Vedanta Darshan

 

            Darshan is the name given to ancient systems of Indian philosophy as they were the visions of Self acquired by Indian mystics searching within rather than outside. Vedanta Darshan is also called Uttara Mimamsa, where Mimamsa means to analyse and understand thoroughly, as this emphasises the teachings of Veda anta-bhagha, Jnana kanda. We shall refer to it hereafter as Vedanta only. Sage Veda Vyasa, provides the teaching for liberation through three basic texts known as Prasthna thriam.  They are:

1)    Upanishads, known as Sruthi prasthanam as it is part of Veda as Veda anta bhagha,

2)    Bhagavad Gita, known as Smrithi prasthanam as it is part of Mahabharatha, one of the ithihasas.

3)    Brahma Sutras known as Nyaya prasthanam, as it gives logical support to the teaching revealed by Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.

Sage Veda Vyasa is also known as Krisna Dvaipayanah as his original name is Krishna and he was born in an island. He is also known as Badarayana as he meditated in Badrinath.  We shall refer to him as Veda Vyasa only hereafter.  Veda Vyasa provides the teaching for Liberation through Vedanta represented by Prasthana thriam.  For he organized the Vedas and presented the Vedic teaching in a comprehensive and systematic manner, arranging them in four volumes and has authored the Brahma sutras, which is also called as Badarayana sutras and the Mahabharatha, that contains the Bhagavad Gita.  Thus Veda Vyasa has contributed to the entire Prasthana thriam and he is glorified in Vishnu Sahasranam as the avatar of Lord Vishnu with these words; “Vyasaya Vishnu rupaya, Vyasa rupaya Vishnave, namo vai brahama nidaye, (Salutations to Vyasa with the form of Vishnu, Vishnu with the form of Vyasa and the treasure-house of Vedic knowledge)”.  And Veda Vyasa says that Vedanta is revealed teaching and logic is used only in consonance with revelations.  In fact, he logically establishes that logic by itself cannot help one to know the Absolute Truth or gain Liberation as logic is based on data collected by human perception and its interpretations and conclusions have in-built limitations like the human intellect.

Vedanta is the only Darshan that accepts Veda pramanam using logic, only as a support.  Veda pramanam is known as apourusheya pramanam, as it has come directly from Lord Himself. Being apourusheya it is free from the deficiencies of human intellect.  Charvaka, Jainism and the four schools of Buddhism do not accept God and the supremacy of Vedas. Though the other darshans like Nyaya and Vaisesika accept God, they are tarka pradhana, placing more reliance on logic. So Vedanta darshan as revealed through Prasthana thriam by Veda Vyasa is an efficient means for attaining Liberation and a seeker should study the Prasthana thriam under the guidance of a competent Acharya to understand the texts correctly.

As a seeker pursues the study of Prasthana thriam, he will discover the different interpretation giving rise to the three popular sub-schools of Vedanta viz. Dvaita of Sri Madvacharya, Visishtadvaita of Sri Ramanujacharya, and Advaita Vedanta of Sri Aadhi Sankara due to different interpretations. All the three schools claim Veda Vyasa and Prasthana Thriam as the source of their teaching.  The fundamental differences among these three schools arise under six major areas. They are:

1)    Nature of the individual soul, Jivasvarupa

2)    Nature of God, Iswarasvarupa

3)    Nature of Universe

4)    Nature of Bondage

5)    Nature of Liberation, Moksha

6)    Means to gain Liberation, Moksha sadhana

              As per Dvaita school, Jiva is of the nature of atom, anurupam.  Brahman, Lord Supreme, is Lord Vishnu and He is the only independent Reality.  Jivas, sentient souls, and Jada, insentient matter, and the Universe, composed of them are also Real, but their Reality is dependant Reality, dependant on Brahman.  The differences between Brahman and Jiva, jiva and jada, jada and jada, jada and Brahman, jiva and jiva, termed Panchabheda, are also an eternal fact.  Bondage is the misconception that I, the Jiva, am independent and Liberation is freedom from this misconception and recognising that Jiva is a dasa, ever serving the Supreme Lord, Lord Vishnu.

            As per Visishtadvaita school Jiva, Jagat and Brahman are Real.   Brahman is saguna and Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Brahman.  Jagat and Jivas form part of Brahman as His body. Brahman is similar to a tree with branches, leaves and fruits. The several parts like leaves, branches etc., differ from one another while the tree itself remains as ‘one’ only. Brahman is the only one with independent Reality, while Jivas and Jagat have only dependant Reality, their Reality depending on Brahman.  The concept of Bondage and Liberation is same as in Dvaita.  Jivas retain their identity even after Moksha and live in Fellowship with Lord Vishnu, either serving Him or meditating on Him. Moksha is attained through liquidation of one’s karmas achieved through total devotion to Lord Vishnu, characterised by Saranagathi.

            The philosophy of Advaita school can be summed up in a nutshell in Sri Adhi Sankara’s words as ““Brahma satyam jagan mithya jivo brahmaiva naparah” (Brahman alone is Real; this world is not Real and the Jiva is verily Brahman only and is not different from Him.)”.  Apart from Brahman, which only is the absolutely Reality, all others are only transactional Realities i.e. Real only under certain conditions and circumstances and not at all times. In his essential nature which is Pure Consciousness, Jiva is one with Brahman which is Pure Consciousness infinite. Brahman has no limiting adjuncts and is Nirguna.  Bondage is the misconception that Jiva is limited and different from Brahman.  Moksha is the freedom from this misconception upon gaining the knowledge that the Jiva is essentially non-different from Brahman.

            Swami Vivekananda calls the three schools as three stages of the Vedanta philosophy and three stages of spiritual growth with one coming after the other, in a letter written to Alasinga Perumal.  People have different temperaments and different capacities. So, different schools of philosophy are also necessary.  The highest rung is Advaita philosophy.  Dvaita and Visishtadvaita can serve as a means to acquiring Advaita Jnana either in this birth itself or in future births.  A seeker who is a mandha adhikari can start with Dvaita, move to Visishtadvaita and then graduate to Advaita, attain the Jiva-Brahma-Ikya-Jnanam and become a Jivan Muktha.

(adapted from an article by Sri R.B.Athreya, based on the talk given by

Swami Paramarthananda)

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Sakama & Nishkama Bhakthi

Gita essays – 16

Sakama bhakthi and Nishkama bhakthi are the two motive based divisions of bhakthi.  In Sakama bhakthi, the motive is the finite goal of artha and kama purusharthas. In Nishkama bhakthi the motive is the infinite goal of moksha purushartha.  After describing the bhakthas who worship the Lord in different ways, Lord Krishna starts talking about Sakama bhakthi and Nishkama bhakthi. He points out that the sakama bhakthas are stuck up in samsara, however religious they are and also well-read in scriptures, in verses 20 & 21.

The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the access to heaven.  Having reached the sacred world of Indra, they enjoy the celestial pleasures, of the Gods in the heavens. (9-20)

Having enjoyed that vast heavenly world, they come back to the world of mortals when their punya is exhausted.  Thus, the seekers of sense pleasures who have taken to the ritual of the Vedas are subject to birth and death (9-21)

These sakama bhakthas are versed in the three Vedas, have performed many yajnas, including soma yaga offering soma rasa to Agni and partaking the soma rasa as prasada.  They are great bhakthas who have earned enormous punyam but they are after the pleasures of Svarga only, which they get.  This stay in Svarga  earned through their punyam  gets exhausted through enjoyment in their stay.  They cannot earn fresh punyam there as all the worlds except bhuloka are bhoga bhoomis and ony bhu loka is karma bhumi.  So they have to return to earth and start earning fresh punyam, as directed by their prarabhdha. This cycle of coming and going will continue choicelessly, if they do not change their goal and seek the Lord instead of praying for sensual pleasures and worldly objects.

After explaining that samsara is the fate of sakama bhakthas, Lord talks about nishkama bhakthas who worship Lord with ananya bhakthi.  He assures that He will take care of the yoga and kshema of those dedicated bhakthas.  Yoga stands for securing what one does not have and kshema stands for preserving what one has got.  If one’s life is analysed, it can be seen that all one’s energies are spent in acquisition and preservation of things. These the Lord assures He will take care of, for these stead-fast bhakthas who seek His Grace and Grace alone and whose thoughts are on Him and His glory alone.   This means that for such bhakthas who have renounced all their worldly pursuits seeking His Grace, their worldly well-being will be taken care of by the Lord.

Sakama bhakthas do elaborate rituals even for the finite benefit of heavenly pleasures for a limited time.  So for the infinite benefit of total liberation from the cycle of birth and death, how elaborate and involved the ritual should be, if one wonders, Lord allays their fears.  He says that what is offered in worship is not important but how it is offered is important.  He will happily accept and be satisfied with even a fruit or a flower or a leaf or even with little water when it is offered with total devotion and a pure mind.  We have the examples of:

1)    Sabari, in Ramayana, who offered fruits only and that too after tasting to choose the choicest fruits, which Sri Rama accepted with relish

2)    Gajendra, in Bhagavatham, who offered flower only when he surrendered to Lord Vishnu, which he accepted gladly and saved Gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile

3)    Draupadi, in Mahabharatha, who could offer only a green leaf which Sri Krishna happily accepted to save the pandavas from the wrath of sage Durvasa.

4)    Kannappa Nayanar, the ignorant hunter, who carried water in his mouth and offered in all faith and sincerity  to Sivalinga along with the roast meat which he had tested by tasting,  was acclaimed by Lord Siva as a great devotee and blessed with moksha.

Lord also explains ananya bhakthi for Arjuna’s benefit in verse 27

Oh Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer (as oblation), whatever you give (in charity), whatever austerity you practice, do it all as an offering unto Me. (9-27)

Such a nishkama bhaktha is a karma yogi as well as karma sanyasi as he acts without ego and with a sense of surrender to Lord and renounces concern for fruits of action. Lord declares that such a bhaktha will be free of bonds of karma, punyam and papam, and will attain Him.

Lord Krishna has been talking of Nishkama bhakthi and worship of Saguna Brahman in first person singular. But as Dr. Radhakrishnan says “It is not the personal Krishna to whom we have to give ourselves up utterly but the Unborn, Beginningless, Eternal who speaks through Krishna”.   Lest it be mistaken that all His words apply only to the worship of Lord Krishna alone, Lord clarifies that they apply to whatever Devata one worships with faith and single-minded devotion. But they worship in ignorance if they worship that Devata, not knowing the Supreme it represents. To add emphasis to His statement, He also adds that He is the Lord of all yajnas, and to whomsoever oblations are offered, they all reach Him only and He is the real receiver and enjoyer of all offerings. As they do not know Him in reality as Supreme Brahman, they return again and again to the world of mortality.  Lord has no preferences or partiality in respect of His bhakthas.  He treats them all equally.  They attain from Him what they seek.  If they worship and are devoted to Devas, then they go to the world where the Devas are and enjoy the benefits and pleasures there until their exhaustion of punya and return to the mortal earth.  The same way, worshippers of Pitru devatas go to pitru loka and return; and the votaries of Bhuthas go to the loka of Bhuthas and return.  But only those who seek the Grace of the Supreme Brahman only, attain Him and suffer no return at all.  Attaining Him is realizing the Jiva Brahma Ikyam even during lifetime as Jivan mukthi, i.e. realisation of the identity of one’s Real Self as the Supreme Brahman, even before one’s death.  So in this context Lord Krishna says as Supreme Brahman that such a bhaktha is in Him and He is also in such a bhaktha.

 

Ananya bhakthi is a great purifier, Lord Krishna points out. However vile or vicious one’s past be, if one sincerely repents his wicked ways and turns a new leaf as an ananya bhaktha that person too can attain the Lord.  So the past should not be held against such people and they be treated as righteous, once they repent and mend their ways to become sincere, single-minded nishkama bhakthas.  We have the example of saint Arunagirinathar who was a wayward youth chasing women of ill-repute. Thanks to his sister, he sincerely repented his ways and wanted to end his life when he was saved by Lord Muruga and became His great devotee.  Ananya bhakthas of the Lord who have surrendered to Him totally can attain the highest goal of moksha, irrespective of their caste and sex as well. We have the examples of Karaikal ammayar and Nandanar, ranked and revered among Nayanmars and Sri Andal and Thiruppanalvar, adored among the twelve Alwars to illustrate sex and caste is no bar to earn Lord’s Grace and Liberation through ananya bhakthi. So Lord tells Arjuna to become a bhaktha and how to become a bhaktha, Lord beautifully portrays in the concluding verse of this chapter on what he termed earlier as the “greatest knowledge and greatest secret”.

Swami Paramarthananda splits this formula into five stages.  I give below the Lord’s  advice split in stages on the above lines.

“!) Become My bhaktha, maybe even for the worldly goal at the first instance

2) Convert Me as your supreme goal, gradually changing from means to goal and then to primary goal.

3) Be always humble, never become arrogant over your spiritual progress, for whatever that is achieved is through My Grace only

4) Keep Me always in the mind i.e. never forget Me as the goal

5) Convert your very life into a form of worship of Me

Following these five steps sincerely, you become My ananya bhaktha; and you will certainly attain Me.”

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