Parampara

Hari OM

'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days; Q&As; a general review of the week so far…

As the reflections on the Sydney discourses draw closer to finishing, it is worth once again offering up gratitude for the teaching tradition (parampara) which ensures that all we read and hear now is as it was centuries past. When we hear the words of the Rsis and the teachings of Shri Krishna, they are as fresh and pertinent now as they were in the time of their first utterance. That each teacher for each generation is able then to add to the examples with contemporary references takes skill and knowledge, solid and steady.

Swami Shrikarananda, resident aachaarya, Sydney CMSannidhi Ashram

Detach, Reattach

Hari OM

Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!

The Narada Bhakti Sutra is our guide for a while… the nature of Love (with the capital 'ell') and a full exploration of it. As always, you are encouraged to seek out the full text from Chinmaya Publications (links in side-bar); but for those who prefer e-readers, this version is recommended. Whilst awareness and interest can be raised by these posts on AV-blog, they cannot substitute for a thorough reading and contemplation...and practice!

Some reference was made in the previous sutra to renunciation - the letting go of those tools and crutches we use to prop us up through life. For the person who walks the (mostly solitary) spiritual path, there is a need for full renunciation. This is taken up by Sri Narada-ji now.

tiSmÚnNyta tiÖraeix;UdasInta c.9.

tasminnananyataa tadvirodhiShuudaasiinataa cha||9||

In the Lord whole-hearted, single-minded devotion, and in all else that are contrary to it (bhakti), complete indifference - (this is the nature of renunciation).

It is a device of Sanskrit writings that keywords are not generally repeated in succeeding sutras or shlokas until there is a change of direction in thinking. Thus the term 'nirodha' (adopting total restraint) which was used in sutra eight is not actually repeated here in nine, but is implied by the flow of the sentence, thus added in parenthesis in the translation for clarity.

Image credit; Vivek Thakkar

This is a useful moment to explore a little about the construction of Sanskrit**. The root verb here is रोध् /rodh. By simple addition of अ /a we get रोध /rodha, which is to restrain, barrier, suppressing, dam, preventing and more… but it can also indicate growing, sprouting. It is important to here emphasise once more that context is everything in Sanskrit. The root verbs live up to that term 'root', for who knows what will spring forth from them and in what direction according to the 'soil' of the sentence in which they are used?! With, for example, the prefix of वि /vi- which of itself indicates 'apart, asunder, away…', there comes a strengthening of the meaning of rodha such that it can mean to be anarchistic, defiant, antithesis, inconsistent, incompatible, to name but a few things. With the prefix नि/ni- which indicates 'down, in, into…', there is what may be described as a beautification of the root verb; thus nirodha is to fully take up restraint = renunciation.

अनन्य /ananya - to be unattached to all but one. By adding the suffix ता /-taa (with the character of 'X', having 'X'-ness), again there is a strengthening of emphasis, thus ananyataa is total and undivided focus on that object to which we are singularly attached.

As devotion for the Higher increases within us, the mind grows ever more fond of That and can quite easily begin to drop attachments to all that is lesser. In the bhakta who would take a place in The Divine, such devotion is absolutely imperative. It becomes that the attention is ever on that Higher Element. The external world looses its hold and no longer enchants or molests the devotee. The objects of life only hold charm according to the state of mind of the beholder. A bright sari is of no interest to the son or the husband, but the wife can be besotted. Likewise, the parents have no particularly interest in the toys and fancies of the children, but for these little ones, their toys are everything; or for the father, the tools in his shed or the car are his lure, whilst the mother and children look on indulgently as he focuses on these pleasures. It is clear, then, that the objects of themselves hold no value beyond the sense of charm created in the beholder according to their place in life.

The bhakta who is genuine in spiritual pursuit is not tripped up by lusts and hankerings after the things of the world. They may have them around for utility, but there is no attachment to them. The only attachment for such a person is Naaryaayana, the Higher Element which is the source of all life. This is again emphasised…

ANyaïya[a< Tyagae=nnyta.10.

anyaashrayaaNaaM tyaago.ananayataa||10||

Renunciation of all other supports is whole-heartedness (in devotion).

You may wonder at the constant repetition - but here again we see a Sanskrit lingual device… when these texts were created they were entirely verbal. The written form only came quite late to the tradition (circa 4000 - 6000yrs ago, depending on the text). Learning in the Sanskrit culture was entirely by memory and this is why in gurukulas around India you will find rhythmic recitation of the sacred writings. This not only ensures the quality and accuracy of the teaching traditions (parampara), but the words become part of the being of those who recite - as long as they do it with knowledge and understanding and not simply by rote. We all learned the times tables in our childhood, but if we did not apply them and by not maintaining them, efficacy and power is lost, is it not?!

Here again, then, another iteration on ananyataa - when one has recognised that everything springs from That and everything in the world is imbued with That Essence all around one, how can anything other than That be our focus? A heart filled with this Divine Love, even whilst experiencing the world of objects, is never again lost in that world. Everything presents itself as the Lord to the bhakta, every experience is understood to be the play of that Love, like a 'hide and seek' for the devotee!

**It is not necessary to learn Sanskrit in order to learn from and appreciate Vedantic philosophy. However, there is no denying that to have some inkling of how the language itself is an intrinsic part of the thinking process adds a dimension of satisfaction to the learning. Be not put off by the use of Sanskrit here (there are certainly some words for which English is a poor substitute and we are slowly learning those), absorb what you can and grasp the essence. That is what is important.

Guru of Gurus

Hari OM

Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.

Keeping to the concept of parampara and Guru lineage, today a video on the great saint of the Himalayas and the Gurudev of our Gurudev, HH Pujya Paramgurudev Swami Tapovanam Maharaj.  When Gurudev had been given sanyaas-diksha by Swami Sivananada-ji of the Divine Life Society, that teacher saw the light of greatness in his pupil and advised him to go to Sri Tapovanam to gain the highest learning. Sri Tapovanam was the Guru of Gurus!

The sound is a little low on this one - earphones and cranked volume will help.

Parampara

Hari Om

'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days; Q&As; a general review of the week so far…

It was interesting that last Saturday's ('Story-day') post was extremely popular; nothing beats hearing from the Master's mouth! All we achaaryas who have trained at the Guru's feet can certainly pass on the message as clearly and as entertainingly as we may, but the difference between us and Him is that we are still, to all intents and purposes, students. Until the attainment of the ultimate spiritual practice in the full flight of meditation, every single one of us nothing more than a seeker, regardless of how advanced that seeking may be.

Until that moment of Absolute Realisation, it is all case of seeking.

When we then listen to one who has reached that pinnacle, even if the words used be the same as in every day life, somehow, in some deep and shiny part of our being, we know we are listening to Essential Truth. It happens at such a subtle level, that quite often, we can miss what is happening. If we have our inner defences up, we are still affected by the words of the Master and, do what we may, it starts to rattle our inner walls and we are forced to think about what has been said, to properly hold up the item for investigation, perhaps even to rethink our stance. To hold on to an idea beyond its use-by date is folly indeed.

It can be shaky ground, this finding that there really is such a thing as 'a Master'! For those of us who have strong intellect and consider ourselves good at thinking processes and possibly have pride in the arguments we put forward ourselves and keen to hold onto our pet theories, to find that there is in intellect so towering, so clear and unshakeable, whose logic is undeniable, will have one of two effects; we will set our standard and refuse to budge, or we will lower our challenge and yield to the possibility of truly learning more.

In the first case, we not only disrespect the Master, but ourselves. The Master, due to His nature, is not at all bothered, though may be saddened on our behalf for the loss of our potential. By holding onto an argument so fiercely that it brooks no possibility of extending and blossoming to something even greater we are disrespecting ourselves even more.

In the second case, even if that Master does not end up as our final Guru, we have opened ourselves fully to all possibilities and thanks to the grace showered from His words, we become like the flower awaiting the bee for pollination. In this condition, our Satguru (true teacher) will find us. It will happen as naturally as that.

Be clear; we are not talking charismatic cultism, individualised doctrines or total scam artists. There are indeed many false gurus in the world, East, West, North and South. They prey on the needy, the greedy and weedy. Even in Vedanta there are to be found a few who would bend it to their own ends. However, to be fair, the nature of the philosophy is such that this is less the case than amongst those who would follow the path of mysticism (Tantra), or the physical (Ashtanga) or who would propitiate the ritualistic aspects of faith as a basis for control and abuse thereof. Sadly, due to such as these, there are many who become disillusioned or strongly outspoken against the guru system and/or religion in general. False gurus/priests must be taken out of the system, that is not denied.

This is why parampara is so very important. Know the lineage of the Guru. Understand that the errors of any student who would teach under the auspices of such a lineage are only the student's and never the Master's. Know that the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta stands as strong now as at the time of its inception and that it demands of all who undertake its study that they not simply take the words of the teacher as their only means of approaching it, but that such seekers research for themselves, question, debate and apply its principles, thus continually proving the theory. This is what has held Vedanta in place for centuries. It presents its principles and points as parameters of an experiment in life. Applied correctly, it is discovered by each successive generation to be a True and Purposeful philosophy which helps us to engineer life and overcome many of the common faults and hurdles which torment Mankind. Our human condition has ever been thus. The wise will rise and grasp this life raft and never let go.