YogAmRRitaM by R. Visvanatha Sastri - Introduction

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

Recently we had a long discussion on Intellectual

Understanding versus Direct Realisation. At the end of it

Bhaskar prabhu-ji contributed a scholarly presentation of

Nirvikalpa-samAdhi in Shankara’s advaita. In fact Part III

of this presentation is being eagerly awaited. This

discussion as well as Bhaskar’s superb handling of the

discussion have been very fruitful. Somewhere along the

line I wanted to intervene but I did not have the

wherewithal or the courage to enter that discussion which

was already at a technical level. The whole question seemed

to centre around the elementary doubt: Whether there is a

difference between the ‘yoga and samadhi’ talked about in

the yogasutras of Patanjali and the ‘yoga and samadhi’

talked about by exponents of advaita. For the answering of

this elementary question – note that the elementariness is

only for the question , not for the answer – I promised to

look into my father’s (unpublished) manuscript

‘GitAmRRita-mahodadhiH’ in Sanskrit. It contains 2400

verses in five chapters of which the last chapter

(containing 435 shlokas) is called ‘yogAmRRitaM’. The

first four chapters are ‘brahma’, ‘praNava’, ‘advaita’ and

‘j~nAna’ - amRRitams. I straightaway got into the fifth

chapter and very soon found that this is the exact question

he is dealing with there. So I promised to write it up for

you all, along with an English translation to be supplied

by me.

 

The task has not been easy. I have only finished half of

the homework as of now. But I am at it. And I find Bhaskar

prabhu-ji’s analysis helps me in understanding – I think I

am understanding -- my father’s mss.. I shall present as

much of this fifth chapter of that work as possible, but

in instalments. I am sure the readers also will have to be

given time to read and absorb it in small doses.

 

My translations are very weak, before the powerful words

that my father has used in the work. So very often instead

of a translation I give only a synopsis of a whole block of

shlokas. Often I have also indicated my ignorance by

putting a question mark in my English translation. I am

sure scholars on this list would be able (and would be

willing, I hope) to help me. And here we go.

 

Note that my father’s work in original had only shlokas but

later at my request he interpolated them with his own

prose commentary at appropriate places of his choice, also

in Sanskrit. Both are presented in this series of mine. God

willing, I propose to start on March 14.

 

Just for information the whole work ‘GiTAmRRita-mahodadhiH’

was intended to be put on the web by me and that project is

still on, though dormant. The first 294 verses of the first

chapter brahmAmRRitaM with my synopsis in English can be

seen at

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/Appa/Gitamrtam.html

 

PraNAms to all advaitins on this list and to my father

profvk

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

You are welcome to have a look at any of the following books on my website:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk

 

1. Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision & Practice

2. Live Happily, the Gita Way

3. Advaita Dialogue for beginners.

4. Discourses of the Paramacharya on Soundaryalahari.