RE: What is important?

[Guest guest]

Namaste Madhavaji

 

May I know in which Purana this story occurs? It is truly wonderful. Thanks

for sharing.

 

Kathi

>

> Madhava K. Turumella [sMTP:madhava]

> Thursday, April 18, 2002 5:07 PM

> advaitin

> What is important?

>

> There is this story in Purana where Narada thinks of studying all the

> Vedas

> in their entirity. And he desides to learn all the knowledge that is

> available. He starts studying rigourously for 20,000 years! Then he

> wants

> to know if there is anything left to study... Hence with this question he

> approaches Lord Brahma and tells him that "Father, I have studied for more

> than 20000 years and I think I have studied all that is there, but I need

> a

> proof (certificate!) from you that I have studied everything. Also if you

> think I have some thing more to study then please tell me..."

>

> Lord Brahma smiles and to Narada to come along with him to a place where

> all

> the knowledges are available, so that Narada can compare how much he

> studied. Brahma takes Narada to a place where there are plenty of huge

> mountains made out of pure Gold! They are all shining very bright and

> illuminating the sky, attracting the onlookers to know them more! Narada

> gets very intrigued by the sighting of those innumerable mountains.

> Brahma

> tells Narada "Narada! You see each of these mountains stand for a

> specific

> part of knowledge and combined together they become absolute knowledge..."

>

> Then Narada wanted to know how much he learned. For that Brahma points out

> a

> Rathole in the mountain and explains Narada that what ever Narada has

> learned is Rathole. He explains that the more Narada learns the more the

> hole grows bigger! Looking at all those mountains and comparing what he

> learned, Narada feels quite disappointed and depressed.... Then he tells

> "There is no limit to the knowledge"!

>

> Then Brahma consoles him by advising him to understand *that* which is

> trying to learn; understand *that* which is trying to compare; understand

> *that* which is feeling devasted by its own comparision! Narada bows to

> Brahma and leaves....

>

> Reading and writing thousands of papers are nothing but Narada trying to

> create a Rathole in the mountain of knowledge! However, we have to

> understand that such an endeavour --- though yields intellectual

> satisfaction --- takes us nowhere.... when you realize the word "nowhere"

> then you will also realize that what you wanted to know is "now--here"!

>

> Know what is important to you. Be brutally honest in finding out what is

> important and execute! God be with you.

>

> Yours,

> Madhava

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of

> Atman and Brahman.

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[Guest guest]

Thanks, Madhavji for reminding us of the puranic story. I am also reminded of

another story from Chandogya Upanishad, involving the same Narada. Now it is

Sanatkumara who tells him that what all he knows is nothing when compared to

the real Knowledge which is Knowledge about the absolute Reality. I extract

below a paragraph on this story from my own website:

The Seers of the Upanishads employ several techniques to give us the message.

In the 7th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad the divine sage Narada goes to

Sanatkumara, one of the four most enlightened sons of Brahma the Creator, born

out of His will, and asks for spiritual enlightenment. Sanatkumara bids Narada

to tell him what he knows already. The latter gives a long list of the names of

all the arts and sciences that he has learnt. Starting from the four vedas,

then the vedAngas, the various SAstras, Narada in one breath lists all of them

and concludes by saying that inspite of all this knowledge he has not learnt

about the Ultimate Truth. All this is only a name, says Sanatkumara. ‘Meditate

on the name; he who meditates on Name as brahman becomes independent. ‘Is there

anything greater than Name?’ asks Narada. Yes, there is Speech and Sanatkumara

elaborates on Speech as the Ultimate. Is there anything greater than Speech?

Yes, there is Mind. Then there is Will, then Thought, then Contemplation, then

Understanding, Strength, Food, Water, Heat, Space, Memory, Hope, Prana the

Life-principle. Thus Narada is led on step by step to subtler and subtler

principles. Narada does not ask whether there is anything greater than prANa

the life-principle. But Sanatkumara leads him on to further to satya (Truth),

then vijnAna (Knowledge with Experience), SraddhA (Faith), Steadfastness,

Activity, Happiness and then to the Infinite. Says Sanatkumara: What is

Infinite is happy. There is no happiness in the Finite. And then comes a most

profound declaration from Sanatkumara: Where one sees nothing else, hears

nothing else, is aware of nothing else, that is the Infinite. Where one sees

something else, hears something else, is aware of something else, that is the

Finite. The Infinite is immortal while the Finite is mortal. (Chandogya

Upanishad 7.24.1). In other words, the Ultimate is non-dual. Any presence or

awareness of duality makes the awareness finite. The Infinite (bhUmA) is the

fullest expression and manifestation of the Absolute Reality. That is

everywhere. That is above, that is below, that is in front of you, behind you.

That is Atman, the immanent Reality. That is brahman, the Transcendent Reality.

What you see before you physically, is not brahman, but what makes you see is

brahman. (Kenopanaishad 1 – 4) It cannot be heard by your ears, because it is

what makes you hear. It cannot be thought of as an object of thought by your

mind, but it is what makes your mind think. Such profound descriptions abound

everywhere in the Upanishads.

 

For a fuller account about related matters one may go to

 

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/32.html

 

PranAms to all advaitins.

Yours, profvk

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax

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[Guest guest]

--- "Madhava K. Turumella" <madhava wrote:

> There is this story in Purana where Narada thinks of

> studying all the Vedas

> in their entirity. And he desides to learn all the

> knowledge that is

> available. He starts studying rigourously for

> 20,000 years!

 

 

Namaste Madhava

 

Thank you for this story which will be added to my

collection. There is a similar story, in the

Taittiriya Brahmana, with a slightly different

emphasis but on this theme:

' The sage Bharadvaja devoted himself to the study of

the Vedas for his hundred year life span but could not

finish it. So he prayed to Brahma to extend his life

for another full span. The boon was granted but there

was still not enough time so he prayed again. Brahma

was pleased with his devotion and religious austerity

so he gave him the second boon. At the end of this

life the conclusion of his study was nowhere in sight.

Thereupon there was a spontaneous utterance in his

heart ..ananta vai veda .....infinite indeed are the

Vedas. '

 

It is the spontaneous awakening in the last sentence

that makes it a special story.

May we all not to have to ask for such boons of

longevity,

 

 

best wishes

 

 

Ken Knight

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste Ken:

 

It looks like a story telling day and your final remarks reminded me

the story of Markandeya a great devotee of Lord Shiva:

 

Sage Mrikandu worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of

begetting a son. He was given the choice between a gifted son with a

short lived tenure on earth or a dunce with a long life. Sage Mrikandu

chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son,

destined to die at the age of 16. Markandeya grew up to be a great

devotee of Shiva. Until the destined time of death Markandeya

continued to worship a Shivalingam with great devotion. At the

destined time of death, Markandeya kept both his hands around the

Shivalingham and put his chin on the Shivalingham. The messengers of

Yama, the God of death couldn't free his hands from Shivalingam. They

were unable to take away the dedicated and determined kid constanly

engaged praying and repeating the Lord's name, "Om Namashivaya."

Finally, Yama himself came in person to take Markandeya's life away

and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. Since Markandeya

was tightly superimposing himself with the Shivalingham, the noose

landed around the Shivalingam and Yama was trying to pull Markandeya

along with the Shivalingham. To demolish the arrogance of Yama, Shiva

emerged in all His fury, and kicked Yama and killed Death (Ego of

Yama) itself. He then revived Yama and Yama recognized that the devout

youth is destined to live for ever!

 

The moral of the story is that longevity does not come by asking but

can be attained with virtuous devotion and with His grace. The entire

story is symbolic and what really happened (with advaitic standpoint)

was Markandeya's Self-Realization and true identification with the

Lord! Markandeya

 

warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

Additional Note: (See Templenet.com to get more details on the

referenced temple.) This legend of Shiva killing death itself, is

frozen in metal and held in worship at Tirukkadavur. Tirukkadavur is

the shrine where thousands throng to celebrate shashti abda poorthi

(60th birthdays), with the belief that the blessings of the deity

enshrined would prolong their lives. Tirukkadavur is one of the 8

Veeratta temples celebrating Shiva as the destroyer of evil forces.

 

 

 

advaitin, ken knight <hilken_98@Y...> wrote:

>

>

> It is the spontaneous awakening in the last sentence

> that makes it a special story.

> May we all not to have to ask for such boons of

> longevity,

>

>

> best wishes

>

>

> Ken Knight

[Guest guest]

--- ramvchandran <rchandran wrote:

> It looks like a story telling day and your final

> remarks reminded me

> the story of Markandeya a great devotee of Lord

> Shiva:

 

 

 

Namaste Ram,

 

Thank you for the addition to my collection of

stories.

 

Maybe we should have one day a month when we post our

'story' of the moment. As 'words and mind fall away

from Self' and 'we know of no way of teaching Self',

it is so often the stories that carry the

meta-language that we need to communicate insight. And

often this is with a smile.

 

Thanks again,

 

Ken KNight

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste Madhava,

>>

Reading and writing thousands of papers are nothing but Narada

trying to

create a Rathole in the mountain of knowledge! However, we have to

understand that such an endeavour --- though yields intellectual

satisfaction --- takes us nowhere....

>>

Excellent point. The story telling trend continues today and here is

a story narrated by the Sringeri Acharyal, as quoted in the

excellent book "Edifying Parables":

 

A certain philanthropist offered a sum of rupees fifty thousand (it

was a large sum in those days) to anyone who knew well all the four

vedas.

 

After a couple of days, a young man approached him and asked for the

award. "Are you familiar with the four vedas?", queried the

philanthropist. The seeker of the prize answered, "I am aware of the

fact there are four Vedas.". The donor was stunned by the reply and

asked, "Is that all?" The young man said "Sir, I know that the Vedas

are four in number. Is that not sufficient?". Well what was the

philanthropist to do? He just sent away the young man.

 

Just as the man's superficial knowledge was inadequate to get him

the prize, superficial or indirect knowledge of the Truth cannot

bring about emanicipation. Direct realiztion of the non-dual Supreme

is what annihlates ignorance and results in liberation from

transmigratory existence.

 

Edifying Parables

(Parables culled from the Speeches of Jagadguru Sri Abhinava

Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, Sringeri Acharyal

http://www.jagadgurus.org)

 

regards

Sundar Rajan