Mice and Men/Scientifically sound and Spiritual Di ets

[Guest guest]

> >If letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

> >enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

> >neighborhood bars.

[Madhava Replies:]

 

Hari Om to you all:

 

Let me participate in this discussion by stating Sri Adisankara's

advice: "There are three great things that could happen: (1) Taking birth

as a human (manushyatvaM) (2) Having inclination towards liberation

(mumukshutvaM) (3) Reaching the feet of the right guru / great people (mahA

purusha saMgrahah)

 

We are all fortunate that we are humans. It is said that

"SareeraMAdyaM khalu dharma sAdhanaM" The body is vital for performing all

obligatory duties. Human is said to be the intelligent animal. It is said

that "aahAra nidra bhaya maidhunAni sAmAnyamEtat paSubhirnarANAM". eating,

sleeping, getting afraid and participating in intercourse --- all these are

common among animals and humans. Then what is the difference? We as humans

posses a great power called intellect and with the help of the intellect we

excel in all aspects of life. That includes our spiritual quest.

 

The question is "why is body very important to spiritual progress?"

 

a) It is said that "dEhO dEvAlaya prOktO jeevO dEvaH sanAtanaH"

meaning "the body is said to be the temple and the soul (jeeva) is the God

(deva) in it".

 

We keep our temples, our homes and our offices very clean ---

because we can never live in a dirty house, we can never offer prayers in a

dirty temple and we can never work at a dirty work place. If the body is

said to be the temple and the soul is the GOD, then can we dare fill the

body with toxins and with poisonous cigarette smoke? Can we dare abuse our

temple with drugs? Can we dare offer the GOD/soul, who is inside the body,

all these unhealthy/dirty stuff?....

 

b) Because we are humans, and we got the capacity to think, our

seers advised us to "hasten slowly". We have to hasten because there is no

guaranty that we can get the human body again!

 

We believe that we got this body because of the "saMcita

karmaphala". Imagine birth and death cycle as an apple tree. All the

apples do not ripe at the same time. Like the same way, we consider one of

the prarabdha gave this birth.

 

My prarabdha happen to be the human shape. Who knows what is in

next life? Who can guaranty that I can get the human birth again? May be I

might take birth as some thing else....

 

punarapi jananaM, punarapi maraNaM punarapi jananee jaTharE SayanaM

iha saMsAree bahu dustArE....

 

So, it is better that I kick the cycle of the life and death, before

I kick the bucket. I would never, with my conscience, let my body down with

my stupidity. I will try to keep it as healthy as I can.

 

This is the reason why yoga is a part of our hindu system. We need

to have a good body, because we are not guaranteed that we could get a good

life again. That is why we have our famous santhipaTha:

 

"bhadraM karNEbhi SRNuyAma dEvAH

bhadraM paSyEmakshabhi ryajatrAH

****sthirairaMgaistushTuvAgaMsasanoobhiH*****

vyaSEma dEvahitaM yadAyuH..."

 

Hari Om! SanthiH SantiH SantiH..

 

-Madhava

[Guest guest]

 

Madhava K. Turumella [madhava]

Thursday, May 20, 1999 5:35 AM

advaitin

Re: Mice and Men/Scientifically sound and Spiritual Di

ets

 

"Madhava K. Turumella" <madhava

> >If letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

> >enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

> >neighborhood bars.

[Madhava Replies:]

 

Hari Om to you all:

 

Let me participate in this discussion by stating Sri Adisankara's

advice: "There are three great things that could happen: (1) Taking birth

as a human (manushyatvaM) (2) Having inclination towards liberation

(mumukshutvaM) (3) Reaching the feet of the right guru / great people (mahA

purusha saMgrahah)

 

We are all fortunate that we are humans. It is said that

"SareeraMAdyaM khalu dharma sAdhanaM" The body is vital for performing all

obligatory duties. Human is said to be the intelligent animal. It is said

that "aahAra nidra bhaya maidhunAni sAmAnyamEtat paSubhirnarANAM". eating,

sleeping, getting afraid and participating in intercourse --- all these are

common among animals and humans. Then what is the difference? We as humans

posses a great power called intellect and with the help of the intellect we

excel in all aspects of life. That includes our spiritual quest.

 

The question is "why is body very important to spiritual progress?"

 

a) It is said that "dEhO dEvAlaya prOktO jeevO dEvaH sanAtanaH"

meaning "the body is said to be the temple and the soul (jeeva) is the God

(deva) in it".

 

We keep our temples, our homes and our offices very clean ---

because we can never live in a dirty house, we can never offer prayers in a

dirty temple and we can never work at a dirty work place. If the body is

said to be the temple and the soul is the GOD, then can we dare fill the

body with toxins and with poisonous cigarette smoke? Can we dare abuse our

temple with drugs? Can we dare offer the GOD/soul, who is inside the body,

all these unhealthy/dirty stuff?....

