[kuzhal isai]

[Guest guest]

Dear Shree M.G.Vasudevan,

 

You have mentioned "nadhopaasana". May I request you to kindly

clarrify whether you hold it equal to one of the Upaasanas

out of the 32 vidyaas mentioned in Upanishads or a sort of

accessory to practice one amoung the upanishad-vidyaas? Even if

someone tries through the way that you have mentioned, do you

say that it is possible to practice any of the upanishad vidyaas

which is told as Bhakthi? Which Sahitya Kartha practised one of

the Vidyaa out of the Upanishad Vidyas and what is that Vidya? Is it

possible to call anything other than the Upanishad Vidyaas as Upaasana?

Could you please quote from Prastaana Trayam regarding "nadhopaasana"?

 

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI Ramanuja Dasan.

=================================================================

 

 

__________________

Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1

[Guest guest]

M.S.HARI (Madabhushi Sarangarajan Hari) writes:

> You [sri M.G. Vasudevan] have mentioned "nadhopaasana". May I request

> you to kindly clarrify whether you hold it equal to one of the Upaasanas

> out of the 32 vidyaas mentioned in Upanishads or a sort of

> accessory to practice one amoung the upanishad-vidyaas?

 

Dear Sri Hari,

 

As you well know 'upAsana' is meditation, is just another way

of describing 'bhakti'. It is also described as 'nidhidhAysana',

or deep contemplation on God, without any break whatsoever in

one's meditation. For this reason it is also called 'dhruva-smRti',

or 'firm remembrance'. Or, to quote Bhagavad Ramanuja himself,

'sneha-pUrva-anudhyAnam bhaktir abhidhIyate' -- firm meditation

filled with extreme love is known as bhakti.

 

Now, the key to this meditation is getting to a stage where

one can continuously visualize the Supreme Lord in one's mind,

and not have any break in one's enjoyment and appreciation

of the Lord's auspicious and edifying attributes, his

kalyANa-guNas. For this purpose, the Upanishads as we find

them today describe 32 varieties of such meditation, known

as 'brahma-vidyas'. But by no means should these 32 be

considered the *only* brahma-vidyas, as their whole purpose

is to make the loving on Lord uninterrupted. Anything which

is helpful to this purpose can be accepted. For example,

the ashTAnga-yoga of Patanjali is not systematically described

in the Upanishads as being part of the brahma-vidya, but it is

accepted in our philosophy as an integral part of all of

these meditative exercises.

 

This is where nAdopAsana or meditation through music is

helpful. Music is both generative of love of God (because

of the descriptions of kalyANa-guNas) and also helps keep

one's mind firm in the remembrance of God. This is obvious

to anyone who sings devotional music.

 

Now, when it comes to such great saints as Purandara Dasa,

Tyagaraja, etc., but there is no doubt that their devotional

music were vital to their upAsana. This, no one can deny.

 

Let's take a more obvious example. Is there any doubt that

anusandhAnam (musically or otherwise) of Divya Prabandham

is helpful to someone engaged in Upanishadic meditation?

>From this standpoint, there is no reason a bhakta of bhagavAn

should shy away from devotional music or even the term 'nAdopAsana'.

 

dAsan,

Mani