The Life and Teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, by Mahendra Mathur
Introduction
The greatest saint ever born in the history of mankind, the sage Shankara probably lived around 800 A.D. His teachings can be summed up in half a verse: “Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah—Brahman (the Absolute) is alone real; this world is unreal; and the Jiva or the individual soul is non-different from Brahman.” This is the quintessence of his philosophy.
The Advaita taught by Sri Sankara is a rigorous, absolute one. According to Sri Sankara, whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman Itself is absolutely homogeneous. All difference and plurality are illusory.
Brahman—The One Without A Second
The Atman is self-evident (Svatah-siddha). It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Atman, because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions and proofs. Self is within, Self is without; Self is before, Self is behind; Self is on the right, Self is on the left; Self is above and Self is below.
Brahman is not an object, as It is Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes. Hence the Upanishads declare: “Neti Neti—not this, not this….” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, self-existent, self-delight, self-knowledge and self-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is the essence of the knower. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya) and Silent Witness (Sakshi).
Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as It is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside It. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not the distinction of substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitute the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes.
The Nirguna Brahman of Sankara is impersonal. It becomes a personal God or Saguna Brahman only through Its association with Maya.
Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman are not two different Brahmans. Nirguna Brahman is not the contrast, antithesis or opposite of Saguna Brahman. The same Nirguna Brahman appears as Saguna Brahman for the pious worship of devotees. It is the same Truth from two different points of view. Nirguna Brahman is the higher Brahman, the Brahman from the transcendental viewpoint (Paramarthika); Saguna Brahman is the lower Brahman, the Brahman from the relative viewpoint (Vyavaharika).
The World—A Relative Reality
The world is not an illusion according to Sankara. The world is relatively real (Vyavaharika Satta), while Brahman is absolutely real (Paramarthika Satta). The world is the product of Maya or Avidya. The unchanging Brahman appears as the changing world through Maya. Maya is a mysterious indescribable power of the Lord which hides the real and manifests itself as the unreal: Maya is not real, because it vanishes when you attain knowledge of the Eternal. It is not unreal also, because it exists till knowledge dawns in you. The superimposition of the world on Brahman is due to Avidya or ignorance.
Nature Of The Jiva And The Means To Moksha
To Sankara, the Jiva or the individual soul is only relatively real. Its individuality lasts only so long as it is subject to unreal Upadhis or limiting conditions due to Avidya. The Jiva identifies itself with the body, mind and the senses, when it is deluded by Avidya or ignorance. It thinks, it acts and enjoys, on account of Avidya. In reality it is not different from Brahman or the Absolute. The Upanishads declare emphatically: “Tat Tvam ASI—That Thou Art.” Just as the bubble becomes one with the ocean when it bursts, just as the pot-ether becomes one with the universal ether when the pot is broken, so also the Jiva or the empirical self becomes one with Brahman when it gets knowledge of Brahman. When knowledge dawns in it through annihilation of Avidya, it is freed from its individuality and finitude and realises its essential Satchidananda nature. It merges itself in the ocean of bliss. The river of life joins the ocean of existence. This is the Truth.
The release from Samsara means, according to Sankara, the absolute merging of the individual soul in Brahman due to dismissal of the erroneous notion that the soul is distinct from Brahman. According to Sankara, Karma and Bhakti are means to Jnana which is Moksha.
Vivarta Vada Or The Theory Of Superimposition
To Sankara the world is only relatively real (Vyavaharika Satta). He advocated Vivarta-Vada or the theory of appearance or superimposition (Adhyasa). Just as snake is superimposed on the rope in twilight, this world and body are superimposed on Brahman or the Supreme Self. If you get knowledge of the rope, the illusion of snake in the rope will vanish. Even so, if you get knowledge of Brahman or the Imperishable, the illusion of body and world will disappear. In Vivarta-Vada, the cause produces the effect without undergoing any change in itself. Snake is only an appearance on the rope. The rope has not transformed itself into a snake, like milk into curd. Brahman is immutable and eternal. Therefore, It cannot change Itself into the world. Brahman becomes the cause of the world through Maya, which is Its inscrutable mysterious power or Sakti.
When you come to know that it is only a rope, your fear disappears. You do not run away from it. Even so, when you realise the eternal immutable Brahman, you are not affected by the phenomena or the names and forms of this world. When Avidya or the veil of ignorance is destroyed through knowledge of the Eternal, when Mithya Jnana or false knowledge is removed by real knowledge of the Imperishable or the living Reality, you shine in your true, pristine, divine splendour and glory.
The Advaita—A Philosophy Without A Parallel
The Advaita philosophy of Sri Sankaracharya is lofty, sublime and unique. It is a system of bold philosophy and logical subtlety. It is highly interesting, inspiring and elevating. No other philosophy can stand before it in boldness, depth and subtle thinking. Sankara’s philosophy is complete and perfect.
Sri Sankara was a mighty, marvellous genius. He was a master of logic. He was a profound thinker of the first rank. He was a sage of the highest realisation. He was an Avatara of Lord Siva. His philosophy has brought solace, peace and illumination to countless persons in the East and the West. The Western thinkers bow their heads at the lotus-feet of Sri Sankara. His philosophy has soothed the sorrows and afflictions of the most forlorn persons, and brought hope, joy, wisdom, perfection, freedom and calmness to many. His system of philosophy commands the admiration of the whole world. Says he in ‘Bhajgovindam’:
The company of the good weans one away from false attachments; when attachment is lost, delusion ends; when delusion ends; the mind becomes unwavering and steady. An unwavering and steady mind is merited for Jeevan Mukti (liberation even in this life).
Don’t identify with wealth, relatives, your youth or your physical beauty – all those can be lost in a second. Knowing that all those are maya, may you realize Brahman.
One may have bathed in the holy Ganges or even in the Ganga Sagar; he may have performed many charities and observed many vows; yet unless one has understood the Brahman (Truth), he will not gain Moksha even after a hundred lives.
Who can disturb the peace and happiness of a man, if he has the true spirit of renunciation and has controlled his desires, even if he be the poorest, sleeping only in the temple halls or under trees or on the bare ground and just with a deer skin to cover.
Summary of Shankara’s teachings
When Shankaracharya decided to enter ‘samadhi,’ Sudhanva, the foremost disciple of Shankara, requested that the essentials of his teaching may be summarized and given to them. Shankaracharya then said the Dasa Shlokas, or Ten Verses, which elaborated the omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence of Brahman – the core concept of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma).
1. The five elements do no express my real nature; I am changeless and persist forever.
2. I am above castes and creeds. I am seen when ‘maya’ is removed, and do not need concentration or worship as shown in Yoga Sutras.
3. I have no parents, I need no Vedas as proclaimed in the scriptures, no sacrifices, no pilgrimages. I am the eternal witness.
4. All the teachings of various religions and philosophies do no reveal my true nature and are but shallow views of my deep being.
5. I pervade the whole universe and am above, in the middle and below, in all directions.
6. I am colourless, formless, light being my form.
7. I have no teacher, scripture or any disciples, nor do I recognize Thou or I, or even the universe and am changeless and the absolute knowledge.
8. I am neither awake, in deep sleep nor dreaming, but above consciousness with which the three are associated. All these are due to ignorance and I am beyond that.
9. I pervade everything, everywhere and the eternal reality and self-existent. The whole universe depends on me and become nothing without me.
10. I cannot be called one, for that implies two, which is not. I am neither isolated nor non-isolated, neither am I empty or full.
Eckhart Tolle
One modern spiritual teacher whose teachings echo Sankara’s is Eckhart Tolle. Eckhart Tolle is said to have attained enlightenment at the age of 29 after suffering long periods of depression, dissolving his old identity and radically changing the course of his life. Tolle’s non-fiction bestseller, The Power of Now, emphasizes the importance of being aware of the present moment as a way of not being lost in thought. In Tolle’s view, the present is the gateway to a heightened sense of peace and aliveness. “Being in the now” also brings about an awareness that is beyond the mind. This awareness helps in transcending “the pain-body” that is created by the identification of the mind and ego with the body. The aim of Tolle’s teachings is the transformation of individual and collective human consciousness–a global spiritual awakening.
Core teachings that arise from his works are:
1. You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind the thoughts. Thoughts are often negative and painful, yearning for or fearing something in the future, complaining about something in the present or fearing a matter from the past. However, the thoughts are not you; they are a construct of the ego. Awareness of your thoughts without being caught up in them is the first step to freedom.
2. Only the present moment exists. That is where life is (indeed it is the only place life can truly be found). Becoming aware of the ‘now’ has the added benefit that it will draw your attention away from your (negative) thoughts. Use mindfulness techniques to fully appreciate your surroundings and everything you are experiencing. Look and listen intently. Give full attention to the smallest details.
3. Accept the present moment. It is resistance to the present moment that creates most of the difficulties in your life. However, acceptance does not mean that you cannot take action to rectify the situation you are in. What is important is to drop resistance so that you let the moment be, and that any action arises from deeper awareness rather than from resistance. The vast majority of pain in a person’s life comes from resistance to what is.
4. Observe the pain-body. Years of conditioned thought patterns, individually and collectively, have resulted in habitual emotional reactions with an apparent personality of their own. During ‘pain-body attacks’ we become completely identified with this ‘pain identity’ and respond from its agenda–which is to create more pain for ourselves and others. Observing the pain-body is awareness itself arising–as it allows humans to separate from this unconscious identification with pain.
5. Everything that exists has Being, has God essence, has some degree of consciousness. Even a stone has a rudimentary consciousness; otherwise it would not be, and its atoms and molecules would disperse. Everything is alive. The sun, the earth, plants, animals, and humans – all are expressions of consciousness in varying degrees, consciousness manifesting as form. The world arises when consciousness takes on shapes and forms, thought forms and material forms. The ancient seers of India saw the world as lila, a kind of game that God is playing. You don’t truly know that until you realize your own God-essence as pure consciousness. When we talk about watching the mind we are personalizing an event that is truly of cosmic significance: through you, consciousness is awakening out of the dream of identification with form and withdrawing from form. This foreshadows, but is already part of, an event that is probably still in the distant future as far as chronological time is concerned. That event is called – the end of the world.
When consciousness frees itself from its identification with physical and mental forms, it becomes what may be called pure or enlightened consciousness or presence.
Conclusion
Is it practical for thr Hindu youth to try to follow the philosophy of Shankara? Yes, it is a thing to be practised and not only to be read as an intellectual exercise. This way of life is consistent with our duties as citizens. Shankara enjoins that we discharge our duties as well and cheerfully as we can. It is a way for the self-reliant and for the seekers. Yet we should endeavour to realize the Supreme Being as he did: “My mind fell like a hailstone into the vast expanse of Brahman’s ocean. Touching one drop of it. I melted away and became one with Brahman. This is wonderful indeed! Here is the ocean of Brahman, full of endless joy.”
Colonel Mahendra Mathur prematurely retired from the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army in 1975 to build a highway in Tobago. Subsequently he was appointed Director of National Emergency Management Agency of Trinidad and Tobago before retiring in 1998. You can contact him at mmathur@tstt.net.tt.
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November 1st, 2008 20:17
[...] Credit: The Life and Teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, by Mahendra Mathur … [...]
November 2nd, 2008 03:24
Note that as per the original records kept in kanchi, badrinath, puri, etc. Adi Shankaracharya’s date is considered 509 BCE and not 788 CE or or 800 CE. The British have played havoc with our dates. Rest of the article has presented a nice summary. :-)
January 9th, 2009 04:22
Dear Colonel Mathur,
I loved your article at http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/11/adi-shankaracharya/ on Adi Shankaracharya. I wanted to find the exact methodology suggested by Shankaracharya to find the real self. Franklin Merrell-Wolff used and achieved self-realization using Shankaracharya’s methodology but does not provide any details in his book Pathways Through to Space.
http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/wolff.html
Best Regards,
Sandip Patel, Ph.D.
January 10th, 2009 14:08
Thank you for the great query about the exact methodology suggested by Shankara for self-realization.
For the follower of Shankara the highest good of man’s existence is nothing more or less than the realization of identity with Brahman. Only the sense of “I”-ness identified with the body, and ‘mine’-ness identified with its surroundings, stand between man and the happinesss of that realization.
Brahman can be realized only through perfect knowledge or wisdom. Shankara did not lay down a methodology for attaining self-realization. But, amazingly, it (self-realization) sounds easy, simple and doable once you imbibe his philosophy which has been condensed in the passages that follow.
This finite, mortal, ever-changing world that we see around us, is born out of Maya alone. Due to the non-apprehension of Reality, Man recognizes the world of objects, emotions and thoughts. Through the body, mind and intellect he contacts the world and creates more and more vasanas. These vasanas make one act more and more, and in the end, man becomes co-cooned in them and gets permanently for himself the sense of a separate individuality. All these are created by non-apprehension of Reality. The supreme Reality functioning through Maya is called Ishwar or God.
The wise man should discriminate between the Self and the not-Self in order to remove the bondage and dock himself in everlasting happiness. Thereafter there is no strife, no stress and no strain for him.
Very few in the world know what joy is. All that we know is either sorrow or a slight absence of it; either pain or absence of it. Real joy is nothing but the experience of Brahman. Real homogenous Bliss is the nature of Brahman. We do not experience that. At best we experience only a relative absence of agitations.
It is not the Self, the pure Consciousness, which functions as I, but it is the reflection, otherwise called ego which functions as ‘I-I-I’ at all moments of the waking and dreaming states of our expression. By fully realizing the Self, which is Knowledge Absolute, which is the cause of everything; which is distinct from the gross and subtle, which is Eternal and Omnipresent, All-pervading and supremely subtle, which is without exterior or interior, which is the one Self; one becomes free from sin, blemish, death and grief and becomes ocean of Bliss.
He who gets away from the bonds of vasanas is the liberated one. ‘I am not this assemblage of equipments. I am That, the consciousness, the Witness of equipments and their function’. This idea should be kept alive during the entire period of our waking state.
Through continuous involvement in the contemplation of Brahman, the realized man eliminates vasanas, thoughts and actions.
Man perfected is the free spirit. His reason is turned to light, his heart into love, and his will into service. His demeanour is disciplined and his singleness of spirit is established. Ignorance and craving have lost their hold. He is dead to pride, envy and uncharitableness. The world in which he lives is no more alien to him. This free spirit reaches out towards the warmth in all things. He has that rarest quality in the world, simple goodness, besides which all the intellectual gifts seem a little trivial. He is meek, patient, long suffering. He does not judge others because he does not pretend to understand them. Because of his eager selfless love he has the power to soothe the troubled heart.
The released individual is artist in creative living. With an awareness of the Eternal, he participates in the work of the world. Like one sleepy or like a baby, he perceives the world as one seen in a dream and recognizes it only now and then. The Sanyasi, in whom the sense objects channeled by others are received like flowing rivers into the ocean producing no change because of his absorption in Existence Absolute, is truly liberated.
The man of Realization has to go through the tragedies and comedies of life. He cannot avoid them. But in and through them, he never loses sight of the idea that the objects, emotions and thoughts are, in reality, nothing but Brahman.
In the unbroken Knowledge, the Absolute, the Atman dualistic conceptions are like castles in the air. Therefore, attaining supreme Peace live in silence, identifying yourself with the non-dual Bliss Absolute. Whether going or staying, sitting or lying down, or in any other state, the enlightened sage whose sole pleasure is in Atman, lives ever at ease.
Ever enjoying the Blissful state of wisdom the realized man lives, sometimes a fool, sometimes a sage, sometimes with royal grandeur; sometimes roaming, sometimes like a motionless python; sometimes with a benignant expression, sometimes respected, sometimes insulted and sometimes unknown.
He does not direct the sense organs to their objects, nor does he detach them from these, but he remains like an indifferent onlooker. His mind being drunk with ‘wine’ of bliss of the Self, he holds not the least regard for the fruits of action. He is Siva himself, the best among the knowers of Brahman.
Just as an actor, whether he wears the dress of his role or not, is always a man, so too, the perfect knower of Brahman is always Brahman and nothing else. When a pot is broken the pot-space becomes the limitless space, so too, when the conditionings are destroyed, the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman Itself.
Liberation is not an occasion for glorification. That is your Real Nature. All that you say is, ‘What a fool I was! I never knew my own nature.’ There is nothing to be realized. You are that. This is the supreme Truth – at the moment of Realization to be realized.
The final result of such a spiritual Self rediscovery is a total liberation of the mortal individuality from all its physical mental and intellectual entanglements. This is called Liberation, Self-Realisation or God Realisation.
February 11th, 2009 12:16
Does Shankara himself use the terms ‘Vyavaharika Satta’ and ‘Paramarthika Satta’? - if so, can someone please tell me somewhere in his writings I can find these terms. Thank you.
June 9th, 2009 10:22
[...] Here is the original post: The Life and Teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, by Mahendra Mathur [...]
July 10th, 2009 20:11
Swami Shivananda used the terms mentioned by Ju, while explaining Shankara’s philosophy as follows:
The world is relatively real (Vyavaharika Satta), while Brahman is absolutely real (Paramarthika Satta).
July 22nd, 2009 09:32
He is great man.
July 22nd, 2009 09:36
A person like a man not ever seen in the world.
August 18th, 2009 15:15
I always feel that an Atman like Adi Sankara should be reborn again in today’s times to revive the Dharma which is again showing signs of a decline and to also be a guiding light to help us resolve all the conflicts we have in our minds regarding the problems we have in our daily life.
July 29th, 2010 18:42
I completely go with Vishwanath’s view. Especially after reading blogs like http://aimlessandabstract.blogspot.com/ by my intelligent friend! Many girls today think this way I guess. It probably really became a very male dominated society and stuff but I don’t see abandoning our religion as a solution. I really pray for divine guidance for the world including me. Yearning to see the wonderful society and culture that was in place before all this so called ‘advancement’.
August 1st, 2010 21:46
The whole Hindudom is yearning for reincarnation of Sankara, till such time that happens we should endeavour to take the messages of Swamis like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Chidanand Saraswati to the masses.
November 15th, 2010 07:24
Dear sir,
You explanation is very much good please send me any of your articles which is in simple English to understand better. (I am Civil engineer by profession not able to understand depth of English)
thanks
asha
December 2nd, 2010 18:57
You may like to read the article ‘The Bhagavad Gita Part 2: The Seeker and the Sought, by Mahendra Mathur’ published in Tattva magzine on line on thursday, November 1st, 2007. Should you have difficulty in accessing it please do not hesitate to contact me directly at mmathur@tstt.net.tt
I shall be very happy to send you this - and other articles on the Gita and Great Gurus. Wishing you all the best in your spiritual journey.
February 25th, 2011 14:38
thanks sir,
it is considerably clear.
Please help me get an answer to one of my confusions.
I sincerely believe in the lila concept, and also believe i am god myself playing lila, is not the manifestation of maya important for the original concept of lila itself. Is it not right to engage in maya without being attached to it, just for the sake of engagement, as may be what god intended it to be like. The lila.
I begin to realise that my mind a part of my body is trained to work out of habits, while engaging in maya there is a tendency from the mind to re-engage , is that some kind of a trap set by the creator, to keep the maya alive?
February 25th, 2011 22:44
Namaste Dinesh,
Th e answer is in your own comment. It is only by the habits created by your mind and body that you remain immersed in Maya. You can yourself change your habits by constantly reminding yourself that the Maya is separate from your Self. The Self only witnesses what your ego experiences. By regular meditation and constant reflection on your real Self, and by Lord Shiva’ blessings you will succeed in your endeavours.
February 26th, 2011 03:42
namaste guruji,
i am seeking knowledge and hence love to address you as a teacher.
Is not looking at maya seprate from myself, trying to create a dualstic approach, a conflict?
While maya is a creation of the creator himself.Is it not neccesary to accept maya as a reason for my material existance and use it to realise the greater myself?
If the mind and body works out of habits, from your quote, i realise that the same mind and body can be used to possitive effect by creating habits that can produce more love and lead me away from my ego center.
Is the ego my intellect? a part of my body acquired from genetic continuation or is it some spiritual continuation? Is my ego on some kind of a spiritual journey from restlessness to rest spiritually.
Or is it subject to the nueral scheme i recieve in each birth?
Do i have to defeat the choices of my body /mind complex to realise my self?
Where are the seeds of selfishness, jealosy,envy,greed embedded? are they in the body or in the soul?
Is there something as good souls and bad souls?
February 27th, 2011 02:15
Namaste Dinesh,
I can hardly qualify to be a Guru. In fact you are more of a guru to me in the sense that your questions make me think on the points raised by you and clarify my own convictions.
In answer to your first two questions I understand that Maya denotes divine veil and it has no absolute existence.
Next three questions may be answered thus: This finite, mortal, ever-changing world that we see around us is born out of Maya alone. Due to non-apprehension of Reality man recognizes the world of objects, emotions and thoughts. Through the body, mind and intellect (one might call it ego) man gains for himself the sense of a separate individuality. This avidya of all individuals put together is called Maya. God is cause of it and the world the effect. Maya is also called a delusion. By realization of the pure non-dual Brahma, Maya can be destroyed. Yes, I do believe that the process is unbroken by death and birth.
Your next question is exactly right. Body/mind/intellect complex create more and more vasanas which lead to avidya and then on to suffering. When I think rightly - and I have to constantly remind myself of the Self - all misery ends.
Certainly selfishness, jealousy, envy and greed are embedded only in body, mind and intellect and can be removed by right knowledge and endeavour - I can vouch for it. The soul is like the other bird watching but not tasting the fruits.
No, there are no good or bad souls. Soul - atma - is same as Brahma. In fact, I remember reading words of Adi Shankaracharya somewhwre that any soul can become self-realized by knowledge and wisdom alone!
I am aware that this note may raise more questions than give answers. What I have written is what I believe and it may be in variance with established theories. But it works for me. You are free to decide what works for you and reject what you think to be bunkum.
March 17th, 2011 14:46
If the soul is only the other bird watching but not tasting the fruits then why does the soul have to pay for the karmas of the body,mind and intellect, over whose action it has no control? If there are no good or bad souls why are there good and bad karmas and good or bad effects of karmas.
March 18th, 2011 16:34
Soul does not pay for karmas - the ego does. Man possesses a double nature, a phenomenal ego and an eternal Self, which is the inner man, the spirit, the spark of divinity within the soul. It is possible for a man, if he so desires, to identify himself with the spirit. The ego does the good and bad karmas and experiences their results.
June 29th, 2011 07:50
good work
July 1st, 2011 19:18
Liberating the human being from the clutches of ignorance.
July 10th, 2011 14:29
Dear Mathurji,
The greatest blot on Hinduism is casteism which was strongly supported by Sankaracharya. Like Manu, the most notorious defiler of Hinduism, Sankaracharya also recognized the slavery of the Shudras and proscribed reading or learning or even listening to it by the Shudras. Similar prescription was meant for the women. The self-contradictory nature of his teaching is that he admits the presence of the Brahaman in every being while denying so in the Shudras. Intellectually he may be clever in providing one counter-philosophy against Buddhism and tame its spread in India. But it is not quite encouraging for the Shudras to consider themselves as Hindu or as the followers of Sankaracharya.
July 10th, 2011 22:30
Dear Sudhakarji,
One answer could be that outsiders were considered Shudras at that time. Sruti (Upanisads and Vedas) were mainly in Sanskrit at the time of Sankara. So getting the knowledge of Srutis also needed getting training in the Sanskrit language. It was a doubly difficult job (learning Sanskrit and the Srutis) to be able to learn Upanisads — not easy for any outsider, suddenly dropping in to learn the Vedas immediately. It would need decades of work and commitment. Even though many people (e.g. the outsiders) might get involved in such venture initially, but only half-heartedly and not fully-prepared to complete the job. These days it is much easier for Shudras like me to attempt to study Upanishads. So I disregard Shankara’s words on Shudras, rejoice in his teachings and consider myself a staunch Hindu and follower of Shankaracharya.
July 23rd, 2011 12:55
Dear brother
I am novice to hinduism in the sense i have done nothing but diety worship and have no knowledge of scriptures.i read one of swami Vivekanandas books and got interested. Would you have any knowledge on the difference in theory by shankar, mahava and swami vivekanand. How are they diffrent. Sorry to bother you all with such simple questions
Also i want to know that if our books are very clear about Bhraman, why do we do idol worship?
July 23rd, 2011 18:35
Dear Sister Parvati,
You have done it all if you have done diety worship.Many have found salvation by just this method.Goswami Tulsidas emphasized this path and he spent many years living blissfully as a wandering saint, still immersed in thoghts of Lord Ram, till he died at the age of 91.
Mahava helps you to a new ’spiritual life’ that allows you to live life from your passion and rekindled excitement in order to accomplish new and great things. On the ther hand Swami Vivekanand preached renunciation and service to others. But Adi Shankaracharya taught that highest good of man is Self-realization which is total liberation of the mortal individuality from all its physical mental and intellectual entanglements.
An idol is just a symbol, a form with which mind can ne connected and concentrated upon. If there is suffiecient devotion in the heart of a devotee, God responds.It is a very simple way of uninhibited declaration of man’s faith in God. Ultimately devotion, wisdom and right actions, all lead towards the goal of self-realization.
August 14th, 2011 02:30
I read a bit of your notes above, very interesting…i too believe in God, both through rituals and philosophy, amazed by Adi Shankaracharya’s teachings that we are all pure consciousness, eternak knowing and bliss…i dont think he ever meant to differentiate between people, atleast i have not read that part…from the modern days i read a lot of Eckhart Tolle, in fact his “A new earth” that I must have read multiple times, is almost my daily reading and every time i read some passages, I learn more, wonder more! I also follow the teachings of a) Brahmakumari, sp the show with Sister Shivani has opened up new doors for me, helped me deal with day to day issues that life brings forth and be soul conscious rather than body conscious, b) Sr Sri Ravishankar’s teachings c) Swami Yogananda’s life and thoughts d) Khalil Gibraan’s observations and teachings, e) several more from the south east……all of them say the same things….we are soul/atman not the body… that to live life with the form/body with this understanding is pure joy and bliss. Even when we take the route of Bhakti…complete surrender to the supreme, or soul is the same thing……i think we need to choose the path that suits us the most. A mixture of Philosophy and devotion is helping me a lot. I believe in God, in Vishnu/Ram/Balaji and Shiva, the Devis- reading the teachings of evolved ones has helped me connect better with my God during the rituals, to concentrate, to try to meditate for a few seconds in total devotion/ complete surrender, as also helped me go through this life with the knowledge that the form as know ourselves is fleeting, what is mine/what is yours does not matter, attachment/possessions do not matter, we are the soul, the atman that lives forever!
Please review and let me know your thoughts…
August 15th, 2011 00:22
Dear Hima,
It is wonderful to read your great comment. The path of philosophy and devotion that you have chosen hasalready taken you to Self- realization. Might I add that at this stage it would be fantastic if you can also get into the path of works, if you are not already there. With ego subdued and results dedicated to God you will truly be working for the good of the world. I always regret that Sri Aurobindo declined to return to active politics in 1927 because he had gone too far into spirituality and seclusion by then. It would have made all the difference to an India marching towards freedom which then was lead by a person who himself wrote “I am Hindu by birth, Muslim by culture and Englishman by education”! The renunciation of works by spiritual yogis is regrettable while renouncing results of the works is a completely different matter and is to be done.
August 15th, 2011 00:29
How does one get in the path of works? In these days with the responsibilities of the hectic life we have, taking care of my little ones, my home, my family takes up most of my time….am just trying to do all this consciously…trying to be aware most of time, rather than try to do seva outside and get stressed out with the lack of time for my duty….i dont know..i dont think am there yet, i still have to try to learn how to meditate…i tried couple times, but its not like anything i read about it.
Please let me know ur inputs.
August 15th, 2011 02:47
Do works - whatever your duty - without clinging with the mind to the objects of sense and the fruit of works. Accepting results of your actions as prasad from God is the first step towards perfection. When your mind thus becomes free, medtation will become easier. Persevere on this path, trust the teachings of the Gita and Shankara, and you will succeed
August 15th, 2011 04:00
thanks for your imputs- really cherish it and will try to follow it to the best! thanks again!
August 15th, 2011 12:19
Your and my thanks should really go to the Gita which teaches that the body is to be used for selfless service (karma yoga); the heart is to be used for devotion (bhakti yoga); and the mind is to be used for discernment (jnana yoga). May we all get strength to remain on this path.
August 17th, 2011 13:11
After 9 years of my married life I am bless with a boy baby and on 30th april and named him as ‘ADVAIT’ as liked the name. After that I started findling out what it means and its legacy. Thanks to the technology I could get into lot of blogs which literally confused me with very little understanding on ADVAITA. Infact there were blogs where people have gone to the extent of saying you believing in you as god is as good as the principles of an athist. After that for a while I stopped looking into these details and also was little buzy in my job routines.
After going through your earlier responses, I gained some confidence that you could give me explanation on What is Advaitam, How it helps in one attain a stage where he comes out his ego and evils, and in simple terms How it can give a peace of mind in this Politcally, technologically socially spoiled environment.
August 17th, 2011 19:08
You and your son are both very lucky in naming your son Advait. As Adi Shankara described it, advaita is a complete essential identity between Brahman and Atman.Our goal is in realizing that the Self in us is the same Self in everything and being. This realization of the divine nature of man, individually experienced, each for himself, is the only method by which we can be liberated from the bondages of intellectual restlessness, mental agitations and physical cravings. Every time you utter his name and he hears his name you will be reminded of your lofty goal.
Advaita, the teaching of nonduality, has now become best known through the nondual spiritual teachings of Ramana Maharshi. He taught that self-realization, or the realization of the oneness of who we are, is not some distant goal that only a few can attain. The Self is that which is always and already present, that which doesn’t come and go. The love, peace, and happiness we have all been seeking is already here and is, in fact, who we are. Through simple self-inquiry, we can awaken from the dream of a separate self to the reality of Oneness, to the spiritual truth of who we are as nondual consciousness.
May Lord Shiva’s blessings be on you in your spiritual journey.
August 26th, 2011 21:18
Dear Sir
I’m unclear as to how the soul of an individual is not considered a creation of God but as God itself. How does the created become the Source of creation itself? Thanks.
August 26th, 2011 22:21
According to the Hindu Philosophy as revealed in the Gita and exposed byAdi Shankara and Ramana Maharishi the soul (jivatma) is not created but has always been present and is beginningless. And there is no difference between God (parmatma) and the soul. Through self-realization each of us can become conscious of this spiritual truth. Perhaps you may find my explanation inadequate. But the paths of Works, Knowledgem and Devotion as enunciated in the Gita can lead you to that realization. May Lord Shiva’s blessings be on you in your endeavour
November 28th, 2011 04:50
Respected Sir,
I would like to know the teachings of Adishankara. Let me know if there is any book which is very simple to understand the same.
Also, would like to know the difference between Advaita siddanta and Dwaita siddanta.
Warm Regards,
Manjunatha