adhyaasa bhaashhya - Text of shrii Saxena - 1

[Guest guest]

Sri Subhanu Saxena kindly sent me his text on adhyassa bhaashhya this

morning. He gave me permission to post in parts or as whole. I have

decided to post it in parts. But to those who want to read the whole

thing ASAP, please find the texts at

 

http://www.geocities.com/ambaal_daasan/bsb/

 

I have kept the file in ascii and MS Word format. The text was

converted to txt from Word via a HTML interface to word provided

automagically by mail service.

 

Please note that copyright of the text rests with Sri Subhanu Saxena

(subhanu) who is the author the text.

 

I thank Sri Saxenaji from my heart for this text.

 

Ravi

 

--

Part 1

 

Author: Subhanu Saxena

 

 

shankaram shankarAchAryam keshavam bAdarAyaNam

sUtrabASykrtau vande bhagavantau punah punaha

 

SrutismrtipurANAnAm Alayam karuNAlayam

namAmi bhagavdpAdam shankaram lokashankaram

 

sUtrabhASyapraNetArau vedAntAbjaprabhAkaru

vande parasparAtmAnau bAdarAyaNashankaru

 

Introduction

 

In the canon of vedanta litarature, the Brahma Sutram occupies a

unique position as the oldest systematic commentary on the

Upanishads. Of commentaries on the Brahma Sutram, Shankara's

commentary stands pre-eminent in elaborating advaita vedanta according

to his tradition, or sampradaya. Whilst there is doubt regarding

authorship of some of the works attributed to shankara, there is

universal agreement in the tradition that the bhAsyam on brahma sUtram

was composed by Adi Shankaracharya. This is evidenced by the fact that

the genesis of post shankara schools arises from sub-commentaries on

primarily his brahma sutra bhASyam. In these sub- commentaries (of

which the so-called bhAmati and vivaraNa schools are most recognised),

the authors profess to be elaborating on shankara's system of advaita,

and clearly identify shankara as the author of the bhASyam.

 

His astonishing introduction to his Brahma Sutra Bhashyam (BSB), often

called the adhyAsa bhASyam, is, in my view, one of the greatest texts

written on vedanta, and holds the status for me of a Sruti. For in it,

we find no quotation from other shastra in this introduction to

support his statements. They are simply outpourings from anubhava, or

experience, of an enlightened sage, and which appeal to that

sArvatrika-anubhava, or universal experience, that belongs to each and

every one of us.

 

Shankara's adhyAsa bhASyam fully serves the purpose of an

introduction. He succintly manages to summarise all the key points

that will unfold in his Brahma Sutra Bhashyam, and connects them to

the central underlying theme. The theme of is work is: "My commentary

will explain how the brahma sutram identifies the fundamental obstacle

to knowledge, and how the it explains the method used in the Sruti to

remove this obstacle, so that ultimate knowledge (which will be

defined), is acquired". At one stroke he covers the aim of the work,

its purpose, and what the answer is to the basic question above.

 

In summary, Shankara clarifies for us that the obstacle to

enlightenment is a misconception on our part, which superimposes

(mixes up) up the real and non-real, which drives an empirical view of

the world as an apparent duality of subjects, objects, and means of

knowing these objects. The misconception is innate to us, and

tradition gives the technical name adhyAsa to this

superimposition. Shankara further defines the avidyA in the Sruti as

this adhyAsa. Once this avidyA is removed, what is left is vidyA or

knowledge that is the experience of brahman, the Ultimate

Reality. Therefore, shankara says, the purpose of the shastra is to

reveal brahman by identifying and removing avidyA or misconceptions,

so that brahman can shine of its own accord.

 

In so doing, in his adhyAsa bhASyam, shankara sows the seed for all

the important aspects of his tradition of advaita:

 

1) What knowledge gives us knowledge of Ultimate Reality?

 

2) What is the obstacle to knowledge?

 

3) What is the nature of this obstacle?

 

4) How is knowledge of brahman attained? What are the means of

knowledge, and why is Sruti the ultimate means of knowledge?

 

5) What is the role and purpose of shastra in revealing this knowledge?

 

6) What is the method used by the shastra to reveal brahman?

 

If one had the time, one could take each statement in the adhyAsa

bhASyam and unravel it to reveal all of shankara's tradition of

advaita. In this article I will simply give a guided tour of the

contents of the adhyAsa bhASyam line by line, and highlight the key

messages. My rendering of the bhASyam will be as literal and

transparent as possible, so the readers scan judge themselves the true

meaning for them.

 

adhyAsa bhASyam is a short text, and one can read it in about 10

minutes or so. I have found it invaluable committing it to memory, so

it constantly flows through all my thoughts. I hope by the end of the

article the reader has the same feeling about this text as I.

 

I have referred in brief to the portions of the bhASya discussed at

the start of each section. I have followed the bhASyam in the order it

was written.

-----

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Ravi - Thanks for posting Shree Subhanu Saxena's text on Shankara's

adhyaasa Bhaashhyam - It is a real treat. My thanks to both of you to

bring this to everybody's attention. Obviously I could not resist going to

the website and studying the whole text.

 

It is fantastic.

 

After studying it couple of times, tears were rolling through my eyes, in

gratutude to Bhagavaan Shankara and to my own teacher Shree Swami

Paramarthaananda Saraswati who could eloborately discuss in a language I

could also understand the implication of adhyaasa in term of human problem.

I agree and endorese again again Ananda's comments that this particular

section should be studied and studied till it is absolutely clear in our

minds.

 

It is true there was so much discussion by post Shankara philosophers on

the validity of avidya paticularly the locus of it etc. and also the

nature of PramaaNa. Yes we are interested in the inquiry of Brahman and

not on avidya!

 

As Saxenaji brought out clearly, even the issue of the PramaaNa, Shanakara

could anticipate and discuss so eloquently.

 

We are so grateful that Bhagavaan Shankara has laid down a royal path for us.

 

My thanks again and again to Saxenaji and to you for being persistent and

for bring it out for everyones reach.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

 

K. Sadananda

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