A lot is said and written about Advaita
vendanta. Here yet and again I write on
it, with the authority pronounced by my attempt
to understand it.
The
Mahavakyas
The
core of Advaita stands its Mahavakyas which are picked each from the four Vedas
1.
prajñānam brahma – “Consciousness
is god” from (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda).
Knowledge/Consciousness is given most
importance by Advaita. Jagatguru Adi Sankaracharya in his praise to godess of
knowedge Saraswati said “Ya brahmachyut shankar prabhrutibhih,
Devai sada vandita”. Praised
her as glorified by the Holy Trinity themselves. I can not but bow to
him for his nerve in giving knowledge the equal / higher status to that of
the trinity.
2.
ayam ātmā brahma - "This
Self (Atman) is Brahman" from ( Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
This atma is also made out of Brahman as everything is
made out of him. This vakya asserts that the nature of self is derived
from the same nature as Brahman.
3.
tat tvam asi - " That
you are" from (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
. Stressed as many times as nine in the Upanishad again preaches the same non
dualism. Tat (that: The Brahman) is paralleled to tvam (the Inner you) . A lot
is debated n the meaning of the Mahavakya between Advaitees and others.
Understanding of Vedas and Upanishads differs from person to person.
Understanding varies based on the type of the person one is. These differences
do not affirm the righteousness of any side . They only The concept can be
simulated to “ I like Orange you like
apple” Neither Apple/ Orange can be
elevated or wronged. They are our tastes born from our natural tendencies.
4.
aham brahmāsmi - "I am
Brahman", or "I am Divine"
from (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of
the Yajur Veda)
Everything in the world is instance of god. Brahma satyam, jaganmithya,
jivobrahmaivanaparah: Brahman is real; the world is surreal; and the individual
Self is essentially not-different from Brahman. Human - Ignorance = Brahman –
Maya.
Role of Maya:
Vivekachudamani by Sri Adi Sankaracharya which
summarizes Advaita vendanta says that Atman is a manifestation of Brahman. Maya caused by the Sense organs makes a unreal
bond between Atman and Body which is the root cause for rebirth cycle.
Knowledge/ Consciousness/Discrimination between Atma and body can cut down the
cycle and lead to Mokha.
Meaning of Advaita
Non
dualism principal, the more we read about it
the more we understand that it extends beyond Atma and Bramha . Advaita
also talked about oneness of super powers Hari and Hara. Adi Sankaracharya in
his explanation of Vishnu Sahasranamam has indeed assimilated Siva and Vishnu. One can also infer Advaita concept between
Shiva and Shakti. Isn’t it now a paradox that some thing with name Advaita in
sense “ No two” can have more than two meanings.
Gods
and Supremacy
Many
misunderstand Advaita to be Saivism.
Infact Advaita gave as much importance
to Sri Vishnu as it gave to Sri Dakshina Murthy(Siva). Adi Sankaracharya is the
one who wrote “Bhaja Govindam ..Govindam
Bhaja mudha mate”. In his Kanaka Dhara stotam , he wrote 21 verses in
praise of MahaLakhmi. In Lakshmi Narasimha Krupavalamba Stotram, he praised Lord
Nrusimha for saving him from kapalikas. It is Jagadguru again who has
established Badarinath temple. On orders of none other than Narayana who appears in dream of acharya ,
asks him to go to Alaknanda river where he finds the Idol of the ruling deity
of Badarinath. All the procedures in this temple till date are carried on as
instructed by Jagadguru.
The
Sankara Mutts carry on this legacy. Guru
Sri Chandrasekara Bharati of Sringeri
Mutt
“Why do
people have to fight if god is Saguna or Nirguna? If he is Saguna, is it
necessary for us to fight that is Shiva or Vishnu? The path to realization is a
long one and we are thousands of miles away from his lotus feet. Let us all
walk together on this all-accommodating path of dharma, reach him and have a
look at his lotus face. If he holds Shankha and Chakra, lets bow down to him as
Narayana. If he holds Trishula and bow, lets bow down to him as Sri Mahadeva.
When we have not even started walking on the path of dharma and are thousands
of miles away from him, how is it sensible to fight amongst ourselves to
conclude whether the Paramatman is Shiva or Vishnu?”
And Guru Sri Chandrasekara
Saraswati of Kamakoti Mutt, when talking on condradicting Siva and Vishnu
puranas he explained as below
“Logical thinking seems to point to the conclusion that all Puranic
stories cannot be true. But, as a matter of fact, they are. A deity that
suffers defeat at one time at the hands of another emerges triumphant on
another occasion. And a god who worships another deity is himself the object of
worship at other times. How is this so and why?
The
Paramatman is one and only one. He it is that creates, sustains and destroys.
And it is he who exfoliates as the the many different deities. Why does he do
so? He has not cast people in the same mould. He has created them all differently,
with different attitudes, the purpose being to make the affairs of the world
interesting by imparting variety to them. The Paramatman himself assumes
different forms to suit the temperament of different people so that each
worship him in the form he likes and obtain happiness. This is the reason why
the one and only Paramatman manifests himself as so many different deities.
The
purpose of exalting a particular deity over the another is not to depreciate
the latter. The underlying idea is that a person who worships his chosen god
has unflinching faith in him and becomes totally devoted to him. Such exclusive
devotion is called "ananyabhakti". The idea here, however, is not to
regard other devatas as inferior to one's own chosen deity- an example of
"nahi ninda nyaya".
Those
who are capable of looking upon all deities as the manifestations of the one
and only Paramatman have no cause for exclusive devotion to any one of them. It
is only when we think that one deity is separate from- or alien to- another
that the question arises of giving up one for another. If we realise that all
are the different disguises of the One Reality, the various gods and goddesses
potrayed in the Puranas, with all the differences among them, will be
understood to be nothing but the lila or sport of Supreme Being. It is the One
alone that seems divided into manifold entities. This is to help men of various
attitudes and temperaments. If this truth is recognised we shall be able to see
the stories in the Puranas- stories that seem contradictory- in the true light.”
All
these tell us that God is one and that he is in all of us.
“Shruti
Smriti puranam alayam karunalayam
Namami
Bhagavadpadam Shankaram Lokashankaram”
-Mallika
Gollapudi
