Grace is what we really need .............. Thank you Ram-ji!....

[Guest guest]

Thank you sri Ramachandran-ji!

 

I specially liked the following line in your post ....

 

( The Advaita Philosophy begins with Grace and ends with Grace!)

 

Yes, the KEY word is 'Grace'

 

It is my pleasure to share the following story with all the members

here .... most of you may be already familiar with this story...

 

How Adi Shankara met his guru Govindapada....

 

 

Shankara's meeting with his Sat-Guru, Govinda, is an example of right

preparation for meeting the Sat-Guru. By the time he came to Sri

Govinda,Shankara was already a serious aspirant, with a deep

intuition of the Divine.

 

He was born in the south of India and had renounced family life at

age twelve to travel on foot in search of a true Spiritual Master.

Over the course of his thousand-mile journey, he met many mystics,

Yogis, and Saints, but none of them could fully answer his questions,

nor grant perfect Realization.

 

Finally, after four years, he found the forest hermitage of his

illustrious Teacher on the banks of the Godavari River. There he

first consulted with various ascetics, who led him to the entrance to

Sage Govinda's residence—a cave whose entrance Govinda had blocked

with a huge boulder, leaving only a small opening at the bottom.

 

Shankara circumambulated the area surrounding the cave three times,

and, prostrating himself in front of the entrance, he began to chant

a hymn in praise of the Sage.

 

Govinda, seeing Shankara's feet through the opening, asked, "Who are

you?" Shankara, showing his full preparation replied, "I have come to

thee to know That."

 

Upon hearing these words, Sage Govinda was delighted, and he, through

his own Spiritual advancement, could see the full and right

preparation of Shankara. In response, referring to Shankara as

his "Dear child", Govinda said,'If you want to know That, hold on to

this," extending his foot through the entrance to the cave so that

Shankara could see it. Shankara prostrated ecstatically before the

Sage's feet in true devotion and worshipped dhe Sage's feet with a

proper ceremony of puja (devotional worship).

 

Praying aloud, and offering his unconditional love to his Master, he

also requested the Master's infinite Grace. At that, Govindapada

pulled both his foot and the boy Shankara into the cave. He embraced

the youth, acknowledged his rare qualifications as an aspirant, and he

Transmitted his Spiritual Blessings to Shankara by touch, word, and

glance. Shankara stayed with his Teacher for a few days longer to

receive Instruction, and then left to fulfill his mission.

 

 

First, Adi Shankara's state of preparation was extraordinary, owing

to his inherent Spiritual qualities and the purifying practice he had

already fulfilled. Next, he truly acknowledged and saw his Master as

the Divine and completely surrendered to him as Sat-Guru. It was on

the basis of these qualifications that he received and was strongly

Graced by the genuine Divine Transmission of his Sat-Guru.

 

The story of Adi Shankara is a model of the proper preparation and

response in a devotee. Shankara's Sat-Guru readily and happily

received him and was able to instantly initiate him with his Blessing

Transmission. But the decision as to whether any aspirant is accepted

as a formal student by a Sat-Guru depends on the aspirant's genuine

qualifications, and these are most often evaluated by either the Sat-

Guru himself (or herself), or by his devotees in accordance with his

Instructions.

 

The above is from

Love of the God-Man,

by James Steinberg.... posted in my Group Brahmanshakti!!

**********************************************************************

adi shankara , in his classic work, classic work, Viveka Chudamani,

defines a guru as :

 

Shaantaah mahanto nivasanti santo

vasantavalloka hitam charantah

Teernaah swayam bheema bhavaarnavam janaan

ahetunaanyaanapi taarayantah

 

The Gurus exist as men of peace, as great men, as saintly and

virtuous men who have crossed the terrible ocean of Samsara. They

also make others cross it. The spring brings blessings to the world

without expecting anything in return. This is exactly what a Guru

does for the world. In this way, the Guru is like Vasanta (spring

season), which brings benefits to the world without any reason or

motives.

 

shri Gurubyo namaha

 

Jaya Jaya Shankara

 

Hara Hara Shankara

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Jay!

 

good point...

 

 

but i was speaking of Guru's grace !!

 

but at the time of Jnana or self relaization , Guru is the Self!!!

 

there is no contradiction therefore! smiles....

 

regards

 

 

 

Jay Nelamangala <jay wrote:

Dear Adi mA and Sri RamaChandran,

 

>Thank you sri Ramachandran-ji!

>I specially liked the following line in your post ....

>( The Advaita Philosophy begins with Grace and ends with Grace!)

>Yes, the KEY word is 'Grace'

 

 

There is one slight problem in advaita vedAnta and 'Grace of the Lord'.

 

If there is such a thing as True Grace of Lord, then Lord is not

nirguNa-brahman,

because you have not negated Grace from Brahman yet. Once you negate Grace

also from Brahman, that is when you are supposed to realize that, even that

Grace was

actually coming from yourself, since you were never different from Brahman.

 

Only in vyavahAra which is avidyA-krita there is this so called 'Grace'.

That is when you can think of bhakti and Grace.

In otherwords, Grace is avidyA-krita, hence is mithyA too.

Saying Advaita Philosophy ends with Grace, would be wrong then.

Advaita vedAnta is supposed to end in Sathya, and not in mithyA.

 

In paramArtha, there is no such thing as Grace anyways. If there is a Grace

bestowing

God in paramArtha too, then there should also be a Grace receiving soul in

paramArtha.

THis position is against advaita vedAnta itself.

 

Thus, both in vyavahAra and in paramArtha, advaita vedAnta can not end

in God's grace that is Real.

 

So, either there is advaita vedAnta or there is God's grace.

You won't have both.

 

Regards,

Jay N.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Jay:

 

I am just praying the Lord to shower you with His Grace so that you

can understand the Advaita Vedanta as stated by Sankara

Bhagavadpada. With his Grace, you, me, Him get superimposed and at

that time (simultaneously) our differences will also disappear. This

assertion is also made with His Grace and I hope that you understand

this assertion with His Grace!

 

Sankara's Advaita philosophy never treats "God" and "Grace" as two

separate entities. Sankara's message is quite subtle and only with

Grace it can be understood. Brahman (Lord) is the subject and Grace

can never be separated from the Brahman!

 

In Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Lord Krishna described the reasons for

the duality beautifully. The 'divine' and 'devil' are within each of

us. The Lord's grace becomes necessary to get rid of the 'devil'

then we become the divine and the nonduality is fully established!

 

Warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

>

> Jay Nelamangala <jay@r...> wrote:

>.....

>

> So, either there is advaita vedAnta or there is God's grace.

> You won't have both.

>

> Regards,

> Jay N.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Just I may add - The avadhuuta Giita by Dattatreya begins with the sloka

that declares that only due to the grace of God one gets the benefit of

advaita knowledge - Even to understand that 'tat tvam asi' one needs the

grace of God - since it is not an understanding as a thought but

understanding as a fact. Jay - to drop 'a' from the 'atat tvam asi' it

requires lot more lives and lot more grace! Let that Lord shower on you

the abudent grace.

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

 

--- Ram Chandran <RamChandran wrote:

> Namaste Sri Jay:

>

> I am just praying the Lord to shower you with His Grace so that you

> can understand the Advaita Vedanta as stated by Sankara

> Bhagavadpada.

 

> > So, either there is advaita vedAnta or there is God's grace.

> > You won't have both.

> >

> > Regards,

> > Jay N.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

 

 

=====

What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort.

Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only

the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda

[Guest guest]

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

IMHO, it is better not to discuss shankara & his siddhAnta with those who

have already concluded advaita is full of assumptions & shankara's method

of teaching is utterly avaidik. Any amount of discussion with them will be

simply waste of time.

 

Now, for the sincere followers of shankara siddhAnta, pls. note shankara

never sidelined the manda & madhyama adhikAri-s like us. In gIta & sUtra

bhAshya he holds parishuddha bhakti to saguNa brahman at high esteem.

While commenting on gIta verse manmanAbhava madbhakto madyAjimAm

namaskuru......(forgot the verse no. think it is in 18th chapter) shankara

says yEvam bhagavataH satya pratijnatvaM buddhvA bhagavadbhaktEH avashyaM

bhAvi mOksha phalaM avadhArya bhagavaccharaNaikaparAyaNO bhavEt....in sUtra

bhAshya somewhere he says tadanugraha hEtukEnaiva cha vijAnEna

mOkshasiddhirbhavitumarhati etc.etc. where else can we find this ananya

bhakti ?? shankara bhagavad pAda is not a dry logician he is a saint par

excellence!!!

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

--- bhaskar.yr wrote:

>

> praNAms

> Hare Krishna

>

> IMHO, it is better not to discuss shankara & his siddhAnta with those

> who

> have already concluded advaita is full of assumptions & shankara's

> method

> of teaching is utterly avaidik. Any amount of discussion with them

> will be

> simply waste of time.

 

 

Yes Bhaskarji -You are absolutely right. I have realized that long time

ago when a dwaita achaarya who was an ex junior piTaadhipati of madhva

maTh took shelter my house and I had to help him tanslate the madhva

book.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

=====

What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort.

Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only

the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda