Advaita 1001

[Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian]

Anand Hudli <ahudli at APPN.CI.IN.AMERITECH.COM> wrote:

[ ... ]

> > What is renouncing ? Does it mean going away to Himalayas or away from
> > the world ? Or just simply shun the worldly activities and be within
> > oneself ? Does taking a salary cheque mean the person has not
> > renounced ?
>
>   Renunciation or sannyasa is based on the varNaashrama dharma. Just
>  as there is brahmacharya, gR^ihasthaashrama, vanaprastha, the fourth
>  is mentioned as sannyasa. Of course, in these days it is difficult to
>  go to the forest and lead the life of an ascetic. It is generally

[...]

>  Shankara seems to emphasize that actual sannyaasa has to be taken up
>  as a natural culmination of a spiritual life. See for example his
>  commentary on the MuNDaka upanishad (3.2.?) where he says that the Self
>  will not be attained by one who does not have the characteristics of a
>  sannyaasi. Anandagiri, however, seems to differ here and suggests that
>  mental renunciation is what is more important. After all, we have heard
>  of King Janaka, who was a jiivanmukta and a King at the same time.

I have sometimes wondered about the same thing, i.e., sha.nkara's stressing of
the sanyaasa aashrama. Since the aachaarya has also written a bhaashhya on the
giita, which separates the sanyaasa from the sanyaasaashrama. Perhaps he did
not want dedicated aspirants into being mislead that they had actually
renounced everything when they had not. After all suffering the pangs of hunger
(quite a possibility as a sanyaasi) would be much more difficult.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Nageshwara Rao wrote:

> Sada   returned back safely after a month long pilgrimage to India.
>  completed the eleventh chandi homam at Sri Madhaveswari temple in Prayaga by
> the grace of Sri Chamundeswari.  Next is Ujjaini.

Could you write up something about the chandi homam when you get the time? This
seems to be a famous homam among smaartas, so this might not be off-topic (I
hope)! I have often wondered what the homam is and it's modus operandi. Thanks.

Ramakrishnan.
--
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant (May faulty logic
undermine your entire philosophy)           -- strong Vulcan curse
                  http://yake.ecn.purdue.edu/~rbalasub/