Guest guest Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Njanappaana 42 Sathyamennathu brahmam-athu-thanne Sathyamennu karuthunnu satthukkal Sathyam or Reality is Brahmam and knowledgeable people or jnanaanis consider Brahmam as the only Reality In this stanza, the word " sathyam " means " reality " . The only reality is Brahmam. Avidya or ignorance masks this truth and makes us identify ourselves with the body. So we take body and it's surroundings are real and separate from the one essential reality. Advaita vedanthins always quote the metaphor of clay and a pot made of clay. Clay existed before the pot maker processed and made the pot. And after the pot is broken, clay, of which it is made of, is till there. So " Satyham " or " real " exists in past, present and future periods of time. Pot was not there in the beginning and pot does not exist anymore after it breaks. Here clay is the only Sathyam or real. Pot is " mithya " or it has only a dependent reality. We cannot say that pot is unreal or false because it is made of clay and clay is present there. So pot is not " asahtyam " or " unreal " or false,but it is " mithya " . There is no exact equivalent word in English for " mithya " . Vedanthins say that Brahmam and this world has a similar relationship of clay and clay-pot. So world has a dependent reality on Parabrahma or world is " mithya " . Sankaraachaaryar's words are " brahma sathyam jaganmithya " . During Mahaprlayam or great floods, world did not exist and present world will again perish after billions of years at the time of next dissolution. Brahmam existed before that, it is existing during the existence of the world and will exist after the dissolution of the universe. So in reality world and brahmam are the same. It is nothing but Brahmam in essence. So everything in the world including all living and nonlivig beings are " mithya " . Further Vedanthins say that only in the Vyaavaharika dasha we can even say " brahma sathyam jaganmithya " . According to Sankaraachaaryar, there are three levels or planes 1. Paramaarthika or transcebdental sattha 2. Vyavaharika or empirical sattha 3. Prathibhasika or illusory sattha. Brahmam or Sathyam is Paramaarthika sattha that exists always (in past, present and future) as changeless consciousness. World is Vyavaharika sattha with birth, death and several changes. Imagining a rope as a snake is Prathibhasika satta because when the illusion is removed we understand that it is only a rope. When we take the definition of sathyam, we can see that Brahmam is the only thing that is sathyam and world is " mithya " . Poonthaanam expressed the same idea in the above two lines. But he tells us affectionately patting us on our shoulders that we need not break our head about what is real, unreal or mithya etc. We do not need to know all these complicated words of vedanthins. We sincerely feel that the world is real and ignorance or avidya causes this feeling in us. But Poonthaanam has a vidya or solution to remove the ignorance. He says that when the deepam or lamp of Naamasankeerthanam is lit on our tongue or in our mind, all the darkness of ignorance or avidya slowly disappears giving way to the paramaathma chaithanyam and all these difficult terms dissolves in that light to give us realization of the Sathyam. Let us chant Bagavaan's divine names along with Shri Poonthaanam and millions of other devotees around the world: Krishna! Krishna! Mukunda! Janardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naaraayana! Hare! Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naaraayana! Hare! Samasthaaparaadham kshamaswa. Sreekrishnaarpanamasthu Regards and prayers Savitri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Dear Savitriji, You have given an excellent exposition of the essence of advaita vedanta. Mithya is what appears somewhere, but is found to have no real existence, like a snake appearing where there is only a rope. Things like a rabbit's horn, which never appear anywhere, are known as 'asat' or unreal. The technical term for such things is 'tuccham'. In the case of pot, it is only clay in a particular form and so it has no reality of its own. It is therefore mithya--neither real like Brahman, nor unreal like a rabbit's horn. With best wishes, S.N.Sastri --- On Fri, 8/14/09, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote: Savitri Puram <savitriopuram[Guruvayur] Namasthe- Njanappaana 42Friday, August 14, 2009, 3:48 PM Njanappaana 42 Sathyamennathu brahmam-athu- thanne Sathyamennu karuthunnu satthukkal Sathyam or Reality is Brahmam and knowledgeable people or jnanaanis consider Brahmam as the only Reality In this stanza, the word "sathyam" means "reality". The only reality is Brahmam. Avidya or ignorance masks this truth and makes us identify ourselves with the body. So we take body and it's surroundings are real and separate from the one essential reality. Advaita vedanthins always quote the metaphor of clay and a pot made of clay. Clay existed before the pot maker processed and made the pot. And after the pot is broken, clay, of which it is made of, is till there. So "Satyham" or "real" exists in past, present and future periods of time. Pot was not there in the beginning and pot does not exist anymore after it breaks. Here clay is the only Sathyam or real. Pot is "mithya" or it has only a dependent reality. We cannot say that pot is unreal or false because it is made of clay and clay is present there. So pot is not "asahtyam" or "unreal" or false,but it is "mithya". There is no exact equivalent word in English for "mithya". Vedanthins say that Brahmam and this world has a similar relationship of clay and clay-pot. So world has a dependent reality on Parabrahma or world is "mithya". Sankaraachaaryar's words are "brahma sathyam jaganmithya". During Mahaprlayam or great floods, world did not exist and present world will again perish after billions of years at the time of next dissolution. Brahmam existed before that, it is existing during the existence of the world and will exist after the dissolution of the universe. So in reality world and brahmam are the same. It is nothing but Brahmam in essence. So everything in the world including all living and nonlivig beings are "mithya". Further Vedanthins say that only in the Vyaavaharika dasha we can even say "brahma sathyam jaganmithya". According to Sankaraachaaryar, there are three levels or planes 1. Paramaarthika or transcebdental sattha 2. Vyavaharika or empirical sattha 3. Prathibhasika or illusory sattha. Brahmam or Sathyam is Paramaarthika sattha that exists always (in past, present and future) as changeless consciousness. World is Vyavaharika sattha with birth, death and several changes. Imagining a rope as a snake is Prathibhasika satta because when the illusion is removed we understand that it is only a rope. When we take the definition of sathyam, we can see that Brahmam is the only thing that is sathyam and world is "mithya". Poonthaanam expressed the same idea in the above two lines. But he tells us affectionately patting us on our shoulders that we need not break our head about what is real, unreal or mithya etc. We do not need to know all these complicated words of vedanthins. We sincerely feel that the world is real and ignorance or avidya causes this feeling in us. But Poonthaanam has a vidya or solution to remove the ignorance. He says that when the deepam or lamp of Naamasankeerthanam is lit on our tongue or in our mind, all the darkness of ignorance or avidya slowly disappears giving way to the paramaathma chaithanyam and all these difficult terms dissolves in that light to give us realization of the Sathyam. Let us chant Bagavaan's divine names along with Shri Poonthaanam and millions of other devotees around the world: Krishna! Krishna! Mukunda! Janardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naaraayana! Hare! Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naaraayana! Hare! Samasthaaparaadham kshamaswa. Sreekrishnaarpanama sthu Regards and prayers Savitri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Dear and respected Satriji, My humble pranaamams. Thank you so much for the example of rabbit's horn to exactly understand the difference between " mithya " and unreal. When you said this example, it becomes very clear to me. Something that does not exist at all and misunderstanding something like a rope as snake is different. I have not heard of this example. Several books I read about rope and snake, clay and pot etc to explain different aspects. Even though I do not know anything, these things interest me so much. I often visit your Geocities site to learn about many things. Only thing that prevents me is the lack of time. I pray Guruvayurappan to slowly guide me to all those divine areas of knowledge when I deserve to know. With respectful regards and prayers Savitri On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 9:07 AM, Nilakantan sastri <snsastri wrote: Dear Savitriji, You have given an excellent exposition of the essence of advaita vedanta. Mithya is what appears somewhere, but is found to have no real existence, like a snake appearing where there is only a rope. Things like a rabbit's horn, which never appear anywhere, are known as 'asat' or unreal. The technical term for such things is 'tuccham'. In the case of pot, it is only clay in a particular form and so it has no reality of its own. It is therefore mithya--neither real like Brahman, nor unreal like a rabbit's horn. With best wishes, S.N.Sastri --- On Fri, 8/14/09, Savitri Puram <savitriopuram wrote: Savitri Puram <savitriopuram[Guruvayur] Namasthe- Njanappaana 42 Friday, August 14, 2009, 3:48 PM Njanappaana 42 Sathyamennathu brahmam-athu- thanne Sathyamennu karuthunnu satthukkal Sathyam or Reality is Brahmam and knowledgeable people or jnanaanis consider Brahmam as the only Reality In this stanza, the word " sathyam " means " reality " . The only reality is Brahmam. Avidya or ignorance masks this truth and makes us identify ourselves with the body. So we take body and it's surroundings are real and separate from the one essential reality. Advaita vedanthins always quote the metaphor of clay and a pot made of clay. Clay existed before the pot maker processed and made the pot. And after the pot is broken, clay, of which it is made of, is till there. So " Satyham " or " real " exists in past, present and future periods of time. Pot was not there in the beginning and pot does not exist anymore after it breaks. Here clay is the only Sathyam or real. Pot is " mithya " or it has only a dependent reality. We cannot say that pot is unreal or false because it is made of clay and clay is present there. So pot is not " asahtyam " or " unreal " or false,but it is " mithya " . There is no exact equivalent word in English for " mithya " . Vedanthins say that Brahmam and this world has a similar relationship of clay and clay-pot. So world has a dependent reality on Parabrahma or world is " mithya " . Sankaraachaaryar's words are " brahma sathyam jaganmithya " . During Mahaprlayam or great floods, world did not exist and present world will again perish after billions of years at the time of next dissolution. Brahmam existed before that, it is existing during the existence of the world and will exist after the dissolution of the universe. So in reality world and brahmam are the same. It is nothing but Brahmam in essence. So everything in the world including all living and nonlivig beings are " mithya " . Further Vedanthins say that only in the Vyaavaharika dasha we can even say " brahma sathyam jaganmithya " . According to Sankaraachaaryar, there are three levels or planes 1. Paramaarthika or transcebdental sattha 2. Vyavaharika or empirical sattha 3. Prathibhasika or illusory sattha. Brahmam or Sathyam is Paramaarthika sattha that exists always (in past, present and future) as changeless consciousness. World is Vyavaharika sattha with birth, death and several changes. Imagining a rope as a snake is Prathibhasika satta because when the illusion is removed we understand that it is only a rope. When we take the definition of sathyam, we can see that Brahmam is the only thing that is sathyam and world is " mithya " . Poonthaanam expressed the same idea in the above two lines. But he tells us affectionately patting us on our shoulders that we need not break our head about what is real, unreal or mithya etc. We do not need to know all these complicated words of vedanthins. We sincerely feel that the world is real and ignorance or avidya causes this feeling in us. But Poonthaanam has a vidya or solution to remove the ignorance. He says that when the deepam or lamp of Naamasankeerthanam is lit on our tongue or in our mind, all the darkness of ignorance or avidya slowly disappears giving way to the paramaathma chaithanyam and all these difficult terms dissolves in that light to give us realization of the Sathyam. Let us chant Bagavaan's divine names along with Shri Poonthaanam and millions of other devotees around the world: Krishna! Krishna! Mukunda! Janardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naaraayana! Hare! Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naaraayana! Hare! Samasthaaparaadham kshamaswa. Sreekrishnaarpanama sthu Regards and prayers Savitri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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