On the need for adhyaatma Yoga

[Guest guest]

Srigurubhyo NamaH

Namaste,

 

Here is an excerpt from the book :'Intuition of Reality' by Pujya

Swami Sacchidanandendra Saraswati, Holenarasipur, Karnataka. On page

56 there is a topic: The Mind is the one instrument useful for the

vision of Atma. The next topic is:

 

The need for Adhyatma yoga:

 

It being the only instrument, the mind has got to be made sharp

enough to be able to see this subtle Atman. So the Shruti says:

 

This Atman, hidden in all creatures, does not show Himself generally.

He is seen, however, by those who have the capacity to see subtle

entities with the help of one-pointed subtle mind. (Katha Up. I.3.2)

 

Those that strive to know Atman directly have to undergo the course

of discipline called the Adhyatma Yoga, the yoga by means of which

one can stay the mind on the Atman within. Accordingly, the Shruti

exhorts the seeker to practise this Yoga in these terms:

 

'Knowing this ancient deva, hard to see, and hidden in a secret place

and lodged in the cave, and located in the midst of inaccessible

surroundings, knowing Him, a wise person shakes off both elation and

grief.' (Katha Up. I.2.12)

 

The Yoga recommended here is to be practised by taking several steps,

one by one. These are enumerated in the following verse:

 

The discerning seeker should control (and dissolve) the organ of

speech in the mind, and that in the Atman of intellect, and the

intellect he shall dissolve in the great Atman, and that Atman in the

featureless Atman. (Katha.Up. I.3.13)

 

It must have been evident by now to the student of Vedanta that

the 'vision' of Atman, referred to be the Upanishads, is neither

sensuous perception, nor inference with the aid of the mind. This

would be clearer by a close study of Shankara's Bhashya explaining

the various stages of the Adhyatma Yoga, specified in the shruti

cited above:

 

The Yogin should control and dissolve the organ of speech in the

mind. That is to say, he should give up the functions of the

external organs of sense, such as that of speech, etc. and continue

to stay as if he were one with the mind.

 

This mind also, which may tend to revolve in itself the properties of

outside objects, should be confined to and merged in the intellect -

denoted by the word 'jnana' in this text - the faculty of

determination, by constantly warning oneself against the defects of

any object.

 

And the intellect also he should render more subtle and merge it in

the great Atman, that i, experiencing ego, or in the primary integral

intellect of Hiranyagarbha.

 

As for this 'great Atman', he should be made steadfast, and merged in

the Shaanta Atma (The Atman who is abolutely free from all the

specific features of phenomena), in the Parama Purusha, Supreme

Person, the 'Final Goal' in whose context this Yoga is being taught.

(Sutra Bhashya I.4.i)

 

On page 104 the Swamiji says:

 

6. .....The highest Truth can be known only by means of suggestion

of the Shruti or an Acharya by making use of one's own purified mind

alone. By this ONE INSTRUMENT (all emphasis is of the revered

author, not mine) the seeker can practise the ADHYATMA YOGA (the

graded contemplation leading to the inmost Atman). The process of

this Yoga demands that the seeker should gradually STILL the

activities of the senes, the mind, intellect as well as the ego,

trying to MERGE each preceding entity in the next succeeding one,

till at last he BECOMES ONE with the really real Tranquil Atman,

beyond all objects of the senses and the intellect.

 

This Yoga, it must be remembered, does ot aim at OBJECTIFYING Brahman

or Atman by meditation or any species of knowledge; for, the real

Atman is the eternal Witness of everything possessing no specific

features at all. (UNQUOTE)

 

This is the opinion of the revered Swamiji who is said to have spent

over six decades on the study of the Acharya's Prasthana traya

Bhashyas and done a monumental service to seekers by translating

them in Kannada.

 

Pranams,

subbu

Om Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

praNAms Sri Subbu prabhuji

Hare Krishna

 

Kindly accept my heartfelf praNAms for taking pain to quote from the works

of my beloved parama guruji Sri Sri SatchidAnandendra Saraswati

mahAswAmigaL. This is another masterpiece from the big pen of my parama

guruji (he has written more than 200 books on shuddha shankarAdvaita in

Kannada, English & Sanskrit). Here in this work, our swamiji has ably

demonstrated how *atmaikatva jnAna* is not mere intellectual gymnastics but

it is an intuition of the reality through the divine grace of almighty !!

Apart from this, this work give ample evidences to prove that

bhagavadpAda's philosophy is not an outright rationalistic system and there

is an ample room for saguNa upAsana in his non-dualistic philosophy.

 

With regard to adhyAtma yOga, shankara himself warns us in sUtra bhAshya

that this adhyAtma yOga as enshrined in the kAtaka shruti is NOT the

saMkhya or the yOga recommended in the schools named by these words.

Further, here, the term yOga is specifically named as *adhyAtma yOga* (the

yOga of Atman) implying that this yOga is intended for those who would

realize the Atman taught in vEdAnta. This same adhyAtma yOga has been

illustrated as dhyAna yOga in gIta 6th chapter...It has to be noted that

this yOga & its practices cannot be compared with that of dhAraNa, dhyAna &

samAdhi of patanjali since here yOga means firm holding of the senses in an

effort to see subtle things as they are!! (swamiji describes this as

*ratnaparIkshaka drushti)...this process is noway connected with the

creative imagination involved in purusha tantra upAsana or ashtAnga yOga's

7th limb dhyAna & resultant saMskAra shEsha samAdhi of patanjali.

 

Just few of my thoughts

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

advaitin, bhaskar.yr wrote:

>

>

> praNAms Sri Subbu prabhuji

> Hare Krishna

>

>> With regard to adhyAtma yOga, shankara himself warns us in sUtra

bhAshya that this adhyAtma yOga as enshrined in the kAtaka shruti is

NOT the saMkhya or the yOga recommended in the schools named by

these words.

 

Srigurubhyo NamaH

Namaste Bhasker ji,

 

The above is not in doubt. We have gone over this quite recently

considering several sutras and the bhashya.

 

Bhasker ji says:

> Further, here, the term yOga is specifically named as *adhyAtma

yOga* (the yOga of Atman) implying that this yOga is intended for

those who would realize the Atman taught in vEdAnta. This same

adhyAtma yOga has been illustrated as dhyAna yOga in gIta 6th

chapter...It has to be noted that this yOga & its practices cannot

be compared with that of dhAraNa, dhyAna & samAdhi of patanjali

since here yOga means firm holding of the senses in an

> effort to see subtle things as they are!! Just few of my thoughts

>

Reply:

 

It is well agreed that all of us are sadhakas of Vedanta and not of

any other school.

Bhaskar ji says (in an earlier post):

 

In jnAna mArga cessation of thoughts is not deliberate attempt of

suppression....cessation takes place automatically when you establish

yourself in svarUpa. ramANa makes it clear while describing jnAna

mArga.

 

 

Reply:

 

The problem is about the process of first getting the vision of the

svarupa and then arises the question of establishing oneself there.

 

On page 104 of the book `Intuition of Reality' the Author Swamiji

says:

 

6. .....The highest Truth can be known only by means of suggestion

of the Shruti or an Acharya by making use of one's own purified mind

alone. By this ONE INSTRUMENT (all emphasis is of the revered

author, not mine) the seeker can practise the ADHYATMA YOGA (the

graded contemplation leading to the inmost Atman). The process of

this Yoga demands that the seeker should gradually STILL the

activities of the senes, the mind, intellect as well as the ego,

trying to MERGE each preceding entity in the next succeeding one,

till at last he BECOMES ONE with the really real Tranquil Atman,

beyond all objects of the senses and the intellect. (unquote)

 

(Also note that this above quote is not some reply the Swamiji gave

to a particular seeker, a particular adhikari. The revered Swamiji

himself has said in the preface that this is the substance of the

series of lectures delivered by him (in 1972), with some additions

and alterations to be made into a book form.)

 

Now, Bhasker ji, if there is no deliberate attempt to quell thoughts,

what is this `stilling' the activities of the senses, the mind, etc.

that the Swamiji is talking about? If this is not `chitta vritti

nirodhaH' what else is it?

 

If there is no dhaarana, dhyana, samadhi stages involved in this

Adhyatma Yoga, what is the Swamiji taking about when he says: the

graded contemplation… above. ?

 

Bhasker ji, kindly note that the main purpose of my copying the

portions from that book of your Pujya Paramaguru Ji was to draw your

attention to the fact that:

 

Herein we have a clear statement of the Sruti pramana and yukti

pramana for establishing that yoga/samadhi is inalienably integrated

in Vedanta sadhana. The third, anubhava pramana, is what is

available from the experiences that we recently read about the

Jagadguru of Sringeri.

 

While a strong upanishadic foundation, a clear template, in

theoretical terms is provided by the quotes from your Paramaguruji's

words, upon this immaculately sits the experience of Atman

Realization of the Acharya of Sringeri. One cannot but miss to see

the accurate, photo-finish kind of correspondence between the two

renderings. While the adhyatma yoga taught in the Upanishads does

not result in dualistic realization, the experience of the Acharya

corroborates this. He did not reach any `dvaita darshana' (as you

have been vehemently attributing to the experience of NS. I read some

of the posts that you and Sunder Rajan ji exchanged last year on this

subject of NS). His realization, as was abundantly substantiated

with scriptural passages provided, was indeed Advaitic. It is

incontrovertible.

 

Another purpose of quoting your Paramaguruji was to show how the

Vivekachudamani in its entirety is fully aupanishadic in its

teaching, method and the result. There, the sadhaka, after emerging

from samadhi, gives expression to his experience of the Realization:

 

480. Concentrating the mind for some time on the Supreme Brahman,

(kanchit kaalam samAdhAya parey BrahmaNi mAnasam, vyutthAya

paramAnandAt idam vachanam abravIt) he rose, and out of supreme bliss

spoke as follows.

481. My mind has vanished, and all its activities have melted, by

realising the identity of the Self and Brahman; I do not know either

this or not-this; nor what or how much the boundless Bliss (of

Samadhi) is !

482. The majesty of the ocean of Supreme Brahman, replete with the

swell of the nectar-like Bliss of the Self, is verily impossible to

express in speech, nor can it be conceived by the mind – in an

infinitesimal fraction of which my mind melted like a hailstone

getting merged in the ocean, and is now satisfied with that Essence

of Bliss.

483. Where is the universe gone, by whom is it removed, and where is

it merged ? It was just now seen by me, and has it ceased to exist ?

It is passing strange !

484. In the ocean of Brahman filled with the nectar of Absolute

Bliss, what is to be shunned and what accepted, what is other (than

oneself) and what different ?

485. I neither see nor hear nor know anything in this. I simply exist

as the Self, the eternal Bliss, distinct from everything else.

486. Repeated salutations to thee, O noble Teacher, who art devoid of

attachment, the best among the good souls and the embodiment of the

essence of Eternal Bliss, the One without a second – who art infinite

and ever the boundless ocean of mercy.(unquote)

 

What dvaita do you see in this? In what way is the final phase of

the adhyatma yoga taught by the Upanishad, as detailed and summarized

by your Paramaguruji, different from NS that was followed fruitfully

by the above sadhaka and the Jagadguru?

 

Either you have not fully read and understood your Paramaguruji's

above quotes or that in spite of knowing the Upanishadic position

about adhyatma yoga, you want to hold on to your individualistic

view. It is up to you to see where you really stand in this regard.

I have no quarrel with you. You laughed at the Jagadguru upon hearing

about His sadhana and experiences. Would you laugh at your

Paramaguruji for saying in a concise manner though, the same thing in

a theoretical form? If a sadhaka were to sincerely practice exactly

in the manner taught by your Paramaguruji in the above quotes, will

he not get the Realization, on a particular day, at a particular

time? I am not compelling you to reply me. You can pose the

questions to yourself and seek answers within.

 

With warm regards,

subbu

Om Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

Srigurubhyo NamaH

Namaste Bhasker ji,

 

Humble praNAms Sri Subbu prabhuji

Hare Krishna

 

Thanks a lot for taking time to educate me about my paramaguruji's stand on

adhyAtma yOga & your effort to prove that what my paramaguruji is writing

is indeed patanjali's chitta vrutti nirOdha & nothing else:-))....Due to

recent debates on this issue, you have seen people are leaving the

list...so prabhuji, I donot want to continue this discussion any

further....If you are still interested to hear my views, kindly let me

know, we can take up this issue off the list...

 

But before closing my case, one small clarification to you & to the

prabhuji-s of this list.

 

your allegation :

 

You laughed at the Jagadguru upon hearing about His sadhana and

experiences.

 

bhaskar :

 

Kindly note this is only misreading of my mail...I've never ever questioned

jagadguru's sAdhana & his experiences...I had only recalled one incident in

this list, wherein members amusingly *questioned* one member's declaration

about date & time of his realization...if you are still in doubt, kindly

re-read my mail below with utmost care...this is for your ready reference :

 

//quote //

 

I still vividly remember, one of the members sometime back, here in this

list openly announced that he realized ultimate on such and such date &

such & such time!! Members laughed loudly at him for mentioning the date

& time of his appointment with brahman....But here we are seeing jagadguru

himself giving chronological order of divine events....I think nobody dared

to laugh at this time table.

 

Kindly pardon my ignorance, It may sound sarcasm, but it is a fact that,

all these days, I didnot know about this *from* & *to* time & date bound

realization process involved in *brahma jnAna*...that too in *shankara's

advaita*.

 

//unquote//

 

Kindly let me know where I've laughed at jagadguru's sAdhana &

experiences?? Kindly dont try to read too much between the lines...In the

second para I promptly admitted that this from & to chronology of brahman

experience is beyond the reach of my mind. And I continued my discussions

based on the standpoint that Atma jnAna is kAlAtIta in my subsequent

mails...do you think it is a big crime??

 

Anyway, if my above mail gives you an impression of what you said above...I

offer my unconditional apology.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar