Fwd: Shraddha, Sadhana and Vairagya - Suggested Discussion Topic

[Guest guest]

advaitin , " subrahmanian_v "

<subrahmanian_v wrote:

 

advaitin , " Ram Chandran " <ramvchandran@>

wrote:

>

> Since we have determined to conduct this discussion on Rama Navami

> day, let us start by reading the following article, " Yoga

Vashishtha –

> Vairagya " by Swami Suryaprakash Saraswati.

 

Namaste Ram ji,

 

When i thought of posting messages on Vairagya, i had in mind that a

focussed consideration of this one Element itself will percolate to

the others in the Sadhana-chatushtaya. My idea was to elicit a good

variety of vairagyam-based teachings, observations, anecdotes and

what not, so that the reading of these during this period will

itself be a samskara. It will no doubt spill over to topics of

Bhakti and Shraddha and Karma Yoga too. A person devoid of adquate

Bhakti and Vairagya cannot be a Karma Yogi of a high order. So, we

see that all the sadhanas, of the Chatushtaya, Quartet, are

interconnected.

 

 

To start with, there is the Brihadaranyaka teaching of the sequence:

Avidya, kama and karma. When one is ignorant of his native

Purnatva, there is the thinking, 'I need to acquire something

outside of me in order to become 'adequate''. There starts 'raga',

desire, for something outside of me. As the starting point itself

is 'i am finite', there is a longing for something that is again

finite. And then starts karma to acquire it. But since the finite

thing acquired does not give infinite satisfaction, there is a

search for something else. So goes the samsarik chakra.

 

When the scriptures teach vi-raga, the opposite of raga, there is

the viveka element and the tyaga element. Let me detail these in a

subsequent post, but the tyaga word brings to my mind a humorous

observation by Sri Maha Periyaval of Kanchi:

 

It seems when the Paramacharya was visiting some place, He was shown

a person who was ailing and in bed and had taken 'Aapat-

sannyasam'. ('Aapat-Sannyasam' is a scripturally permitted

arrangement meant for a person who is on the death-bed and desirous

of renouncing his worldly ties. After this not-very-elaborate

ritual, he is deemed to be a Sannyasi and upon death is given a

samadhi, etc. However, if he survives, the rule is that he has to

undergo the elaborate ritual of regular Sannyasa).

 

Coming to the incident, the Paramacharya saw that man and noticing

the variety of eatables stacked in several bottles by his bedside,

remarked: 'Idu sannyaasattukke periya aapattaacche' 'This spells

great danger to Sannyasa itself'. (Aapat = emergency, danger)

 

Warm regards,

subbu

 

--- End forwarded message ---