Guest guest Posted October 4, 1995 Report Share Posted October 4, 1995 Bhriguvalli Just o change the topic, I want to introduce for discussion Briguvalli form the Upanishads(?). I went to Vivekananda College in Madras in the late 40's and the principal was D.S.Sharma who authored several books on Hinduism, including a primer ( reccommending it ). We had morning prayer, chanting selections from Rig Veda and Upanishads ( I am sure many of you are against school prayer here ). I never gorget this piece starting with Saha Na-vvathu etc. In Bhruguvalli, Varuna asks his father "Teach me Brahman ", rather what is Brahman ( knowledg ? ). Brigu, the father answers "Ann-am, Pranam, Chakshuh, srotram, manoh, vachamiti " Brahman is responsible for their creation, life and demise. Meditate and know Brahman. The son meditates and solves th mystery slowly , to claimone after another, matter(annam ) is Brhaman, then breadth (prana), then thought ( manas ), then intellect ( Gyana ) and finally Ananda ( i prefer contentment to bliss ). " Anand-o brahmeti vyajanath. Anandena kalvimani bhoothani jaa-yanthe. etc. In the beginning, Brighu claims that one has the tools and thru tapas ( meditation or thought ) find the answer and it is ananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 1995 Report Share Posted October 10, 1995 Krish wrote: * Just o change the topic, I want to introduce for discussion * Briguvalli form the Upanishads(?). The Bhriguvalli is part of the Taittiriya Upanishad and contains the very heart of Vedanta philosophy. Varuna poses the question to Bhrigu as to what is Brahman -- what is the Supreme? The passage then attempts to define Brahman, as far as words can do so. yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante | yena jAtAni jIvantI | yam prayanty abhisamviSanti iti | That from which all these beings are born, by which those that are born live, and to which they go back. Can any more fundamental description of the Supreme as It relates to us be given? * Brigu, the father answers * "Ann-am, Pranam, Chakshuh, srotram, manoh, vachamiti " * Brahman is responsible for their creation, life and demise. * Meditate and know Brahman. Each of these -- anna (food), praaNa (vital air), etc., surely is Brahman, but in an incomplete and unsatisfying way. After meditating and realizing this, the aspirant is urged to move on. Is there no limit to this discursive meditation? Yes -- the meditation on Brahman as Ananda - Bliss is the ultimate, because Brahman is the source of all Joy, all happiness. Meditating on this Blissful Inner Self, the aspirant also becomes blissful. Need we ask for more? I should also point out that this Upanishad is explicit about the nature of Brahman, the Highest Self. It is described as "SarIra Atma", the Embodied Self. This is the distinctive principle of Vedanta that only Ramanuja has appreciated and elucidated, it seems. Brahman is literally the Self of our self, related to us like life is to a body, inseperably linked to us and always with us. His pervasiveness is not only an ontological verity but also represents an incredible bond -- the finite is fundamentally part of the Infinite and is ensouled by Him. We only need realize His blissful presence within us to experience that very same bliss. Mani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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