"The Six religions "

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

I would like to add a few more points to

Sri Mani VaradaraAjan"s posting in the context of

the ThiruvAimozhi Paasuram : 4.10.5:

 

viLampumARu samayumum avaiyAhium maRRUm tanpAl

aLanthu kaaNdaRkariyanAhiya Aadhip pirAnamarum

vaLamkoLL taNNpaNai soozhnthu azhahAya Thirukkukuranai

uLamkoLL jn~Anathtu vaimin ummai uyyak koNDu pORilE

 

(meaning): There are six systems religion ranging from totally

Vedic to those with different degrees of connection to the VedAs.

He became these religions and others , which declare themselves to

be based on the VedAs , but are misguided ( Kudhrushti mathams).

They shout in shrill tones of logic and get hoarse .None of them

can however surpass the greatness of Lord AdhippirAn , who presides

over ThirukkuruhUr known for its shady groves . Hold Him (AadhippirAN)

deep in Your heart before the external senses ambush you and make

you go astray.Holding Him tightly would be the only way to secure

your salvation .

 

The six darsanams that NammAzhwAr refers to here have been

counted in number of ways to add up to a total of Six :

 

(1) The six religionslisted by AchArya RaamAnujA are

Bhouddham , ChArvAkam , NaiyAyka-VaisEshikams of GouthamA ,

Jainam , Saankhyam and Yogam .These six are also known as

Saakhya , ulUkhya , AkshapAtha ,KshapaNa , Kapila and

Pathanjali darsanams based on the people , who developed

them or wrote commentaries .

 

(2) In another counting , these six are recognized as

Saankhyam , Yogam ,Bhouddham ,VaisEshikam ,Jainam and

Paasupatham .

 

(3) In yet another counting , these six are : ChArvAkam ,

Jainam and four types of Bhouddham ( VaibhAshikam and

SautrAntikam of HeenayAnam and yOgAchAram and nihilism of

MahAyAnam sects).

 

The various darsanams listed above fall into the categories

of Naasthika and Aasthika darsanams . The Naasthika darsanams

like ChArvAkam ( materialistic atheism as described by

Sri Mani VaradarAjan ) , Buddhism and Jainism are systems of

thought that do not accept the authority of the VedAs and deny

the tattvams such as Soul (Jevan ) and God (Isvaran ), which Aasthika

mathams accept as fundamental to their beliefs .Naasthika mathams

are called Veda Baahya mathams and the Aasthika Mathams are

saluted as Vaidhika Mathams .

 

The six Aasthika mathams are: NyAya , VaisEshika ,Saankhya ,

Yoga , MimAmsa and VEDHAANTHA darsanams . Around 1000 A.D ,

the NyAyA and vaisEshikA systems came together and became

amalgamated into one system.There is not much of a difference

between them now.

 

Even among the set of six Aasthika mathams , there are

different degrees of acceptance of the VedAs . NyAya ,

VaisEshika , Saankhya and YogA have admitted the validity

of the VedAs in a tangential way , while staking their claims

to be aasthika mathams.The MimAmsA and the VedAnthA are

the truly Aasthika mathams .

 

Swami Desikan describes at great length these darsanams and

their deficencies and sufficencies in His Paramatha Bhangam ,

Tattva muktha kalApam and its commentary , SarvArtha siddhi.

Swami Desikan thoroughly evaluates these darsanams to establish

the unimpeachable doctrines of Sri VisihtAdvaidham over

all the other darsanams .

 

Among the mathams rooted in VedAntham , there are many

such as Adhvaitham of SankarA , Dhvaitham of MaadhvAchArya ,

VisishtAdhvaitham of Naathamuni-AalavandhAr-RaamAnujA-Vadakku

Thiruveethi PiLLai-ApuLLAr -Swami Desikan ,SuddhAdhvaitham of

VallabhAchAryA , BhEdhAbhEdham , DhvaidhAdhvaitham of Nimbarkar

et al. Among these VedAthantha darsanams , VisishtAdhvaitham ,

Dhvaitham , SuddhAdhvaitham and dhvaithAdhvaitham accept

a personal God in the form of VISHNU .

 

In his SathadhUshaNi , Swami Desikan has severely

criticized the deficiencies of Adhvaitham with clarity and

precision .Swami Desikan dealt in great detail about

the untenability of key doctrines of Adhvaitham in one of

his magnum opus , Tattva Muktha kalApA and focused on

proving the untenability of these Adhvaithic concepts:

(1) NirguNa Brahmam (2) nature of nescience (avidhyA)

(3) anivarchanIyakhyAti (4) AkhaNDArtha Vaadham

and (5) Illusory nature of the world.Swami used

the teachings of AchArya RaamAnujA in Sri Bhaashyam

and its commentary , Srutha PrakAsikA in constructing

his irrefutable arguments .

 

Swami Desikan went on to correct the misreadings of

the NyAya and MeemAmsa darsanams that were prevalent

and established their compatibility with VisishtAdhvaic

doctrines in his Sri Sookthis known as NyAya parisudhdi ,

NyAya SiddhAnkjanam , SEsvara MeemAmsA . In the first two

Sri Sookthis , Swami travelled on the path pointed out

by AchArya Naathamuni in his Sri Sookthi, NyAya tattvam .

