Vedas as pramaaNa ( Was : Fate and Free Will)

[Guest guest]

advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada> wrote:

> > If yes, then how is it different from, say, Tao Te Ching

> > or Ashtavakra Gita or Avadhuta Gita?

>

> In principle they are not. It is the experince of many many seers

of

> the truth recorded - like physical laws in the text book of physics

> which have been repeatedly experimented and confirmed again again by

> subjective scientists, our seers. Hence they provide the working

> hypothesis for one to pursue further and discover by oneself the

truth

> expounded in the vedanta. Hence we take all scriptures as pramaana

as

> long as they are in agreement with Vedanta and only reject those

that

> violate the vedanta since we have no other way to confirm they are

true

> or not. If somebody disagrees the theories of physics, then the

burdon

> of proof rests with them to show why they are worng - same applies

to

> Vedanta too. Being a subjective science, it becomes even more

difficult

> to prove or disprove vedanta. Every Tom, Dick and Harry (in Vedanta

> they are called Devadatta, yagnadatta etc) can come up with

alternate

> theories and they may be right. But since these are subjective

> experiences how are we going to confirm or deny them. Becuase of

that

> we cannot relay their experiences as valid unless they are in tune

with

> Vedanta. Hence Vedanta becomes absolute pramaaNa. One need not have

> faith on that but then they have to realy on Tom, Dick and Harry.

 

Dear Sadanandaji,

Does it mean that one has to accept Vedanta alone as the

pramaaNa to validate his spiritual experiences ?

I am sure that 99.99 % of Hindus does not have the scholarship

and the knowledge of Sanskrit required to read and understand

what is mentioned in Vedas. I too belong to that group.

Even among the 0.01% that have read the Vedas, there are

differences in opinion about what is the right interpretation

( as we have seen in Jay's mails recently).

When even the scholars cannot agree on the real meaning of a work,

how can a layman like me accept that work as the pramaaNa ?

 

My question is this : I have an English Translation of

Ashtavakra Gita and a copy of Krishna Menon's "Atma Darshan"

in Malayalam. Isn't it enough that I contemplate on the

meanings of those verses and verify my experience against

them? Or do I have to learn Sanskrit and study all the

different Bhashyas to validate my spiritual experiences?

 

Regards,

Raj.

[Guest guest]

--- rajkumarknair <rajkumarknair wrote:

> Dear Sadanandaji,

 

>

> My question is this : I have an English Translation of

> Ashtavakra Gita and a copy of Krishna Menon's "Atma Darshan"

> in Malayalam. Isn't it enough that I contemplate on the

> meanings of those verses and verify my experience against

> them? Or do I have to learn Sanskrit and study all the

> different Bhashyas to validate my spiritual experiences?

 

 

Shree Raj - Sanskrit is only a language to understand the vedic truth.

Now we have the commentaries in many languages. It is the language that

is important - it is the import of the scriptural statement that is

important. The tests you mentioned all affirm only the statements of the

scriptures. They are all called prakarana grantha-s which only expound

what is there in the vedaanta. Hence they are supportive. A

sampradaaya teacher is the one who can guide you and who himself has the

knowledge of the scriptures. Hence the importance of the right teacher

since it is very difficult to understand the import of the scriptures -

this is true even if one knows the language Sanskrit. The purpose of

this list is essentially that to learn from each other the import of the

scriputural statements.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

>

> Regards,

> Raj.

>

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

 

 

 

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