Digest of Kanchi Maha-Swamigal's Discourses on Advaita Saadhanaa (DKAS-0)

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

INTRODUCTION

 

In the sixth volume of ‘Deivathin Kural’ (in Tamil) by Ra.

Ganapathi (4th impression, 1998), pages 225 to 574 give

the Discourses of Kanchi Maha Swamigal (1894 – 1994) on

the subject of Advaita Saadhanaa.

 

(Editorial note by VK: Earlier when we were on the

Soundaryalahari Digest, we were referring to the Kanchi

Maha Swamigal as the 'Paramacharya'. Later I was corrected

and I realised that 'Kanchi Maha-Swamigal' is the more

proper usage, particularly after he has reached 'siddhi')

 

It is now intended to summarise these Tamil discourses on

advaita-saadhanaa in English in these posts (starting

Sept.12). I am trying to write the English version as

close to the original as possible. I pray to His Holiness

the Swamigal himself to guide me in this respect.

 

For those of us who want to have a start (in advaita) fresh

from scratch this might be a right opportunity. Questions,

even of an elementary kind, are welcome. There are several

knowledgeable members on this list and so suitable answers

can be expected to be forthcoming to supplement our

understanding.

 

V. Krishnamurthy.

--------------------------

 

We shall mostly follow the section headings as given below

by Ra. Ganapathi:

 

1. Essence of the other philosophical schools

2. Advaita different from all of them

3. Appears to be easy, but really difficult

4. Moksha is by Grace of God

5. Takes time but effort has to be started

6. Saadhana chatushhTayam – Acharya’s demarcation of the

path along vedic lines

7. Preliminary to JnAna: Karma and Bhakti

8. ShraddhA (Faith) necessary

9. Eligibility for Atma-Saadhanaa

10. Apex of Saadhanaa is only for the sannyaasi

11. Why then tell others, what is suitable only for

Sannyaasis?

12. Two different paths for two different aspirants

13. The subject of Bhakti Yoga

14. Knowledge of advaita basic requirement for every one

15. Nitya-anitya vastu viveka (Discrimination between the

permanent and the ephemeral)

16. Vairaagya (Dispassion)

17. Six characteristic-treasures

18. Shama and dama

19. Uparati

20. Titikshaa

21. Shraddhaa

22. SamaadhAna

23. Who is qualified to receive the teaching of the

Upanishads?

24. Rigour in ‘samaadhAna’

25. The six of the paramAtmA and the six of the JIvAtmA

26. Mumukshutvam

27. Why is the ultimate stage termed as ‘Release’?

28. Mumukshu: Definition of the Acharya

29. Mumukshu – Intermediate and Ultimate

30. Guru’s Grace

31. On Mumuukshu – Traditional scriptures and the Acharya

32. Four tiers of the army of Spirituality

33. Even before the third stage of the third tier

34. Bhakti and its place in the path of JnAna

35. What is Love?

36. Inner Organ and Heart

37. Ego and Love

38. The Object of Love of an Atma-Saadhaka

39. Nirguna Bhakti and Saguna Bhakti

40. Cooling life-giving Love

41. To get rid of the pride of the ego

42. Two stages of Ego in SaadhanA

43. Bhakti and the Heart

44. The NaaDis of the heart: JnAni’s life rests, Other’s

lives leave.

45. Correct meaning of Death in Uttaraayana

46. Two different results of Karma Yoga

47. The NaaDi that goes to the head: Mistaken impression

48. Bhakti of the path of JnAna higher than Bhakti of the

path of Bhakti

49. Atman not just a lifeless abstract principle

50. Bhakti of the path of JnAna, enunciated by the Vedas

51. Also in Sutra Bhashya

52. JnAna itself is Bhakti: Krishna

53. The third Tier

54. Sannyaasa

55. Linked names in Vishnu Sahasranaama

56. Shravanam et al: Vedic Commandment

57. Shravana and Service

58. Is an Enlightened Guru available?

59. Involvement in single Goal

60. Shravana, Manana and Nididhyaasana

61. Penultimate stage of Siddhi

62. Manana that transcends intellect; Nididhyaasana that

transcends mental feeling

63. To get rid of two different conceptions of the mind

64. Greatness of Manana and Nididhyaasana

65. Worm becoming the wasp; Making the worm a wasp

66. Immediate responsibility

--------------------------

 

PraNAms to all students of advaita.

PraNAms to the Maha-swamigal of Kanchi.

profvk

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

Latest on my website: A conversation on the Concept of God in Hinduism.

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/VK2/ConceptofGOD.html

[Guest guest]

Editorial note by VK: Earlier when we were on the

Soundaryalahari Digest, we were referring to the Kanchi

Maha Swamigal as the 'Paramacharya'. Later I was corrected

and I realised that 'Kanchi Maha-Swamigal' is the more

proper usage, particularly after he has reached 'siddhi'

 

praNAms Sri Prof. VK prabhuji

Hare Krishna

 

Just an inquisitive question prabhuji...what exactly was the problem when

we were calling Maha Swamigal of Kanchi as *paramAchArya*?? Is the word

*AchArya* troubling here?? We do call gaudapAdAchArya as *parama

guru/AchArya* (shankara's teacher's teacher) of shankara...is it wrong

then?? kindly clarify.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

 

PS : Thanks a lot for your kind clarification on *bruhat sAma* ..but still

I feel its really a strange identification from Lord. This is something

like first identifying himself with *Om* & then saying in OM, he is

something else like *A*, *U* or *mA*

[Guest guest]

advaitin, bhaskar.yr@i... wrote:

>

> Editorial note by VK: Earlier when we were on the

> Soundaryalahari Digest, we were referring to the Kanchi

> Maha Swamigal as the 'Paramacharya'. Later I was corrected

> and I realised that 'Kanchi Maha-Swamigal' is the more

> proper usage, particularly after he has reached 'siddhi'

>

> praNAms Sri Prof. VK prabhuji

> Hare Krishna

>

> Just an inquisitive question prabhuji...what exactly was the

problem when

> we were calling Maha Swamigal of Kanchi as *paramAchArya*?? Is

the word

> *AchArya* troubling here?? We do call gaudapAdAchArya as *parama

> guru/AchArya* (shankara's teacher's teacher) of shankara...is it

wrong

> then?? kindly clarify.

>

> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

> bhaskar

>

 

Namaste, Bhaskar Prabhuji

 

Once when I had been to the Kanchi Mutt after the Mahaswamigal's

Samadhi, the Mutt inmates told me that "they had stopped referring

to the Swami as 'Paramacharya'; the word 'Paramacharya' means 'Guru

of the Guru' and so it was in vogue in reference to the way in which

he was related to the youngest Pontiff (Shri Vijayendrar) and the

latter was referring to him like that, in all Mutt conversations.

Now that the Swamigal has attained Samadhi, the whole world should

rather call him as the 'Mahaswamigal' rather than the individual

relationship connoted by the word Paramacharya". Hence it is that I

am referring to him nowadays as the Kanchi Mahaswamigal.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk