PLACE OF PRACTICE IN ADVAITA VEDANTA-Purusha Suktham....

[Guest guest]

respected shri Krishnan,

 

Thank you so much for mentioning the very first verse from Purusha

Suktham of the Rig Veda...

 

YES...

 

You state

 

"sahasra sheersha purusha :

sahasraaksha sahasra paad---",

(here, sahasra does not mean "1000".

here , sahasra means " all", " everything".

therefore, sahasra sheersha means,

sheersha of all creations, sheersha of every living

being-- head of all men of all nativities and, women

of all nativities, all animals-- dogs, pigs, donkeys,

amoebae-----.)

 

and you state further

 

it follows that when you worship this > sahasra sheersha purusha in

the form of vishnu or shiva or shakti or subrahmanya or ganesha or

any other form , you are actually worshipping the universe!.

 

 

This is the whole point. ALL IS CONSCIOUSNESS !

 

This is the reason why when the cows were grazing on the Grass in the

panchavati at the Dakshineshwer ASHRAM, devotees saw " red marks" on

Shri Ramakrishna's back when he removed his shirt ....

Thakor's 'consiousness' was so aroused , he could not even bear the

sight of the cows trampling on the Grass - to shri Ramakrisha, even

the 'grass' was pulsating with Life !

 

Same was the case with Shri Ramana who treated all the animals in the

Ramanshram - like monkeys, dogs, cows, birds . squirrels and snakes

etc with the same honor, love and respect that he would treat

humans.

 

Krishnan-ji! i have a question for you!

 

verse 12 in Purusa-suktham goes like this ...

 

brAhmaNo asya mukhamAseet | bAhoo rAjanya: krta: |

ooru tadasya yad vaishya | padbhyAm shoodro ajAyata || 12 ||

 

literal translation

 

(asya) His (mukham) mouth (Aseet) became (brAhmaNa:)

the Brahmin, (bAhoo) his arms (krta:) were made (rAjanya:)

Kings. (yad) what were(asya ooru) his thighs, (tad) they were

made into (vaishya:) the merchants, (padbhyAm) and from his feet

(shoodro) were the servants (ajAyata) born.

 

 

Another translation....

 

>From his mouth came forth

The men of learning

And of his arms

Were warriors made

>From his thighs came

The trading people

And his feet gave

Birth to servants..

 

http://www.ramanuja.org/purusha/sukta-intro.html - 9k - Cached

 

 

Well, Krishnan-ji , although this verse describes the 'occupational

division of labor' - the same verse was 'used' by men to create the

Caste system ( varana-jati system) and then for the longest time ,

you saw men ill-treating other men from other castes using this very

same scripture ! is it the fault of the scripture that it is

misinterpreted ? It is the fault of ordinary men who use the

scriptures to inflict pain and humiliation on other men in the name

of 'caste' !

 

Our Nair-ji mentioned about Shri Narayana Guru in one of his posts!

 

Yes ! who is Sree Narayana Guru ?

 

He is a true 'Advaitin' who worked incessantly for the upliftment of

the 'ezhava' community in Kerala - He engaged low caste Ezhavas as

priests and archakas in his temples , He did not stop with this. He

also worked for the spread of 'education' creating 'awareness' among

the low castes and gave the Ezhava community a sense of self-

confidence and dignity. What a great social reformer , beloved

Narayana Guru! A true saint who practiced ADVAITA in its practical

form! WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY IF IT DOES NOT HELP YOU IN PRACTICAL DAY

TO DAY LIVING?

 

to read about this great social reformer, Shri Narayana guru, please

go to

 

http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/articledesc.asp?cid=307259 - 48k -

 

"ONE CASTE, ONE GOD , ONE RELIGION' -said shri Narayana guru .....

 

THAT IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF ADVAITA.

 

one can read all the scriptures in the world but it is of no use if

one uses the 'scriptures' to inflict pain and sorrow on fellow human

beings - women and low castes!!! that is not Dharma- that is A-

DHARMA!!!

 

LOVE AND REGARDS

[Guest guest]

Namaste Adi-Ji:

 

Just a small addendum to what you have said -

>

>

>

> Well, Krishnan-ji , although this verse describes the 'occupational

> division of labor' - the same verse was 'used' by men to create the

> Caste system ( varana-jati system) and then for the longest time ,

> you saw men ill-treating other men from other castes using this

very

> same scripture ! is it the fault of the scripture that it is

> misinterpreted ? It is the fault of ordinary men who use the

> scriptures to inflict pain and humiliation on other men in the name

> of 'caste' !

 

 

 

You are correct that it is the fault of the interpreter and not of

the scripture.

 

It is said - naisha sthaaNor aparaadho yadenamandho na pshyanti sa

purushaaparaadhaa sa bhavati

 

Meaning - It is not the fault of the pillar that a blind man cannot

see it.

 

In purushasuuktaa

> verse 12 in Purusa-suktham goes like this ...

>

> brAhmaNo asya mukhamAseet | bAhoo rAjanya: krta: |

> ooru tadasya yad vaishya | padbhyAm shoodro ajAyata || 12 ||

>

> literal translation

>

> (asya) His (mukham) mouth (Aseet) became (brAhmaNa:)

> the Brahmin, (bAhoo) his arms (krta:) were made (rAjanya:)

> Kings. (yad) what were(asya ooru) his thighs, (tad) they were

> made into (vaishya:) the merchants, (padbhyAm) and from his feet

> (shoodro) were the servants (ajAyata) born.

>

> Another translation....

>

>

> From his mouth came forth

> The men of learning

> And of his arms

> Were warriors made

> From his thighs came

> The trading people

> And his feet gave

> Birth to servants..

>

> http://www.ramanuja.org/purusha/sukta-intro.html - 9k - Cached

>

 

This is actually an answer to the question posed in the previous

R^icaa -

 

mukhaM kimasya kau baahuu kaa uruu paadaa uccete || 11 ||

 

The R^icaa does not ask the question what is born out of what but

rather wants to know what is it compared with. It is only the last

line that states "padbhyaama shuudro ajaayata". As per manusmR^iti -

"janmanaa jaayate shuudraH samskaaraata dvija uccate" Meaning -

"everybody is shuudra by birth, it is only the samskaara that one

can become dvijaa."

 

Ultimately it is up to the individual to get purified and attain

higher status (in vyaavaharic or/and spiritual levels). That

responsibility rests on his own shoulders.

 

Many indriyas coming together to form an individual - ONE PURUSHA

(this is not to be interpreted as a male gender). - Thus advita

Many members of the family to form a united family - ONE PURUSHA -

thus advita

Many different class, of folks coming together to form one community -

ONE PURUSHA thus advita

Many different communities come together to form one city / State /

Nation /(United Nation) /The Earth / the Universe - ONE PURUSHA.

Thus advita

 

Therefore saadhana with advitic principles is extremely critical.

 

Regards,

 

Yadunath

 

 

advaitin, "adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16>

wrote:

> respected shri Krishnan,

>

[Guest guest]

Sorry for the typo "advita" it should read "advaita"

 

Regards,

 

Yadunath

[Guest guest]

Thank you Yadu-ji!

 

You have expressed sentiments that are so delightful to hear and so

pleasing to read ...

 

A true ADVAITIN should never entertain any distinctions based on

one's birth or status in life. A brahmajnani never recognizes any

artificial division of society based on Human Greed or

selfishness !

 

may i please share the following Tagore poem with you all !!

 

 

Friendless as a child

 

And looking far away,

 

I live my days in solitude.

 

I was born in a world

 

Unloved, unclean,

 

A world without walls and blazons.

 

My neighbors' homes were circled by high fences.

 

I was a nameless boy, an outcast,

 

They had fine and crowded homes;

>From afar, I watched their coming and their going

 

Along the paved way.

 

I have no caste,

 

And may not dine with them.

 

The men brought up in ritual and creed

 

Did not recognize Man in me,

 

Therefore I played on the streets alone.

 

Holding up their robes, they passed by,

 

And plucked flowers for the worship of their God,

 

Flowers plucked by the rules of their holy books;

 

And for my God, left behind

 

Flowers from all lands,

 

Flowers blessed by the same sun.

 

Neglected by the crowd

 

I have roved, hungry for unity with Man,

 

Whose guest-house has no walls, no guards.

 

Beyond the crowd I have found friends in my solitude,

 

Friends who in history's great Ages

 

Have come with lights,

 

Come with the Great Message.

 

They are heroes, death-conquerers,

 

They are my kith and kin,

 

My caste and my lineage.

 

By their constant purity, I am made pure.

 

They are Truth's pilgrims,

 

Light's worshippers,

 

Worthy possessors of Amrita*.

 

In the narrow circle, I have lost Man

 

And found him there, where he transcends

 

The limits of all lands.

 

With folded hands, I have prayed to Him:

 

'O Eternal Man, you who belong to all men,

 

Save me from the arrogance of Pride,

 

That wears the mark of Exclusion.'

 

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

 

http://www.west.net/~ger/tagore.html - 4k - Cached

 

Sant Kabir also sings thus

 

IT is needless to ask of a saint the caste to which he belongs ;

 

For the priest, the warrior, the tradesman,

and all the thirty-six castes, alike are seeking for God.

 

It is but folly to ask what the caste of a saint may be ;

The barber has sought God, the washerwoman,

and the carpenter -

 

Even Raidas was a seeker after God.

The Rishi Swapacha was a tanner by caste.

 

Hindus and Moslems alike have achieved that End,

where remains no mark of distinction.

 

BHAKT KABIR

 

http://www.upanishad.org/kabir/kabir2.htm - 1k - Cached -

 

" Brahmaiva Satyam"

 

Brahman alone is real!

 

" SATYAMEVA JAYATE! "

 

Truth alone triumphs!!!

 

LOVE AND REGARDS

[Guest guest]

dear ymoharir,

you are very correct that men have used

purusha sooktham as the tool to divide men.

even today, castes and sub castes are

being created for getting the benefit of "

reservations".

i wd like to discuss this separately

later.

however, please note that the vedas have

also used the terms shudra to differentiate between

materials, for example, among metals , there are

brahmin metals, kshatriya, vaishya, shoodra metals

etc.

in another plane, please remember that

vaalmiki is a hunter by birth, vyaasa a fisherman,

viswamitra a ksahtriya, the name "durvaasa" itself

tells you something, --- we can go on like this.

 

whatever the rationale, the hindu is

today fighting with his back to the wall , because of

the large number of divisions in the faith. all the

others faiths use us to unite themselves in the

process!.

situation is very scary.

100 yrs from now, the hindus in hindustan

may be an insignificant minority, begging for a place

to set his foot down just as krishna bagged of

duryodhana for five villages for pandavas, or

something similar to the " EXODUS" of leon uris

fame, cd be repeated in the life time of the present

generation hindu youngster!. beware!!

let us wake up without being bombed.

sincerely yours, a.v.krshnan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hello Av Krshnan,

 

I'm sure that there are many lists where these Indological topics can be

discussed. But on this list, we are focusing on advaita-vedanta. Thanks for

your consideration.

 

--Greg

 

At 01:05 PM 9/15/2004 +0100, av krshnan wrote:

>dear ymoharir,

> you are very correct that men have used

>purusha sooktham as the tool to divide men.

 

....