Nov.-Dec. 2003 TATVAVADA TATVAVADA Jan.-Feb. 2004 ... · shedding the light of Tatvajnana, we...

2

Nov.-Dec. 2003 TATVAVADA TATVAVADA Jan.-Feb. 2004

Volume : 3/4 Issue : 6/1 Nov.-Dec. 03, Jan.-Feb. 04

SUBSCRIPTION

Issue : Rs. 10-00Yearly : Rs. 50-00Patron : Rs. 1000-00

ABROADIssue : $ 5/- Yearly : $ 30/-

(Outstation cheques must include theBank charges.)

TATVAVADA

Editorial Board

Chief Editor : Prof. K.T. Pandurangi

EditorsProf. A. Haridasa Bhat

Dr.C.H. Srinivasa Murthy

Executive EditorsSri U.B. GururajacharyaPt. Tirumala KulkarniPt. Srinivasa Varakhedi

@

Type setting :Poornaprajna Samshodhana Mandiram,

Bangalore-28.

Cover design by :Sri K. M. Sheshagiri

Advisory BoardDr. V.R. Panchamukhi

Prof. D. Prahlada CharProf. D.N. Shanubhag

Sri K.V. Murthy YerkadithayaSri K. Gopinath

PublisherSri H.N. Narayana Rao

Secretary,A.B.M.M.Mandala, Bangalore-28

Tel : 080-6690068, 6694026E-mail : [email protected]

Web address : http://www.tatvavada.org

Cheque/D.D./M.O. for subscription maybe sent in favour of :Tatvavada (English),

The Secretary, A.B.M.M.MandalaP.P. Vidyapeetha, Bangalore-28

(PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY)

CONTENTS

Vidyamanya Sandesha 5Special Article 8Born to help Rantideva 18Research article 21Rajaneeti Shastra 26Concept of Sakshin.. 33Dimensions of Supremacy.... 45A layman's appreciation.... 49Upanishad Section 67The report of Sudha Mangala 71Presidential Address 75Rajaguru gets honour 81Bhagavata Section 84Teertha Yatra 87Celebration of 74th Vardhanti 92Aradhana ofSri Vidyamanyatirtha 95

GIVE US LIGHT

With hands folded and head leaned what should we pray

daily ? Pray for material luxuries and lust ? No. Must pray

like 'Oh Lord, dwelling in the world's source of light, the

sun, kindly shed the inner light of Tatvajnana- the real

knowledge and the unflinched devotion in You apart from

the external light.'

Two kinds of light are required for all of us. One, external

and the other internal. For the daily life the external light is

needed. For the enlightnment of the self internal light is

required. External light for daily schedules the sun provides.

But, for enlivening and enlightening the self, the Atma by

shedding the light of Tatvajnana, we should pray Sri Hari

who dwells in the sun causing him to generate external

light within us.H.H. SRI VISHVESHATIRTHA SWAMIJI

From the Editors' deskDear Readers,

JANADESHA

Republic of India goes to polls toelect its ruling Government in centre forthe next five years. The political partiesof this country are poised for beggingfor Janadesha in this process. They havepresented their own candidates to representthe people in the governing body of thenation. There in the fray are foundcontesting many of them with theirintegrity unknown or not very clear ormay be shady. But neither the partiesmostly dare project their candidates withemphasis on their conduct and character,nor the electorate seem to bother to knowit seriously. Parties offer only soaps tobutter the voters. However, a Janadeshawill emerge as stipulated. In between thetwo Janadesha rituals happened to haveall sorts of blatant-misdeeds over whichthe Janadesha has no control. Even ifsuch a control, as is heard beingdiscusssed these days, is going to be vestedwith the electorate it might turn out asfarce as this general Janadesha ritual isnow seen ending up with. Because, manya time the electorate's mind through itsJanadesha process remains ultimately evasiveto be read clearly. Not a major segmentof electorate takes part in Janadesha withseriousness. The segment which partakes

Contd. on page 70

3

Nov.-Dec. 2003 TATVAVADA TATVAVADA Jan.-Feb. 20045 6

Vidyamanya Sandesha :

LORD NARASIMHAThe eternal founder of Dvaita Vedanta

(4th Aradhana of Pratahsmaraniya, Paramahamsa of thecentury Sri Vidyamanyatirtha was performed by his Yati Shishyasand devotee Shishyas from 30th April to 3rd May 2004 at MoolaBrindavana at Palimaru, Bhandarakeri, Bangalore and Anantapuraso on.

Paramapoojya Sri Swamiji had written in Sanskrit Shlokas,108 in number a composition titled "Maayaavaada NiraasaakhyaGranthaanekaartha Maalikaa" (ß"{Î"{˙"{l

4


Special article :

Practices and Precepts - the background

-Pt. Tirumala Kulkarni

(Rendered into English by Sri K. Gopinath)

'Aye, keep off please, He is in his Madi.' (Madi= religeousuntauchability.)

'Get up. You are still sleeping. It is late. The Sun has alreadyrisen. Get up soon.'

In Mathas you see a placard in bold letters which reades-

'No food is served to those who wear pants and shirts, atthe time of taking food. Please change over to Panche. Removeyour shirt'

'Well, child. Have you bowed down at the feet ofgrandfather and grandmother, who have just arrived.'

'You cannot come to lecture (Purana) !! Well, at least conveyyour regards, do Pranamas. to the Acharya'

Such sentences and usages are very common. We hear quiteoften.

If it is not very inconvenient, we follow such instructions.Sometimes we feel it quite irksome. Why should I follow? Onemay have this line of thinking. Thinking could be quite earnest.

Well, if you ask some people as to why you should followsuch practies, they may reply- scriptures say like this. Ourelders, ancestors practiced them. Let us follow. Why questiontheir wisdom?

But some people who look at these questions more earnestly

may as well say- 'Very well, scriptures say that ÷Òß"fÓ"{˘"{E"ß"{|"E"{i

5


knowledge; knowledge leads to Moksha. So, to be happy forever, you should adhere to certain disciplines to acquireknowledge about God.

This may look a little far fetched idea. Well, let me giveyou an example. It is obvious, to a cup having some poisonif milk is added, milk becomes poisonous. Such milk isdangerous and may prove fatal. Similarly, the mind which isfull of hatred, jealousy, desire etc., will not be able to acquirethe necessary devotion. A mirror covered with dust or smearedwith oil will never give a clear reflection.

In the same way, you cannot concentrate on any form ofGod if the mind is crowded with unnecessary useless material.So to help the mind to be free, clear and pure, certain exercisesare absolutely necessary.

When these sentences are said, naturally quite a fewquestions crop up demanding convincing answers. They couldbe like this-

In what way, the disciplinary exercises are necessary topurify the mind ? In what way does it help concentrationprocess? Why, follow all these difficult practices prescribed inthe scriptures. Why ? Why ? Why ?

Why should we engage ourselves in such rigorous ritualsof listening to unending scriptures - study day in and dayout,religiously repeating the same hymns many number of times,serving the parents and teachers with devotion strainingourselves physically and mentally ? Why these exercises havebeen formulated and made inevitable ?

We may face here a question about the process ofquestioning itself.

Can we think on these lines ? Is it right ? Some peoplefeel this way- We should practice all that is said in the

scriptures; We should never discuss their goals and purposes.Though it is partly true, it is not the total truth. It is notabove any discussion.

Sri Vedavyasa says in Mahabharata (12-244-50) thus -

ë÷Ò{ªÓ"{|"Ø ‹"ß"fß"

6


strength ? When the mental make up of soldiers was analysed,it was found that they are human-dynamos fully chargedwaiting only for the orders of their commanders eagerly tomake any sacrifice for the sake of the motherland. Not thenext, the very minute the commander signals- charge, withoutthe least hesitation the soldiers attack with a war cry engulfingthe spirit of fighting.

What is the reason for such a dare-devil mental make-upand the patriotic spirit ? Does it not speak of the most stringentdiscipline from day one of their training ?

By the routine disciplined training the body and the mindof the soldier will have prepared themselves, automatically,unasked for any eventuality to face any attack with a spiritof winning and sacrificing, fearing no death or danger, livingdangerously every moment.

Singing the national anthem and saluting the national flagwill have filled to the brim to love the motherland ahundredfold.

Carrying out the every command of the senior officerspunctually at every step from day one of the training will haveenabled the soldiers to carry out the orders even in the mostdangerous situations. The inbuilt discipline, is not built inone day. It is the result of discipline from day one of thetraining. Please note that to bring out this mental disciplineis the very job of all the rules of the training in the army.

The practices in spiritual life make the same effects. SriVedavyasa affirms it-

k"aØ>̇ "ˆ"fC"wÎ"ß" ÷Ò{E|"{# C"˙"{f

7


cannot be that easily, altered by us as these practices areformulated by the ageold seers and thinkers who could foreseethe future with a vision.

Even the great Seers (Rishis) have not said the same rulesand principles, the precepts and practices that are applicablefor all ages. What was applicable during Krutayuga is notinsisted for practice in Kaliyuga. They have prescribed onlysuch minimum practices which can be followed duringKaliyuga. They may look difficult as we have not made anhonest attempt but, they are not impossible.

Our day to day increasing weakness for material wants, andincreasing greed have made us love the materialistic life toomuch to be away from the righteous way of living followingthe well conceived practices and precepts laid down by thegreat Seers.

Fortunately we are still in the age where it is possible tolive a well contended, happy, prosperous, plain living and highthinking life marching towards the ultimate goal as dictatedin our epics by our Seers.

We have not reached an age where these are impossible.During these days the bad influences have been such that eventhe simple events which are possible to achieve look highlyimpossible. There was a time in our country that people feltfor certain that any election can never be complete withoutcorrupt habits. Did he not change the very trend ? It is thewillpower, determination and grit that are the ruling factors.To sum up, we can say that we have to try hard and raiseourselves to the high ideals and standard but not pull downthe standards as prescribed in Shastras.

Only one quarter of the righteousness is prescribed for inKaliyuga. Our Seers in scriptures are well aware of our

limitations. It is said very clearly in scriptures in these daysof Kaliyuga even if the prescribed minimum practices are met,one will be highly benefitted.

It does not mean that we should aim at the minimum.It only means that whatever we do, it must be performed tothe best of our ability. If we start taking exceptions there isno limit. Similarly if we start doing well, the scope for doingbetter is always there.

We should keep the following principles

i. Firm faith in the scriptures and precepts.

ii. Practising the precepts to the possible extent.

iii. Respecting elders and scholars and respecting the age-old practices.

iv. To observe tradition with respect practising to-day a littlemore than yesterday hoping to better it still tomorrow.

v. If new practise is to be adopted.

a. Start it on Dashami, Ekadashi and Dwadashi.

b. During Chaturmasya.

c. As said in 7th Skandha of Bhagavata during anspicious days (Parvakala), in holy and places of piligrimage.

Now let us look into a few lines of the bookletDharmacharana Rahasya, authored by Sri VidyamanyatirthaSwamiji (Published by ABMM Bangalore, 1986)-

'We say in brief a few points on practices of righteoustraditions. Even in scriptures this subject has not beenelaborated. Reasons are like these- There are three classes ofpeople. They are Satvik, Rajasa and Tamasa. Rajasa and Tamasaclass of people should not get faith in the righteous preceptsand practices. It is something like feeding the poisonous snakeswith milk. Milk becomes poisonous and the result is that it

8


does bad for the society. Practising the righteous precepts, theRajasa and Tamasa people will prosper more only to be allthe more nuisance for the society. It is said very clearly inscriptures that they should not get faith in rightousness.

That's why the authors of scriptures have kept the preceptsand preactices of righteousness as a highly gaurded secret onlyfor these reasons, the Lord when he took the incarnaton ofRama and Krishna he acted like normal mortals and did notshow his swaroopa (real form)'.

'During the Dwaparayuga King Drupada with a desire toget the progeny, he got the Yajna performed by Sages by nameYajopayaja. During the Yajna the sanctified 'fruit' of the Yajnahad to be given to the queen. But she did not turn up toreceive the sanctified Havis. As all were watching, the Seersoffered the same to the sacrificial fire. At once Droupadi andDrushtadyumna came out of the sacrificial fire. All the peoplewho were present there were the eyewitnesses. The power ofthe Seers, hymns, the effect of sacrificial fire were such. Thecause and effect cannot be even imagined by even the modernscientist. The secret is so divine and complicated and complex.

Only a very few seers can understand, not all. Because suchsecrets are beyond the understanding of common people witha little knowledge, such secrets in detail have not beenexplained in the scriptures.

|"Cß"{|"Ø U"{Àw Â"‡ß"{Ó"w |"i ÷Ò{Î"{f÷Ò{Î"ḟ Î"˙"ìC¨"|"{ $

As said in Bhagavadgeeta, the wise people will practice whatis prescribed by seers in scriptures having total faith in them.Sincere attempts should be made to know the secrets knowingone's own limitations.

Keeping company of good people who follow the traditionwith faith helps to know the secrets behind such practices.

So people who want to seek the right knowledge should bein the company of wise people.'

'If you desire to have the sunlight during night it is notpossible. Similarly in these days of ignorance, we cannot getthe bright knowledge. As we depend on a candle light duringnight, we have to depend on available sources of righteousness.

A man without the candle light falls into a ditch in thenight and faces disaster. Similarly without following theprescriptions from Geeta if one would go his own way andlead others also, he will fall into the ditch along with others.'

'During Kaliyuga practising righteousness totally isimpossible. Even if righteousness is observed to the possibleextent sincerely maximum benefit is assured. The benefitobtained by offering a morse of food during a famine is muchmore than the benefit acquired by the offering of sumptuousfood during the days of plenty.

ëÈ{≤"{ª# Â"ªß"{i ‹"ß"f#í is the mandate in scripture. As thefoundation for a building is important, so also righteouspractices are equally important for righteous living. If we failin it even a bit, the danger is unimaginable. King Nala, byhis unusual carelessness did not wash his feet properly, ignoringthe washing of heels after attending to his nature call, as aresult of which, Kali who was eagerly waiting for a chanceentered King Nala and did his havoc. Nala's mind was spoiled.He thought of entering into a gamble. He lost everythingincluding his kingdom in the gamble and had to be in exile.'

'If we want to see our neat reflection in a mirror, we haveto keep ourselves clean and smart; otherwise not. We are onlythe reflection of the Lord. If we worship Lord well in allsincerity, we will get, as reflections, the happiness. It is saidin scriptures- Â"‡

9


So performing daily Sandhyavandana, Pooja, Pancha MahaYajna, helping others etc., though does not benefit the Lordin any way, we help ourselves, even if we perform with ourlimitations. We have to perform these daily rituals necessarily.Otherwise we go to hell. There is absolutely no doubt in this.'

Born to help Rantideva-Koteshwara Sooryanarayana Rao, Bangalore

(Rendered into English by Sri K. Gopinatha Rao, Bangalore)

Since time immemorial Bharata has been the motherlandof those great sants who have shown to the world that theyhave spent all their lives with the noble qualities of greatsacrifices, and helping the fellow men always. They have livedupto the highest standards of living.

Long long ago there was a king by name Samskriti knownfor his steadfast righteousness. He had two sons by name Guruand Rantideva. Rantideva was the worthy son of his fatherin all respects and rightly became the successor to the throne.He ruled like an ideal king. He was very famous as a kingknown for his kindness, generosity and justice through outthe universe. He was known for his generosity. None who cameto him with a stretched hand for some help or other, neverreturned empty-handed. His generosity knew no bounds, andas such his treasury became empty. But he did not worryhimself even at that stage and continued to give away to thelast coin, with pleasure. Lucky he was that he was blessedwith an understanding wife and obedient children who wereproud of the king and were equally kind and generous.

Once it happened that for full 48 days, the whole familycould not get the bare minimum of food, they all grew weakbeyond imagination. They could hardly stand erect. Surprisinglynone of the family members was disturbed, in the least. Luckilyon 49th day, they got a small quantity of ghee, Payasa andwater. Only a man who is hungry can know the taste of food,not those who have plenty of food to eat all times.

Rantideva worshipped Narayana as usual, and when he was

Fire Accident in Kalyana Mantapaat Srirangam,Tamilnadu

An appeal for help

On 23.01.2004 an accidental fire occured in kalyana mantapa atSrirangam, Tamilnadu during the marriage of one Sri.Gururajan,grandson of the renowned purohith Sri.Jade Krishnacharya, result-ing the death of the bridegroom and as many as 60 innocent lives ofMadhwas of all age groups. This sudden fire accident has shaken theentire community and has shared their grief and sorrow.

Akhila Bharata Madhwa Maha Mandala has extended its handfor the relief of the victims of the fire accident by donating Rs.50,000/- from Mandal’s fund and the same was distributed by Parama PoojyaSri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt along with SriSwamiji’s personal contribution of Rs.50,000/-. In addition ParamaPoojya Sri Sri Vidyadheesha Theertha Swamiji of Sri Phalimar Mutthas donated Rs.50,000/-.

While reviewing the actual circumstances at the source of theaccident (with a survey conducted),it is found that further donation isvery much needed to meet the immediate requirement of the victimsundergoing treatment at various hospitals, with burn injuries as wellas many problems related to fire accident. It is therefore requested toall the institutions/organisations and philanthropists to send theirdonation to meet the emergency hospitalisation charges of the victimsand any further information required in this regard, please do nothesitate to contact Sri.H.N.Narayana Rao, Secretary, Akhila BharataMadhwa Maha Mandala, either in person or through Tel: 26690068,26797171.

10


about to take food with his family, a hungry Brahmin cameas a guest. When the food is in abundance, it is easy to offera norsel of food. It is unimaginable for anybody to think ofa person who had got some food after 48 days of thirst andhunger, grown weak, unable even to stand erect to give awaywith pleasure and happiness to the guest. Oh!! Rantideva, agreat devotee of Narayana, served the food with delight, seeingLord Narayana in the guest. How great !! The Brahmins, nowbeing contented blessed Rantideva heartily. There was somefood left. The family was about to share it. Then came a Shudrawho was also hungry. After all he was a guest. No problem,said Rantideva and happily gave away the food to the Shudrasaying 'Krishnarpana'. Let Lord Krishna be pleased. Still asmall portion food was left there. That was not the end. Thencame a man with his dogs and their pups, saying that theywere all hungry. Again Rantideva felt happy and without anyhesitation gave away the food to the man and his dogs.

Now, the great king known throughout the universe asvaliant, generous and rich enough was in this utter state ofhunger and thirst for the past 48 days. Now all he had wassome water left with him. Well, he was about to drink. Indeedthe testing time, a Chandala presented himself before him andbegged for water saying that he would die if he did not drinkwater then. Rantideva was kind as usual. Kindness was nothingnew to him. He gave readily the water left over with himthanking God he had water to offer it to Chandala and saidKrishnarpana as if he had offered it to the Lord Himself andpoured the water to the Chandala who had cupped his bothhands.

Then Rantideva fell on the ground with his familymembers, being weak. Fortunately Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwarsaw great Rantideva and his family. They came down and heldthese great souls- all the members, with a lot of affection and

care. They blessed the family heartily. Their thirst and hungerwere quenched and felt they were full to their hearts' content.Rantideva fell at the feet of the three Murtis. Tears of joysrolled down his cheeks. Trimurtis smiled and said- 'Oh, Kingof kindness Rantideva, we just tried and tested you. You arebeyond any test. We are very happy with you and your family.If a man like you is born once in a Yuga, the earth will belucky.

Sarvamoola Kannada Anuvaada

During the 23rd Akhila Bharata Madhwa TatvajnaanaSammelana held at Dharwad from 27th Jan to 30th Jan2004 , the following Sarvamoola Kannada AnuvadaGranthas were released and available for sale.

Sarvamoola Vol I Geetha PrasthanaReprint -Rs.210.00Postage & Packing -Rs. 40.00

Sarvamoola Vol IVBruhadaranyaka Upanishad BhashyaReprint -Rs.160.00Postage & Packing -Rs. 40.00

Sarvamoola Vol 13Srimad Bhagavata Tatparya NirnayaPart I (2 Skandas) - Rs.160.00Postage & Packing - Rs. 40.00

Sulabha Nityanushthana Sangraha

(Sandhyavanda, Deva Pooja Stothras etc.,Towla Sampradaya) -Rs. 35.00Postage & Packing -Rs. 20.00

11


Research article :

Idealism V/s Realism-J.S. Charlu, Bangalore

In 1930, when the great poet and Nobel LaureateRabindranatha Tagore visited Germany, he met Einstein, oneof the greatest scientists of our times, and the topic of theirdiscussion was an issue of Metaphysics which still attracts theattention of philosophers. Einstein made an apparently simplestatement, 'The mind acknowledges realities outside of it,independent of it. For instance, nobody may be in this house,yet the table remains where it is.' Tagore disagreed with thisassertion of Einstein because he believed in Idealism ratherin Realism of the latter. In order to understand their pointof disagreement, it is necessary for us to understand these twoconcepts. 'Idealism' and 'Realism' are the two importantschools of Western Philosophy which hold contrasting viewabout the position of the world around us. In the Indiancontext, Advaita philosophy is considered as 'Idealism' andDvaita as 'Realism'. In fact Dr. Radhakrishnan considered theentire Upnishadic literature as representing the Idealistic pointof view, and Dr. R. Nagaraja Sarma chose the title of 'TheReign of Realism in Indian Philosophy' to his book on 'DasaPrakaranas' of Sri Madhvacharya. An humble attempt is beingmade here to explain the points of view of these two Westernschools on the issue of 'Perception' (Pratyaksha) along withthe respective stands taken by Advaita and Dvaita.

Idealism :

Idealism takes its name from the words 'Idea' and Ideal'.While Idea stands for 'the subject of immediate perception',Ideal stands for 'subjective judgement' and 'freedom fromimperfections'. Though Idealism had a long history, it cameinto prominence with an extreme stand taken by Berkley, an

18th century philosopher. He denied independent existenceof Matter, the latter existed as a subject of human perception.For instance, if I follow his logic, the tree in front of me existsbecause I am looking at it. If I say that the tree existed evenwhen I did not look at it, Berkley would reply, 'Somebodyelse must be looking at it in your absence hence it existed'.If I say that long before the man arrived on this earth, weknow for certain, that dinosaurs existed on the earth, Berkleymight reply that God was looking at them hence the animalsexisted. In other words, according to Idealists, existence ofexternal world is mind-dependent. This may look a strangeargument but let us look from Berkley's point of view.According to him what we perceive in an object are the'qualities' and not the 'thing' itself. The 'qualities' are nothingbut the subjective judgement of each individual. For instance,when we look at a mango tree at a distance, we are actuallylooking at its 'qualities' like size, number of branches, browntrunk, green leaves, yellow fruit etc. Can we perceive the treewithout these qualities ? If we remove these qualities nothingwould remain as 'tree'. In so far as the information on'qualities' is concerned, it is formed in our mind and notsupplied by the subjects. The mango tree cannot be heldresponsible for our impressions about it. Similarly 'qualities'do not exist independent of objects. It is our mind that hassupplied us the information about the tree and is responsibleabout the tree. Thus if objects cannot exist without qualitiesand the information about the qualities is generated in ourmind, it is as good as saying that external objects do not existindependent of our minds. Since the mind of each personworks differently the perception is 'personal' or 'subjective'.

These views of Berkley have undergone a number ofmodifications and today we have the following versions ofIdealism :

12


a. External objects exist so long they are associated with themind of the perceiver (Berkley's veiw)

b. External objects actually do not exist but they appear toexist because of our ignorance (similar to Advaita view).

c. External objects exist but their 'qualities' are products ofour minds.

d. External objects exist for a fraction of a second (Kshanika)but the qualities we attribute to them are unreal in nature.(similar to the stand of Vijnanavada Buddhists).

e. Existence of external objects is relative to circumstancesand individuals (Jainism's point of view).

For want of space we shall not go into the details of thesedifferent points of view, however we may remember thatperception involves three pre-requisites : the person who isperceiving (subject), the object of perception and the act ofperception (being a relationship between the subject and theobject). The result of perception is acquisition of knowledgeabout the object by the perceiver. This relationship betweenthe subject and the object can better be understood if we gointo the details of the 'process' of perception as enunciatedby different schools of thought. Since Advaita is consideredas an Indian version of Idealism, let us examine its point ofview. Before that I quote below a strong statement made bySri P. Nagaraja Rao in his book 'Introduction to Vedanta' (p.135) : 'Ignorant critics declare that Sankara is an illusionistthat the world according to him is a dream and a delusion.They make Sankara a mentalist who regards the world as aseries of ideas. Nothing is further from truth than thisaccusation of Sankara. The world is not an empty dream noris it a delirium. It is not a bundle of ideas with any substancebehind it. Mayavada is not solipsism. Sankara is opposed toVijnana Vada i.e., mentalism. There is a strong realistic element

in Sankara's theory of Knowledge .... The world of objects isnot to be treated as a dream. It is objective: it is not thecreation of the individual's fancy. It has a common objectivereference. It is the world and not worlds'. In Dr. Radhakrishnan'swords, 'Unreal the world is, illusory it is not'.

Two points emerge out of these contentions : a. World isnot a result of our illusion, it has some reality, and b. Cognitionof world is not a 'subjective' activity hence there is oneobjective world and not several worlds.

Let us consider the first point. Advaita believes in a single,immutable, attributeless ultimate Reality called Brahma. Advaitapoints out that if the Jeevas, Prakruti are also treated as real,it gives rise to the the questions of inter-se priority, controletc., resulting in a irresolvable position. Hence it is ametaphysical necessity to have a single 'reality'. At the sametime, Advaita does not to outright reject the existence of theworld and human experience of it. The way out is define'reality' in such a manner that it accomodates Brahma as wellas the world. Thus, we are told, that there are three levelsor degrees of 'reality' viz., Â"{ªß"{

13


Rajaneeti Shastra-Justice M. Rama Jois

Hon'ble Governor of Bihar

(Continued from previous issue)

Education and training of princes :

The works on Rajyadharma provided for the extensiveeducation and training of princes in order to equip them fullyfor efficiently discharging the onerous responsibilities ofadministerign the state.

Kaut : pp. 9-10 (16-I, 16I-16K.S)

˙"Dy"≤"{ e÷Òß"{f E"”

14


Akhyayika (tales), Udaharana (illustrative stories), Dharmashastraand Arthashastra-all taught by specialist in the respective fields.

iii) Varta-Agriculture, trade and commere, under the guidanceof the superintendents of the respective government departments.

iv) Dandaniti - Science of government, theroretical andpractical aspects taught by experts in political science.

He was also required to acquire knowledge and training inthe art of warfare involving the use of elephants, horses, chariotsand various kinds of weapons. In addition to education in theaforesaid subjects a prince must lead a disciplined life underthe guidance of veterans in various fields. He should also havethe company of respectable people in order to shape hischaracter, thoughts and outlook.

Kautilya concludes this chapter with the following verse :

Kaut. p. 10, (p. 16 K.S.)

15


M.B. Shanti 24, 12-13 :

È{l{Î" µ" E"{

16


Number of ministers :

There was divergence of opinion as regards the number ofminsiters who should constitute the council of minsters.

i. M.B. Shanti, 85.7-8 and 11 :

≤"|"·ª{i µ"‡{h"Ó"{E"Ø ˙" ‹"{E"Ø Â"‡ˆ"°„"{E"Ø j{|"÷Ò{E"Ø U"·≤"”E"Ø $A"{ µ"

17


Concept of Sakshin in Dvaita-Advaitaschools of Vedanta

(Similarities and Dis-similarities)

-Prof. D. Prahlada CharV.C., R.S. Vidyapeetha, Tirupati

Sakshin - 'direct awareness' is a fascinating concept discussedin detail in both the Dvaita and the Advaita schools of Vedanta.Though this concept is used by these two schools to justifytheir respective metaphysical stand-points they also providemany interesting insights to the students of epistemology andpsychology. It is interesting to note that though Vishishtadvaitaschool also is a Vedanta school, it does not see any need toenvisage a concept of this kind. The other schools of philosophy,including the Nyay-Vaisheshika do not accord any place tothe concept of Sakshin, either in their epistemology ormetaphysical set up. This paper intends to briefly discuss theconcepts of Sakshin on the basis of the presentation made bythese two schools and bring out the similarities and dis-similarities.

The Advaita view :

A perceptual cognition, as a matter of fact, any cognition,as per the Advaita school, cannot be anything other than theChetana- the self. For, the capacity to illuminate an object,exclusively lies only with Chetana which is of the nature ofconsciousness. Achetana - a non-conscious thing can notilluminate any thing. Hence, a perceptual cognition is theChaitanya qualified by the Vritti - the modification of inner-sense which happens to take place when the faculty of internalorgan reaches the object through the external sense organ. Justas the consciousness delimited by the Vritti, is perceptualcognition, the Advaita school holds that Sakshin also can beconsidered as perceptual cognition. This Sakshin, according to

the school, is of two kinds - Jeeva Sakshin and Ishvara Sakshin.Though both the Sakshins are consciousness only, theconsciousness with the adjunct Maya (ÈE|"#÷ÒªÓ"{iÂ"

18


also grasps the super-imposed objects such as the silver super-imposed on the sea-shell. This silver, as per the Advaita school,is neither non-existant, nor externally existent. It is Aavidyakai.e., the modification of the ignorance that has enveloped the'Shukti-avachchinna-chaitanya' the Chaitanya delimited withthe sea-shell. Due to the defect in the sense organ, when theself fails to grasp the sea-shell as sea-shell there arises theillusory cognition of the super-imposed silver which being amodified form of the 'positive ignorance', is an inner object.Thus, the Jeeva-Sakshin, as per the Advaita school can alsobe an erroneous cognition. In the case of an erroneouscognition, inner sense organs' role is thus limited to grasp onlythe sea-shell as just 'This'.

As already stated, Jeeva-Sakshin, though it is one, appearsto be many becasue of the plurality in the internal orgnas.However, Ishvara-sakshin, unlike Jeeva-sakshin, is only one forthe adjunct - Maya also is only one. Here again the Mayajust differentiates the Ishvara-sakshin from Jeeva-sakshin withoutgetting invloved in the functioning of it namely grasping allthe things of the universe.

This in brief, is the nature of Sakshin as discussed by theAdvaita school. We may note here that the nature of Sakshinas detailed above serves the metaphysical purposes of theschool.

The Dvaita view of Sakshin :

To understand the nature of Sakshin as advocated by theDualist (Dvaita) Vedantins, it is necessary to know theepistemology that the school advocates. The following is a briefaccount of the Dvaita epistemology.

The school maintains that there are three Pramanas - meansof true cognition namely perception (Â"‡|Î"A"), inference (ÈE"·ß"{E")and verbal testimony (È{ˆ"ß"). The cognition produced by these

are perceptual cognition (Â"‡|Î"A") inferential cognition (ÈE"·

19


that during the state of deep sleep we are aware of ourselvesand we also experience a kind of bliss. This awareness of theself and the experience of the peculiar bliss, can not be saidas generated by any of the external sense organs or the internalsense (ß"E"C"Ø) for, all of them are in the state of rest, withoutfunctioning.

The Nyaya school which admits only six senses argues thatduring the state of deep sleep we do not have any awareness.This the Dvaita school rejects on the ground that it is contraryto our common experience. It also draws our attention to theafter-sleep experience or rather recollection that 'all this timeI had a blissful sleep' (Ã|"{˙"E|"w ÷Ò{ew C"·R"ß"∫ß"Ø ÈC˙"{ÂC"ß"Ø) whichnobody can deny. This recolletion, as is obvious, has threeitems as its contents namely the self, the bliss and the durationof the deep sleep. Since a recollection of something, is possibleonly the the past experience is of the same contents of therecollection, we have to admit the presence of an experienceof these three during the deep sleep. The Nyaya school maycontend that during the deep sleep there is no pleausure orpain and the absence of pain is later wrongly referred to asbliss. This again is cotrary to our experience. Even if we concedethat the later recollection is not that of bliss, but that of theabsence of pain, the Naiyayika has to accept the experienceof the absence of pain during the deep sleep, in the absenceof which we can not recollect the same later. Further, sincethe recollection of the self and the duration of the deep sleepcan not be explained in any other manner, one has to acceptthe presence of the experience of the self and also the periodin which the deep sleep occurred.

An attempt is made by some to explain the after-sleepcognition 'I had a blissful deep sleep all this time' as aninferential cognition and not a recollection. But, as is wellknown, an inferential cognition is produced by the cognition

of the concomitance between the probans (sign) and theprobrandum (property to be inferred) and also the cognitionof the presence of the probans in the subject. As we know,the after-sleep cognition takes place without any such cognition.Hence, the said after-sleep-cognition has to be accepted as arecollection and consequently we have to accept the presenceof an experience during deep sleep without which such arecollection is impossible. The Dvaita school holds that suchan experience during the deep sleep has to be admitted asa perceptual cognition as it can not be explained in any othermanner. This perceptual cognition, again not being a productof any other sense organ including the inner sense, has to beheld as the cognition identical with the self. This contentionof the Dvaita school, incidentally rejects the Nyaya view thatthe self is only the locus of consciousness and not identicalwith consciousness.

The Sakshin which is self-luminous, according to the Dvaitaschool can grasp, not only the self, its properties, and theperiod of the deep-sleep, as discussed above, but also severalother things such as the inner sense and its various modifications,space and time. It is interesting to note that while inner senseis held as beyond the reach of senses and can only be inferredthe Dvaita school holds it as perceptible - i.e., object of Sakshi-pratyaksha. All of us have the experience - 'my mind says this'- ëß"E"{i ß"i ÷Ò¨"Î"

20


cognition of the object in the self. Similarly, following thecognition of concomitance etc., and the cognitions of the verbaltestimony, the self will obtain, as its property the cognitions- either inferential or verbal, as the case is. These cognitions,the Dvaita school holds as the properties of inner sense asthey are mental states. When such a mental state occursimmediately the Sakshin will grasp it and thus the self willbe aware of it.

The Nyaya view that cognitions are special qualities of theself and that they are grasped by the inner sense, is rejectedby the school on another ground also. As we know, anotherpeculiar nature of the properties such as cognitions, desire,hatred etc. is that they are ˘"{|" ÷ÒC"|"Ø i.e., they exist only in sofar as they are known. It is contrary to our experience thatwe have a cognition or desire etc., and we are ignorant ofit. If, following the Nyaya view, it is held that these are graspedby the internal organ, we will have to accept a situation inwhich a desire or an awareness exists without being known.For instance, the cognition that arises in the immediateprevious moment of deep sleep, cannot be grasped by theinternal organ, for from the first moment of the deep sleep,till the end of it, internal organ ceases to function. Since suchcognitions etc., perish without being known, there is nopossiblity of getting an impression of them and recollectingthe same after the sleep. If, on the other hand, cognitionsetc., are held to be grasped by Sakshin the self, there willnot be any cognition or desire etc., which remains beingunknown. For, the moment they arise they are grasped by theSakshin.

Space and time, according to the Nyaya and some otherschols, are not perceptible. It is obvious that these two havingno colour or touch, are not perceptible to the external senses.The inner sense also can not grasp them as they are external

objects. Thus they are held to be known only throughinferences. The Dvaita school is of the view that these twoalso are directly grasped by Sakshin. Even a child, in darkness,stretches its hands to know whether there is anything solidoccupying the space. Similarly, even a layman knows thepresence of time and is never doubtful or ignorant of it. Hemay be ignorant or doubtful of only a specific time. This,the Dvaita school holds as the justification of its view thatboth space and time are grasped by Sakshin.

The Dvaita school which upholds the Â"‡{ß"{ÓÎ"C˙"|"C|˙"˙"{l i.e.,theory of intrinsic corrections of cognitions, is also of the viewthat the truth of cognitions, also is grasped by the sameSakshin. Generally, when a cognition arises, the Sakshin graspsthe cognition along with its truth. In exceptional cases onlywe are doubtful of the truth of our cognitions and is suchcases, the Sakshin grasps the cognition and remains silent aboutits truth. It is our common experiece that we resort to testthe truth of our cognition, only occasionally and generally weaccept them as true.

Another interesting characteristic of Sakshin that the Dvaitaschool recognises, is its

21


of fact, the very term 'awareness' which stands for Sakshin,indicates the existence of its content. We never use the term'awareness' when the content is not a fact.

Though this stand of the Dvaita school with regard toinfalliable nature of the Sakshin holds good in respet of itsother contents, it is argued that it is not applicable in caseof the truth of a cognition. The point is that the Sakshin havingthe nature of grasping the cognitions whenever they arise,grasps not only the true cognitions but also the erroneouscognitions. Thus, when the cognition of silver arises on seeinga sea-shell, it immediately grasps it and also the truth in itwhen, of course, the truth is not there. Here, one can notargue that the Sakshin stops only with grasping the erronesouscognition without grasping truth in it. For, the person whohas the cognition and does not know its falsity, immediatelyproceeds to get the silver with the same earnestness when heproceeds to take it when he has a true cognition of silver.Thus, the Dvaitin being a Â"‡{ß"{ÓÎ"C˙"|"C|˙"˙"{

22


and the same is both the revealer and revealed. So, the Sakshinin its capacity as the revealer, may be considered as a sense-organ while the same Sakshin as a revealed one can be regardedas the resulting cognition.

Some similarities and dis-similarities between the Dvaitaand Advaita concepts of Sakshin :

The striking similarity between the two concepts is thatthe both hold that Sakshin is consciousness itself and identicalwith the self. Both the schools also avoid that it is the Sakshinthat grasps the inner objects such as cognition, volition, desireetc. But, the similarity ends here. As a matter of fact, betweenthem dis-similarities are more.

While the Advaitin holds that the Jeeva-Sakshin as theconsciousness with the inner sense as the adjunct and thatthe inner sense just plays the role of distinguishing one Sakshinfrom the other, the Dvaitin does not have any such assumptions.For him no such adjuncts are needed. For, the Sakshins - theselves are naturally different from each other. Apart from thisdis-similaritiy which is metaphysical in nature, there are otherdifferences also which are epistemological. As per the Dvaitaschool a Sakshi-Jnana is invariably true, whereas in the Advaitaschool, as explained, may be even an erroneous cognition.Consequently, the Advaitin can not consider the Sakshin asinvariably true. It may be noted here that Gangesha, thecelebrated author of Tattvachintamani, also holds that Anu-vyavasaya which plays the role of Sakshin, is invariably true.

The significant difference between the Nyaya view of ÈE"·̇ Î"˙"C"{Î"and the Vedanta view of Sakshin, is that while according toNyaya, Anu-vyavasaya is a cognition produced by the innersense, the Sakshin of the Vedantin, is identical with theconsciousness - the self.

Another unique feature of the Sakshin about which both

the Advaitin and the Dvaitin seem to be in agreement, is itsSva-prakashatva - self-luminosity. However, the agreement isonly in giving the designation. In reality, the difference isabsolute. The Advaitin who thinks that one and the same cannot be both the knowledge and the known explains the self-luminosity in terms of 'not being object of a cognition otherthan itself' - Avedyatva. The Dvaitin who sees no contradictionin accepting both the knowledge and the known being one,admits the self-luminosity of the Sakshin in the literary senseof the term.

Yet another interesting point related with the Sakshin, onwhich the Dvaitin and the Advaitin differ is that the oppositionbetween the Sakshin and ignorance. The Advaitin contends thatthere is no opposition between the two. One may be havingSakshi-Jnana and the ignorance of the same. The typicalinstance which highlights the peculiar nature of the Sakshinaccording to him, is the awareness - ëß"{ß"∫w E" ¬"{E"{

23


Dimensions of Supremacyand Krishna

-Prof. C.H. Srinivasa MurthyM.A., Ph.D.

Mysore

Supremacy of Brahman is the chief tenet of Vedanta. TheBrahma is supreme because it is the thoughtful creator anddestroyer of the universe. It presides over everything that isresponsible for the being of the universe in its present form.The Brhadaranyaka and other Upanishads describe this pointvery clearly. The Brahmasutra 'Janmaadyasya Yatah' advancesthe same point as reason for the supremacy of Brahman.

In the Bhagavadgeeta, one of the principal sources ofVedanta schools of Indian philosophy Krishna attributes thisrole to himself. He says :

È∫w ÷DÒ|jCÎ" ¬"ˆ"|"# Â"‡„"˙"# Â"‡eÎ"C|"¨"{ $ß"y"# Â"ª|"ªw E"{EÎ"lØ

24


That Krishna is the greatest soul is lucidly explained inthe fifteenth chapter. There are two categories of souls. Oneis called Kshara because their bodies perish. All the souls exceptgoddess Lakshmi and Krishna belong to this category. Lakshmi

is Akshara because her body does not perish. Krishna is superior

to the categories of souls and for this reason Krishna is called

Purushottama in all the scriptures-revealed and composed.

ü{

25


A Laymans Appreciation of theTeachings of Shri Madhwa

-K. Seetharam Rao, Hyderabad

Worship is intense adoration; and one of the forms ofworship is singing the praise of the Lord. Perhaps, no onelistens when one sings but the Lord listens. The saying, ‘manya flower is born to blush unseen and waste its fragrance inthe desert air’ does not apply to the ardent worship of theLord, for the Omnipresent Lord is waiting every where to hearto the call of the humblest of His devotees, and so in intenseadoration of the Lord, and His chosen servant, I offer thisworship springing from my heart.

But before doing this, I offer my reverential homage to theteachers who tried to introduce me to the treasured literatureof the days of yore, so much so, metaphorically, standing ontheir shoulders, I could aspire to reach out to touch the feetof the Swamijee, who in his kindness agreed to let me stayfor some time in this holy Vidyapeetha, this temple of learning,where the revered teachers here opened a window throughwhich I could catch a glimpse of the Lord and of Madhwa,His blessed servant. And it gave me joy, for my body isconstituted of the dust of this land and one of my forefatherswas surely living in this land when Krishna bestrode it, andanother forefather was there when Madhwa strode over it andpreached his message of the unsurpassed supremacy of theLord. It is my fond belief that they, during their lives, walkedand talked with Krishna in the first case and with Madhwain the second.

More than five thousand years ago, Krishna foresaw thedeterioration that people in this country would suffer with

the impending change of the era, and proclaimed the necessityfor his coming on to this earth for the restoration of the fallingvalues in the land. And at the same time, Vyasa, realizingthe bad times that were to come, rearranged the Vedas,authored the Puranas, and generally saw to it that the fallingintellectual standards and the spread of sophistries wouldnot sound the death knell of the ancient glory and cultureof the land. And so successful were they that in spite of therepeated onslaughts on the ethos and culture of the countryand its people, the culture has survived over these five thousandyears in spite of the oblivion and extinction that contemporarycultures suffered; and Allama Iqbal, by no means an avidsympathizer of the standards of culture that prevailed in thisancient land, had to agree:

Yunaan-e-Misr Roma, Sab mit gayen Jahaan se,Lekin abhi tak hai baqi, Namon Nishan HamaraSare Jahaan se Acchha , Hindositaan Hamara.

But the onslaughts on the culture and the hoary traditionsof the country continued till they culminated in the Buddhisticprinciples when the whole tradition of the Vedas, was soughtto be given the go-bye and God was totally ignored. Thedoctrine of ‘Sunyavada’, - ‘Nothingness’, with its mechanistictheory of life seems to have left little for the ordinary manto look forward to, so much so the love one bears for theland he is born in seems to have disappeared and the countrybegan frequently to fall a prey to predatory invaders. Thesubsequent founding of the Mayavada doctrine did little toimprove the situation as Mayavada with its central doctrineof every individual soul being God Himself without realizingit, only brought in an arrogance into the minds of people,without the redeeming idea of duty as a service to God, andthe dire straits that the country found itself in seemed

26


irremediable. At such a time when the people in the countryhad lost all their dynamism, and the invaders from the extremenorthern boundaries were threatening to reach the southernpart of the country, and an atmosphere adverse to the spreadof indigenous ideas rooted in Vedic thought was coming intobeing, the boy who was to grow up to be Ananadatheerthawas born around the year 1200 AD.

At this time the people in India were divided. Externalaggression was making rapid inroads into the way of life andthought in the country. How far the dynamism inherent inMadhwa’s teaching that they are the servants of God, dependenton Him for everything, and that the world that they inhabitedwas a very real thing and not a figment of imagination bornout of an illusion of their minds, inspired people to cometogether to defend something more tangible than an illusoryworld is a moot point; but a Vijayanagara empire arose inthe face of mighty obstacles, and succeeded in partly stemmingthe onslaught on the indigenous culture of the land Fivecenturies of tortuous politics and repression from Muslim rulefollowed, then came the British rule, during which, whilereligious oppression became slightly less, it was replaced byanother type of repression. But, Madhwa’s thought flourishedand is vibrantly alive. This school of thought, the ‘PurnaPragna Darsana’, this system of ‘Enquiry into Reality’, at itsmost visible level, is based on the following principles.

1) The Absolute Supremacy of God.

2) The Reality of the World

3) The unqualified difference of the soul from God,

4) The eternal dependence of the Soul on God

5) The uniqueness of each soul and its difference from everyother soul.

6) ‘Moksha’, (liberation from the cycle of life and death),is the ultimate Bliss and the goal of human endeavor.

7) Devotion to God is the only path leading to ‘Moksha’.

8) Experience, Inference and Scripture are the threeauthoritative sources of Knowledge.

9) And the Lord is to be known only through the Vedas.

The system of philosophic enquiry expounded by Madhwa,‘Tatwavada’; that is, ‘Discussion of Reality’, is commonlyknown as ‘Dwaita’; that is relating to two things. These twothings are commonly held to be i) the reality of God andii) the reality of the living world; and the absolute differencebetween them. And this is ‘Yathartha Gnana’; knowledge asit is. This way of thinking, is a theistic and realistic wayof thinking and in it, Madhwa has raised God to the highesteminence possible, and to have an idea of God let us considera prayer which is very commonly used:

‘Namostu Anantaya Sahasra Murtaye, Sahasra PadakshiSirioru Bahave,

Sahasra Namne Purushaya Saswate, Sahasra Koti YugadharineNamah.’

That is, ‘Salutations to the Infinite Eternal of numberlessforms, numberless feet and numberless arms, sustainingnumberless universes for numberless ages’. Here God is spokenof as the ‘Infinity Eternity containing everything. What allthere is, belongs to Him, all Names and all Forms.’

And as if to add to His Majesty there is the beautifulepisode of ‘Samudra Manthana’, where the gods and the daityaschurned the Ocean in their quest for the ‘Nectar of Life’, andamong other things, Lakshmi, the Goddess of Nature, Wealth,and Prosperity emerged with a garland in Her hand seekinga bridegroom. She saw Vishnu and chose Him as Her Lord,

51 52

27


and Vishnu, the Omniscient, Infinite and Eternal became theLord of all Nature, Wealth and Prosperity, and along withHer Lord, wealth and prosperity spread to every point of theUniverse. One has only to seek it, and work for it,metaphorically ‘churn the ocean’, and there is success andwealth waiting to be found by the one who toils.

And what is the relationship between the Lord andLakshmi: Says Madhwa:

“Viswasthithipralayasarga maha vibhutiVritti Prakasa Niyamavriti Bandha MokshaYasya apanga lava matrata urjita saaSriryat Kataksha balvatyajitam Namami”.

She, Lakshmi, the controller of all Nature remains awaitingHis command and is controlled by His sideways glance. EvenLakshmi is controlled by Him. Only He is the independent.

In these verses in the Bhagavdgeetha the Lord says ofHimself:

XV -16) Dvaubhuutasargauloke Ksharracha akshara evaacha,Kshara ssarvani Bhutani Kutastho Akshara Uchyate."There are two varieties of sentient beings in this world, theperishable, comprising all beings and the Imperishable, Lakshmi,who is unchanging like the sky" ;

XV-17) UttamPurushastvanayah Paramatmeti udahritah,Yoloka trayamavisya Bibhartiavyaya Iswarah.

"The Supreme Lord is apart from these two, and pervadesthe three worlds and sustains them;

XV-18) Yasmat Ksharamateethoaham Aksharatapi Chottamah,Atosmi Loke Vede Cha Pratitha Purshottamah."

And because I Transcend both the perishable and theUnperishable, that is, the all bounding Nature, Lakshmi, I

am proclaimed the Purushottama, by the Vedas and theScriptures”.

Declaring Himself as beyond everything, perishable andImperishable, the Lord has declared His absolute Independence.And because He pervades everything He controls everything.He is not dependent on anything.

There are two entities here; the Independent and theDependent, and Madhwa enunciates this principle: ‘SwatantramAswtantram cha Prameyam Dvividham Matam’

“There are two orders of Reality, the Independent andthe Dependent”.

From this profound statement flow many streams ofthought. Starting with the fact that ‘knowledge is a certainand sure result of experience, we are confronted with thediversity of the world around us. The presence of other selveslike ourselves is also borne in upon us. We apprehend realitynot as one, but as many, and as far as our convictions, testsand reasoning go, they are real.

The diversity and the richness of the Universe is a fact ofexperience. As far as is discernible there is order, regulationand harmony in the several constituents forming this Universe.There is order, regulation and harmony. This shows, that everyconstituent of the Universe is bound by a certain disciplineand there is no unrestrained freedom to any to act as it pleases.This principle of discipline and dependence presupposes acentral principle that controls and coordinates the differentconstituents of the Universe. Madhwa recognizes thisindependent principle, the ‘Swatantra Tatwa’, as the controllingauthority. He says:

“Bahu chitra jagat, bahudha karanat , Para saktihranantagunah paramah”

53 54

28


‘Because of the repeated creation of this wondrous Universethe Lord is distinct and Supreme’. If it is supposed that theLord is not the controller, somebody else, some dependentprinciple is; then, obviously, one dependent principle wouldnot be able to control another dependent and the world wouldlapse into chaos. But this does not occur, and so thisindependent principle has to be accepted as the Supreme.Besides, He is postulated as the Omniscient , Transcendent,Infinite and the Eternal – Sarvavyapaka, beyond everything.The upanishads say of Him:

‘Narayanad Brahmo Jayate, Narayanad Rudro Jayate.’ –(Narayana Upanishad)

Again,

‘Eko Narayana asit , Na Brahma na Isanah’ - (MahaUpanishad)

Again, the Skanda Purana describes Him as,

“Bandhaka Bhava Pasena Bhava Pasatch mochakahKaivalyada para Brahma Vishnureva sanatanah”

The one who binds the souls to the world by bonds ofattachment, and frees them from such bonds:

This is the Lord depicted as the Supreme and He is knownas Vishnu, (Narayana).

The Pramanas - Authority for knowledge :

When we come to the point where we begin to enquireinto the reality of things, into their nature we face a difficulty.How do we cognize things? What is the authority that tellsus that a thing is a thing? This is an enquiry into the natureof proof, of Pramana. This is Pramana Vichara. Nothing isaccepted without proof. Madhwa says; “mana nyayaihMimamsa Meya Shodhanam:”. Philosophic enquiry is the

testing of truth in the light a proof. Hence nothing is to beaccepted without proof.

Madhva postulates three means of cognizing things, andthese three sources of knowledge are: i) Pratyaksha –perception through our senses; ii) Anumana – Inference andiii) Agama.

This Pramana, this authority is the source of all knowledge.As this enquiry is to obtain the knowledge of things as theyare, the means of obtaining true knowledge is a fundamentalconstituent of the process of enquiry and the means for theacquisition of knowledge.

Madhwa attaches importance to ‘Pratyaksha Pramana’, theevidence of perception. The world of perception establishedby sense perception is real, but the question of how muchof the knowledge we derive is by the right interpretation ofthe experience, and how much of the ‘perception’ itself isfaultless still remains and to take care of this, Madhwa defines‘Pratyaksha’, perception as, ‘nirdoshaarthendriya sannikarshah’.That is: Perception is the flawless contact of the sense organswith their objects. In addition to the five sense organs, thereare two more, ‘Manas’, which comes into play in connectingpresent impresseions with past knowledge i.e. the faculty ofrecollection is very much in evidence here; and 'Sakshi', is thefaculty that conceives of 'space' and 'time', and relates it toyou. Deficiency in either of these two means that ‘experience’is wrongly interpreted. In the evolution of Madhwa’s systemof knowledge, the concept of ‘Sakshi’ occupies a key position.‘Sakshi’ is the intuitive faculty of cognition. When one says,“I am happy”; “I am well”, it is the faculty of ‘Sakshi’ thatis bearing evidence to that fact.

The acceptance of Sakshi is necessary because of thelimitations of other means of knowledge. The knowledge

55 56

29


derived through other means, other sense organs, inference andverbal testimony as interpreted by the mind is not always freefrom misapprehension. It sometimes goes wrong and standsin need of correction by subsequent evidence. But is thesubsequent evidence correct, and, if not, and if doubt stillpersists, what is the final authority, and where does one getthe final seal of certitude? What is the point of satisfaction?Here is the point of bafflement. Madhwa has postulated thetheory of Sakshi as the ultimate of all tests and reasoning,where a belief becomes a certainty and experience brings aboutconviction. ‘Sakshi’ is the intuitive faculty that examines andaccepts experience and turns it into knowledge.

Knowledge is gathered by the cognitive state of the mind.All knowledge at the sensory and mental levels is cognitive.The perceptions and judgments of Sakshi are of the essenceof ‘Chaitanya’ or pure consciousness, and therefore self-revealing in their nature. Our experience shows that we arenot convinced of all the kinds of knowledge that come to usthrough the sensory and mental channels. Certain intimateexperiences, such as of pleasure and pain, are never assailedby doubt. This kind of knowledge comes under a differentfooting and is also apprehended by the ‘Sakshi’, and is takento be valid in a general way. But when faced with conflictingtestimony or new facts challenging first impressions, the Sakshilooks more closely into these cases. It analyses the materialbefore accepting or rejecting the knowledge.

The perception by the ‘Sakshi’ is decisive in character.Knowledge acquired through sensory channels and the mindis affected by the mind stuff, while that apprehended by the‘Sakshi’ is true and valid for all time. Sakshi is the spiritualsense organ of the self, through which it intuits its experience.

Final acceptance of knowledge comes about only after itsvalidation by the ‘Sakshi. Without the acceptance of such

a principle, there would be no finality about our logical orscientific judgments.

Laws of reasoning are self-evident and are not amenable todeduction by logical processes. Even in the routine of dailylife, there is a pure sense organ which cognizes comfort andfatigue and the needs arising out of daily living. This is higherthan the sense organs and this works even in the state of sleep.‘Sakshi’ cognizes the passage of time, recognizes pleasure andpain and the need for succor. That these experiences are nevercontradicted proves the infallibility of the faculty ‘Sakshi’.

‘Anumana’ and ‘Agama’, Inference and Vedic Injunction,are the other two sources and authorities for knowledge.While Vedic Injunction constitutes an overriding source andauthority, Pratyaksha, what is cognized and experienced, hasan important role and is a determinant.

Everything works out fine as long as there is no conflictbetween two authorities. But, in case, there is a conflictbetween ‘Pratyaksha’ on one side and 'Agama' on the other,then, what is to be done? The Sankara school of Thoughthas sought an escape from this predicament by taking recourseto a Vyavaharika Reality and a Paramarthika Reality, what'Pratyaksha' perceives, i.e. the evidence of experience, beingtermed Vyavaharika reality, and what 'Agamas' proclaim beingtermed Paramarthika Reality.

However, Madhwa has pointed out, that if a conflict arisesbetween two Pramanas, the scientific way is to determine whichof the two Pramanas is Upajivya, (that which furnishes thebasic data), and which is Upajivika,,( is dependent on the datafurnished). The Upajivika has to follow the direction indicatedby the data provided by the Upajivya. This is the principleof scientific and logical thought. If the data on which a

57 58

30


conclusion is based is invalidated then the conclusion alsostands invalidated.

Taking experience and Pratyaksha as the basis from whichwe reach out for knowledge, the world constitutes the objectof knowledge and the subject is the perceiver.

Distintive difference between souls:

Who is the Perceiver? Pat comes the reply: the person. Butthe person is transient. If we have to accept the evidence ofour sensory organs, and there is nothing else we can go by,the first postulate of all knowledge is that experience is theinfallible evidence of reality; then the ‘person’, who experiencesis real. But, what is this person? Is he the body, which isborn, grows and goes into dissolution. Here, besides theexperience of direct perception, ‘Inference’ and ‘Scripture’ haveto be depended on, and they tell us that the real ‘ I ‘, theconsciousness that animates the body, is something differentfrom the body. If we call this substratum of consciousness the‘soul’, then the ‘soul’ is the real perceiver, and the body isonly the outer clothing.

Reality of the Soul

Thus, when a person says, “I know myself ”; he asserts hisown existence. And, when ‘I’ assert my own existence, I assertit on an individual basis, and whatever else I may doubt, Ihave no doubt of my own existence. And whatever changestake place, whatever be the vicissitudes of fortune that I mayundergo, I never say, “I am not”. Similarly, ‘I’ see otherslike ‘myself ’ and by analogy the others also are as real as ‘I’.From the similitude of behavior, reactions and susceptibilities,I infer that they are very like me and do possess a soul, a‘self ’ like mine. If the ‘selfs’ that animate the two differentbodies are ‘one’, then the state of happiness, sorrow, pain

or pleasure that affects one unit, one body, must have tingeof effect on the other. But this is not happening. Not onlythe experience of pain and pleasure, or, for that matter, anyfeeling or emotion, is not felt in common, but each ‘self ’ isuniquely and completely different from each and every other‘self ’, and lives in complete ignorance of, and isolated from,others. There is no sense of related feeling between any twosouls. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that the soulsare distinct and different from one another. Thus the differencebetween individual souls is not only a matter of inference butis also one of experience.

It is also a matter of experience that no two persons arealike in their abilities or in their attainments or theirachievements. This leads to the conclusion that there is aninherent difference between the potential level of one soul andthe next. This explains the difference between a Newton, aSrinivasa Ramanujam and an Einstein and others.

Recognizing itself as an entity and the world as a realitythe ‘self ’ finds that the control of the environment surroundingit, the circumstances regulating it, does not vest in it. Thiscontrol is vested in some other ‘principle’. This ultimateprinciple is said to be the inspiration for everything else andis accepted as the ‘Supreme Principle’ and is the ‘SupremeIntelligence’. In the understanding of this controlling principle,we rely on the ‘Agamas’, the Scriptures, the discoveries andthe sayings of the great seers of the past.

The Bhagavadgeetha’, proclaims;

“Mattah parataram na anyat kinchidasti Dhananjaya, Mayisarvam idam protm sutre mani gana iva.”. that is, “ ThanMe no higher thing whatsoever exists. On Me, all this(universe), all beings are strung, like a multitude of pearls on

59 60

31


a string”. And all beings do not receive the same or liketreatment. The treatment depends on the souls inherentqualities. Of some, it is proclaimed: “ Bahunam janmanamante gnanavan mam prapadyate; Vasudevah sarvamiti samahatma su durlabhah..” At the end of many lives the manof Wisdom reaches to Me, saying Vasudeva is all. That noblesoul is hard to find.”

Neither are the destinies of all the same. Of some it isproclaimed:

“Na hi kalyana krit kaschit durgatim taatha gacchati, —Prayatnad yatamanastu yogi samsuddha kilbishah,Anekajanma samsiddhah tato yaati param gatim.”

‘The one endeavoring towards good never goes to indigence.Striving by effort and endeavor towards enlightenment, heattains, after devoted effort over many lives, to the fruitionof his efforts, and shuffling off the burden of his accumulatedsins, he reaches to the highest goal, to Moksha.”

But of the soul, whose nature does not ever permit of thiseffort, and the chance afforded over many lifetimes goes waste,it is resoundingly proclaimed: “Na mam dushkritina mudhaaprapadyante naradhamaa, Mayaya apahrita gnana asuramabhavam aasritah”. And where do they end? And in answer,it is proclaimed, “Mudhah janmani janmani, Mam aprapyaivaKaunteya tatho yanti adhamam gatim”. That is, “ thesedeluded evil doers do not think of Me, deprived of theirknowledge by their stupidity as they are of the demoniacdisposition”. And “these fools, not getting over their stupidityover many lives, and never reaching to Me attain to thenethermost regions – the lowest of hell.”

Here is the Bhagavadgeetha referring to the distinctivedifference between the souls; one is referred to as the

‘Gnanavan’, and the other is referred to as the ‘Muudha’; andthe final destiny that the two individual souls are headed foris distinctly mentioned. The difference in the intrinsic worthand the level of enlightenment reached by the souls and thevery different goals they are ultimately likely to reach,establishes the distinctive difference that marks one soul fromanother, and the very definitive virtuosity of each; which allowssome to succumb to the temptations held out by the world,“mayaya apahritagnana”. ‘Maya’, in the case of the Lord isHis resplendent Splendor and Majesty incomprehensible to thehuman mind, and in the case of men it is the depth of theirinsignificance. These souls, whether they are to be cast invirtuous bodies or vile, are equally dependent on God andthis is made clear in the Lords proclamation that it is Hewho casts them into different environments offering a scopefor further improvement in differing degrees. Apropos thevirtuous, who has slipped from grace, the Geetha says:“Suchinam srimatam gehe yogabhrasto abhijayate”, and “tatratam buddhi samyaogam labhate purvadaihikam”; The virtuous,though fallen from grace is granted birth in a goodenvironment, in a good home and family, where he recalls thevirtuous state of his previous lives from which he has slipped,and there he strives to regain the ground he has lost. Onthe other hand of the incorrigibly sinful soul, whose intrinsicnature does not accept any attempt for improvement, theperson who habitually and continuously and without reason,‘finds fault with Me and abuses Me, who reside in his ownheart and in the hearts of others’, (mam aatma para deheshupradvishyanto abhyasuyakah); such a soul is cast into the limboof perdition, from which there is no escape to goodness butonly infinite regress to damnation. (Mamaprapyaiva kaunteyatatho yatiadhamam gatim). The implicit understanding in

61 62

32


these pronouncements is the soul’s ever dependence on theLord.

(In parenthesis, a doubt arises whether the confinement ofa soul to eternal hell is justified? The analogy would be toan hardened criminal sent again and again to jail, neverreforming, but committing more and more horrendous crimeswhen he returns to free world; so much so, the only courseis to send him to jail for life).

This tendency to sin and crime and hatred of the Lordis the Swabhava of the soul, and nothing changes it; like theever bitter neem tree never bearing a sweet fruit.

Now, in some quarters, it is held that all souls, inclusiveof those ever inclined to hatred of goodness and obviouslyqualifying for consignment to eternal hell are actually sparksof the Eternal Supreme, which are enveloped by darkness andillusion, and on their emerging out of this state find that theyare themselves the Eternally Supreme.

Our experience and intuition tells us that there is somethingwrong in this. If a person sunk in evil is to merge in Godand emerge as God what is the motivation for goodness? Andto tell a man sunk in penury and doubt and in the miseryof worldly life and worldly woe, that he is indeed Godincognito, and is bound to emerge as such some day wouldperhaps be the cruelest of a joke).

Further, a question stands out glaringly. If the state ofa soul as a ‘soul’ is going to end on its finding its identitywith God, then this state which has its ending in ‘time’ shouldalso have had a beginning, the point of time when it socompletely got separated from God and constituted itself intoa separate entity. Further, when this separation takes place,all the separated ‘units’ would be possessed of the same

quantity of Karma. Emerging from God, they would at thatstage be untouched by any residuum of Karma. Then whatforce impels them into the stream of ‘Samsara’. Starting withno balance of Karma, why do different souls evolve intodifferent states, one becoming an Einstein and another thestupid moron in the insane asylum, one evolving as the show-boy billionaire and the other as the disabled beggar in thestreet. Allowing all these assumptions to be true, the questionremains, whether the merger of the soul in the Lord will lastforever or whether the soul on merging into the Godhead willagain re-emerge and get separated. Whatever be the likelihoodof either happening, the one thing that surely happens is, theaura of Immutability that surrounds God is effectively destroyed,as is the concept of ‘eternity and infinity’ attaching to Him,and God ceases to be God. The declaration obtaining in thissystem, ‘Hari Satyam’, is effectively negated. The Reality ofthe soul is already denied in the saying ‘Jagan Mithya’, andhence what remains is a complete negation of every thing inthe world including the ‘Vedas’, which, divine though theyare, are so much a part of the world.

Reality of the world:

The concept of ‘soul’ and ‘God’ having been so completelydestroyed, everything is reduced to the status of myth –‘Jagatmithya’, and in explanation, the world is said to be an illusionlike the appearance of ‘silver’ superimposed on a shell or likea snake superimposed on a rope. The illusion of the silveron the shell and the snake in the rope, and the subsequentrealization that the whole thing is an illusion requires the priorknowledge of both the silver and the shell, and the knowledgeof the rope and the snake. To realize that an illusion is indeedan illusion, a prior knowledge of what is not an illusion isrequired.

63 64

33


Madhva points out that a real thing has a real existencein space and time. It can be plotted by its coordinates. Athing is real if its effects are real. The atomic explosion ofHiroshima or Nagasaki lasted but a very small length of time.But its effects will continue to be felt for a long time to comeand perhaps the mutations caused then will last as long astime lasts. That an ancestor of mine lived at the beginningof time is proved by my existence. With real silver you canmake an ornament. It has a place in time and space. Illusorysilver does not have this status. You cannot make anythingout of it. Again for a man to mistake the sheen of a shellfor silver, he has to have the prior knowledge of silver. Torecognize an illusion as an illusion one has to have theknowledge of reality also.

Now, if the world is a superimposed illusion, what is thebase it superimposed on? And how do we know that thebase on which it is superimposed is itself not an illusion?Having denied reality to the world, under what criteria dowe accord recognition and a status of reality to the unknownbase on which the illusory world stands superimposed.

Besides, the cognition of the world as illusory assumes theknowledge of a real world and the knowledge of the base onwhich the illusory world stands superimposed. As long asthese remain unknown, and the criterion that differentiates thereal from the illusory is not apparent, there is no basis totreat the world of experience as illusory and assume a“transcendent Reality”.

On the balance, the Reality of the World, the eternalityof the Soul and the Supremacy and Majesty of God remainas ultimate Truths.

When the Supremacy of God is accepted, the idea floatedthat God is ‘Nirguna’, totally without any qualities, and

therefore without any role, would seem preposterous. It wouldbe consigning Him to the rubbish dump.

Madhwa has pointed out that the phrase ‘Nirguna’, means‘Traigunyavarjitah’, untouched by qualities which affect humanbeings, and that he is ‘sakala gunah ganarnah, Nitya nirmuktadoshah’; repository of all auspicious qualities, and ever freefrom taint.

Moksha: Reality of Bliss

Such a God is ever the God of the enlightened and thefreed souls. Even after realizing Moksha, such souls considerit an enhancement of ‘bliss’ to engage in His contemplation.

‘Akshinvantah Karnavantah Sakhayor, Manojaveshu Asamababhuvuh.’

And sporting , ‘Jakshan Kreedan Ramamanah’.

And they enjoy their bliss according to their meets:-‘Te ye Satam Prajapateh Ranandah; Srotriyasay cha kamahatasya.’

And this is what the devotee to God prays for; ‘Devotionto God, not with the desire to get anything beyond, but tobe devoted. And the sole goal of the devotee for which heprays for, is ever continuing devotion to the Lord.

Matarme matariswanpituratulaguroh Bhrataristapta BandhoSwaminsarvantaratman Ajarajaryita Jnama mrityaarmayanam,

Govinde Dehi bhaktim, Bhavati cha Bhagawan UrjitamNirnimittam,Nirvyajam Nischalam Sadgunagana brihatim Sasvitamasudeva..

And with this devotion in the heart, Madhva exhortseveryone to carry out ones work and labor at it; ‘KuruBhunkshwa cha karma Nijam Niyatam.’

‘Sri Krishnarpitam Astu.’

65 66

34


Upanishad Section :

Talavakara- Sri Bannanje Govindacharya

Ishavasyam, Ambalpady, Udupi 576 101

(This article originally written in Kannada by the author, is rendered intoEnglish by Sri U.B. Gururajacharya.)

(Continued from previous issue)

The ignorant does not know even how a question shouldbe put. No question may arise within them even. So, evento make the ignorant to know only the knowers have to posethe questions. It's like, the chancellor, Shownaka, had to putthe question on the Puranas to Suta Puranika so that the hisstudents in Naimisha might know the answers. By doing so,the students of Naimisha learnt what could be the questionson the Puranas and the answers from the Puranas to suchquestions. Thereby, Chancellor Shownaka's wisdom also grewand consolidated.

Sadashiva asking Chaturmukha this question as a mouthpieceof mankind has a symbolic meaning too. Shiva is the Godof mental-faculty in Pindanda i.e. physical body of the being,Jeeva ; He is the God of Ahankara, self-concious. And as awhole he is the faculty entity for the entire ß"E"{iß"Î"÷Ò{iU"(Manomaya Kosha) (integrated chamber/sheath of faculty ofmind). Chaturmukha is the Devata for the recollection (Cß"D

35


is not merely an inert, inanimate object. Agni is that livingforce which is known as Agnideva, the God of fire. It is theAbhimani Devata of that inert Agni. No word exists in Vaidikaliterature which refers to only the inert (Jada-¬"a>).

Veda utters ëß"Dlµ"‡̇ "”|"Øí (Mrudabraveet). This does not meanthat the earth spoke. It means that the Devata i.e., divinitypresent in the earth spoke out.

Veda declares È{Â"{i&µ"‡·̇ "E"Ø. It does not mean 'Water spoke'.The divine force in water spoke is the meaning. AcharyaMadhva in his C"˙"fU"{À{¨"fC"fl∫ (ÈÓ"·„"{kÎ") (Anubhashya) saysëli̇ "|"{˙"≤"E"{l{Â"{i ˙"l

36


The report of Tatvajnana Sammelanaof A.B.M.M. and Sudha Mangala

-Tirumala Kulkarni

One way of studying is that seekers of knowledge learn at

the feet of the preceptor. Studying all alone, group discussion

and exchanging views are of other kind. Another important

way is to invite some scholars to seminars and getting the

seekers quenched with right knowledge. We find such recordings

of such Vidwat Sabhas arranged by kings in Upanishads.

One such meeting of scholars took place in Dharwad, the

cultural and educational centres of Karnataka State from 27th

January 2004 to 30th January 2004. It was a very successful

Sammelana with good arrangements on all fronts, except for

some lapses.

Sudha Mangala :

Sri Sri Vishveshatirtha Swamiji performed his 25th SudhaMangala, here during the festive Sammelana occasion. It wasindeed a treat to the seekers of knowledge when Sri Swamijipresented his arguments and analysed threadbare the conceptof Jnananivrityatva of Advaitins from different angles in a novelway. One of the scholars expressed the fact saying- 'We havenot heard anyone performing Sudha Mangala these manytimes'.

Yati Samavesha - Saints Assembly :

The Saints are those among men in whom the graceful ofSri Hari is felt more. Seeing a Saint itself thrills a devotees.To see thirteen Saints, their Samsthana Poojas and to listento their blessing messages was something unusually thrillingbeyond words.

Dispute about Nadageete - State Anthem :

From the beginning to the end of the Sammelana throughout,the subject that cropped up again and again was about thedropping of the name of Acharya Madhva from the StateAnthem.

It was not just a matter of coincidence, but it became thefinale when the official news reached that the name of SriMadhva was included, at the time of the Valedictory addressof Madhvanavami. The efforts of Sri Swamiji added to thestrong support from media and the seriousness of the matterpersuaded by the local political leaders, which compelled andnecessitad the Government to declare the inclusion of the nameof Sri Madhva in the State Anthem paid off to give the mostrequired result. When this happy news broke out, joyousapplause and victorious cry touched the sky echoing.

Immediately Sri Vishveshatirtha Swamiji exclained saying-'From this entire incident, we have a lesson to learn, that is,the propagation of Madhva-thought and doctrine is not enoughso far. Now, all of us have to shoulder the responsibility ofspreading the message of Sri Madhvacharya and at the sametime clearing the unfortunate misgivings about Madhva doctrine.'

Group discussions :

Youths meet, Discussion on History, Mahila Meet, the DasaSahitya Session - exhibition on Madhva's life and message -these five sessions were organised. It was arranged in such away that in a short span of three days, maximum numberof speakers spoke on interesting topics to reach people. Thoughthe purpose was not fully met, to the satisfaction of theorganisers, still there was nothing short of real treat of theknowledge of philosophy.

71 72

37


The planning of programmes was something new and novel.One unique and attractive feature was arguments and counterarguments which had not taken place since a long long time.It attracted the special attention of people successfully.Similarly the discussion on History, the singing and demostratinglectures in the Dasa Sahitya session were worth appreciating.

Prof. K. Hayavadana Puranika a well-known senior scholarin Sanskrit was the President of the conference. He called uponthe people to spread Haridas Sahitya as it has been easiestmedium to inculcate the spirit and essence of Dvaita doctrineeffectively. It was decided to plan and prepare a text bookon Haridasa Sahitya for an earnest study in PoornaprajnaVidyapeetha from the next academic year itself.

During the conference seven important stalwarts in the fieldof literature and social reformation were honoured.

Here are the highlights of the conference in brief-

* Vijnanavada of Bouddha's look like Advaita as it hasinfluenced Advaitins. Still as they are also KshanikaVijnanavadi's its also Dvaita. So among the schools of Indianthoughts Advaita of Shankara is the only Advaita Darshana.

(Prof. D. Prahlada Char)

* Vadiraja says : The greatness of Vayudeva is that he satfor full half-an-hour quitely. What is so great about it !There are some persons who have sat all their lives. ThoughBhimasena was quite capable of putting down the wickedthen and there still he kept quite when his wife Droupadi'svery honour was at stake, knowing fully the plans of LordSri Krishna.

(Kheda Vedavyasacharya)

* 'Pray the Lord and get a son. Make him study TatparyaNirnaya', so says Sri Narayana Panditacharya in Yogadeepikajust Tatparya Nirnaya is enough to make the life worthliving and to reach the goal of life.

(Malagi Jayatirthacharya)

* There is concurrence with the Vaishnava doctrine about theSupremacy of Sri Vishnu enunciated by Acharya Madhvaeven in Shaiva, Skanda, Ganapata, Shaakta puranas.

Though each of these epics has praised the glory of thedeity who is the aim of the epic, when at comes to theimportant question of granting of Moksha (salvation), theyall say without any exception that Lord Vishnu is theSupreme. (Dr. H.K. Sureshacharya)

* It is impossible to measure the greatness of Tatprya Nirnayawithout which Mahabharata could not have been understoodthat clearly. At one stage it is said the war is indeed right.But at another stage,

È{|ß"{E"w ß"EÎ"C"i ≤"{¨" Â"{Â"÷Òß"{fÓ"ß"E|"|"# $U"DÓ"· |"‰" Î"¨"{ Â"{Â"ß"Â"÷DÒkÎ"i|" „"{ª|" $$ M.B. 14.30.3

If you feel that you have committed a sin by waging awar, perform Rajasuya Yaga, Vyasa says. It looks as thoughwar results in sins. But Sri Acharya clarifies saying :

ÈÂ"{Â"i Â"{Â"U"´ä|˙"{lX"ß"i‹" Î"f¬"{≤Î"·|"ß"Ø $ (Tatparyanirnaya)

Since you have doubted what is not sin as a sin, performAshvamedha an act of remorse. So we have a lesson to learnhere. Whenever certain acts are performed by thePeethadhipatis and seniors we should not comment on themcarelessly.

(Sagri Raghavendracharya)

73 74

38


23rd Madhva Tatvajnana Sammelana :

Presidential Address-Sammelana President

Prof. K. Hayavadana Puranik

what for is this Tatvajnana ? What is the use of theseSammelanas on this ? Why this spiritualism, why this Godand why this Dharma ? We could hear such umpteen no. ofquestions. Well, we could infer that these are only thequestions. They are not the objections raised against and northey are any preventors. They are only the words emanatingfrom the mouths of helpless poverty stucken people in thesociety. The people of affluent wealthy western countries cra

Nov.-Dec. 2003 TATVAVADA TATVAVADA Jan.-Feb. 2004 ... · shedding the light of Tatvajnana, we...

Documents

Transcript of Nov.-Dec. 2003 TATVAVADA TATVAVADA Jan.-Feb. 2004 ... · shedding the light of Tatvajnana, we...