 

b) Because we are humans, and we got the capacity to think, our

seers advised us to "hasten slowly". We have to hasten because there is no

guaranty that we can get the human body again!

 

We believe that we got this body because of the "saMcita

karmaphala". Imagine birth and death cycle as an apple tree. All the

apples do not ripe at the same time. Like the same way, we consider one of

the prarabdha gave this birth.

 

My prarabdha happen to be the human shape. Who knows what is in

next life? Who can guaranty that I can get the human birth again? May be I

might take birth as some thing else....

 

punarapi jananaM, punarapi maraNaM punarapi jananee jaTharE SayanaM

iha saMsAree bahu dustArE....

 

So, it is better that I kick the cycle of the life and death, before

I kick the bucket. I would never, with my conscience, let my body down with

my stupidity. I will try to keep it as healthy as I can.

 

This is the reason why yoga is a part of our hindu system. We need

to have a good body, because we are not guaranteed that we could get a good

life again. That is why we have our famous santhipaTha:

 

"bhadraM karNEbhi SRNuyAma dEvAH

bhadraM paSyEmakshabhi ryajatrAH

****sthirairaMgaistushTuvAgaMsasanoobhiH*****

vyaSEma dEvahitaM yadAyuH..."

 

Hari Om! SanthiH SantiH SantiH..

 

-Madhava

 

Harsha: Thank you Madhavaji for this excellent presentation based on

scriptures. The only point that I would add is this. In the Bhagvad Gita,

Arjuna raises a doubt and asks Sri Krishna what happens to a Yogi who does

not suceed (in Self-Realization) in this life. Is he lost both to the

spiritual life and the material life having not succeeded at either?

Bhagvan's answer to Arjuna is that such a person after having enjoyed

celestial life is reborn again in the human form and goes on from where he

had left off in his spiritual endeavor. Sri Krishna also adds that sometimes

such a person is born in the house of a Yogi, although such a birth is

exceedingly rare. I have been enjoying the presentations by Sadaji,

Moorthyji, Ramji, Frankji and many others and you all have my gratitude for

sharing freely of your wisdom.

[Guest guest]

>

> Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar) [sMTP:hluthar]

> Thursday, May 20, 1999 5:23 PM

> advaitin

> Re: Mice and Men/Scientifically sound and

> Spiritual Di ets

>

> "Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar

> Harsha: Thank you Madhavaji for this excellent presentation based on

> scriptures. The only point that I would add is this. In the Bhagvad Gita,

> Arjuna raises a doubt and asks Sri Krishna what happens to a Yogi who does

> not suceed (in Self-Realization) in this life. Is he lost both to the

> spiritual life and the material life having not succeeded at either?

> Bhagvan's answer to Arjuna is that such a person after having enjoyed

> celestial life is reborn again in the human form and goes on from where he

> had left off in his spiritual endeavor. Sri Krishna also adds that

> sometimes

> such a person is born in the house of a Yogi, although such a birth is

> exceedingly rare. I have been enjoying the presentations by Sadaji,

> Moorthyji, Ramji, Frankji and many others and you all have my gratitude

> for

> sharing freely of your wisdom.

>

>

[Madhava Replies:]

Dear Dr. Harsha,

 

Hari Om! Thank you for your kind words. I very much appreciate

your question, for it is the question I put to myself long back!

 

It is true that Bhagawan replied to Arjuna's question:

 

ayatiH SradhayOpEtO yOgAccalita mAnasaH

aprApya yOga saMsiddhiM kAMgatiM kRsha gaccati || B.G. 6-36

 

That:

pArtha naivEha nAmutra vinASastasya vidyati

nahi kalANakRt kascit durgatiM tAta gaccati || B.G. 6-39

 

A person who has fallen from the path of yoga can never perish. The

yogi will definitely take human birth again. BUT WHEN? is the question.

 

It is again like a gamble. You keep on throwing the dice and you

tend to dice again the same number. It may be immediate or it may be a bit

late, but you will definitely throw the number again. The same way a yogi,

having performed certain purushartha, will definitely take the human birth

again, but it is not guaranteed that it is the immediate life. Yes! some

times the birth is immediate, but if you observe Bhagawan himself is

agreeing that "Etaddhi durlabhataraM lOkE janma yadeedRSaM" B.G. 6-42.

 

Let me also get the analogy from Mahabharata. Everybody knows the

story of JadaBharata. JadaBharata is a great yogi, but at the end he

develops an attachment towards a deer. He leaves his body, thinking of the

deer as "what will happen to this deer after my death".... Just because of

this thinking he takes birth as a deer. This kind of stories are plenty in

our epics. All these stories are proving that fallen yogis will take human

birth again, but may be after taking a few other yonis.

 

I would humbly request learned scholars on this list to kindly

validate my point.

 

Hari Om! Madhava

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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