What is Sadhana? A tantric view

[Guest guest]

my view

meditation minus desire is saadhana

namasivayam

[Guest guest]

Nityananda! Gauragna! Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila

Prabhupada and all Vaisnavas. Please accept my humble obeisances and

blessings. I pray that this meets you well and in the service/mercy

of Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga.

 

Sadhana has different meanings according to the tradition of the

worship. In major hindu sects sadhana is translated into the manner

of which one worships.

I would like to add a few points to Jaya Kesheva Prabhuji's post

concerning his answer. For one to aspire in sadhana, or to make

progression in spiritual advancement, one should not have an

impersonalistic view of God. In the Brahma Samhita, Lord Brahma

address the Original Person, giving Him Name, Fame and Spiritual

Body. "Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He

has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He

has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes."

The Supreme Lord is not without personality, form, fame, wealth,

emotions; just as we are not without these things. The great

writings of the Acharyas teach us that this material world is only a

poor reflection of what truly exists in the spiritual world. Just as

we have emotions, qualities, knowledge, God Himself possess these

same qualities, just in perfect purportions. One cannot even begin

to imagine His opulances, it is said is the Vedas that Sri Krishna

Himself does not understand fully His abilities.

What Jaya Keshava Prabhu was addressing was the impersonalist view

or opinion that one is to merge with the brahmajoyoti. The Mayavada

philosophy term "brahma" is not Lord Brahma, but used as "God" is

used in English. There is a vast difference in this confusing term

that those with impersonal views use. The impersonalist say that for

us to attain liberation, then we are to merge with the effulgence of

God. In the Vedic understanding, this is literal spiritual suicide.

We are not to merge with the effulgence, but to continue on in a

purely perfect association personal association with the Lord when we

attain liberation. Just as we cannot merge with the effulgence of

the sun, we cannot merge with the Lord. With normal human

understanding, we understand that if we were to merge with the sun,

then we would cease to be bodily, therefore we can justify that if we

were to merge with the Lord spiritual, we would cease to exist

spiritually.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna not to greave

concerning his family relations that he was to fight on the

Battlefield of Kurkshetra. "For the soul there is never birth nor

death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into

being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-

existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain." BG

2:20 "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all

these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." BG

2:12. This is just a small fraction of all the verses that cover

this area. There are many many more throughout the Vedas to disprove

any statement that we "merge" with the Lord.

In the second definition you give for Sadhana, this is a generic

meaning, not a spiritual meaning. We must be very careful in using

the definitions of sanskrit terms made by the English in during their

occupation of India. The Christian English attempted to strip the

Indian people of all religious meaning from their lives, to make them

more "like" themselves. It is most difficult for someone, even

though they are a scholar, to appreaciate the full meaning of a

personal term such as sadhana. To us, as Vaisnavas, and those that

practice the numerous religious beliefs of hinduism, sadhana is not a

description of a voidist mentality, but one that is full of life,

meaning and substance. The British used the Mayavada philosophies to

explain many terms, were "prejudiced" against the northern Vaisnavas

and others who hold to a personal relationship mentality of the

Lord. If you read Sri Monier Monier-Williams' "A sanskrit/English

Dictionary which was published by the Oxford Press in 1899, you will

find many mis-identified and mis-appropriate meanings to sanskrit

words. The book is rudermentry at best. But, unfortuate, many

scholars still look to it for guidance.

In the mundain sense, sadhana is one's personal religious

practice, but in the literal sense, sadhana is much much more. One

can attempt to explain what sadhana is, which is easier within the

confines of one's religious institution or sect of beliefs, but, like

most of hinduism, it is a very personal journey back home, back to

Godhead.

 

Your eternal servant;

Nitaipada Maharaja

[Guest guest]

Could we just simplify all this by saying -

 

Any process/practice that is implemented by an individual to

determine the ultimate truth (trikaala abaadhita) can be termed

as "saadhanaa".

 

Dr. Yadu

[Guest guest]

I agree with that Dr Yadu.

[Guest guest]

Dear Dr. Yadu,Please accept My Humble Obiesances!My simple answer to your

quetion,statement,Is Yes,You are correct!

