is not directly present. Nor is its experience present since it has disappeared after the withdrawal of the sense organ from that object. Inference about the existence of the object based on certain signs is also not there during memory. There is no simultaneous existence of the object and its experience also in the memory. Any other relationship between the two – for instance, that between a quality and the qualified - is also not seen. Hence memory cannot be accepted as a valid source of knowledge. Then, even remembering the object meant by a name, will become a source of valid knowledge! Pratyabhijnaa being memory in another form, cannot be granted the status of a Pramaana or a valid source of knowledge'.

This is what they argue. We shall confront and refute this argument. Memory arises from the basic material called Samskara (inherent tendency) which is routed in the Atman and which springs up from the base of the previous experience that has already passed off. Memory reminds us that, even after the direct experience of the object passes off, the Atman who experienced that object is eternal. For example, a king who has renounced the world in old age may think thus: `I who enjoyed the kingdom of wealth, elephants, horses etc. earlier, am now enjoying this peaceful atmosphere of the Himalayas on the banks of the river Mandakini!'

Not all memories are accepted as valid sources of knowledge. It is only aspect, the Pratyabhijnaa, that is accepted so. If this is not accepted, the continuity of the Atman through the various experiences, cannot be accounted for. When the object disappears and when the experience also goes out of existence, the Atman who never disappears, remembers the object, which is resting in Himself as Samskara or impression. Irrespective of the object and the experience coming and going, the being who experiences is always present.

The ignorance of the Atman of the inquirers has been brought about by the darkness of Maya. Like shade and light of the sun, Maya and knowledge are two powers of the Lord. Maya covers all. Vidya uncovers the truth that the real or essential nature of the Jiva is indeed the Atman or Ishwara. Verily, it is Pratyabhijnaa that proves the validity of all means of knowledge. What we have to follow is that Pratyabhijnaa is not just `re-cognition', an aspect of memory. It is really the reflection of the witness-consciousness (Sakshi- Chaitanya) in the mind. Maya produces the dichotomy as `Ishwara is different and I am different'. The memory that arises in the form, `I am Ishwara', after dispelling Maya by Vidya or knowledge, is Pratyabhijnaa. Ishwara, who was covered by the veil of Maya and hence who shone very little, now shines brightly like the sun, when the veil is removed completely. So, what Vidya does is just to remove the veil and nothing more. It does not produce the Atman-consciousness. The way ignorance hides the reality of an object and the way it is removed, revealing it, are both Anivarchaneeya, beyond words and mysterious!

Just as due to illusion, one moon is seen in water as many, a fierce serpent in a harmless rope, a magical city in the all- pervading sky, water of mirage in bright sunlight, similarly the world which is without reality as it were, is superimposed on the Atman out of delusion. When the ignorance is destroyed, the truth, which is, as always, self-luminous, of the form of existence itself and bereft of both illusion and its negation, is recognized. When the limiting adjunct, such as the body etc., is shaken off, the Atman verily, becomes Ishwara. It is to prove conclusively that Pratyabhijnaa is a valid means of knowledge that the Vedas have described other means of knowledge such as Smriti, Pratyaksha etc.

A NOTE ON THE THEORIES OF ERROR

It may be useful here to discuss briefly the various theories of error. Knowledge is of two kinds: Pramaa (valid knowledge) and Bhramaa (illusion or false knowledge). Pramaa is produced by the various Pramaanaas (valid sources of knowledge) and leads to meaningful actions. Bhramaa, on the other hand, arises due to any one of the several factors like ambiguous nature of the stimulus, defect in the sense organ, physiological disturbances as well as mental disturbances. A through analysis of Bhramaa was considered necessary by the various schools of philosophy so as to prevent it or dispel it, leading to the discovery of truth. For Advaita Vedanta, this was absolutely essential since its entire metaphysical structure is built on the theory of Maya.

The ofquoted and most widely discussed illustration of Bhramaa is that of seeing silver in nacre, technically called Sukhti- rajata-Nyaya. The various views of explanation known as Khyaatis may be set forth below arranged in the alphabetical order.

1. Akhyaati (non-apprehension): According to this theory put forward by the Prabhakara group of Mimamsakas, the erroneous perception of nacre as silver comprises two separate factors, perception of the object and remembrance of silver perceived elsewhere. The error consists in non-apprehension of this separateness, and so mixing up the two.
2. Anivarchaneeya Khyaati (apprehension of the indescribable): This is the most accepted view of Advaita. Since the silver is perceived in the nacre, it is not unreal. Since it is later sublated by the correct perception of the nacre, it is not real rather. Hence it is Anivarchaneeya or indescribable. The knowledge that arises out of this perception is Anivarchaneeya Khyaati.
3. Anyathaa Khyaati (apprehension of other than what it is): According to this view propounded by the logical schools of Nyaya and Vaisesika, the error consists in mistaking one thing for other (Anyathaa). The nacre is mistaken for silver, which it is not. This view is also called Vipareeta Khyaati sometimes.
4. Asat Kyaati (apprehension of the non-existent): One school of the Buddhists (nihilists to be specific) holds that there is only Asat (non-being) and that all perception of internal and external objects is erroneous. The non-existent silver is apprehended as if it exists. This is called Asat Kyaati.
5. Atma Khyaati (apprehension of one's own mental state projected outside): This is the view of another school of Buddhists (subjective idealists) according to which, there is no external objective reality at all. It is the subjective idea of silver that is projected outside and seen as if existing outside.
6. Sat Khyaati (apprehension of the real): This view held by the Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, considers all perception as revealing something real. Since both nacre and silver are ultimately products of the five fundamental elements of earth etc., it is this group of real elements that is appearing as silver.

This was a brief note describing the various views on the theory of error (Bhramaa).

If, apart from the light of consciousness, nothing at all exists, then, how does one proceed with the day-to-day life right up to the teaching concerning the highest truth? Let us examine this! Uncompromising Advaita goes so far as to deny even teacher- disciple relationship as a product of Maya. But it also asserts the importance of this stage, without passing through which, such a realization cannot come. The commentary Tatvasudha quotes the following verse of Sankshepasariraka (2.162.163): `Therefore, you have to understand that it is Brahman, having attained the state of the Jiva by Avidya, being established in your own form that has produced this world of sky right up to the earth, by the vibration of your own mind. Again, when knowledge arises in that Brahman by such means as teacher, Veda etc., which are creations of its own Avidya, then to him who has destroyed his delusion by the rise of this knowledge, comes about the establishment in his own resplendent form'. As long as Avidya or Maya has not been dispelled by Vidya (knowledge of the one atman), multiplicity does appear to exist giving scope to all activities of daily life.

It is the supreme Ishwara, who, by his own sweet will, sports in the form of the deity and the worshipper, teacher and the disciple, master and servant etc. He, who is the son to his father, is verily the father to his own son. The same person, because of the difference of words, is imagined to be different. Therefore, while determining the nature of the highest truth, it should be remembered that effulgence alone exists and that appearance of distinctions is an illusion, imagined in the Atman due to Maya. Illusion means `liable to be dispelled'. When perfect knowledge arises, even the teacher, the disciple, the teaching etc., appear like a dream. Like the icon of a deity, a picture or a reflected image, the Vedanta also, though itself unreal, teaches about a real object. The icon is not the deity. But, the deity accepts the worship of its icon and grants the boons asked for by the worshipper. A picture of a tiger is not the tiger itself. But it can give not only an idea of it, but may even produce fear in the minds of children. The mirror image helps to know if our face is clean and we clean it if needed. Similarly, Vedanta also helps us to know and attain our Atman.

All this activity is a display of Maya. The waking up to the reality of the Atman dispels this Maya, which is like deep sleep. Maya is stated to be the name of that appearance, which is incomprehensible to logical thinking. Being seen, it is not unreal; being sublated, it is not real either. Like the dark shadow of the sun, this Maya is not different from the Effulgence. Because it is insentient, it is not identical with it. Nor does it comprise of both because of mutual contradiction. The shadow, which is dark, is completely different from the sun who is all-light. Similarly is Maya different from the Atman, the effulgence? No. Then is it identical? No, because Maya is insentient whereas Atman is consciousness itself. Then, is it both identical and different? No, because two opposite qualities cannot exist in the same object. It will be interesting to quote here, the Vivekachudamani, a very popular work by Sri Acharya, which gives a highly poetical description of Maya: `Avidya (nescience) or Maya, called also the "undifferentiated", is the power of the Lord. She is without beginning, is made up of the three Gunas and is superior to the effects. She is to be inferred by one of clear intellect only from the effects she produces. It is she who brings forth this whole universe (108)'.

`She is neither existent nor non-existent nor partaking of both characters; neither same nor different nor both. Neither composed of parts nor an indivisible whole nor both. She is most wonderful and cannot be described in words (109)'.

Since this Maya has no parts that have caused it to come into existence (Maya is accepted to be begginningless by Vedanta), it cannot be said to have parts. Nor is it partless since it has parts in its effects. It is the cause that appears as effects. This Maya, who appears when discrimination disappears, verily deceives the Jivatman by her unreal dalliances. Some do not wish to cut down its roots. In their case, how can the liberation of the mind come about? It is the mind full of Vaasanas or impressions carried over from previous lives that causes bondage. Hence liberation comes by Manolaya, the dissolution of mind completely. All the three states of mind, viz., waking, dream and deep sleep, being the primary causes of the delusion of multiplicity, rotate like a wheel. As long as the mind exists in the present form, the rotation of its three states cannot be avoided. In these states, multiplicity is noticed, giving rise to responses and reactions, adding fresh Vaasanas to the arsenal mind. Thus, bondage is perpetuated. Though there is no perception of duality in the deep sleep state, Avidya continues to exist in the seed form.

The mind performs actions and is also bound, due to these states. The supreme Atman, who is other than this mind, is only a witness of the mind. Actually it is the Jiva, a reflection of the Atman in the mind that is meant here. Let me quote a verse from the Brahmabindu Upanishad: `For human beings, it is the mind that is said to be the cause of bondage when attached to sense objects, cause of liberation when freed from them'. Consider this verse from Kathopanishad: `Just as the sun, the eye of the world, is not tainted by the external defects of objects seen by the eye, even so, the one Atman, the inner self of all beings, is not tainted by the sorrows of the world, since he is outside them'. The very fact that we can analyze our three states of consciousness shows that we are the witnesses of our mind.

Just as the sun is not bound by the actions of the living beings, so also, the Atman, being the witness, is not bound by the actions of the mind. Living beings perform good, bad or indifferent actions in the light of the sun. But he is not responsible for that. Similarly, the mind acts impelled by the consciousness of the Atman. The Atman being only a witness, is never affected by these actions. That the Atman performs actions, is bound or is liberated, is only a figurative conception, a mere fantasy. When a red hibiscus flower is kept near a crystal, the latter appears to have become red. When the former is removed, the latter becomes clear again. To say that the crystal became red and then was freed from that color is only a figurative conception or a fantasy. Similarly in this case also. The sun appears to be covered by smoke, clouds, dust and fog, though he is untouched by them. Similarly, the Atman also appears to be covered by Maya, though he is untouched by it. A boy circling round a pillar in play, sees the world also as circling and the sky as consisting of a number of moons. Similarly, the Jiva being deluded by Maya due to the influence of past impressions, sees this world full of various forms and activities. The sun, due to reflection in water, appears to be many and also shaking. Similarly, the Atman, due to reflection in the mind, appears to undergo transmigration. He, who has emptied his mind of all sense objects through the practice of yoga, that person, retiring from the illusionary world, becomes a Jivanmukta immediately. The yoga that we speak here is actually Nidhidhyasana – contemplation on the Atman. Living in this world had been necessitated by desires and attachments. When these disappear, there is nothing to bind him to the world. Rising of the Atma Jnana and liberation are simultaneous. There is no time lag between them. It should be noted that liberation is not something that can be obtained only after death. If that was so, the state of Jivanmukta was impossible!

The Lord, out of Maya, became two birds united in friendship. Enjoying the one Maya, though himself one, became many as it were. Thus declare the Vedas. The ideas contained in two well-known Upanishads have been brought together here. They are: `Two birds, united in friendship, have taken refuge in the same tree. Between them, one bird is eating the tasty fruit while the other, without eating, is looking on (Mundaka – 3.1)'. `A he-goat is lying with a she-goat of three colors (red, white and black), who has given birth to several young ones similar to her, enjoying her. Another he-goat, after having enjoyed her, has given her up (Sveta – 4.5)'. In both these verses, the reference is to a bound soul and a free soul. `Fruit' is the fruit of karma. `Ajaa', which normally refers to a she-goat, also means the `unborn' i.e. Prakriti or Maya, which is begginningless. The `young ones' are the created objects. The three colors refer to the three Gunas.

It is now time to examine how this Maya can be dispelled. The answer is contemplation on Ishwara. Out of the thirty-six principles, which are like forms of the supreme Lord, eight forms are directly perceived by all. The agama Shastra enumerates the total principles of creation as thirty-six. Since it is Ishwara who has `evolved' into this creation, all these principles are his Moortis or forms. A well- known verse defines these forms of Shiva thus: `These are the eight forms of Shiva – water, fire, the sacrificing priest, sun, moon, sky, air and earth'. Since the mind cannot quickly apprehend the immeasurable principles, the Guru (here the guru is Sri Shankaracharya or Lord Mahadeva himself) is teaching meditation on the eight forms of the Lord who is the Self of all.

The meditator or Upasaka should imagine the identity between the five elements in his body and the cosmic elements. He should merge his Prana and Apana, the two vital airs in his body, with the sun and the moon. He should consider himself as identical with Parameshwara, the supreme Lord. This meditation of identity with the Lord will gradually lead to the experience of that identity. The area of operation of the individual mind is within this individual body only. Therefore, the meditator should contemplate on this world, which has Ishwara for its self, as his own body. To transcend the body-consciousness and rise to identity with Ishwara, the path lies through the body itself, by the meditation prescribed here.

The seven worlds starting from BhooH or earth are said to be situated in the cosmos. They reside in the seven Chakras starting from the Moolaadhaara and ending in the Brahmarandhra. One should meditate that the seven worlds exist in the seven Chakras. The backbone is said to be the great Meru, the various other bones the Kula mountains, the nadis Pingala and Ida respectively, the rivers Ganga and Yamuna. The Sushumna nadi is said to be the river Saraswati. Other nadis are the other holy rivers. The seven dhatus (skin, blood, muscles, fat, bones, marrow and semen) are the islands. Sweat, tears and other excretions are the seven seas. Kalagni, the fire that engulfs the world at the time of dissolution, resides in the Moolaadhaara. The Vaadavaagni or the fierce fire residing in the oceans is in the midst of the bones. The Vidyutagni or the fire of lightening is in the Sushumna and Paarthivaagni or the fire in the depths of the earth is in the navel. The fire of the sun is established in the heart and the full-moon in the skull. The eyes, as also the other senses, are said to be stars. Just as the worlds are sustained by the winds, so also, the body is sustained by the ten kinds of Pranas. The prana, in the form of the sun, having reached Ida and Pingala which have risen from Moolaadhaara, and going out through the two nostrils, disappears at a distance of twelve angulas. The same prana, in the form of moon, enters into the body from a distance of eight angulas, through the two nadis. Impelled by it, the apana excretes faeces, urine, wind and semen. The Udana, taking the combined form of fire and moon, reaching the passage of Sushumna rises up to the Brahmarandhra, growing all the while. The Udana actually becomes active during Utkraanti or the Jiva leaving the body at the time of death. The Vyaana, always spreads the essence of the food that is eaten in the body. The Samaana however, is always engaged in maintaining the heat of the body. The Naaga causes hiccups, Koorma causes the eyelids to open and close, Krikara produces sneezing and Devadutta, yawning. The Dhananjaya causes obesity and does not give up even a dead person! The Akasha is responsible for space both inside and outside the body.

The sun and the moon who regulate time, are the Prana and Apaana of the embodied beings. The supreme Lord is the Jiva or the witness. In contemplating the eightfold form of the supreme Lord by identifying the various parts of the body with their cosmic counterparts, the mind has played a very important part. But this gradually takes the contemplator to the state beyond the mind. The disciplines, which can be achieved through the mind, are said to be the Yamas. These are:

1. Peace of mind – absence of distractions and excitement.
2. Contentment - with regard to the things of the world, to be satisfied with whatever chance brings.
3. Silence – controlling the tendency to speak unnecessarily.
4. Control of sense organs – keeping all the ten sense organs, the five of knowledge and five of action, under one's mastery.
5. Compassion – not going against any living beings, but helping them.
6. Politeness – Dakshinya may also mean efficiency in action.
7. Faith in things ordained by the scriptures.
8. Straightforwardness.
9. Softness.
10. Forgiveness – towards even those who try to harm.
11. Purity of emotions.
12. Non-injury.
13. Celibacy.
14. Remembrance – remembering the intrinsic defects in birth, death, old age, disease, sorrow etc. This helps in acquiring detachment.
15. Courage - this refers to energizing the body, senses and the vital airs even in enervating situations.

Bath (physical cleanliness, as also keeping the dwelling place clean), worship (of the God and deities), speaking the truth, repetition of the mantras, oblation into the fire, obsequial offerings (to the departed manes), austerities (of body, mind and speech), giving gifts (to the right person at the right time and place), forbearance (putting up patiently with all pairs of opposites like heat and cold, praise and blame etc.), obeisance (accompanied by the inner feeling as na mama `not mine but thine'), circumambulation (to the deity, elders and the guru), keeping religious vows, keeping fasts (according to one's capacity) and such other disciplines pertaining to the body are called Niyamas.

The various Yogic Aasanas are physiological-mystical exercises aimed at building up one's health and stamina as also rousing latent psychic powers. They are expounded in works like Hathayogapradipika and Gherundasamhita. These postures are grouped according to the deities (Pancha Pretas and Sridevi). I have avoided more discussion of these here. Actually for Niralambana yoga (yoga that transcends the need for all kinds of support or symbols), not having any support itself is the Aasana. Controlling the vital energy is called Pranayama and it consists of Rechaka (exhalation), Pooraka (inhalation) and Kumbhaka (of breath). Preventing all the sense organs from flowing towards their respective objects has been defined as Pratyahara. Fixing the mind in some support (like the Chakras or on forms of the Lord) is said to be Dharana. Dhyana is similar to Dharana, but meditation is continuous in Dhyana. Absence of all movement in the Buddhi due to the perfection of Dhyana is Samadhi.

The first stage is the Savikalpa Samadhi, in which the division of the knower and the known persists. In the second Samadhi, the mind is dissolved in its cause and hence no vibrations of any type exist. There, Atman alone shines.

When the mind becomes steady, the prana also becomes steady. One should practice yoga along with Dhyana in order to steady the mind. The emphasis should be on making the mind steady through Dhyana and not indirectly through Pranayama. Bandhas, Kumbhaka (kevala to be precise) and Khechari Mudra are the means of attaining this. When the mind attains steadiness, and the prana enters the Sushumna, the following signs manifest themselves separately, due to the conquest of five elements. As a result of the conquest of the earth element, excretion of faeces, urine and phlegm becomes sparingly low. Health, lightness of body as also fine smell and golden color are other signs. Not being pierced by the points of thorns, not getting drowned in water, nor sinking in quagmire, forbearance of hunger, thirst etc., are the signs of the conquest of water element. Consuming large quantities of food and water, bearing the heat of sun and fire, clairvoyance, clairaudience, these are the signs of conquering the fire element. Hopping like a frog on the ground, flying in the sky etc., are some of the signs of conquest over air element. Knowledge of the past, present and the future, powers like Anima etc., are the signs of conquest of Akasha element.

When the prana enters the Sushumna nadi, we hear eight kinds of sounds: those of bell, kettle-drum, conch, sea waves, lute, flute and cymbals. The Sadhaka perceives the form of Ishwara, shining brightly like the fire and the lightening. As many times a man breathes in a day, so many yojanas does the sun move in the sky during each breathing of man. A man breathes 21,600 times per day of twenty-four hours. So, the sun moves a distance of 21,600 yojanas (each yojana being roughly equal to eight and a half miles) during the period taken by one breath i.e. 4 seconds. This works to nearly 46,000 miles per second. In order to live in the body, the Atman repeats the mantra, `So ham' – `I am he', 21,6000 times per day. This mantra, when the letters `sa' and `ha' are elided and the rules of the Poorvaroopa sandhi are applied, becomes Pranava.

The Pranava consists of the letters – a, u, ma, bindu and nada. The chanting of this syllable will lead to the indestructible (Akshara) result of knowledge of Atman. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishwara and Sadashiva are respectively the deities of these letters of Pranava.

Sri Mahatripurasundari chandramauleeshwarebhyo namaH !

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Sunder garu, HH, Ashok Kumar garu..

Pranamamyaham guru devam aharnisam...


<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Also, we talk of PRACHEENA Veethi, and Naveena veethi when it coems to circumambulation. The Old school method seems to be Apradhakshinam (coutner-clockwise), while naveena veethi is Pradhakshinam (clockwise). The same applies to wearing of the Yagnopaveetham - the pracheena veethi is done now only for pitru karyam.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

while performing Masikam and abdikam for my mother in 2003, I was also intrigued by the preist often asking me to do prachivithi while offering ablutions.

The easy way I could rationalize was that 'What is right to you is left to me'

That is when ever you are doing ablutions to vasu rupa or pretha, you offer as a mortal, and at all other times you are doing karma kanda as a devine person or embodiment of Vishnu, ( similar process in Rudram when you invoke all the ganas to reside in various organs of the body, Nasika yor vayu thishtathu, Prajaneme Bhram thishtahu etc), therefore when you are vishnu roopa you are svayam ( the thread) and when you are otherwise apa savyam...

I am not sure If explaine my self or not.... but an attempt

[Sunder]

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[Guest]

Darsanas, or Schools of philosophy: Generally there seems to be a tendency in the reductionist mind not to appreciate what is common among all darsanas. So, this goes, knowledgeable people can educate/discuss me/members. Would want this thread to be a productive one, hence the effort.


The original six are Poorva and Uttara Mimaamsa, wholly based on the Vedic texts, (Karma and Brahma Mimamsas, The investigation of Dharma and Brahma.) The other four are Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, and Vaiseshika. Maadhava in his sarva-darshana sangraha, however classifies the schools of his time as sixteen; Chaarvaaka, Bauddha, Arhatha, Ramanuja, Purnaprajna, Nakulisa-Paashupatha, Saiva, Pratyabhijna Rasesvara, Vaisheshika, Akshapaada, Jaiminiya, Paniniya Saankhya, Paatanjala and Sankara.

All , except the school of crude philosophical nihilism , expounded under Chaarvaka, and attributed to Brihaspathi, are agreed about the truth of the following propositions regarding the constituition of the Cosmos, the nature of man, and the goal of human evolution.

1. Man is a complex of consciousness, mind and body.

2. The Athma, is of the nature of consciousness and is immutable.

3. Mind (Anthah-karana ), though an inner organ, is material and is other than the Aathma.

4. Psychic life obeys fixed laws and hence all mental events are determinable.

5. The five sense-organs ( Jnanendriyas) and the five action organs, (Karmendriyas)are, like the mind, made of subtle matter.

6. The eleven organs inhere in a lingadeha, or subtle body, which is relatively permanent.

7. The lingadeha is periodically connected with a body of flesh and blood, which provides man with sense organsand action organs of gross matter.

8. Matter (Prakrithi) is mutable, but increates and obeys fixed laws.

9.The world history is made up of alternating periods of activity (kalpa) and rest (pralaya).

10. The subtle elements that make up all objects, are five, corresponding to the five senses.

11. All energy in the universe is personal, i.e. bound up with consciousness of varying degrees of intensity.

12. This energy is Praana, which is intermediate between spirit and matter.

13. The law of causation --karma--is supreme in the physical and mental worlds.

14. Samsaara, the course of Karma, is anadi, had no beginning.

15. Moksha is the goal of human life and results from the training of the mind, and hence reaching the state of Moksha is a definite mental event.

So, can we make an effort for "Synthesis" and see what we arrive at? Is it worth the effort?

[Guest]

Your website is beautiful, informative and Excellant.


Article by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner , to The Govt. of Kerala. Humble request that it may be published in your website and magazine after editing if necessary.









Bhagavad Gita and management


Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind than to control the wind ~ Arjuna to Sri Krishna

Introduction

The ancient Hindu philosophy of keepiing mind and body for the well being, has entered the managerial, medical and judicial domain of the world. Today it has found its place as an alternative to the theory of modern management and also as a means to bring back the right path of peace and prosperity for the human beings. One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God. The Bhagavad-Gita is the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides “all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level.” , reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone. Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.( Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as a counseling to do his duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting . It has got all the management tactics to achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita can be experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad gita means song of the Spirit, song of the Lord. The Holy Gita has become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of one's life. In the days of doubt this divine book will support all spiritual search.This divine book will contribute to self reflection, finer feeling and deepen one's inner process. Then life in the world can become a real education—dynamic, full and joyful—no matter what the circumstance. May the wisdom of loving consciousness ever guide us on our journey. What makes the Holy Gita a practical psychology of transformation is that it offers us the tools to connect with our deepest intangible essence and we must learn to participate in the battle of life with right knowledge.

The Holy Gita is the essence of the Vedas, Upanishads. It is a universal scripture applicable to people of all temperaments and for all times. It is a book with sublime thoughts and practical instructions on Yoga, Devotion, Vedanta and Action. It is profound in thought and sublime in heights of vision. It brings peace and solace to souls that are afflicted by the three fires of mortal existence, namely, afflictions caused by one’s own body (disease etc), those caused by beings around one (e.g. wild animals, snakes etc.), and those caused by the gods (natural disasters, earth-quakes, floods etc).



Mind can be one's friend or enemy. Mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. The word mind is derived from man to think and the word man derived from manu (sanskrit word for man).

"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."

There is no theory to be internalized and applied in this psychology. Ancient practices spontaneously induce what each person needs as the individual and the universal coincide. The work proceeds through intellectual knowledge of the playing field(jnana yoga), emotional devotion to the ideal(bhakti yoga) and right action that includes both feeling and knowledge(karma yoga). With ongoing purification we approach wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and every human individual to help him or her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and progressing towards a bright future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is the experience of everyone in this world, the drama of the ascent of man from a state of utter dejection, sorrow and total breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity, renewed strength and triumph.

Introduction
Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common purpose, management principles come into play through the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities, policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of human effort.

Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant, says the Management Guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony in working together - equilibrium in thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most important and essential factor for a successful management.

Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita
There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.

· Effectiveness is doing the right things.

· Efficiency is doing things right.

The general principles of effective management can be applied in every field, the differences being more in application than in principle. The Manager's functions can be summed up as:

· Forming a vision

· Planning the strategy to realise the vision.

· Cultivating the art of leadership.

· Establishing institutional excellence.

· Building an innovative organisation.

· Developing human resources.

· Building teams and teamwork.

· Delegation, motivation, and communication.

· Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for.

Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit - in search of excellence.

The critical question in all managers’ minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that “you must try to manage yourself.” The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.

Old truths in a new context
The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial techniques leading us towards a harmonious and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions, poor productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of Indian enterprises today – and probably in enterprises in many other countries.

The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work, achieving goals, giving work meaning, decision making and planning, are all discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. There is one major difference. While Western management thought too often deals with problems at material, external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues from the grass roots level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved, it will automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.

The management philosophy emanating from the West, is based on the lure of materialism and on a perennial thirst for profit, irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that goal. This phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the West and so 'management by materialism' has caught the fancy of all the countries the world over, India being no exception to this trend. My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas mainly because of its centuries old indoctrination by colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything Western is good and anything Indian is inferior.

The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building temples of modem management education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the general quality of life - although the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all sectors of the economy, criminalisation of institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen deep in the body politic.

The source of the problem
The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not far to seek. The Western idea of management centres on making the worker (and the manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies offer workers more to work more, produce more, sell more and to stick to the organisation without looking for alternatives. The sole aim of extracting better and more work from the worker is to improve the bottom-line of the enterprise. The worker has become a hireable commodity, which can be used, replaced and discarded at will.

Thus, workers have been reduced to the state of a mercantile product. In such a state, it should come as no surprise to us that workers start using strikes (gheraos) sit-ins, (dharnas) go-slows, work-to-rule etc. to get maximum benefit for themselves from the organisations. Society-at-large is damaged. Thus we reach a situation in which management and workers become separate and contradictory entities with conflicting interests. There is no common goal or understanding. This, predictably, leads to suspicion, friction, disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at cross purposes. The absence of human values and erosion of human touch in the organisational structure has resulted in a crisis of confidence.

Western management philosophy may have created prosperity – for some people some of the time at least - but it has failed in the aim of ensuring betterment of individual life and social welfare. It has remained by and large a soulless edifice and an oasis of plenty for a few in the midst of poor quality of life for many.

Hence, there is an urgent need to re-examine prevailing management disciplines - their objectives, scope and content. Management should be redefined to underline the development of the worker as a person, as a human being, and not as a mere wage-earner. With this changed perspective, management can become an instrument in the process of social, and indeed national, development.

Now let us re-examine some of the modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad Gita which is a primer of management-by-values.

Utilisation of available resources
The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilise scarce resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna's large army for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support. This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective manager - the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.

Work commitment
A popular verse of the Gita advises “detachment” from the fruits or results of actions performed in the course of one's duty. Being dedicated work has to mean “working for the sake of work, generating excellence for its own sake.” If we are always calculating the date of promotion or the rate of commission before putting in our efforts, then such work is not detached. It is not “generating excellence for its own sake” but working only for the extrinsic reward that may (or may not) result.

Working only with an eye to the anticipated benefits, means that the quality of performance of the current job or duty suffers - through mental agitation of anxiety for the future. In fact, the way the world works means that events do not always respond positively to our calculations and hence expected fruits may not always be forthcoming. So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage present commitment to an uncertain future.

Some people might argue that not seeking the business result of work and actions, makes one unaccountable. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita is full of advice on the theory of cause and effect, making the doer responsible for the consequences of his deeds. While advising detachment from the avarice of selfish gains in discharging one's accepted duty, the Gita does not absolve anybody of the consequences arising from discharge of his or her responsibilities.

Thus the best means of effective performance management is the work itself. Attaining this state of mind (called “nishkama karma”) is the right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind, from dissipation of attention through speculation on future gains or losses.

Motivation – self and self-transcendence
It has been presumed for many years that satisfying lower order needs of workers - adequate food, clothing and shelter, etc. are key factors in motivation. However, it is a common experience that the dissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is identical - only their scales and composition vary. It should be true that once the lower-order needs are more than satisfied, the Director should have little problem in optimising his contribution to the organisation and society. But more often than not, it does not happen like that. (“The eagle soars high but keeps its eyes firmly fixed on the dead animal below.”) On the contrary, a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a self-employed artisan, may well demonstrate higher levels of self-actualisation despite poorer satisfaction of their lower-order needs.

This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence propounded in the Gita. Self-transcendence involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasising team work, dignity, co-operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, the opposite of Maslow.

“Work must be done with detachment.” It is the ego that spoils work and the ego is the centrepiece of most theories of motivation. We need not merely a theory of motivation but a theory of inspiration.

The Great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941, known as "Gurudev") says working for love is freedom in action. A concept which is described as “disinterested work" in the Gita where Sri Krishna says,

“He who shares the wealth generated only after serving the people, through work done as a sacrifice for them, is freed from all sins. On the contrary those who earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins that lead to frustration and failure.”

Disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are psychological while the third is determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic (usually taken to mean "materialistic") pulls of daily experiences. Detached involvement in work is the key to mental equanimity or the state of “nirdwanda.” This attitude leads to a stage where the worker begins to feel the presence of the Supreme Intelligence guiding the embodied individual intelligence. Such de-personified intelligence is best suited for those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of organisational goals as compared to narrow personal success and achievement.

Work culture
An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks. Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture – “daivi sampat” or divine work culture and “asuri sampat” or demonic work culture.

· Daivi work culture - involves fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride.

· Asuri work culture - involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service.

Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work ethic. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.

It is in this light that the counsel, “yogah karmasu kausalam” should be understood. “Kausalam” means skill or technique of work which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah” is defined in the Gita itself as “samatvam yogah uchyate” meaning an unchanging equipoise of mind (detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an equable mind is Yoga.

(Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1856-1920, the precursor of Gandhiji, hailed by the people of India as "Lokmanya," probably the most learned among the country's political leaders. For a description of the meanings of the word "Yoga", see foot of this page.)

By making the equable mind the bed-rock of all actions, the Gita evolved the goal of unification of work ethic with ethics in work, for without ethical process no mind can attain an equipoise. The guru, Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD), says that the skill necessary in the performance of one's duty is that of maintaining an evenness of mind in face of success and failure. The calm mind in the face of failure will lead to deeper introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken to avoid shortcomings in future.

The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the work done is the Gita’s prescription for attaining equanimity. It has been held that this principle leads to lack of incentive for effort, striking at the very root of work ethic. To the contrary, concentration on the task for its own sake leads to the achievement of excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the worker. Thus, while commonplace theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita’s principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral, satisfaction.

Work results
The Gita further explains the theory of “detachment” from the extrinsic rewards of work in saying:

· If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be appropriated by the doer alone.

· If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to the doer.

The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive despondency, de-motivation and self-pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer against psychological vulnerability, the cause of the modem managers' companions of diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers.

Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of “lokasamgraha” (general welfare) but there is also another dimension to the work ethic - if the “karmayoga” (service) is blended with “bhaktiyoga” (devotion), then the work itself becomes worship, a “sevayoga" (service for its own sake.)

Along with bhakti yoga as a means of liberation, the Gita espouses the doctrine of nishkamya karma or pure action untainted by hankering after the fruits resulting from that action. Modern scientists have now understood the intuitive wisdom of that action in a new light.

Scientists at the US National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, found that laboratory monkeys that started out as procrastinators, became efficient workers after they received brain injections that suppressed a gene linked to their ability to anticipate a reward.The scientists reported that the work ethic of rhesus macaques wasn't all that different from that of many people: "If the reward is not immediate, you procrastinate", Dr Richmond told LA Times.

(This may sound a peculiarly religious idea but it has a wider application. It could be taken to mean doing something because it is worthwhile, to serve others, to make the world a better place – ed.)

Manager's mental health
Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity - more so management. Sound mental health is that state of mind which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and peace are the pre-requisites for a healthy stress-free mind.

Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:

· Greed - for power, position, prestige and money.

· Envy - regarding others' achievements, success, rewards.

· Egotism - about one's own accomplishments.

· Suspicion, anger and frustration.

· Anguish through comparisons.

The driving forces in today's businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger that these forces cause erosion of the moral fibre, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral means - tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings, being “economical with the truth”, deliberate oversight in the audit, too-clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be called as “yayati syndrome”.

In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This “yayati syndrome” shows the conflict between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience (intrinsic motivation.)

Management needs those who practise what they preach
“Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the commoners follow,” says Sri Krishna in the Gita. The visionary leader must be a missionary, extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable of translating dreams into reality. This dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an inspired and spontaneous motivation to help others. "I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to righteousness," says Sri Krishna in the 10th Chapter of the Gita.

In conclusion
The despondency of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer power of his inspiring words, changes Arjuna's mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous action, from the state of what the French philosophers call “anomie” or even alienation, to a state of self-confidence in the ultimate victory of “dharma” (ethical action.)

When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of the purpose of his new-found spirit of intense action - not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own greed and desire, but for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics over unethical actions and of truth over untruth.

Sri Krishna's advice with regard to temporary failures is, “No doer of good ever ends in misery.” Every action should produce results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but evil. Therefore, always act well and be rewarded.

My purport is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of efficiency, dynamism and striving for excellence but to tune these ideals to India's holistic attitude of “lokasangraha” - for the welfare of many, for the good of many. There is indeed a moral dimension to business life. What we do in business is no different, in this regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not justify the ends. Pursuit of results for their own sake, is ultimately self-defeating. (“Profit,” said Matsushita-san in another tradition, “is the reward of correct behaviour.” – ed.)

A note on the word "yoga".

Yoga has two different meanings - a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general meaning is the joining together or union of any two or more things. The technical meaning is “a state of stability and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state." The Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings.



M.P.Bhattathiri.


Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita.


"No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is better loved, in the West, than the Bhagavad-gita. Translation of such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry. For the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in all things. . . . The Swami does a real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic with fresh meaning. Whatever our outlook may be, we should all be grateful for the labor that has lead to this illuminating work."

Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy University of Southern California


"The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The present translation and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita."

Thomas Merton, Theologian


"I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gita. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. I promptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done book."

Dr. Samuel D. Atkins Professor of Sanskrit, Princeton University


"As a successor in direct line from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is entitled, according to Indian custom, to the majestic title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The great interest that his reading of the Bhagavad-gita holds for us is that it offers us an authorized interpretation according to the principles of the Caitanya tradition."

Olivier Lacombe Professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Sorbonne University, Paris


"I have had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and have found them to be of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes on Indian religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the Bhagavad-gita."

Dr. Frederick B. Underwood Professor of Religion, Columbia University


"If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people."

Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor of Sociology State University of New York, Buffalo


"There is little question that this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and devotion. Prabhupada's translation is an ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight."

Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall College


"The Bhagavad-gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural milieu. This is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of close interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a commentary written from not only a scholar's but a practitioner's, a dedicated lifelong devotee's point of view."

Denise Levertov, Poet


"The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done a service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known to many, he has increased our understanding manyfold."

Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr. Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization University of Chicago


"The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although Bhagavad-gita has been translated many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular importance with his commentary."

Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California


"Srila Prabhupada's edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East-West hodgepodge that has arisen since the time Europeans first penetrated India.
"Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or not, a reading of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first contact with the true India, the ancient India, the eternal India."

Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France

"It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us"

Emerson's reaction to the Gita


"As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized 'gurus' and 'yogis' and will give an opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture."

Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies Center for Oriental Studies, The University of Mexico

"The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive one, of the summaries and systematic spiritual statements
of the perennial philosophy ever to have been done" __________________________________________Aldous Huxley


"It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don't know whether to praise more this translation of the Bhagavad-gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the Gita with such an important voice and style. . . . It will occupy a significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man for a long time to come."

Dr. Shaligram Shukla Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University


"I can say that in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is I have found explanations and answers to questions I had always posed regarding the interpretations of this sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I greatly admire. If the aesceticism and ideal of the apostles which form the message of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is were more widespread and more respected, the world in which we live would be transformed into a better, more fraternal place."

Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of Paris


"When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."

Albert Einstein


"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."

Mahatma Gandhi

"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Henry David Thoreau

"The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions."

Dr. Albert Schweitzer

"The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization."

Sri Aurobindo

"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant.' This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita."

Carl Jung


"The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe."

Prime Minister Nehru


"The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."

Herman Hesse


"I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it."

Rudolph Steiner


"From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures."

Adi Shankara


"The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity."

Aldous Huxley


"The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity."

Ramanuja

The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati


"The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of flowers."

Madhvacarya

Yoga has two different meanings - a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general meaning is the joining together or union of any two or more things. The technical meaning is “a state of stability and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state." The Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings. Lord Krishna is real Yogi who can maintain a peaceful mind in the midst of any crisis."


Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.



Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but three paths to this end. And common to all the three is renunciation. Renounce the desires, even of going to heaven, for every desire related with body and mind creates bondage. Our focus of action is neither to save the humanity nor to engage in social reforms, not to seek personal gains, but to realize the indwelling Self itself.

Swami Vivekananda (England, London; 1895-96 )



"Science describes the structures and processess; philosophy attempts at their explaination.-----
When such a perfect combination of both science and philosophy is sung to perfection that Krishna was,
we have in this piece of work an appeal both to the head annd heart. " ____________Swamy Chinmayanand on Gita

I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be known!' For such a person knowledge and ignorance has only one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If not, you are ignorant.As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of Self, observing everywhere the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is contrary to this is ignorance."

Sri Ramakrishna .

Maharishi calls the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides “all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level.” Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone.

Maharshi Mahesh Yogi

The Gita was preached as a preparatory lesson for living worldly life with an eye to Release, Nirvana. My last prayer to everyone, therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this ancient science of worldly life as early as possible in one’s life.
--- Lokmanya Tilak

I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge, and yet so handy. It teaches self-control, austerity, non-violence, compassion, obedience to the call of duty for the sake of duty, and putting up a fight against unrighteousness (Adharma). To my knowledge, there is no book in the whole range of the world’s literature so high above as the Bhagavad-Gita, which is the treasure-house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus but foe all mankind.
--- M. M. Malaviya




ref. bbt.org, kamakoti.org, amritapuri.org, mahrshi.com, sai.org,chinmaya.org, vivekanada.org,neovedanta/gospel.com,spirituality.indiatimes.com

[Sunder]

<!--QuoteBegin-bhattathiri+Dec 9 2005, 03:57 AM-->QUOTE(bhattathiri @ Dec 9 2005, 03:57 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Article  by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief  Technical Examiner ,  to The Govt. of Kerala. Humble request that it may be published in your website and  magazine after editing if necessary.

Bhagavad Gita and management
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Battathiri ji. are you the author of the article posted here? If so, you have done a commendable job in making ordinary people take interest in the Bhagavad Geetha. I look forward to your contributions to the Vedanta section.

Are you looking for constructive criticisms to the article?

cheers,
Sunder.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Jan 20 2006, 02:31 PM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Jan 20 2006, 02:31 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Not sure if this is the right place. If there is another more appropriate place please post.

http://www.sulekha.com/blogs/blogdisplay.aspx?cid=41548
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[Guest]

Posted by Shri KS_Venkat on IC..

Vishistaadvaita - Shree Vaishnava Philosophy and Practice.

http://sriramanujar.tripod.com/tutorial/index1.html

[Sunder]

<b>Physics and Vedanta</b>

http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/articles/?id=1016

By John Dobson
Published 2004-10-22 13:46:28
From 2002

Physics And Vedanta Copyright 2002 John Dobson

"The constitution of the Universe may be put in first place among all natural things that can be known." - Galileo

That, of course, is the task of the physicist, to see if he can figure out the constitution of the Universe. And I went to the University of California in 1934 to study bio-chemistry in the hope of keeping Einstein alive, so the he could figure it out. But I now believe that it is impossible to figure it out without the help of the Vedantins.

What we now call the philosophy of Vedanta (and I don't mean the practice, but the philosophy behind the practice of what we call Advaita Vedanta) was apparently invented by some very sharp physicists in India a long time ago, because a great deal of that old physics, including the identity of mass and energy (which, in modern times, went from Swami Vivekananda through Tesla to Mileve Einstein) is built into the Sanskrit language, and the language is very old. And those physicists discovered some very interesting and important physics, which we desperately need now if we're going to figure this thing out.

The Sanskrit word for this Universe if Jagat, the changing. But those old physicists were smart enough to see that, since change is seen against the changeless, there must be, underlying this changing Universe, an existence not in time and space, and therefore, neither changing, finite, not divided. That they called Brahman. The problem then arose, "How, then, do we see change? If what exists is changeless, how do we see a Universe of change?" and they said, "It can only be by mistake." So they studied mistakes, if they hadn't studied mistakes, they might not have seen it.

They pointed out that in order to mistake a rope for a snake, there are three things that one must do. First, one must fail to see that it's a rope. (That they called the veiling power of the mistake, Avarana Shakti.) Next, one must jump to the conclusion that it's a snake. (That they called the projecting power of the mistake, Vikshepa Shakti.) And finally, one must have seen the length and diameter of a snake. (That they called the revealing power of the mistake, Prakasha Shakti.) And that is what is so very important to our physics. It is because of the revealing power, the changeless, the infinite, the undivided must show in the physics.

Those old physicists sometimes referred to these three aspects of a misperception as red, white, and black. Black refers to the darkness of evening twilight; white, to the partial light of twilight (if you hadn't seen the rope, you never would have mistaken it for a snake), and red, to the fact that the perception was colored by imagination. They also referred to these three aspects as the three Gunas (Tamas, Raja, and Sattva).

The mistake of seeing the underlying existence in time and space they called Maya or Prakriti, the first cause, and it is said to made of these three Gunas. Tamas is said to have the veiling power. Rajas is said to have the projecting power. And Sattva is said to have the revealing power. (The veiling and projecting powers are presumably native to the genetic programming, but the revealing power, which is important to our physics, is native to sentiency itself.) To quote the Panchamahabhuta Sutras, "As if, being hidden, through the veiling power of Tamas, the nature of Brahman, through the revealing power of Sattva, shone in the otherness for which, through the projecting power of Rajas, it is, as it were, mistaken." What we see as energy is the result of this mistake, because the underlying existence (the changeless, the infinite, the undivided) must show through in what we see.

The concept of energy did not arise in European physics till 1845 with Thomas Young, but htose older physicists saw that the whole Universe is made out of energy, which they called Shakti. According to them, energy is that underlying existence, which they called Brahman, as seen in time and space. And they could see that the underlying existence has to be changeless, has to be infinite, has to be undivided, and that it has to show through in our physics.

According to the Vedantins, the first cause of our physics is Vivarta, apparition. It is the mistake of seeing the underlying existence as in time and space. After that, things proceed by Parinama, transformational causation, because the underlying existence shows through in the mistake as energy, as gravity, electricity and inertia, which cause the transformations. Parinama is what we European physicists usually think of as causation. It is governed by the conservation laws. The form of the energy may change but the amount of energy, in any change, does not change.

The electrical energy of an electrical particle would go to zero if, and only if, the size of that particle went to infinity, and the gravitational energy of the Universe would go to zero if, and only if, the dividedness of the Universe went to zero. (Infinity and undividedness are written into our physics. And changelessness is written in as inertia.)

Had those old physicists known what we know now, that the Universe is made of hydrogen and that the hydrogen is made of electrons and proton, they would have seen that the changeless shows through in the hydrogen as its inertia; the infinite, as its electricity; and the undivided, as its gravity and attraction between opposites. Richard Feynman has pointed out that although we (in Europe) know how things fall, we have kno knowledge of why they fall, and that although we know how things coast, we have no knowledge of things coast, we have no knowledge of why they coast. And Einstein has made a similar remark about electricity, namely, that we cannot comprehend, on theoretical grounds, why matter should appear as discrete electrical particles. Those older physicists knew why.

Only the primordial hydrogen arises by Vivarta from the changeless, the infinite, the undivided showing through in time and space. Everything else that we see arises from that hydrogen by Parinama. And the details are in Burbidge, Burbidge, Fowler and Hoyle, "Synthesis of the Elements in Stars." We know now that the hydrogen falls together by transformational causation to galaxies and stars, planets, and people. Even the bodies of living organisms arise by transformational causation, but the notion that one is such a body is, again, a Vivarta, a personal mistake.

The practices of the Advaita Vedantins take all this old physics for granted. It is even taken for granted that there is but one reality behind both the individual and the Universe, Ayam Atma Brahma, this Atman is Brahman. (Atman is the reality behind the ego, and Brahman is the reality behind the Universe.) And it is taken for granted that if seeing it thus is a mistake, it must be possible to see through it; that it must be possible to see through the ego to the Atman, and through the Universe to Brahman.

Now those old Vedantins were not content simply to understand all this in their intellects. When they discovered that there must be an existence underlying the world which we see, their question was, "Can we teach it?" That was the effort that swept India in those days, and may yet sweep Europe and America. And that is why we have the Upanishads with all those stirring declarations.

"All this Brahman. Let a man meditate on that visible world as beginning, ending and breathing in it, the Brahman."

"Not there the Sun shines, nor moon nor star. There the lightning does not flash, how could this fire? That shining, after-shines all this. By its light all this is lit."

"That which is beyond this world is without form and without suffering. Those who know it become immortal."

"I know that great Purusha of sun-like luster beyond the darkness. A man who knows Him truly passes over death. There is no other path to go."

"Only when men shall roll up the sky like a hide will there be an end of misery unless That has first been known."

"The infinite alone is happiness. There is no happiness in the small."

But still, for us physicists, there is a question. Why is that underlying existence seen as hydrogen? Perhaps those older physicists would have pointed out that in order to see, in space and time, that which is not in space and time there is a problem. If the one were to be seen as two, the undividedness showing through, would bring the two together. What could stop it? Similarly, if the one were to be seen as many, the undivivedness, showing through, would bring the manyness together. But if the one were to been as a duality within a plurality, as we see it in hydrogen, then the plurality could keep the duality up, and the duality could keep the plurality up, because neither can be seen alone. This would not be interesting, of course, if it didn't show up this way in our physics, but it does.

What we see in this Universe is an electrical duality (the electrons and the protons of the hydrogen atoms) against a gravitational plurality (the dispersion of the atoms through space). And the undividedness shows through as gravity (in the plurality) and as the attraction between plus and minus (in the duality). But the collapse of the electrical duality in the hydrogen atom is prevented by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, because the proton is involved in the gravitational plurality and the electron is not. And the collapse of the gravitational plurality is prevented by Pauli's exclusion principle, because the neutrons have only one half of a spin duality.

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle does not prevent the collapse of the duality of the electron and the positron (an electron with a positive charge) because gravity is not involved in the rest energy of either particle. But it does prevent the collapse of the electrical duality in the hydrogen atom because the rest energy of the proton is related to its gravitational separation from all the rest of the matter in the observable Universe. As Richard Feynman has pointed out, "The electron is purely 'electrical' the proton is not."

And Pauli's exclusion principle does not prevent Bose particles (without the spin duality) from sitting together.

The spiritual practices of the Advaita Vedantins follow the cosmology of those old physicists. If we have mistaken the real for the make believe, there are four things to do about it. First, discriminate between the real and the make believe! Next, give up the make believe! Give up the attachment to the fruits of your actions! Give up the expectation that through transformational causation you'll reach the underlying existence! That's Karma Yoga, the path of action. And finally, keep your body and mind in such fantastic shape that you can get the job done! That's called Raja Yoga, the royal path.

Sri Ramakrishna saw the underlying existence, manifest in time and space, as Mother, and said that we are not the doers. Mother is the doer. And Lao Tzu said, "To Her only I bow, trusting Her now and forever."

If it were impossible to see through this mistake to the underlying existence, we would not have the Upanishads and the lives of the saints.

Mother is the hydrogen. Mother is the star. She fall it all together to make us what we are. She makes the heavy elements and throws them to the ground. To make the rocky planets with soil on the ground. She scatters the ingredients across the planet Earth. Assembling them with sunlight to give us all our birth. She shines the sun on all these plants; the oxygen is waste. We munch the plants, and huff and puff, and run around in haste. But we, poor dears, so mean of heart, assume we're in the know, And thinking we can manage, fail to see Who runs the show.

If, in time and space, the changeless didn't show through, we wouldn't have inertia. If the infinite didn't show through, we wouldn't have electricity. And if the undivided didn't show through, we wouldn't have gravity and the attraction between opposites. Also, if the duality didn't keep up the plurality, we wouldn't have the atomic table. And if the plurality didn't keep up the duality, we wouldn't have atoms at all. That's how I see it.

"Space is not that which separates the many, but that which seems to separate the one. And in that space that oneness shines, therefore falls whatever falls."

John L. Dobson

February 28, 2002

[Sunder]

Advaita Siddhi of Sri Madhusudhana Saraswathi.

http://www.advaitasiddhi.org/

[Guest]

<b>Dharma: universal ordering principle from Vedic to modern times</b>
By Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

Tinyurl: http://tinyurl.com/omu3t

[Sunder]

While reading Gudartha deepika of Sri Madhusudhana Saraswathi (which is the best Gita translation I have read so far,) I resolved to read his Magnum Opus, the "Advaitha Siddhi."

I do not have access to the original, but I am glad to have found this PDF with Devanagari and some translation of his works.

Advaita Siddhi Samgraha: (84 page PDF)
http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/sarada/Siddhi.pdf

I hope to read and try to be absorbed by it in the coming months.

[Sunder]

Dont know if this has been posted before, but here is the e-Vedanta course from Chinmaya International Foundation, Adi Sankara Nilayam

They used to have Vedanta course via snail mail, and I heard this is a new addition.

http://www.chinfo.org/e_vedanta/adv_evCourse.asp

Course Objective

The primary aim of this one-year home-study course is to provide clarity and depth to your Vedantic study. All important Vedantic concepts dealt with in the prakarana granthas, such as Vivekachudamani, Atma Bodha, Tattva Bodha, Vakya Vritti and Panchadashi, are covered in a series of 24 detailed lessons.


Course Eligibility

Any individual who seeks to have an in-depth study of Vedanta is welcome to join this Advanced Vedanta Course. It is not required for students to have completed CIF's Foundation Postal or E-Vedanta Course.


Course Fee (non-refundable):


Residents of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangaldesh, Maldives and Afghanistan IRs.2,000; Other Residents US$100. Those who want to contribute more as donation for evolving further levels are welcome to do so.


Course Details


The Advanced E-Vedanta Course will be for a period of one year.
The course comprises twenty-four fortnightly lessons.
View the Course Content
List of texts that have been used in the preparation of the Advanced Vedanta Course
Get a sample lesson

If you don't have Acrobat reader on your computer please download it free.
After your enrollment formalities are completed, you will receive your registration number as user ID as well as a password.
Using these you may log on to the website and download your first lesson.
Within 15 days of downloading your lesson you will submit your answers by email to chinfo@md2.vsnl.net.in with Subject 'Answer for Lesson __ and (your Reg. No.)'. Postal correspondences are to be avoided.
After your answers are checked by the Course Acharya, the same will be returned to you for your observations. A grade will be assigned for the answers and the same will be uploaded to the website so that you will be able to view it.
Once your grade has been uploaded to the website you will then be able to download your next lesson.
Those who successfully complete the course will be given a certificate of merit signed by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji, Head of the Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. This will be sent by post.


To register, download the registration form, fill the requested details and post it with your draft, check, or money order, payable to 'Chinmaya International Foundation,' payable at State Bank of Travancore at Piravom, or Ernakulam.
Mail your form along with your course fee to:

Director
Chinmaya International Foundation,
Adi Sankara Nilayam,
Veliyanad, Ernakulam District,
Pin - 682 319,
Kerala, India.

In Online Registration you will only be giving the details though the enrolment form. The registration formalities are complete only when the course fee is received.

Overseas residents may avail direct bank transfer facilities: ....Read more

Bank Transfer Facilities
Print | [X]

FOREIGN INWARD REMITTANCE - US$

REMITTER IS ADVISED AS FOLLOWS

PURPOSE OF REMITTANCE: ADVANCED E-VEDANTA COURSE

Mode 1

Instruct your bank to pay to J P Morgan Chase Bank, New York, Swift BIC -CHASUS33-FEDWIRE ROUTING – FW 021 000 021 CHIPS ABA – CP 0002

Mode2

Instruct your Bank to pay to AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, NEW YORK, and SWIFT BIC –AEIBUS33 -FEDWIRE ROUTING- FW 124 071 889 - CHIPS ABA –CP-0159


Instruct your Bank them to credit State Bank of Travancore, Foreign Exchange Department
Ernakulam Kerala, India.
SWIFT BIC –SBTRINBBFED

Beneficiary :

CHINMAYA INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION ,
ADI SANKARA NILAYAM, VELIYANAD – P.O. ,
ERNAKULAM – Dist, Pin: 682319
Kerala, India

State Bank of Travancore, SB a/c No.57025966417 with Piravom Branch
Ernakulam Dist, Kerala, Phone 0485-2242222 fax.0485 2243222

Branch Code:

70160 intimating us with the transaction code to chinfo@md2.vsnl.net.in
Please mention purpose of Remittance also.



Contact Details

Address
Chinmaya International Foundation,
Adi Sankara Nilayam,
Veliyanad, Ernakulam District,
Pin - 682 319,
Kerala, India.

Telephone
CIF Director -91-484-274 8194
Course Acharya -91-484-274 7307
Fax -91-484-2749729

Email - chinfo@md2.vsnl.net.in

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do check out the other precious articles on the site from the links at the bottom of the page.
http://www.chinfo.org/Downloads.asp?Linkid=7

[Sunder]

Very helpful link for beginners to Advaita (the writeup has few typos that we can live with.)

http://www.katha.org/Academics/Advaita-FrontPg.html



TABLE OF CONTENTS of ADVAITA VEDANTA

Part 1 – Preface

Part II – Outline of Advaita Vedanta philosophy

Section 1 – Nature of self. Changing and unchanging consciousness

Section 2 – Brahman, the ultimate reality

Section 3 – Identity of the individual self and Brahman

Section 4 – Transmigration and karma

Srction 5 – Free will

Section 6 – Status of the world – Orders of reality

Section 7 – Creation

Section 8 – The concept of Maya (Avidya, Prakrit, Pradhana, avyaktam, avyaakrtam, ajnaanam and tamas are synonyms)

Section 9 – Liberation – What it means

Section 10 – Significance of Liberation

Section 11 – Knowledge sole means of liberation. Liberation is possible in this life itself. One who is liberated, called jiivanmukta, attains videhamukti when the body falls

Section 12 – Kramamukti



Part III – Philosophy of Advaita philosophy as expounded in the Upanishads

Section 1 – Preparatory spiritual practices

Section 2 – Enquiry into one’s real nature. Sub-section (1) –Drgdsyaviveka. Sub-section (2) Pancakosaviveka.

Sub-section (3)Avasthatrayaviveka

Section 4 – Description of Brahman, the absolute reality

Section 5 – Unreality of the world

Section 6 – Pramanam (authority of the Upanishads) for Brahman not being the actual creator

Section 3 – Orders of reality

Section 7 – Brahman as Existence, the sub-stratum of the universe of names and forms

Section 8 – Creator is Iswaratogether with Maya

Section 9 – Status of Maya



Part III A

Section 10 – Brahman s Consciousness – All pervading and immanenrt in beings as atma

Section 11 – Reflected consciousness (cidabhasa)

Section 12 – Pramana for cidabhasa

Section 13 – How to distinguish the original consciousness from the reflected consciousness – Illustration

Section 14 – Significance of cidabhaa



Part IIIB

Section 15 – Brahman as Bliss

Section 16 – Benefit of identification with Brahman

Section 17 – Benefit of knowing that I am all

Section 18 - Karma is not means of liberation. Knowledge of identity with Brahman is the only means of lliberation. Liberation is possible while one is still alive

Section 19 –Liberation in this life itself – jivanmukti

Section 20 – Vedehamukti

Section 21 – Purpose of teaching about Gods with attributes

Section 22- Kramamukti

Section 23 - Process of obtaining knowledge of identity with Brahman



TABLE OF CONTENTS OF APPENDICES
Note No.1 - Can Brahman be known

Note No. 2– Concept of a real creation negated

Note No. 3– Significance of videhamukti

Note No. 4– Relationship of Brahman and Maya

Note No. 5– Maya’a avarana sakti does not affect Iswara

Note No. 6 – Moksha not an event in time

Note No. 7 – Mithya not mere imagination

Note No. 8– A criterion of Mithya

Note No.9– Illustratios for Brahmasatyam jaganmithya

Note No. 10– Original and reflected consciousness - An illustration

Note No. 11 - Views of Buddhist schools about reality refuted

Note No.12– Karma not means of Moksha – Reasoning

Note No.13– Logic of “Adhyasa

Note No.14– Ignorance and knowledge of identity with Brahman - both operations of the intellect

Note No.15 -Appreciation of the locationless consciousness

Note No.15A – Brahman beyond time and space

Note No.16 - Logic of postulating cidabhasa

Note No.17 – Iswara srshti and jiva srshti

Note No.18 – Samsara due to sense of limitation

Note No.19 – Jnani’s moksha

Note No.20 – Process of cognition

Note No 21. – Samsara not for Atma

Note No. 22. – Negation of “anatma”

Note No. 23 – Role of Mahavakyam

Note No. 24 – Form is not substance

Note No. 25 – Self-effulgence – meaning

Note No. 26 – All pervading attributeless existence is the real nature of jiva

Note No. 27– Appreciation of pure existence – Illustration

Note No.28 – Punya papa not one’s nature

Note No.29 –Consciousness has no origin or end

Note No. 30 – Existence has no origin or end

Note No. 31- Meaning of “sakshi-bhasyam”

Note No. 32- Suspension of prarabdha.

Note No. 33 – Iswara, Karma and free will (This is an elaboration of a topic already included in the main paper.)

Note No. 34 – Miracles and Karma

Note No. 35 – Moksha means knowing one’s Infinite nature

Note No. 36 – Mind is matter

Note No. 37 – Importance of “asi” in “Tattvamasi”

Note No. 37A – Duality – two kinds

Note No. 38– Denial of consciousness-self-contradictory

Note No. 39 – Mixing up orders of reality

Note No. 40– Corollaries of Brahman being infinite

Note No. 41-Description of Brahman in terms of contadiction

Note No. 42– “Anoraniiyaan mahato mahiiiyan”

Note No. 43– Atma motionless

Note No. 44– Atma is neither the known nor the unknown

Note No. 45– “neti neti”

Note No. 46– Guru and Brahman synonymous

Note No. 47– Relative immortality

Note No. 48– The unnegetable remainder

Note No. 49– Flowing eternity

Note No. 50– Who is a brahmana?

Note No. 51 Five definitions of mithya

Note No. 52 – Avastha traya viveka in Mandukya karika

Note No. 53– Translation of “satyam” “satyam jnaanam anantam Brahma” Existence

Note No. 54 – Recognising Brahman as existence

Note No. 55– Recognising Brahman as consciousness

Note No. 56– Recognising Brahman by negation of the knower

Note No. 57– Atma is the same in all

Note No. 58– Mithya versus vyavaharic reality

Note No. 59– Clay pot Example

Note No. 60– Problem in clay pot example, alternative

Note No. 61–Deriving one item of definition of brahman from another

Note No. 62– Atma is self – evident

Note No. 63–Mind is self - evident

Note No. 64– Maya does not have a cause

Note No. 65– Maya cannot be Paramarthika

Note No. 66– Iswara is witness of everything

Note No. 67– Refutation of plurality of Atmas and of atmas being part of brahman

Note No. 68– Refutation of world being real and brahman being transforming cause (Parinaami Kaaranam)

Note No. 69– Refutation of brahman being saguna

Note No. 70– Moksha by negation of jivas is not futile

Note No. 71– Enjoyment and suffering depends on upaadhi

Note No. 72– Meaning of jnani having all pleasures

Note No. 73– Dream is example for unreality of jagrat prapanca

Note No. 74– Meaning of jivtma being resolved in brahman in sushupti

Note No. 75– Analysis of mahavakyas

Note No. 76– Meaning of the word ‘jivatma’ depends on the context

Note No. 77– Five-fold Pramanas

Note No. 78– For brahman there is no Maya or universe

Note No. 79– Dharma and dharmi adhyaasa

Note No. 80–Ecology in Satra

Note No. 81– Sukshma Sarira is a continuous Entity

Note No. 82– Duties of a householder – Grahastha-asrama-dharma

Note No. 83– Siddhis

Note No. 84– Disidentification with anaatma and identification with atma are both the jobs of ahamkaara

Note No. 85–Hiranyagarbha is an elevated jiva

Note No. 86– Visishta and Upahita

Note No. 87– Brahman is beyond time and space

Note No. 88– Light is an example for Brahman as the imperceptible existence-consciousness

manifesting when names and forms are superimposed on it

Note No. 89– Only if you are infinite yourself you can discover your infinite nature.

Note No. 90– Anyonya asraya of world and cognition of world is proof of mithya

Note No. 91– The word, ‘UPANISHAD’. Four meanings

Note No. 92– Man’s shadow is an example of world being not away from but not part of Brahman

Note No. 93– Jnani has no rebirth – exceptions

Note No.94- Videhamukti is merger in Iswara from the vyavaharika point of view

Note No. 95– Summary of the teaching

Note No. 96– Explanation of the santhipatha of sukhala Yajurveda

[Guest]

Has anybody looked into these ?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheHeathenIn...ss/message/2913

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Re: [TheHeathenInHisBlindness] Revisiting 'Some Theses on Colonial Consciousness'

Dear Kannan

This is to draw the attention of you all to some
endevours that I know of. I have no idea if these are
successful endevours. I woudn't know a successful
endevour if I saw one. But they are of interest to
this group because of the ways they relate to Indian
tradition or Indian culture. These are some
initiatives/approaches/developments that I find worth
engaging with. You may find them of interest.

1. First is the work of Navjyoti Singh who is based at
the National Institute of Science, Technology and
Development (NISTADS), Delhi. I have found his
writings very interesting and helpful in engaging with
Indian theoretical traditions. Earlier he was very
active in organizing the three Congresses on
Traditional Sciences and Technology of India in
Mumbai, Chennai and Varanasi. He is widely traveled in
India in connection with this work and has innumerable
stories of his conversations with various people and
other happenings. On the webpage below, one can find
online three recent pieces by him on Irrational in
Greek and Indian thought, on mathematics, causality
and the mind/matter distinction, and Towards a formal
theory of society. He likes to label his current
pursuits as �exact humanities� and draws heavily from
what he calls Indian analytic traditions. I attended a
three-week international summer school in Simla on
�Working of Mind� where he presented his ongoing work
on exact theories of mind. He has a book length
manuscript on the same waiting for a publisher.

http://www.nistads.res.in/ppl/peopleinfote...php?recordid=46


2. Jeevan Vidya is a programme based on a new
philosophy or darsana called �Madhyatha Darshan� or
�Sah-astitvavad�. The last can be translated as
�Coexistentialism�, but it has hardly any connection
with the philosophical school we know as
existentialism. The propounder of this philosophy is
a person called A. Nagraj Sharma who is old and alert
and is based in Amarkantak, the place where the
Narmada river is supposed to have originated. He
belonged to Karnataka, moved to Amarkantak in search
of answers to the questions he had that could not be
answered by the traditional scholars in his village.
His is a traditional trajectory. He was attempting to
attain the state of �samadhi� when he came to
Amarkantak, because he had been told that his
questions will be answered only then. I think he is
supposed to have attained the state of �samadhi� but
his questions remained unanswered. This was around the
time of Indian independence and he felt disappointed
by the new Indian constitution. Subsequently, he
discovered this new philosophy. It is a complete new
philosophy or darshana in the Indian style.

During the last decade or more, many people felt
attracted to this philosophy and recently a programme
called Jeevan Vidya based on this philosophy has
gathered momentum. They conduct week-long workshops or
�shivirs� where they put forth the basic proposals of
this philosophy and urge the people to verify these
proposals by self exploration of their experiences,
combined with study. Nagraj Sharma has written around
ten books where the philosophy is articulated. All
except one of the books are somewhat technical
expositions. The language of his speech and writings
is colloquial Hindi. I attended a week long workshop
of Jeevan Vidya this year. These shivirs are usually
oversubscribed and no techniques, yogic or otherwise,
is taught. They consist of conversations about
experiences, observations, philosophical discussions
around the proposals of this philosophy. These
workshops were developed and are conducted now by
several people. These people consult Nagraj Sharma
often. Nagraj Sharma is known as Baba in Amarkantak
and dispenses Ayurvedic remedies. In the shivir that I
attended there were many young people, older people,
many ex-engineers, etc. They claim they have conducted
these shivirs successfully with different classes of
people ranging from highly educated to uneducated,
people of all ages, communities etc. Some of the
people deeply involved in these programmes have
technology bacground, some have been involved earlier
in peasant movements. There are many former IIT Kanpur
folks. International institute of information
technology, Hyderabad has a compulsory course based on
Jeevan Vidya for all entrants. A few other
institutions are adopting it too. Some educational
programmes have derived their central ideas from this
philosophy.

There is a yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeevan_vidya_kanpur/

But I do not find the discussion here very
enlightening (shivirs are very interesting because
there is a lot of debate in a group as diverse as they
are. people come with families, parents and children
too). Most people writing here have attended several
shivirs and have studied some of these books. Half the
stuff is in Hindi transliteration and communication
seems cryptic. All publications are only in Hindi
right now.

From a cursory acquaintance I can say that it is a
darsana seeking to provide all answers and answers
that can supposedly be tested in experience. It even
proposes a guiding framework for a new constitution. A
philosophy of human being occupies the centrestage. It
engages with tradition as well as science but claims
to go beyond both by showing where they fall short.
Some people find it too metaphysical. My engagement
with it is not very deep and just beginning.

3. The third is a slender philosophical tract in Hindi
that I read recently called �Anant Ka Chhand: Ek
Tatvashastriya vimarsh� (Metric? of Eternity: A
Philosophical Discourse) published by Adhaar
Prakashan, Panchkula, Haryana. This is written by one
Prasanna Chaudhary from Bihar. He used to be an
important functionary and an ideologue of the then
underground ultra-left political organization called
CPI-ML Liberation group. This is one of the three
influential ultra-left formations in Bihar. This group
is considered responsible for the beginning of
Naxalite movement in Bihar from an area called
Bhojpur. Prasanna Choudhary withdrew from active
politics several years ago and devoted himself to
study. He is currently known in some Hindi circles for
his poetry.

This book propounds a philosophical framework, based
on Indian tradition, seeking to find a direction in
today�s world. A major part of the work is again an
exposition on the nature of human existence. The work
constantly refers to contemporary issues and events
like globalisation, information technology, etc. There
are many references to scientific concepts as well. If
I find an appropriate section and if I have time, I
might post a translation sometime in future.

4. I have mentioned Sunil Sahasrabudhey before. He has
written a book on peasant movement and another called
�Science and Politics�(Ashish Prakashan, Delhi). I am
not sure if they are in print. Another book of his
called �Gandhi�s Challenge to Modern Science� is
available online at
http://multiversitylibrary.com/download.jsp?bookID=27

Among those I have listed here, he draws the least
(explicitly) on Indian tradition apart from Gandhi. He
had submitted his Phd thesis on �Sakriyatavad: A
philosophy of liberation for colonized people� in
Hindi at IIT Kanpur. He was not allowed to submit his
thesis because it was written in Hindi. He lost his
case in the Supreme Court and refused to rewrite it in
English and remains without a doctorate. He is a
faculty at Gandhian Institute of Studies at Varanasi.


Well, I don�t know how useful all this information is
for you. Especially since the access to some of them
is restricted by distance and language. And I cannot
articulate the content beyond giving some background
information. I thought these individuals/approaches
are interesting for this group because all of them
take Indian tradition seriously, but they are
different from previous approaches based on tradition.


-avinash<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Folks, Is there an online version of English tranlation of Sri Ramanuja's <b>Vedartha Sangraha</b>?

[Sunder]

<!--QuoteBegin-k.ram+Oct 24 2006, 06:37 AM-->QUOTE(k.ram @ Oct 24 2006, 06:37 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Folks, Is there an online version of English tranlation of Sri Ramanuja's <b>Vedartha Sangraha</b>?
[right][snapback]59590[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Here is something I found. hope it helps.
http://www.srivaishnavam.com/philosophy/ve...a_sangraha2.htm

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-Sunder+Oct 24 2006, 01:50 PM-->QUOTE(Sunder @ Oct 24 2006, 01:50 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->
Here is something I found. hope it helps.
http://www.srivaishnavam.com/philosophy/ve...a_sangraha2.htm
[right][snapback]59601[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thanks Sunder garu.

I was looking for all the 252 (or so) passages' translation though.