Śri Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya Jayanti and Pujya Gurudev's birthday

May 8, 2011

Today is the auspicious occasion that is both Śri Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya jayanti as well as the birthday of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji. In the Chinmaya Mission publication, was thrilled to find "Śaṅkarā - the Missionary", has a beautiful chapter on the 4 senior disciples of Śri Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya, Śri Padmapāda, Śri Hastāmalaka, Śri Suresvarā and Śri Totakāchārya. My own prostrations to my Gurudev for opening my eyes to the glories of Śri Ādi Śaṅkarāchāryaji and his stupendous achievements.

Jñanānanda Bhārati goes further to draw parallels from the various slokā-s of the Bhagavad Gltā. And about the famous line, which occurs twice in the Gltā (IX-34 and XVIII-65):

manmanā bhava mad-bhakto madyājī mām namaskuru.

There are four paths indicated with one goal to reach - that is Me. He says : The first path manmanā bhava (with mind ever concentrated upon Me) fits in with the ever inward turned Hastāmalaka. The second process mad-bhaktaḥ (devoted to Me) can be aptly said of Padmapāda, the ever-devoted and constantly watchful disciple who has the privilege to save the life of the Master twice. Suresvarā fits in with the third process madyājī (with all your spiritual endeavours aimed at me), hence, though the confirmed ritualist that he was, after his change over to the new path shown by the Master, he transferred his allegiance from Karma to the Self, i.e., directed his spiritual endeavours from Karma to the Self, “Me”. Totakā, who did all kinds of service to the Master, fits in with the fourth process - mām namaskuru (ever bowing down and prostrating to Me). The Me,' the Self, the objective of all these four paths, may be taken as Sankara himself.

Again in the following statement in Gita (XI-55), we find a parallel in the characters and make-up of the four disciples:

mat-karma-kṛt mat-paramo mad-bhaktā sanga-varjitaḥ
nirvaira sarva-bhuteshu yaḥ sa mameti pāṇḍava

mat-karma-kṛt (he who does actions for Me) easily applies to Totakā; mat-paramaḥ (who looks upon Me as the Supreme) applies to Suresvarā who was converted to the conviction that the Self was the Supreme and not karma; mad-bhaktaḥ (devoted to Me) can be said of Padmapāda, and saṅga-varjitaḥ (free from attachment) aptly fits in with the make-up of Hastamalakā.

The last quality enumerated in the above Gita verse, such as, nirvairaḥ sarva bhuteshu (who bears enmity towards none) refers to all the disciples; it was one common trait they all had, qualifying them for the great task their Master had given them.

Once again, another statement from the Gita (IV-34) bears close resemblance to their internal makeup:
tad viddhi praṇipātena pari-praśnena sevayā
Know It by surrender, questioning and service.

In this, 'know' can denote Hastāmalaka, who was ever aware of the Self that he was, even before he came in contact with Śankara; 'surrender' can denote Padmapāda, the devoted questioning Suresvarā, who held a great disputatlon with the Master; and 'service' obviously Totakā. 'It' is the goal of all four, which can denote Sankara himself.

Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

Geeta Dhyānaṁ 2 - Vyāsā's Vast Intellect

January 7, 2013 Previously on Geeta Jayanti, I had posted on the eternal debt of gratitude to Mother Geeta that is the basis of Geeta Dhyānaṁ. I love Param Pujya Gurudev 's commentary on the Geeta Dhyānaṁ. Pujya Gurudev's commentary is after the introduction to the Bhagavad Geeta in the commentary on Chapters 1 & 2 published by the the Chinmaya Mission. I personally believe it should be a book by itself. After invoking Mother Geeta, we now pay tribute to the wise Vyāsa Rishi - the Guru whose Jayanti marks Guru Pūrnima every year. Pujya Gurudev starts His tribute to Veda Vyāsā in his commentary on the 1st verse of the Dhyānaṁ. Vyāsa, the father of the Vedās, who, first collected, edited and published the Veda texts and who thereafter, gave us the dialectics of Vedānta in his Brahma Sūtra, himself a great man of realization, was indeed well fitted for the job. The ancient seer had both the mastery of the theoretical science of religion - Hinduism and also the practical expe...

In every field, let Dharma flourish - क्षेत्रे क्षेत्रे धर्म कुरु

August 9, 2012 Swamini Vimalanandaji has done a series of talks at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) called "406 SMS – Sure Mantras for Success from Bhagwad Geeta" (item 406 at this AMA link ). In this she has a very interesting take on the 1st line of the Bhagavad Geeta. धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे १-१ dharmakShetre kurukShetre 1-1 <i> on the holy plain of Kurukshetra... </i> Swamini turns that slightly and says, क्षेत्रे क्षेत्रे धर्म कुरु - kShetre kShetre dharma kuru. Swamini goes on to establish that we can use this mantra to make that: "In every aspect of society, must be pervaded by Dharma" Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

Geeta in Literature - IF by Rudyard Kipling

September 12, 2011 I came across a nice YouTube video that is an animation of Rudyard Kipling reading his famous poem IF . The full text sourced from wikisource is below: If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And los...

Everyday Geeta

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