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Srila Prabhupada on Chandogya Up 8.12.3

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Hare Krishna,

 

What do you[Gerald] think of Srila Prabhupada's interpretation of

Chandogya Up. 8.12.3 quoted in purport to gita 15.18 especially in

light of first 3 sutras of 4 pada of 4th chapter of Vedaanta Sutra.

 

For your reference:

http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/15/18/en

 

 

Others please pour in with information from your side too.

 

 

 

Your Servant Always,

Sumeet.

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In a message dated 2/6/2005 3:15:30 PM Eastern Standard Time,

sumeet1981 writes:

 

 

What do you[Gerald] think of Srila Prabhupada's interpretation of

Chandogya Up. 8.12.3 quoted in purport to gita 15.18 especially in

light of first 3 sutras of 4 pada of 4th chapter of Vedaanta Sutra

 

 

In the Vedanta sutra/Govindabhasya, that verse is mentioned and the topic is

the jiva's own spiritual form. Srila Prabhupada is explaining that verse in

relation to the Paramatma, an explanation which seems to follow Srila

Baladeva Vidyabhusana's commentary to BG 15.18. A translation of that and Srila

Bhaktivinoda Thakura's would probably clarify the issue.

 

Gerald Surya

 

 

 

 

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achintya, Mrgerald@a... wrote:

 

> Srila Prabhupada is explaining that verse in

> relation to the Paramatma, an explanation which seems to follow

> Srila

> Baladeva Vidyabhusana's commentary to BG 15.18.

 

Can you post BV's comment here. Interestingly Ramanuja also quotes

that verse in his bhasya on BG 15.18 but not in relation with

Paramatma. His interpretation is consistent with that of Vyasadeva

given in Vedaanta Sutra.

 

 

> A translation of that and Srila

> Bhaktivinoda Thakura's would probably clarify the issue.

 

Well let me see if i can find BT's Gita bhasya somewhere here.

 

 

Your Servant Always,

Sumeet.

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> Can you post BV's comment here.

 

Yes, but Sanskrit only. Awaiting Srila Bhanu Maharaj's Gita-bhusana translation

hopefully this year.

-GS

 

baladevaH : atha puruSottama-nAma-nirvacanaM svasya tattvam äha yasmAd iti

uttama utkRSTatamaH | loke pauruSeyAgame lokyate vedArtho’nena iti nirukteH |

vede tAvad eSa samprasAdo’smAc charIrAt samutthAya paraM jyotIrUpaM sampadya

svena rUpeNAbhiniSpadyate, sa uttamaH puruSaH ity Adau prathitaH yat paraM

jyotiH samprasAdenopasampannaM sa uttamaH puruSaH paramAtmetiy arthaH | loke ca

–

 

tair vijn~Apita-kAryas tu bhagavAn puruSottamaH |

avatIrNo mahA-yogI satyavatyAM parAsharAt ||

[skandaP] ity ädau prathitaH ||18||

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achintya, Mrgerald@a... wrote:

>

>

prathitaH yat paraM jyotiH samprasAdenopasampannaM sa uttamaH puruSaH

paramAtmetiy arthaH

 

This above line from Baladeva holds the key. Does it says that

Paramatma is coming out of body on reaching Highest Light manifests

in its own form. He is Supreme Person ?

 

Because original context in which this verse appears in Chandogya

makes it clear that the person coming out of is jivaatma and not

Paramatma. Vyasadeva's sutra based on this also makes this amply

clear. Check any commentary on Vedaanta Sutra and it mentions that

released soul coming out of its body on reaching Supreme Light

manifests its own form. No one interprets this as Supreme Self coming

out of body reaching Highest Light manifests in its own form.

 

Gerald further the verse also says:

"There he moves about, laughing, playing, rejoicing with women,

vehicles or relations, not remembering this body in which he was

born."

 

Which means this verse talks about jivaatma who was previously in

bondage and had a body too and not Paramatma.

 

Ramanuja also quotes this verse in his gita bhasya on 15.18, but

doesn't interprets it as Paramatma coming out of body.

 

Between Vyasa's own understanding of the verse is revealed in VS

4.4.2 where he clearly says:

 

"Muktah pratijnanat"

Muktah: the liberated one, released, freed; Pratijnanat: according to

the promise.

 

So the verse refers to jivaatma rising out of the body. And not to

Paramatma. For the word muktah cannot be used for Paramatma.

 

Between I checked up Gita bhasya of Srila Narayana Maharaja where he

has commented further on VCT's Gita bhasya. Both of them haven't

mentioned anything about this verse.

 

Can someone give definate meaning of those sanskrit words of

Baladeva ?

 

 

 

Your Servant Always,

Sumeet.

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pranams

mail from bhanu maharaj on the meaning of the bhasya

for BG15:18 by sri baladeva

 

"Explaining the name purusottama, the Lord speaks of

His own true nature.

Uttama here means most outstanding. Loke here refers

to the scriptures

written by men (småti). Loka means that which reveals

the meaning of the

Vedas. He is praised in the småti (loke) and the

Vedas. In the Vedas it is

said:

 

tävad eña samprasädo 'smäc charérät samutthäya paraà

jyotérüpaà sampadya

svena rüpeëäbhiniñpadyate, sa uttamaù puruñaù

 

The ätmä, the object of mercy, rising from its body,

attains the supreme

light, the Supreme Person, and manifests his natural

form. Chändogya

Upaniñad 8.12.3

 

That supreme light attained by mercy is the Paramätmä.

In the scriptures

written by men (småti), He is also praised as the

supreme person:

 

tair vijïäpita-käryas tu bhagavän puruñottamaù

avatérëo mahä-yogé satyavatyäà paräçarät

 

The Supreme Person, Bhagavän, appeared in Satyavaté

through Paräçara.

Skanda Puräëa"

 

 

Dasan

Rajagopal Jayaraman

 

 

 

 

 

The all-new My - Get yours free!

 

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achintya, RAJGOPAL <scooty_ram> wrote:

> pranams

 

> That supreme light attained by mercy is the Paramätmä.

> In the scriptures

> written by men (småti), He is also praised as the

> supreme person:

 

 

Great work, Raj thanks a lot man. Gerald so Baladeva and Ramanuja

are both consistent with Vyasadeva in both their Vedaanta Sutra

bhasya as well as Gita bhasya. Madhva is also consistent with Vyasa

and B and R on this issue.

 

What to say even advaitins are in agreement here, check sariraka

bhasya of Sankara.

 

Some version of Sankara's advaita can be found here:

http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/bs_4/bs_4-4-01.html

 

Even advaitins know it is the jiva which was once trapped and now

becomes liberated. Chandogya Up 8.12 talks about this only.

 

So why will one interpret this as meaning Paramatma comes out of the

body etc........... ? That is not correct interpretation of

Chandogya Up 8.12.3.

 

Baladeva, Ramanuja, Madhva and Sri Bhagavan Vyasadeva are all in

agreement on interpreting Ch Up 8.12.3. None of these super learned

acaryas who own the title bhasyakars and sutrakar. So I hope its

safe to conclude that any interpretation not in line with them will

be incorrect.

 

 

 

 

Your Servant Always,

Sumeet.

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achintya, "sumeet1981" <sumeet1981> wrote:

> Baladeva, Ramanuja, Madhva and Sri Bhagavan Vyasadeva are all in

> agreement on interpreting Ch Up 8.12.3. None of these super

learned

> acaryas who own the title bhasyakars and sutrakar. So I hope its

> safe to conclude that any interpretation not in line with them will

> be incorrect.

>

 

I for one am getting rather tired of trite logic such as "the

majority of commentators agree with this view, so those who don't

agree with the majority are wrong." Especially coming as it is from

people who have not studied the Upanishads under a guru, nor even

know enough Sanskrit to understand what the Upanishad is saying in

the first place without relying on translations (which are themselves

always colored by the views of the school in which the translator

hails from).

 

This is getting utterly ridiculous. This forum is meant to emphasize

discussion, but there has to be a certain humility on everyone's part

as to what they know and don't know. I would expect that someone

taking Srila Prabhupada to task on the interpretation of a particular

scripture should (a) have studied that scripture in the first place,

(b) know enough Sanskrit to understand the literal meaning without

sectarian bias offered by translations, and © have studied the

given scripture under the tutelage of a guru. Of course, (b) and ©

are sort of contradictory, but then again, knowing a scripture means

knowing how it might be otherwise interpreted, and why other

interpretations are not acceptable. Has anyone here had that level of

Vedic education? I really doubt it.

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I completely agree with your comments.

 

in your service,

 

Aravind.

 

krishna_susarla <krishna_susarla wrote:

 

 

This is getting utterly ridiculous. This forum is meant to emphasize

discussion, but there has to be a certain humility on everyone's part

as to what they know and don't know. I would expect that someone

taking Srila Prabhupada to task on the interpretation of a particular

scripture should (a) have studied that scripture in the first place,

(b) know enough Sanskrit to understand the literal meaning without

sectarian bias offered by translations, and © have studied the

given scripture under the tutelage of a guru. Of course, (b) and ©

are sort of contradictory, but then again, knowing a scripture means

knowing how it might be otherwise interpreted, and why other

interpretations are not acceptable. Has anyone here had that level of

Vedic education? I really doubt it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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University Park, PA 16801

www.personal.psu.edu/aum105

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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achintya, "krishna_susarla"

<krishna_susarla> wrote:

 

> agree with the majority are wrong." Especially coming as it is from

> people who have not studied the Upanishads under a guru, nor even

> know enough Sanskrit to understand what the Upanishad is saying in

> the first place without relying on translations (which are themselves

> always colored by the views of the school in which the translator

> hails from).

>

 

Haribol Krishna,

 

it is obvious that you know Snaskrit, but have you studied the

sciptures under the tutelage of a guru, if I may ask? If so, who and

what did you study? Just curious.

 

Jai Sri Krishna.

 

Michael.

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