Vedic Hymns (Reply to miksmov@.co.in)

[Guest guest]

<advaitin/message/32478;_ylc=X3oDMTJwbjdqbmthB

F9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzE1OTM5BGdycHNwSWQDMTYwMDA3NTk5MQRtc2dJZAMzMjQ3OARzZ

WMDZG1zZwRzbGsDdm1zZwRzdGltZQMxMTU1MzM0NDQ4> Re: Vedic Hymns

 

Posted by: "miksmov"

<miksmov (AT) (DOT) co.in?Subject=%20Re%3A%20Vedic%20Hymns>

miksmov (AT) (DOT) co.in <http://profiles./miksmov> miksmov

 

Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:03 am (PST)

 

<snip>

 

 

IMHO Shree Shankara was interested only in ways/methods of

annihilating this pseudo-beautiful world of maya, and the Upanishadic

Knowledge is the key to unlock this obsession.

 

The most of Vedic Hymns are for Deity-upasana, that is not of pure

Vedanta meaning.

 

But nevertheless there are (in Rig-Veda) a number of highly

philosophical Mantras, for instance - Purusha-sukta and Nasadiya-

sukta. The depth of Purusha-sukta and Nasadiya-sukta is unfathomable.

And it is an eternal unsolved secret for me - Why Shree Shankara did

not commented upon Purusha-sukta and Nasadiya-sukta???

 

Regards,

miksmov.

 

Dear Sri Miksmov,

 

Thanks you for the reply. I raised this doubt, since I am in the daily

practice of chanting mantras like the Gayatri and the Aghamarshana Mantra.

 

However, just as the examples you gave, regarding the Purusha Sukta and

Nasadiya Sukta I have not seen any comments from Sankara on these daily

chants, nor on the Satarudriya

 

which again is often chanted by the spiritually minded. On the other hand,

we have a Sankara Vyakhya available on the Vishnu Sahasranamam which is

presumably a deity specific

 

prayer. I did find Sankara's ideas on the Gayatri in his Vyakhya on the

Chhandogya Upanishad, nevertheless he does not explicitly mention anything

about the particular significance

 

attached to this mantra which would make it the "mantra most freqently

chanted in the world". The Brahma Gayatri in particular is considered to be

"Veda Janani" which would

 

imply that all the Vedas and the Upanishads owe their origin to this mantra.

As such, it could not be treated as upasana on a particular deity, given

that the Upanishads speak about

 

the nirguna brahman. Furthermore, we have separate Gayatris for individual

deities while the one we regularly chant, the Brahma Gayatri a prayer to the

nirguna-Brahman. This

 

being so, we cannot discard the Brahma Gayatri as yet another Vedic hymn

for deity upasana. Hence my query. I am basically trying to find common

ground between the

 

devotional practices enjoined by the Sastras and the Advaita ideal espoused

by Sankara.

 

With regards

 

Hari

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Harihara Krishnan"

<harihara.krishnan wrote:

 

Srigurubhyo NamaH

Namaste,

 

Although there appears to be no separate commentary of the Acharya on

the Naasadiya suktam, He has made a reference to some vaakyams of

this suktam in His Bhagavadgita (IX.10) bhashyam:

 

'yo asya adhyakshaH parame vyoman' (Rg.veda 10.129.7)

'ko addhaa veda ka iha pravochat kuta aajaataa kuta iyam visRR^isTiH'

(Rg.veda 10.129.6)

 

One may look up this bhashya for the context in which the Acharya

refers to these Rg.veda mantras.

 

Again, The Acharya's Bhashyas mainly concerned themselves with the

prasthana traya and some other specific works like the

Sanatsujaatiiya of the Mahabharata. He has not commented on the

Vedic samhitas.

 

Warm Regards,

subbu

Om Tat Sat