June topic: The One Veda and Two Pigeons

[Guest guest]

--- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk wrote:

> The purana reference for this occurs in Srimad

> Bhagavatam Skanda 12,

> Chapter 6, Shlokas 37 to 50. The following is the

> Prabhupada

> translation of these shlokas:

 

Namaste Professor,

Thank you many times over for this reference. This has

been a long-term question for me. I must search my

shelves for other translations. Certainly, these

verses encapsulate so much of what I have tried to

present in this study.

Usually I avoid Prabhupada translations but I like

this :

> 37. Suta Gosvami said: O brahmana, first the subtle

> vibration of

> transcendental sound appeared from the sky of the

> heart of the most

> elevated Lord Brahma, whose mind was perfectly fixed

> in spiritual

> realization. One can perceive this subtle vibration

> when one stops

> all

> external hearing.

 

Example. England has been unusually hot for the last

few days so my wife and I live, eat and sleep in the

garden. Each day as I breakfast I watch two birds,

pigeons in this case, in a tree in the field opposite.

It is the tallest tree. One sits still and the other

clambers to the highest branch. From there it takes

off, flapping its wings strenuously, frantically

trying to reach maximum height as soon as possible,

then it lets go of the effort and glides delightedly,

twitching a wing from time to time to circle back to

the tree to repeat the process several times.

I do not speak 'pigeon' so whether it is doing this

for fun or to attract the other pigeon I do not know.

In my own mind there arises the intention to locate

this event in the Rgvedic story of the two birds, or,

ignoring the scientific 'why' and 'how' questions, to

locate it in 'keneshitam', 'by whose impulse is it'.

This question has the power to release the mind from

such efforts mirrored by the pigeon's efforts to reach

the highest point before it lets go and begins to

glide. As the efforts fall away the presence of

connection, the substratum of the observer, observed

and observing emerges. Very simple.

 

There is the outer space, antaH, the inner space,

bahiH, and the all pervading sarva-gata or vyApta.

To understand the Vedas in front of, within and

pervading us, and to understand the written

collections, all expressing the One Veda, the Omkara,

we are assisted by devotion in its true meaning:

 

>

> 38. By worship of this subtle form of the Vedas, O

> brahmana, mystic

> sages cleanse their hearts of all contamination

> caused by impurity of

> substance, activity and doer, and thus they attain

> freedom from

> repeated

> birth and death.

 

This is all very pertinent personally because my study

this morning was of Brahma SUtras I.1.31

('tat tad upAsanA-yogyatayA cha purushANAm') and

Shankara's commentary. Although a personal study I

came across the following which I am quoting fully as

it is directly relevant to efforts to understand the

Vedic hymns.

I am quoting herethe words of Shri Ramachandra Rao in

his book RgVeda Darshana Vol 2. p.222-3:

 

'This threefold distinction follows the eligibilty and

capability of the different devotees. Some may

worship Brahman as all-pervasive; They share the

characteristics of the devas, being superior in

intelligence and having abundance of divine grace.

They visualize Brahman everywhere (brahma tatamam).

They have all-round (inside and outside) illumination

(sarva-prakASAH). They are the sages, who have

disciplined themselves and broken the barrier of the

limited mental equipment (sImAnam vidArya). Yet

others, who are merely human but earnest

practitioners, can worship Brahman only as an external

image. They can find light only in the outside

(bahiH-prakASAH)....

The Vedic passages need to be interpreted in terms of

the facility, direction and insight they provide to

the three classes of human beings who are intent on

spiritual fulfilment. Shankara also recognises that

not all people are alike eligible to approach the

infinite and absolute Brahman with devotion and

concentration; .............

 

May I please recommend most strongly this book. (Dr.

Ramachandra Rao has presented three illustrations of

the adhyajna, adhidaivata and adhyAtma proponents.

These in his presentation are, Sayana, Saunaka and

Yaska respectively. ‘RgVeda Darshana Volume Two

Interpretations’ S K Ramachandra Rao Kalpatharu

Research Academy Publications 1998 )

It has all my own childish understanding presented

with the maturity of one born in this tradition. The

chapter on the Vedanta approach to understanding the

Rgveda is what I have used above and will return to

later before I launch into the Rgveda without

reference to later works.

 

Thank you again, Professor Krishnamurthy

 

Ken Knight

>

> 39. From that transcendental subtle vibration arose

> the omkara

> composed

> of three sounds. The omkara has unseen potencies and

> manifests

> automatically within a purified heart. It is the

> representation of

> the

> Absolute Truth in all three of His phases-the

> Supreme Personality,

> the

> Supreme Soul and the supreme impersonal truth.

 

 

=====

‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

--- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk wrote:

.

> > (Dr Ramachandra Rao has presented three

illustrations

> of

> > the adhyajna, adhidaivata and adhyAtma proponents.

> > These in his presentation are, Sayana, Saunaka and

> > Yaska respectively. `RgVeda Darshana Volume Two

> > Interpretations' S K Ramachandra Rao Kalpatharu

> > Research Academy Publications 1998 )

> >> Is this book available online?

 

Namaste Professor,

I would think that unlikely as it is so recent a

publication. I have copies of several volumes in this

series through SOAS library in London . If you know

anybody in Bangalore I think that is the surest place

to get copies. They are wonderful books for they guide

you to shruti and do not leave you wading through

acres of the author's opinions. The only problem for

some will be that he sometimes does not translate the

Sanskrit.

>this morning was of Brahma SUtras I.1.31

> > ('tat tad upAsanA-yogyatayA cha purushANAm') and

> > Shankara's commentary.

>

> Ken-ji, I am not able to locate this in the Brahma

> sutra book. I-1-

> 31 is omething else.

 

In I.1 31 you will find upAsanA traividhyaAt .

Unfortunately I dot not have the Sanskrit for

Shankara's commentary but I do have the English as

translated by V.H.Date. I had picked up the Sanskrit

from Dr Rao's final chapter on the Vedantin

interpretation of the Rgveda and used his reference to

the BS.

In the context of this study I had done my best to

show through YAska's Nirukta how we needed to

understand the three ways of interpreting the Rks:

'These three levels, gross, subtle and causal as it

were, of Adhibhautica, regarding the external world,

Adhidaivica, regarding divine beings, and Adhyatmica,

regarding spiritual truths, is a central teaching in

Vedanta.'

However, I had also tried to explain the importance of

division, that it is there for explanation or

demonstration only. So really there are not three

'levels' nor 'stages', they are a fluid, coeval event.

So P.D.Shastri in 'The Doctrine of Maya in the

Philosophy of Vedanta ' writes, p.11:

'Still, distinctions ARE (his emphasis) to be made,

especially when they help us to a clearer

understanding of that which is really beyond them.'

 

Shankara, in his commentary on I.1.31, counters the

three-fold interpretations of his opponents and, in my

book's translation, states:

'But (as against this view of the VrittikArs) we hold

that Brahman alone is the topic (of knowledge, and not

of devotion.)

Now Dr Rao in the stated chapter on Vedanta's

interpretation of the Rgveda is looking at various

threefold distinctions. He quotes the text I gave you

and writes as quoted in the last posting.

What is most important is that a few pages later he

writes, on p.226,

'The three meanings are not meant to be disparate or

mutually exclusive. They are integrated in one

approach, as already menationed; in this approach, the

three meanings constitute three inter-related

dimensions ( Hence the expression 'tritaya'). The

approach involves reconciliation of the adhiyajna, the

adhi-daivata and the adhyAtma approaches discussed

above. It is also in accord with the eligibility and

capability of the devotees (manda-madhyama-uttama)

each of the meanings being meant for one of the levels

of the devotees but only in the main. The three

dimensions are aupplementary and complimentary to each

other; no level can be disregarded all together.'

And he continues with much more explanation.

 

I hope that this helps. If you would like to have more

of Dr Rao's words maybe we should exchange them

off-list as his is a long chapter.

 

Ken Knight

 

=====

‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’