Vedic Hymns

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

 

 

The Vedas have hymns extolling the God who created this beautiful world.

<http://geo./serv?s=97359715&grpId=15939&grpspId=1600075991&msgId=2

970&stime=1155240256&nc1=3848567&nc2=3848643&nc3=3858808> The Aghamarshana

Suktam we chant

 

every morning and evening worships the Goddesses presiding over water and

asks them to purify us and fill us

 

with material riches "as a mother with her heart full of love, gives milk to

her children". On the other hand, in

 

Sankara's philosophy we find hardly any reference to the beauty and wonders

of this world, presumably since

 

"jagat is mithya". How does Sankara interpret the Vedic hymns like the

Aghamarshana, the Gayatri etc?

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Har

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Harihara Krishnan"

<harihara.krishnan wrote:

>

> Dear Friends,

>

>

>

> The Vedas have hymns extolling the God who created this beautiful

world.

> <http://geo./serv?

s=97359715&grpId=15939&grpspId=1600075991&msgId=2

> 970&stime=1155240256&nc1=3848567&nc2=3848643&nc3=3858808> The

Aghamarshana

> Suktam we chant

>

> every morning and evening worships the Goddesses presiding over

water and

> asks them to purify us and fill us

>

> with material riches "as a mother with her heart full of love,

gives milk to

> her children". On the other hand, in

>

> Sankara's philosophy we find hardly any reference to the beauty and

wonders

> of this world, presumably since

>

> "jagat is mithya". How does Sankara interpret the Vedic hymns like

the

> Aghamarshana, the Gayatri etc?

>

>

>

> Regards,

>

> Har

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- Harihara Krishnan <harihara.krishnan (AT) ustri (DOT) com> wrote:

 

>

> Sankara's philosophy we find hardly any reference to the beauty and wonders

> of this world, presumably since

>

> "jagat is mithya". How does Sankara interpret the Vedic hymns like the

> Aghamarshana, the Gayatri etc?

 

Hai Harihara Krishna, PraNAms - first tell us what do you understand advatic concept that 'jagat

is mitya' before you can tell us that Shankara's philosophy there is hardly any reference to the

beauty and wonders of the world. Maya itslef wonder not pale that is why it is so enchanting. It

is the reflected beauty - if the refection itself is so beautiful and enchanting - can you imagin

the origina!

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

A question has been raised about the aghamarshaNa sUktam and similar

vedic hymns and their significance for Vedanta. I shall make just

one point below and leave it to the readers to extrapolate. But

this one point is going to turn out to be a long note.

 

What are vedic hymns for? They are for a certain specific

purification or for the benefaction of certain legitimate worldly

needs or other-worldly ambitions. Who is supposed to grant these?

The different devatAs. (There is no correct English word for this

Sanskrit word. The `devatAs' are divines—like Indra, Varuna, etc.

who have been given a certain power and prestige by the Absolute,

which they can use to their hearts' content, for a certain finite

time, though very long by human standards, provided that the over-

riding power is the power of the Absolute Supreme. This absolute

power is called ParAshakti, the Mother Goddess. And don't think this

is all in a written constitution. No. The different purANas together

tantamount to this understanding, as has been exposited by our

ancients.)

 

Now take the Aghamarshana sUktam.. This is supposed to be recited

when one bathes. And the sUkta has mantras which pray to Lord VaruNa

for purifying the water, purifying oneself for whatever polluting

material there is, purifying oneself from the pollution assimilated

by eating unclean food, etc.

 

*yan-mayA bhuktam asAdhUnAM pApebhyashca pratigrahaH

yan me manasA vAcA karmaNA vA dushhkRtaM kRtaM

tan na indro varuNo bRhaspatis-savitA ca punantu punaH punaH*

 

Whatever I have eaten that came from ignoble people, whatever I have

received from sinners, whatever evil I have done mentally, vocally

or by action, all that, may Indra, Varuna, Brihaspati and the Sun

purify again and again.

 

*yad-apAM kRUraM yad-amedhyaM yad-ashAntaM tad-apagacchatAt

atyAshanAd-atIpAnAt yaccha ugrAt pratigrahAt

tan no varuNo rAjA pANinAhy-avamarshatu*

 

Whatever bad or filth or impurity there is in this water, let it go

away. Whatever fault has accrued due to over-eating, over-drinking,

or by illegitimate receipt (of gift) -- all that may King Varuna

eradicate.

 

And thus it goes on and on. In fact all the sacred rivers are

invoked and prayed for our purification. Finally towards the end

it says

 

*yo'ham-asmi brahma-aham-asmi, aham-asmi brahma-aham-asmi, aham-

evAhaM mAM juhomi svAhA …..*

 

Whatever I am, I am Brahman, I am that Brahman, I am that I, May

the (little) i be consumed (in the big I) …….

Now mark it. Here is the punchline. How do these lines fit in the

Aghamarshana sUktaM which as you saw was concentrating on the

purification aspect of the body mind and intellect. What has `I am

Brahman' got to do with that?

 

This is my point. I get convinced more and more of this point after

I work on that `advaita-sAdhanA' translation which is going on in

another thread now. When you come to Post # 54 you will see that the

Mahaswamigal is saying it. The point is this:

 

The so-called Gods (devatAs) Indra, Varuna, etc. have no power by

themselves. Just as you and I cannot exist or act without the

Consciousness within, so also their so-called divine powers are all

only that of the Absolute within. Unless we invoke that power from

within no other power from earth or heaven can do whatever we want

to do. So these divines can `purify' only if the

Absolute `purifies'. Everywhere the Vedic hymns (in other parts of

the Vedas also) invoke such Gods for help esoterically it is the

Absolute within that is called and surrendered to. That is why

the `I am Brahman' refrain in the Aghamarshana sUktaM.

 

Of course you will question : What has the Absolute got to do with

this? The Absolute (nirguna brahman) is actionless. For this, you

should wait till post #54 of advaita sAdhanA where you will hear

it "straight from the horse's mouth"!

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

[Guest guest]

Sankara's philosophy we find hardly any reference to

the beauty and wonders of this world, presumably since

"jagat is mithya"."

 

Pranams

 

The term mithya is misunderstood by many to mean

false.

No one, least of all Adi Shankara, says the world is

false as in the sense of the english word false.

 

When we say the world is mithya we mean the world does

not have a subtantive existence SEPARATE from the

substrate - which is Brahman.

 

Like the wave does not have a subtantive existence

other than its substratum the ocean. When you see a claypot seeing a

pot as having an existence separate from clay is what is meant by

saying the pot is mithya it by no means says that the pot is "false"

Once you have understood that, you are free to admire the pot as long

as you realize that what you are really admiring is the clay alone!

 

Everything in creation is but a name and form, the essence of which is

always Brahman. Once you realize that everything verily is Brahman

then this very world which till today was "out to get

you", was "a source of sorrow" for you now becomes Bhagwaan's

wonderful and majestic Vibhuti - everything in it is truly wonderful,

truly divine!

 

When one Sees only divinity at play in any vibhuti in this world it is

then that one can truly appreciate every leaf every flower every

crystal every river every mountain etc etc as wonders of the Divine at

play.

 

So Adi Shankaras work of explaining vedanta to us was never meant to

take away our appreciation of the wonders in the world, but rather to

provide a prism to appreciate them in an entirely new dimension

 

Hari OM

Shyam

[Guest guest]

The so-called Gods (devatAs) Indra, Varuna, etc. have no power by

themselves. Just as you and I cannot exist or act without the

Consciousness within, so also their so-called divine powers are all

only that of the Absolute within.

 

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

Yes prabhuji, the inherent *power* in all sentient & insentient things is

nothing but THAT...that is the reason why in sanskrit we say *tEna vina

truNamapi na chalati*...shruti says bhIshAsmadvAtaH pavate, bhIShOdEti

sUryaha...mrutyurdhAvati paNchama iti...etc. There is nothing that can

proceed on its own against THY will...

 

By the way what is this "straight from the horse's mouth"....when I first

heard this in vAdAvaLi, I thought its a derogatory remark :-))

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar