Bhakti- Advaita Mode.

Giri gmadras at ENGR.UCDAVIS.EDU
Thu Jul 11 00:01:04 CDT 1996


>From the translation of vivekachuuDaamaNi by Swami Madhavaananda of
Advaita Ashrama,

{The sanskrit transliteration and script can be found in
        ftp://jaguar.cs.utah.edu/private/sanskrit/sanskrit.html}

Verse 31.
        Among things conducive to liberation, devotion (Bhakti) alone
holds the supreme place. The seeking after one's real nature is
designated as devotion.
        {This definition is from the advaita standpoint. Dualists, who
substitute Ishvara, the supreme Lord, for the Atman or Supreme Self
Immanent in beings, of course define Bhakti otherwise. For example Narada
defines it as "It is of the nature of extreme love to some being." and
Sandilya, another authority on the subject put is as "It is extreme
attachment to Isvara, the Lord." On reflection it will appear that there
is not much difference between the definitions of the two schools.}

Verse 32.
        Others maintain that the inquiry into the truth of one's own Self
is devotion......
        {Truth - This is simply putting the statement of the previous
sloka in another way, for we ARE Atman in reality, though ignorance has
veiled the truth from us}

**

Namaskaar.



More information about the Advaita-l mailing list