 

Your Servant ,Jaya Kesava Dasa

[Guest guest]

, "Angie" <oiokasti@h...> wrote:

 

> This is not the english we are talking about nor an author of a

> sanskrit dictionary. We are talking about a specific person:

Arthur .......

 

Yes dear Angie i fully agree with you. Your answer is full of

maturity and wisdom.

 

Sadhna as word means practicing hard to gain proficiency in some

art. The exact word should be Spiritual Sadhna, but in India we

normally use Sadhna only for this.

 

 

So (spiritual) sadhna is a constant and conscious effort by us

to know the unknown and to unveil Truth out of untruth.

 

Here conscious word is important becoz unconsciously the whole

of living beings are slowly progressing towards the truth. But that

is Sadhna of Prakriti or Nature, and the beings are dragged on the

path without ever knowing about it.

 

It becomes our sadhna when we consciously decide to know the

truth. It starts with the human beings first knowing that there is

some Shakti above, which controls their rains, which helps them

getting good hunt etc etc and they start worshipping different

devatas to please that Power, to help them.

 

Then slowly they know that all the shaktis of the universe are an

iota of the supreme shakti controlling all of them. Here comes the

personal god, and we continue our sadhna by worshipping that shakti

alone and start thinking about that.

 

Now from here we have one path going towards Moksha by merging

into that personal god but those who are more logical and less

emotional...continue knowing who that personal god is !If there is

anything else beyond personal God. Here starts the Gyan yoga.

 

It will be childish to say that a Bhakta is imperfect or a gyani

is more advanced or a Karma yogi is Atheist. Or to say that only

Hare Krishna people will get Moksha or Vedanti will merge with the

god....or even Hindus have a right to Moksha.

 

A real sadhka not only knows the Truth, he also knows the truth

of others. A real sadhka thus do not contradict, do not negate, do

not hate, do not think little of other's faith/religion. Because he

has in him the greater canvass on which he can place all other

sadhkas and their truths on the correct place and thus completes the

maize.

 

Jai Ho

[Guest guest]

, beirut_ka_baba <no_reply> wrote:

>

> , "Angie" <oiokasti@h...> wrote:

>

> >

> So (spiritual) sadhna is a constant and conscious effort by us

> to know the unknown and to unveil Truth out of untruth.

>

> Here conscious word is important becoz unconsciously the whole

> of living beings are slowly progressing towards the truth. But that

> is Sadhna of Prakriti or Nature, and the beings are dragged on the

> path without ever knowing about it.

>

 

 

In this context of saadhanaa two mantraa's from muNDakopaniShad are

important to understand.

 

dhanurgR^ihitvaa mahaastraM sharaM hyupaa.nsaanishitaM sa.nghayiita |

aayamya tad-bhaavagatena cetasaa laxaM tadevaaxaraM somya viddhi ||

mu. 2.3 ||

 

Liberal Meaning - Using the uapaniShada (knowledge as explained by

the sages) as a bow and using the sharpened arrow of saadhanaa. Then

dear somya, concentrating with purified thoughts, unite with the

axara-brahman.

 

praNavo dhanuH sharo hyaatmaa brahma tallaxamuccate |

apramattena veddhavyaM sharavatattanmayo bhavet || mu. 2.4 ||

 

Liberal Meaning - praNava (OM) is the bow, aatmaa as an arrow and

brahman as the target. Become one with the target just like an arrow.

 

For example - If bhakti is your choice of saadhanaa. Then the target

is your deity and practicing the ananya-bhakti becomes the goal.

 

Just some thoughts !!

 

Regards,

 

Dr. Yadu

[Guest guest]

Literally speaking, the process of achieving is "sadhana"

To achieve what ?

To Know thy self, call it realization, liberation, illumination, God etc

With Love

Chandru

 

ymoharir <ymoharir wrote:

 

Could we just simplify all this by saying -

 

Any process/practice that is implemented by an individual to

determine the ultimate truth (trikaala abaadhita) can be termed

as "saadhanaa".

 

Dr. Yadu

[Guest guest]

yes

But who realise these things?

Rather worshipping/demanding/imaging etc with hard

desire

namasivayam

 

--- chandraseckariah hs <hschandru2000

wrote: