Guest guest Report post Posted January 29, 1999 List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara [ADVAITA-L] On Behalf Of Vaidya N. Sundaram Thursday, January 28, 1999 11:52 AM ADVAITA-L vivekachUdAmani 38) durvaarasa.nsaaradavaagnitaptaM dodhuuyamaanaM duradR^ishhTavaataiH . bhiitaM prapannaM paripaahi mR^ityoH sharaNyamanyadyadahaM na jaane .. I am scorched by the inextinguishable forest fire of samsAra. I am deeply affected (shaken) by the winds of misfortune. I am overcome by intense fear. I fall at your feet. Save me from death. I have none else in whom I can seek refuge. SamsAra itself is a forest fire which spreads in all directions. It is in extinguishable except by the jn~aana springing from the guru's upadesha. When the forest fire is aided by the wind, the flames spread out and scorch in all directions. The winds here are said to be duradrstavaataah, i.e., winds of misfortune. They are unfavourable winds. dodhUyamaanam : trembling greatly again and again. If the wind is favourable, it carries the person away from the flames. If it is unfavourable, either it carries him into the fire or blows the fire on him. It is with the idea that the man suffering from the heat of the forest fire will be rescued from it by the downpour of the nectar that reference is made in the previous sloka to the raining of the amrta of the guru's compassion by the expression atIkaarunyasudhaabhivrstyaa making it an adjective of drstyaa and the whole being taken as a bahuvrIhi - compound. Instead, it may also be taken as tatpurusa - compound. drstyaa - by your glance, atIkArunyasudhaabhivrstyaa: by the down pour of infinite compassion through it. the purport of the sisya's appeal is : If I obtain Atmajn~Ana by your grace, death in the form of the exit of the vital airs from my body will not happen to me". The sruti also says: na tasya prAnA utkrAmanti atraiva samavanIyante (Brh): His (Atmajn~Anin's) prAnas do not go away; they disappear (acquire laya) here itself. That is, the man does not die as ordinary people do by their vital airs going out of the body at death. Vaidya N. Sundaram Harsha: Thank you for this gem. I will take the liberty to post on other lists and ask a question. In Yoga, they say that when Shakti Joins Shiva at Sahasarara, this union results in liberation, and at death of the body the Prana exits through the Sahasarara resulting in Maha Samadhi. The exit through the Sahasarara is meant to be a sign of the final Mukti. However, on the path of Jnana, the pranas do not exit but are absorbed into the Heart that is the Self. How do we reconcile these two seemingly divergent explanations? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted January 29, 1999 If I may comment on this question as to there being an apparent contradiction, let me say that this is only from the limited perspective of the intellect. The intellect is trying to apply limitations found in the physical universe to an experience that is transendental in nature, and such limitations do not exist. If I may use an analogy let me put it this way. If you were in a submarine and went out through a torpedo tube or the hatch it does not matter you are going to be in the ocean (merge) those in the sub may talk among themselves discussing the nature of your exit as if it were the thing of importance, but for one who has truly experienced it, the merging is the only thing of importance. Not whether he left through the hatch or torpedo tube, to him both are the same. Respectfully, Don Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar) <hluthar 'List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara' <ADVAITA-L; advaitin <advaitin >; < > Friday, January 29, 1999 6:18 AM Re: vivekachUdAmani >"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar > > >List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara >[ADVAITA-L] On Behalf Of Vaidya N. Sundaram >Thursday, January 28, 1999 11:52 AM >ADVAITA-L >vivekachUdAmani > >38) >durvaarasa.nsaaradavaagnitaptaM > dodhuuyamaanaM duradR^ishhTavaataiH . >bhiitaM prapannaM paripaahi mR^ityoH > sharaNyamanyadyadahaM na jaane .. > > I am scorched by the inextinguishable forest fire of samsAra. I am >deeply affected (shaken) by the winds of misfortune. I am overcome >by intense fear. I fall at your feet. Save me from death. I have >none else in whom I can seek refuge. > > SamsAra itself is a forest fire which spreads in all directions. >It is in extinguishable except by the jn~aana springing from the >guru's upadesha. When the forest fire is aided by the wind, the >flames spread out and scorch in all directions. The winds here are >said to be duradrstavaataah, i.e., winds of misfortune. They are >unfavourable winds. dodhUyamaanam : trembling greatly again and >again. If the wind is favourable, it carries the person away from >the flames. If it is unfavourable, either it carries him into the >fire or blows the fire on him. It is with the idea