In that classic Sri Sookthi , AchArya Naathamuni recast

the NyAyA darsanam to suit the needs of VisishtAdhvaitham .

Swami Desikan refined the presentation of the NyAyA system by

AkshapAdhA ;in NyAya SiddhAnjanam , Swami Desikan clarified

the metaphysical concepts of VaisEshikA system in the light

of VisishtAdhvaitham . In SEsvara MimAmsA , Swami Desikan

showed that the Poorva MimAmsa SoothrAs of Jaimini is in

harmony with the Brahma soothrAs of BaadarAyaNA .He rejected

the view that PoorvamimAmsA was opposed to Uttara MimAmsA or

VedAnthA .Swami established that MimAmsA is a unitary

Saasthram (Yeka Saasthram ) in two parts (Poorva

and Uttara ).

 

The greatness of the Swami Desikan's contributions

is very evident in the Para matha Bhangam created

in front of Sri DevanAtha PerumAL on the banks of

Garuda nathi in the environs of ThiriuvahIdhrapuram

to defend Sri VisishtAdhvaitham as the soundest

among all VedAntha darsanams .

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

> Buddhism and Jainism are systems of

>thought that do not accept the authority of the VedAs and deny

>the tattvams such as Soul (Jevan ) and God (Isvaran ), which

 

I think that though both Buddhism and Jainism do not accept the authority of

the Vedas, Jainism believes in Soul (AtmA) unlike Buddhism. Like Sankhya,

they believe that there are multiple Atmans and the Tirthankaras are

liberated souls, but they strongly reject a creator-God.

 

Regards,

Ganesh.

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ganesh Panchapagesan :

 

Thanks very much for your note below :

 

At 02:51 PM 8/6/99 -0400, you wrote:

 

V.Sadagopan said :

>> Buddhism and Jainism are systems of

>>thought that do not accept the authority of the VedAs and deny

>> the tattvams such as Soul (Jevan ) and God (Isvaran ),

 

In response Sri GP wrote :

>I think that though both Buddhism and Jainism do not accept the authority of

>the Vedas, Jainism believes in Soul (AtmA) unlike Buddhism. Like Sankhya,

>they believe that there are multiple Atmans and the Tirthankaras are

>liberated souls, but they strongly reject a creator-God.

 

The VisidhtAdvaithic doctrines on Jivans differ significantly

from that of the Jain views :

 

VisishtAdvaitham :

(1)Jivan is an eternal spiritual entity and is distinct

from Isvaran.

(2)Even in the state of MokshA , it retains its individuality.

(3)They are of Jn~ana svarUpam and are infinite in number

(4) It is monadic in substance (aNu).

(5) It is the agent of action, and the enjoyer of

the pleasure . It is therefore karthA and BhOktha.

 

Jain Theory of Jivans:

 

Although the Jains believe in souls ( Jeevans ) ,

their view conflicts with the VisishtAdvaithin views

of Jeevans and the AchAryAs of VisishtAdhvaitham

have proven the invalidity of the jain views

based on Upanishads, VedAntha SuthrAs and Bhagavdh GitA .

 

The first objection is about the Jain's view that

JivA is the size of the body , which it occupies .

This is against the aNu size of Jivans recognized

by VisishtAdvaithins.The Jains' view of sthulA aspect of

the Jeevan as opposed to the atomic character is

fraught with grave errors in Swami Desikan's view .

 

Jains argue that the Jivan is in all parts of the body .

The experience of pain in the arm and happiness in the head

are arguments advanced by Jains that Jivan is the size of

the body . There are thus fat jeevans , tall jeevans et al

in this Jain view . Imagine the calamity.If the Jivan of

the Jain conception breaks its leg or arm , then the Jivan

is broken up into parts .This is untenable for the Vedanthic view.

 

We believe in the aNU size in unliberated state and

Vibhu (all pervasive). Jains believe that the Jeevan

in the Mukthi state attains a body of finite size.

 

Further ,for the Jains ,Mukthi is a continous upward

movement of towards the higher region .Thi sleads on to

other problems .

 

These inaccuracies are based on the erroneous conception

that the sariram is aathman( Jeevan ).

 

We also differ with the Jains in the concept of SabdhA ,

Sadhanaa and Mukthi .The treatment of karmA and its

effect on the Jeevans is quite different from the VisishtAdvaithin

view and have been rejecte soundly by Swami Desikan

and his purvAchAryAs .

 

The theerthankara concept is also not accepted by us.

There are 24 prophets in Jianism , who are like boatmen

to ferry us across the river of transmigration . They are

the projected ones who lead the way to liberation .

They start form Rishabha Deva and end with VardhamAna MahAVirA ,

coeveal to Goutham Buddha's time .

 

Those would be separate discussions.

 

V.Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sadagopan,

 

Thank you for your informative comparison between the views of Jainism and

Vishishtadvaitam on jIva, etc.

 

Regards,

Ganesh.

 

 

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