[Advaita-l] Re: Transformation

chetan nagaraja write2chetan at gmail.com
Wed Nov 3 02:08:39 CST 2004


I was following up this dialogue, let me add a bit what I feel,
Correct me if I am wrong.
This was a very important discussion, no theory is useful without practicals. 
And Is Vedanta practical ?

Vedanta forms the foundation theory like physics. The Bhagwad Geeta forms 
the practical science based on Vedanta. Like we have Engineering
disciplines based on Pure Science.

Vedanta hence is applicable at intellectual level, and how we realize
the goal is indicated in the various Chapters of Geeta.
Note: Each Chapter in Gita is called as "Yoga".[One of the meanings of
Yoga is State of existence]

Whatever we comprehend through Vedanta is utterly Useless unless we
realize and  practise. This is indicated in Vivekachudamani as "For a
realized person, reading this book is redundant, For an unrealized
person reading this book is also a waste".

Vedanta, is a logical system, It was formed to indicate the presence
of Brahman, but does not show it. Brahman is beyond logic. And for
practical vedanta, we need not search anywhere , but practise the
Bhagwad Geeta.
This is my opinion.



On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 11:50:37 -0800 (PST), S Jayanarayanan
<sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- Girish Ramadurgam <rsgirish at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> [..]
> 
> > You wrote
> > 'The path of GYAna is for sannyAsins'.
> >
> > Does it means only SannyAsins can achieve moksha? Correct me if I am
> > wrong. I always though that Sankara preached that only Gyana yogi can
> >
> > achieve moksha or get liberated from the cycle of rebirth.
> >
> 
> Ideally, the study of VedAnta ought to be commenced only after
> sannyAsa, which in turn should be taken only after having obtained some
> amount of viveka and vairAgya (not otherwise). However, non-sannyAsins
> are not barred from studying VedAnta.
> 
> Regarding your question as to whether only sannyAsins can achieve
> moksha, I don't know the answer to, but the path of Shankaran VedAnta
> (that leads to jIvanmukti) seems to assume that this is the case. There
> was sometime ago a discussion in this list, as to whether "mAnasika
> sannyAsa" or mental renunciation leads one to moksha, but it didn't
> proceed anywhere. Even among people like Ramana Maharshi who are
> respected by the tradition, one can find elements of renunciation both
> physical and mental. However, there are examples like Ajamila in the
> Bhagavatam who never took sannyAsa, but attained moksha by simply
> taking the Lord's name at the time of death, and also avatars like Rama
> and Krishna who were both living very much in the society as
> non-sannyAsins.
> 
> I haven't come across a website that explains this practical aspect of
> advaita VedAnta along with the theoretical aspects. People usually take
> from advaita the impression that the world is wholly illusory, and that
> anything goes in practice. That is the reason one finds, especially in
> the West, various groups (read "cults") claiming some tenuous
> connection to advaita, and behaving any way they like. I wish someone
> takes pains to create a website that points out that the practical
> aspect of advaita VedAnta begins only after a rigorous grounding in
> moral development, without which enquiry into the Self is futile.
> 
> > Best Wishes,
> > Girish
> >
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Kartik
> 
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