Guest guest Posted January 23, 2007 Report Share Posted January 23, 2007 sarvEbhyo namO namah I am a new member to the group. I am not an expert in the advaita philosophy, but I have tried to enhance my knowledge through reading books/articles etc. Now, being from a science background the following fundamental questions haunt me and I am relentlessly looking for a satisfactory answer. As given in the Vivek Chudamani (quoted below), a description of the Jiva and its transmigration is nicely given. However, why is there is transmigration in the first place? How did this concept come into existence before nothing existed? Why does the consciousness take the gross body in the first place and then strive for liberation? In other words, why is there a need for us and the universe to exist in the first place? I have read books/articles which say that this is due to the "Lilaa" of the Supreme Being. But is such an explaination given because there is a singularity and hence we don't know the answer. Or is that on realization of the self, that question automatically gets answered. dhanyavAdaha Atreyah subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v > wrote: advaitin, "mahadevadvaita" <mahadevadvaita wrote: > Bhagavatam Skanda4:Chapter 29:Verse 70 > > "So long as the beginningless linga shareer, which is an agglomeration > of the buddhi, mind, senses and sense objects -all products of the gunas > -persists, so long will the sense of 'I' and 'mine' also persist. " > > > It seems like jiva is a synonym for linga shareer (subtle body)? Any > comments ? > > regards, > > Om Namah Sivaya > ShrIgurubhyo namaH Namaste Mahadevadvaita ji, The linga shareera that has been defined above, is by itself inert. That by itself is not the jiva. Jiva is : Pure Consciousness in association with/identification with ling shareera. So long as this association continues, there will be transmigration. It will end when sadhana fructifies and liberation ensues. It is only then that the association/identification is rent asunder, freeing the Pure Consciousness from the linga shareera. Then, there is none to be called a 'jiva'. The 'jiva' has come to realize that it is Brahman, ever liberated, never bound. Apart from that, a jiva, in order to be called so, has to have a gross body too. In the absence of this, there will be no way he can reap the fruits of his karma. The jiva remains without the gross body only when the subtle body transmigrates from this body untill it takes on another body. The Vivekachudamani defines the linga shareera thus: 99. Listen – this subtle body, called also the Linga body, is produced out of the elements before their subdividing and combining with each other, is possessed of latent impressions and causes the soul to experience the fruits of its past actions. It is a beginningless superimposition on the soul brought on by its own ignorance.// Why is this called 'linga shareera'? In the following link, a pdf document, when you go to verse 99, you can read a very detailed commentary, bringing out several important aspects of the linga shareera, by Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati SwaminaH of Sringeri. You can also benefit from the commentary of the just preceding few verses, also dealing with the subtle body. http://www.srisharada.com/Vivekafinal/94-109.pdf Warm regards, subbu Om Tat Sat Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Games.. Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 23, 2007 Report Share Posted January 23, 2007 advaitin, Hanudatta Atreya <hsatreya wrote: > > sarvEbhyo namO namah > > I am a new member to the group. I am not an expert in the advaita philosophy, but I have tried to enhance my knowledge through reading books/articles etc. Now, being from a science background the following fundamental questions haunt me and I am relentlessly looking for a satisfactory answer. > > As given in the Vivek Chudamani (quoted below), a description of the Jiva and its transmigration is nicely given. > However, why is there is transmigration in the first place? > How did this concept come into existence before nothing existed? > Why does the consciousness take the gross body in the first place and then strive for liberation? > In other words, why is there a need for us and the universe to exist in the first place? > > I have read books/articles which say that this is due to the "Lilaa" of the Supreme Being. > > But is such an explaination given because there is a singularity and hence we don't know the answer. > > Or is that on realization of the self, that question automatically gets answered. > > dhanyavAdaha > Atreyah > Namaste, While several learned members like Prof.VKji, Dr.Shyam ji,etc., would come out with different perspectives, you may take a look at the verses 181 and 180, in that order, from the Vivekachudamani, in the following link: http://www.srisharada.com/Vivekafinal/169-185.pdf Warm regards, subbu Om Tat Sat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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