that the man >suffering from the heat of the forest fire will be rescued from it >by the downpour of the nectar that reference is made in the >previous sloka to the raining of the amrta of the guru's compassion >by the expression atIkaarunyasudhaabhivrstyaa making it an >adjective of drstyaa and the whole being taken as a bahuvrIhi - >compound. Instead, it may also be taken as tatpurusa - compound. >drstyaa - by your glance, atIkArunyasudhaabhivrstyaa: by the down >pour of infinite compassion through it. the purport of the sisya's >appeal is : If I obtain Atmajn~Ana by your grace, death in the form >of the exit of the vital airs from my body will not happen to me". >The sruti also says: na tasya prAnA utkrAmanti atraiva >samavanIyante (Brh): His (Atmajn~Anin's) prAnas do not go away; >they disappear (acquire laya) here itself. That is, the man does >not die as ordinary people do by their vital airs going out of the >body at death. > > > Vaidya N. Sundaram > >Harsha: Thank you for this gem. I will take the liberty to post on other >lists and ask a question. In Yoga, they say that when Shakti Joins >Shiva at Sahasarara, this union results in liberation, and at death of the >body the Prana exits through the Sahasarara resulting in Maha Samadhi. The >exit through the Sahasarara is meant to be a sign of the final Mukti. >However, on the path of Jnana, the pranas do not exit but are absorbed into >the Heart that is the Self. How do we reconcile these two seemingly >divergent explanations? > > >------ >To from this mailing list, or to change your subscription >to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at and >select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. > Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted February 3, 1999 This is continuation of an earlier important dialogue. I had written the following in response to a message on Vivekachudamani. Harsha: In Yoga, they say that when Shakti Joins >Shiva at Sahasarara, this union results in liberation, and at death of the >body the Prana exits through the Sahasarara resulting in Maha Samadhi. The >exit through the Sahasarara is meant to be a sign of the final Mukti. >However, on the path of Jnana, the pranas do not exit but are absorbed into >the Heart that is the Self. How do we reconcile these two seemingly >divergent explanations? << "Donald Forsyth" <ddforsyth replied as follows: Don: If I may comment on this question as to there being an apparent contradiction, let me say that this is only from the limited perspective of the intellect. The intellect is trying to apply limitations found in the physical universe to an experience that is transendental in nature, and such limitations do not exist. If I may use an analogy let me put it this way. If you were in a submarine and went out through a torpedo tube or the hatch it does not matter you are going to be in the ocean (merge) those in the sub may talk among themselves discussing the nature of your exit as if it were the thing of importance, but for one who has truly experienced it, the merging is the only thing of importance. Not whether he left through the hatch or torpedo tube, to him both are the same. Respectfully, Don Harsha: Thanks for your remarks Don. I fully agree with the spirit of your insights. Here is what GM wrote in response to the same question (Advaita list given at the bottom). You and the list members might enjoy the response. GM: Having learnt/practiced Kundalini yoga and then atma vichara for a while, it is my feeling that the explanations are not divergent but depends on how one defines mukti. According to yoga, when prana leaves thro' sahasarara, then one goes to Brahmaloka, never to return to "mortal" existence and is liberated from the cycle of births and deaths. Advaita does not disagree with the concept of Brahmaloka etc. (see Madhusudana sarasvati's commentary relating to attaining Brahmaloka through bhakti alone). However, the real advaitic stance is more logical and stringent. Mukti is something that is "attained" right now. It is only a "rediscovering" of the Self by the removal of (avidya, dvaita. There is nothing to attain, only the avidya has to leave. My experience, based on my Guru's words, is this : "Exercises" like Kundalini yoga, kriya yoga etc etc. are all _very_ useful till a stage, when adequate concentration and chitta shuddhi is attained. Later, all these practices have to be essentially looked upon as "unreal" and the mind turned inward to realize the Self by atma vichara. Essentially, all these yogic practices are useful till one has the "maturity" to look upon all the lokas (including this one) as unreal and concentrate on the Real. AUM shaantiH gm ================================================================ "bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam" List archives : http://listserv.tamu.edu/archives/advaita-l.html = Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
