Guest guest Posted December 11, 2005 Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 Bhakti and Jnana Namaste To All: Here are some more inputs to contemplate on the fusion of Bhakti and Jnana: In the Svaraajyasiddhi-tiika III-39 there is a very interesting thought depicting paraabhakti in the sloka : Siva it-yahamit-yubhau na bhinnau, siva evaaham aham siva: sa eva | Yadi naivam anaatmataa sivasya prasared-apy-asivatvam atmanopi || The two, Siva and I are never different. I am Siva Himself; that Siva is I myself. Otherwise, insentience would pervade Siva and inauspiciousness, the Self. Here, the enlightened devotee explains the reason for his claiming identity with Siva: Whatever is other than I, the Atma, is anatma and inert like a pot. If Siva is not me the Atma, He will have to be an inert object. This the devotee can never bear. And if I am different from Siva, the mangalasvarupa, whatever is not mangala has to be amangala and I will be reduced to amangalasvarupa. This too nobody would desire to be. Therefore, it is better for both me as well as for Siva to be identical. ***** In the famous Gopikaa-giitam of the Srimadbhaagavata we have a nice sloka : Na khalu gopikaa-nandano Bhavaan Akhila-dehinaam antaraatma-drk….(10.31.4) This means: The gopis and cowherds realised that their familiar Srikrishna is not merely the child of a gopi (Yashodha) but the inner perceiving Self of the embodied jivas. ***** We find a verse in the Guudaarthadiipika, commentary on the Srimad Bhagavadgita 18.66: Depending upon the fruition of the practice undertaken, three stages viz, 'I am His alone', 'He is mine alone', and 'I am He alone' are recognised: Tasyaivaaham mamaivaasau sa evaahamiti tridhaa | Bhagavaccharanatvam syaat saadhana-abhyaasa-paakataH || Bhagavaan, in the Gita, spells out the practice, evolution and culmination of the Bhakti-saadhana in the Tenth Chapter, 9, 10 and 11 verses: MacchittaaH Madgata-praanaaH bodhayantaH parasparam | Kathayanthascha Maam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha || Teshaam satata-yuktaanam bhajataam priiti-puurvakam | Dadaami Buddhiyogam tam yena Maam upayaanti te || Teshaameva anukampaartham Aham ajnaanajam tamaH | Naashayaamy-aatma-bhaavastho Jnaana-diipena bhaasvataa || The meaning: The wise with their minds fixed on Me, their lives dedicated to Me, enlightening one another and ever discoursing about Me, are happy and delighted. On such, ever devout, worshipping Me with love, I bestow the faculty of discrimination with which they realise Me (their very Self). Only in the case of such, out of compassion, I, dwelling in their hearts, shining as the light of (discriminatory) knowledge, destroy the darkness of ignorance. ***** In the Svetasvatara Upanishad we have a mantra depicting the inseparability of Bhakti and Jnana: Yasya Deve ParaabhaktiH, yathaa Deve tathaa Gurau | Tasyaite(a)kathitaa hyarthaaH prakaashante mahaatmanaH || (6.23) It is to him alone who has paraabhakti unto the Lord, and as unto the Lord so unto his Guru, that Enlightenment flashes forth in respect of the teaching explicitly given and also that subtle truth that has not been explicitly taught. The idea is, this kind of devotion earns for the devotee the Grace of Isvara and the Guru, by which alone the complete meaning of the upadesha is grasped. Does this not convey the idea of the Gayatri mantra: Dhiyo yo naH prachodayaat? Let me end this post with a beautiful teaching of the scriptures: Santosham janayet praajnaH, tadeva Isvara-puujanam. Let the wise one generate joy ( to the surroundings, among his friends, satsanghis ); that alone constitutes worship of the Lord!! ( I could not miss to notice the similar sound in the words 'janayet' and 'generate'!!) Om Tat Sat subbu Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2005 Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 Thank you sri Subramaniyan-ji! what a beautiful post ! Your post is full of *rasa* i am reminded of the following verse "raso vai saH rasaM hyevAyaM labdvA ''nandI bhavati" - Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7.2 "The Supreme GOD HIMSELF is Bliss it is only by realizing HIM that the individual can become blissful' i think the time is now 'ripe for me to step down and request you to continue this month's topic on Bhakti and Jnana as you are very competent and knowledgeble .... So, please from this moment on ,you are in charge for this month's topic ! i will be a silent lurker enjoying the beauty and wisdom of your posts ! i will be also looking forward to your posts on Sri Dakshinamurthy stotra! Sri ADI SHANKARA SAYS zuddhayati nAntarAtmA kRSNa padAmbhoja bhaktimRute"- ('Prabodha Sudhakar'- Jagadguru Sri Sankaracarya) The 'antaratma' (heart, mind, intellect and ego) cannot be completely purified without Sri Krishna Bhakti, loving devotion to Lord Krishna. All other external methods and rituals of purfication are simply a waste. on this note, let me take leave aqnd wish you sucees in this and all other endeavors! Keep the 'rasa' flowing in this discussion ; let the Sea never become 'dry' for want of bhakti in the name of so called jnana of the intellect! MY THANKS TO SRI RAMJI - i am sorry if i did not meet your expectations ; i never quit but even i am quitting! DEVI MUST HAVE HIGHRER PLANS FOR ME! with warmest regards -- In advaitin, V Subrahmanian <subrahmanian_v> wrote: > > Bhakti and Jnana > > Namaste To All: > > Here are some more inputs to contemplate on the fusion of Bhakti and Jnana: > > In the Svaraajyasiddhi-tiika III-39 there is a very interesting thought depicting paraabhakti in the sloka : > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2005 Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 Namaste Sri Subbuji and Srimathi adimaji: I fully respect the recommendation from adimaji requesting Sri Subbuji to lead the discussions on the monthly topic - "Bhakti and Jnana" from now on. Few days back Sri Subbuji has indicated that he would like to post a series of articles on "Sankara's Dakshinamoorthy Stotram." I believe that this fits very much with this month's topic, "Bhakti and Janana," and a discussion of Dakshinamoorthy Stothram fits most appropriately. Let me take this opportunity to thank Adimaji for her splendid contribution as a discussion leader of Bhakti and Jnana. Her enthusiasm and cheerleading motivational spirit is admirable. I can appreciate why she wants to take a break and contemplate silently to uplift her spirit. Let Devi's Grace provide her the strength to silently witness and enjoy Sri Subbu's postings of Dakshinamoorthy Stotram. I and other members of the list look forward to read and contemplate on the postings of Dakshinamoorthy Stothram from Subbuji. Warmest regards, Harih Om! Ram Chandran advaitin, "adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16> wrote: > > Thank you sri Subramaniyan-ji! > > what a beautiful post ! > > Your post is full of *rasa* > > i think the time is now 'ripe for me to step down and request you to > continue this month's topic on Bhakti and Jnana as you are very > competent and knowledgeble .... So, please from this moment on ,you > are in charge for this month's topic ! i will be a silent lurker > enjoying the beauty and wisdom of your posts ! i will be also > looking forward to your posts on Sri Dakshinamurthy stotra! > > > Keep the 'rasa' flowing in this discussion ; let the Sea never > become 'dry' for want of bhakti in the name of so called jnana of > the intellect! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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