THE PLACE OF (other) PRACTICE IN ADVAITA VEDANTA

[Guest guest]

Mani-ji!

 

Namaste! Thank you! The admiration is mutual.

 

Mani-ji, please allow me to share with you an equally Ridiculous

story of somebody who was struggling on the path of Jnana - strictly

for Laughs- no offence meant !

 

Once King Janaka was sitting on the bank of a river ,

repeating 'SOHAM' ( i am That) mantra at the top of his

voice.

 

Sage ASHTAVAKRA was passing by. the sage was a

knower of truth and an enlightened being. He was

surprised why king Janaka was chanting the mantra in this

loud fashion.

 

ASHTAVAKRA WANTED TO INSTRUCT KING JANAKA the proper way of chanting

a mantra. SO, HE SAT DOWN NEAR KING JANAKA and chanting loudly, "

THIS IS MY WATER BOWL, THIS IS MY YOGA STICK." so much

so that ASTHAVAKRA'S MANTRA DROWNED KING JANAKA'S MANTRA

 

 

NOW, KING JANAKA , not to be left behind

starting chanting his 'soham' mantra even louder --- this

went on for some time -both vying witH each other in

this 'mantra recitation'....

 

now, king janaka got really annoyed and asked Asthavakra what the sage

waS doing- the sage replied " i am repeating - this

is my water bowl, this is my yoga stick. "

 

king Janaka replied, " have you lost your brains? who

told you that the water bowl and the stick do not

belong to you ? why do you have to keep shouting about

it.?"

 

SAGE ASTHAVAKRA REPLIED, " O MIGHTY KING! it seems to me you are the

one who lacks understanding. who told you that you are not THAT ? WHY

DO YOU HAVE TO GO ON SHOUTING THAT 'I AM THAT' -'SO HAM' ?

 

when king Janaka heard this, he suddenly realized the

truth- he understood that he need not go on repeating

'so ham' mantra , he only needed to understand it and

practice 'living' it!!!!!!!!

 

SOURCE- Muktananada's - I am THAT -book

 

Smiles ! Mani-ji! Enjoy the humor behind this mahat-tattwa!!!!

 

Mani-ji , Narayanneyam is one of my favorite texts and i luv every

word in it . But, in one sense, you are right ! i have heard the

story where Bhattathri refused to edit the work of Poonthanam

insullting the latter by saying that it is written in the vernacular

language of Kairali ( native language of Kerala) and not composed in

Sanskrit, the deva bhasha! well, how can anyone insult a devotee of

Lord Krishna? and no wonder, Guruvayurappan taught Bhattathri a

lesson and the 'proud' and arroganr Bhattathri learned a lesson when

he was again afflicted with the painful arthritis! he then realized

his mistake and helped Poonthanam and edited his work! so goes

another story!!!

 

and a drop of poison in the Milk?

 

how about this ?

 

when the AXE cuts the sandalwood tree , the axe takes on the

fragrance of the sandalwood! such is the beauty of satsangati!!

smiles!!!

 

AS far as the Parasuraman epiisode is concerned, i would request our

most beloved Nair-ji to narrate the story. He is very eloquent and he

has a way with words. I would rather he tells the story in his

inimitable fashion! Nair-ji, am i forgiven for MY ACTS

OF 'INDISCRETION' A FEW POSTS AGO! you are very dear to me and a

mother gets impatient only wit her favorite child - for she holds him

to highrer standards!! There may be a Bad mother ( ku-matha). never a

bad son. ( ku putra) - smiles! apradha -kshama!

 

maniji, this is great

 

As for "Vibhuti Yoga" His greatest Vibhuti is that He alone manifests

as we all, and more than that he is enlightening us to

appreciate/recognize all His Vibhuties.

 

YES!!!!!

 

LOVE AND REGARDS

 

ps i am unable to sleep worrying about the Mean Jeanne ( the

Hurricane ) that is now literally dancing up a storm in the region of

Orlando where my beloved daughter is staying with her family! Just

goes to show how Mother Nature is so powerful - we are all powerless

in front of HER!

[Guest guest]

Namaste Shri Harsha-ji,

 

Thank you Sir, for this message. It contains in one sentence what I

have been trying to say through nine essays in July! And indeed it

was the Maharshi's sayings that inspired much in those essays.

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

 

 

advaitin, "Harsha" wrote:

> Mr. Evans Wentz: What does the Maharshi think of universal

> illusion (Maya)?

> Bhagavan: What is Maya? It is only Reality.

> Evans Wentz: Is not Maya illusion?

> Bhagavan: Maya is used to signify manifestations of Reality.

> Thus Maya is only Reality.

[Guest guest]

--- Chittaranjan Naik <chittaranjan_naik wrote:

 

>

> AdiMa, I am fully with you when you say there is no jnyana without

> bhakti, for without bhakti the mind is forever asserting its

> independence. Bhakti dissolves the clouds of the mind to let the Sun

> shine.

 

Yes indeed. Correct understanding of jnaana should culminate into

bhakti, otherwise it degenerates into ahankaara. Likewise Bhakti should

culminate into jnaana otherwise it degenerates into fanaticism.

 

 

yo mam pasyat sarvatra sarvan ca mayi pasyati - who seems me everywhere

and everything in me - then there is no more individual little 'i' left

- that is true bhakti.

 

sarva bhuutastam aatmaanam sarva bhuutaanicha aatmani - one self in all

beings and all being in oneself - that is the culmination of jnaana.

 

Bhakti is the love for the total self and the understanding that the

total self is oneself is the culmination of both bhakti and jnaana as

Krishna presents.

 

 

Love involves sacrifice - the ultimate or highest sacrifice is the

sacrifice of once own ego at the alter of the Bhakti leaving lover and

loved as one. That should be the true meaning of 'prapatti' in

vishishhTaadvaita. Love for oneself is unconditional and one loves

oneself the supreme.

 

One can surrender only once -That is the surrenderance of ones ego -

that is the surrenderance in bhakta and that is the culmination of

jnaana. Hence Krishna declares that among the four bhakta-s, jnaani is

the supreme.

nahi jnaanena sadRisham pavitram iha vidyate -

There is nothing more supreme than knowledge in this world Krishna says.

At the same time he also says - maamevaye prapadyante maayam etam

tarantite - this Maya of mine is of divine origin and only by

surrendering to me, one can cross this ocean of Maya. Bhakti to the Lord

outside should culminate into bhakti for the Lord inside - since antar

bhahischa tat sarvam vyaapa naarayaana sthitaH - Naarayana is everywhere

both inside and outside. So there is nowhere he is not. That

understanding is the culmination of both bhakti and jnaana - that sat

chit ananda alone is there and that is infinite, immutable and where all

(the concepts of bhakti and jnaana) dissolve into one - that is the true

advaitic understanding of the nature of reality too.

 

 

>

> > i am the 'prema' in Gopi's hearts!!!

>

> But AdiMa, hasn't the Gopi already lost her heart? How is it that she

> has lost her heart? Isn't the heart one's very self? In the rapture

> of prema, the Gopi has found that her heart is His Heart - it is the

> union of perfect Advaitam!

 

I am reminded of an interesting sloka - I think it is in

KrishnaleelaamRitam.

 

gopi says -

hasta mucchipya vaapnoti balaat krishna kim adbhutam

hRidayadyasi nirvaasi gaNayaami pourushante|

- as usual my memory combined with typing ability are not good

 

When Krishna tries to get out of her embrace, she stands apart with

anger and sorrow and challenges Krishna - hay Krishna! the mighty armed

one, you could get out of my embrace with all the force you can muster,

but let me see how strong you are - try to get out of my heart if you

can and then only I can count on your strength - Obviously Krishna

cannot. You can only bind him with pure love like Yasoda does with her

rope.

 

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

>

> Warm regards,

> Chittaranjan

>

>

>

 

 

=====

What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort.

Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only

the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda