yOga-vEdAnta, dhyAna & nidhidhyAsana, etc. Part-I

[Guest guest]

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

It is really interesting to see that the topic " yOga - vEdAnta" stretching

its arms in other threads as well & members knowingly or unknowingly still

putting tireless effort to equate patanjala yOga system/sUtra (PYS) & its

resultant asaMprajnAtha/ nirbIja/nirvikalpa samAdhi (NS) with that of

shruti pratipAdita shravaNAdi direct means & resultant Atmaikatva jnAna.

Here is my humble effort to clarify certain points with regard to yOga &

vEdAnta.

 

At the outset, before doing this exercise of equation between yOga and

vEdAnta, we must be careful to distinguish between the yOga as a separate

dualistic system (darshana) and yOga sAdhana as a means for attaining

chitta shuddhi. It is unfair to say patanjala has developed ONLY a

practical method but not a philosophy (infact, some of the members argued

like that last year!!). patanjali starts his aphorisms *aTha

yOgAnuShAsanaM*, but this does not anyway mean this *anushAsanaM* is there

without any siddhAnta. But question is what exactly their siddhAnta??

Like sAnkhya school, they too ascribe eternal reality to multiple

jIvAtma-s, prakruti satyatva, prakruti kAraNatva controlled by purusha

viShEsha Ishwara who does the job of creation as well. More importantly, in

yOga shAstra duality is an eternal reality and even in final realization of

a *particular* jIva...multiple jIva-s, prakruti & purusha vishEsha Ishwara

& its eternal differences etc. will be quite intact!! From this it is

evident that, *sEshwara sAnkhya darshana* is the philosophy of PY which has

more proximity to AnandatIrthA's tattvavAda. It is noteworthy here to know

that as far as vEdAnta stand on these issues are concerned, this is one of

the significant differeces between advaita & yOga...advaita going with

shruti asserts that brahman is the upAdAna kAraNa for jagat & there is no

*separate* existence of prakruti/pradhAna apart from brahman whereas yOga

like all other dualistic schools categorically advocates eternal

differences between prakruti & purusha & denies the upAdAna kAraNatva to

brahman!! Hence, yOga as a shAstra is dualistic and there is no doubt that

this school has been rejected in traditional vEdAntic circle.

 

As discussed earlier, in brahmasUtra shankara bhAShya (2.1.3 etEna yogaH

pratyuktaH). he says that by this (etEna, i.e. the refutation of the

dualistic sAMkhya school that has been discussed up to sUtra 2.2.1), the

school of yoga (yogaH) has also been addressed

(pratyuktaH). At two other places in the same brahmasUtra bhAshya, shankara

quotes other sUtras from yOga, while making different points under

different context. From all these, it is crystal clear that yOga shAstra as

a darshana cannot have any place neither in vEdAnta nor in traditional

advaita.

 

But, when it comes to the practice of yoga in the process of chitta

shuddhi,YES, patajali's ashtAnga yOga's first five limbs (i.e. yama,

niyama, Asana praNAyAma & pratyAhAra) do have a certain place in sAdhana.

If we take bhagavadpAda's commentaries on gItA, taittirIya and

bruhadAraNyaka along with upadEshasAhasri, it is very clear that shankara

sanctions a definite place for the practice of yoga (as commonly

understood). This does not anyway mean that yogic accomplishment such as

nirbIja/sabIja samAdhi etc. can be equated with vEdAntic liberation nor

that yoga practice is seen as absolutely necessary for this Atmaikatva

realization coz. of the reason that the standard terminologies like

dhAraNa, dhyAna & samAdhi of yOga shAstra have different connotation in the

context of vEdAnta jnAna.

 

In the next part we shall try to understand what is purusha tantra dhyAna &

vastu tantra jnAna & its experience (anubhava) according to vEdAntic

context.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

Namaste Kathirasan-ji

>>

Recently a Swami, whom I know, visited Sri Bharati Tirtha acharyaji

(Sringeri Shankaracharya) and while conversing with him clarified if

NS was indispensable. The revered Acharya's reply was that NS is not

necessary for mukti. It would be great if someone who knows the

revered acharya can confirm his views.

>>

I understand Sri Subbu-ji is in Sringeri for the Aradhana of

Acharyal's Guru (Sri Abhinava VidyaTheertha Mahaswamigal) and he

*possibly* could have obtained the info if he saw this message.

 

While we wait for this answer, the view of Acharya's Guru has been

posted before.

//

D: Can one attain Jnana without experiencing nirvikalpa-samadhi?

A: Jnana is nothing but the knowledge of one's True nature.

Technically, it can be obtained even through just vichara (enquiry).

Nirvikalpa-samadhi is a wonderful means but it is improper to say

that it is the only means.

//

 

regards

Sundar Rajan

[Guest guest]

Dear Sundar Rajan-ji,

 

Thank you for your informative messages and sharing the quote from Sri

Sri Abhinava VidyaTheertha Mahaswamigal. Your vast knowledge, and those

of many others here of our rich traditions is formidable indeed. Prof VK

has been sharing the discourses of the Kanchi Mahaswamigal. May I ask

the learned members if there is one website which discusses all the

recent Mahaswamigals in one place, their works and commentaries, and

their relationships and interactions with each other as well as possible

differences in their outward orientations?

 

Namaste

Love to all

Harsha

 

Sundar Rajan wrote:

>

> Namaste Kathirasan-ji

> >>

> Recently a Swami, whom I know, visited Sri Bharati Tirtha acharyaji

> (Sringeri Shankaracharya) and while conversing with him clarified if

> NS was indispensable. The revered Acharya's reply was that NS is not

> necessary for mukti. It would be great if someone who knows the

> revered acharya can confirm his views.

> >>

> I understand Sri Subbu-ji is in Sringeri for the Aradhana of

> Acharyal's Guru (Sri Abhinava VidyaTheertha Mahaswamigal) and he

> *possibly* could have obtained the info if he saw this message.

>

> While we wait for this answer, the view of Acharya's Guru has been

> posted before.

> //

> D: Can one attain Jnana without experiencing nirvikalpa-samadhi?

> A: Jnana is nothing but the knowledge of one's True nature.

> Technically, it can be obtained even through just vichara (enquiry).

> Nirvikalpa-samadhi is a wonderful means but it is improper to say

> that it is the only means.

> //

>

> regards

> Sundar Rajan

>

> _