Intellectual honesty of Advaitic masters

[Guest guest]

PraNAms to all

 

Today as I was taking my daily walk - I was listening to the Swami

Paramaarthanandaji's exposition of Anubhutiprakashika of Shree Vidyaranya on

Mudaka Upanishad. Only last week we had this Upanishad at the Spiritual camp by

Swami Tejomayanandaji.

 

Discussing on the mantra II-2-8 that says

Bhidyate hRidaya granthiH

Chiiyate sarvasamshayaaH|

shreeyante caasya karmaaNi

tasmin dRishte paraavare||

 

Shankara says - tasmin dRishhte paraavare - paraavare is interpreted as saguNa

brahma -kaaraNa kaaryaatmakam brahman - that one sees both the cause and effects

both higher and the lower aspects - that is the creator-creation aspects - for

the one who sees the knot of his heart (in the buddhi) gets untied and all

doubts are resolved.

 

Vidyaranya defines the word paraavare as - param is kaaraNam brahmna and avaram

that is considered as inferior - bahuuvRii samaasam - that is, that because of

it the kaarya kaaaraN vilaxaNa Brahman is superior to the kaarya kaaraNa brahma

- that is vidyaranya takes the view that paraavare as nirguNa brahma as turiiyam

of the Mandukya.

 

In describing the Vidyaranya stand - swami Parmaarthanandaji points out that

Vidyaranaya taking the position that is different from Achaarya without

sacrificing the essence of the sloka. That is intellectual honesty - It is not

blindly echoing what Shankara says but interpreting and even deviating sometimes

what Aacharya said in his bhaashya. Swamiji points out that there are many Gita

bhaashyas by the advaitic masters - NeelakanTa to Madusuudhana - besides

Shankara Bhaashya - and they freely differ in their interpretation of the Gita -

maintaining their own intellectual honesty. One Aacharya summed up all the

bhaashyas and says compare to all interpretations, Shankara Bhaashya still

stands out - That is his intellectual honesty!

 

The implication that I learned from this is one should not compromise one's

clear understanding to fit in that which is not appealing either objectively

from scientific point or that which fits better in terms of nature of reality -

without of course compromising the fundamental truths of advaita Vedanta.

 

My hats of to all the masters who are intellectually honest - and who are

convinced of the nature of reality and communicated to the followers. We can

take of course what we intellectually are convinced, not blindly, but with

reason until we get convinced otherwise.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda