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Tag: Adi Shankaracharya

  • Rama Called Buddha A Thief?Rubbish

    The harm the Invaders inflicted on Indians and Hindu culture is unimaginable.

    Right from Max Mueller,to today’s secular authors.

    But there are some well meaning people who do not understand Sanskrit propagate Hinduism do more harm to Hinduism than good.

    One such is a piece in Quora where the author states that Lord Rama called Buddha a Thief!

    And the article quotes Ramayana of Valmiki.

    pop56-56
    Shankaracharya on Reality in Brahmasutra

    And the author asserts  that there have been interpolations in the Rmayana and people should be careful in reading the Ramayana!

    No doubt there have been interpolations in The Ramayana and people are aware of it

    a336374af756060ea2fb7a1d46f4e1ce
    Buddha on Reality.Image credit

    And one who knows Sanskrit and History also knows how to sift the chaff from the grain.

    In the meanwhile, people who very little of Sanskrit mus refrain from writing on these issues without adequate knowledge of Sanskrit and History.

    In the present case, the term Buddha means one who discusses things intellectually and nothing more,.

    The term Buddha also means enlightened one according Buddhism.

    So when the term Buddha is used in the Ramayana  it is in the sense of one who discusses things  as an Intellectual.

    Buddha is venerated as a Great Philosopher  for His interpretation of Reality is as aspect of Brahman.

    The Sunyavada of Buddhism is very close to Advaita, though not similar.

    “Valmiki Ramayana mentions Buddha in bad light.

    Valmiki Ramayana has divisons called Kandas like Bala Kanda , Ayodhya kanda , Yuddha kanda etc.

    Bala kanda deals with the balyam i.e childhood of sri rama. Ayodhya kanda,  deals mainly with events that happened after the Rama getting married i.e preparation for coronation of Rama and Rama leaving Ayodhya.

    In the beginning of Ayodhya kanda Rama was made to leave kingdom resulting in cascade of event like death of Dasaratha death , recalling of Bharatha urgently from his uncles kingdom and now Bharatha comes back to Ayodhya and comes to know about his mothers wishes , Rama’s exit to forests and death of his father .  He feels very sad for the things that happened and now he thinks about going to forest with many important people like his mothers, his ministers , soldiers etc to persuade rama to accept the Ayodhya kingdom and rule as the king.

    After meeting Rama the screen play starts, one by one starts requesting Rama to return to Ayodhya  using their oratory and logical skills and  now comes the turn of Jabali i.e one of the ministers of Ayodhya kingdom. In the replay given to Jabali shunning his logical arguments Rama criticises Buddha.

    In Ayodhya Kandas chapters called Sargaa. In ayodhya kanda in 109th sarga  has many poems and in the 34 poem Rama calls Buddha as theif and abuses his religion as atheistic  and bad.

    Here is the text:

    यथा हि चोरः स तथा हि बुद्ध |

    स्तथागतं नास्तिकमत्र विध्हि |

    तस्माद्धि यः शङ्क्यतमः प्रजानाम् |

    न नास्ति केनाभिमुखो बुधः स्यात् २-१०९-३४

    Source.https://www.quora.com/Is-Buddha-mentioned-in-the-Ramayana-What-does-that-imply-for-the-date-of-composition-of-the-text

    “

    yathaa hi choraH sa tathaa hi buddha |
    stathaagataM naastikamatra vidhhi |
    tasmaaddhi yaH shaN^kyatamaH prajaanaam |
    na naasti kenaabhimukho budhaH syaat 2-109-34( Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda,Sarga 109. Sloka 34)

    34. yathaahi tathaa hi= It is an exact state of the case; saH= that; buddhaH= a mere intellection; choraH= (is deserves to be punished) as a thief; viddhi= and know; naastikam= an atheist; atra= here; tathaagatam= to be on par with a mere intellectual; tasaat= therefore; yaH= he who; shaN^kya tamaH= is the most suspectable; prajaanaam= (should be punished in the interest of) the people; na syaat= In no case; buddhaH= should a wise man; abhimukhaH= consort; naastikaa= with an atheist.

    ‘In sarga 110 & shloka 34 of Ayodhyakanda Rama saysto  Bharata, ” Buddha & his followers are thieves. They don’t believe  in God. It is better to be away of them.”

    तस्य ज्येष्ठो असि दायादो राम इत्य् अभिविश्रुतः |
    तद् गृहाण स्वकम् राज्यम् अवेक्षस्व जगन् नृप || ३४

    34. asi = you are; jyeSThaH = the eldest son; tasya = of that Dasaratha; abhivishrutaH = very well known; raama iti = as Rama; daayaadaH = the heir who can claim over the inheritance; nR^ipaiH = O; king!; tat = for that reason; gR^ihaaNa = take over; svakam = your; raajyam = kingdom; avekSasva = look after; janam = your people.

    “You are the eldest son of that Dasaratha, very well-known as Rama, the heir who can claim over the inheritance. O, King! Hence, take over your kingdom and look after your people there.”

    “It is an exact state of the case that a mere *intellection deserves to be punished as it were a thief and know an atheist to be on par with a mere intellectual. Therefore he is the most suspectable and should be punished in the interest of the poeple. In no case should a wise man consort with an atheist.”

    * It is the word that is responding to the chanllenge, which we call intellection. Truth/God is very subtle. A mind that is caught in the net of words/arguments cannot understand truth/God.

    http://www.valmikiramayan.net/ayodhya/sarga109/ayodhya_109_frame.htm

    http://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/valmikiramayan/ayodhya/sarga110/ayodhya_110_frame.htm

    https://ramanisblog.in/2013/08/02/ancient-maps-india-timeline-ramayana-mahabharata/

  • Śrauta Tradition Hinduism Organised By Janamejaya

    Most of us are aware of the fact that Janamejaya was Arjuna’s Grandson and the Grandson of Abhimanyu.

    He conducted the Sarpa Yaga, sacrifice of the Snakes to avenge his father Parishits’ deat at the hands of a Snake.

    What makes him great is that he was the king who consolidated the Kuru Dynasty and stabilised the Bharatavarsha.

    He had the Karma Kanda portion of the Vedas systematized and had them as Srauta.

    These actions to be performed by an individual during the course of his life in various stages,

    Brahmacharya,

    Gruhastha,

    Vanaprastha and

    Sanyasi.

    It is a different matter that these practices were carried to the extreme and they were followed more by rote than by conviction and understanding of the Gnana Kanda of the Vedas.

    The message of the Vedas is that , the Ultimate Aim being the Realization of Brahman, The Reality, the performance of actions are to be a tool in the path Realization as Brahman is identified with Knowledge.

    Unfortunately, the spirit was lost and the practice of performing Srauta Karmas reached a peak with the advent of Mimamsa.

    And innumerable Deities were worshiped, causing confusion.

    This caused a revulsion and result was the emergence of Buddha, a Brahmin of Gautama Gotra to question the existence and authenticity of the Vedas.

    Buddhism ran rampantly till Shankaracharya stopped the tide and reorganised Hinduism by establishing Shan Mathas , Six Modes of Worship and streamlining the procedures.

    Srauta Karmas generally relate to the Yagnyas, which are around 400.

    Read my Post on this.

     

    Śrauta (Devanagari श्रौत) traditions are conservative ritualistic traditions of the historical Vedic religion in Hinduism, based on the body of Śruti literature. They are still practiced in India today although constituting a small minority within Hinduism…

     

    Shrauta traditions.

    • Rig veda: Ashvalayana (Shakala) and Sankhayana (Kausitaki)
    • Sama veda: Drahyayana (Kauthuma), Latyayana (Ranayaniya), Jaiminiya
    • Krishna Yajurveda: Baudhayana, Vadhoola, Bharadvaja, Apastamba, Hiranyakesin, Vaikhanasa (for Taittiriya) and Manava, Varaha (for Maitrayani)
    • Shukla Yajurveda: Katyayana (for Kanva and Madhyandina both)
    • Atharva Veda: Vaitana (Shaunaka and Paippalada)

    The Shrauta tradition places more emphasis on the performance of rituals rather than having a set of beliefs. The practices of the Shrauta tradition mainly consist of yajnas. Theyajnas are divided into two categories, nitya-karma and kaamya karma. Nitya-karma refers to those yajnas that have to be performed daily or as per occasion. Kaamya-karmarefers to those yajnas performed with a particular purpose, such as wishing for rain, cattle, overlordship or for a son (e.g. Putrakameshti).

    It may be noted that since the Srata is from Sruti, it has more authority than Smritis.

    But following Sratha is to be tempered with the total understanding of the Vedas, mainly the Gnana Kanda which states that Knowledge and attainment of Liberation is the goal of Life , not mere performance of Karmas.

    However Karma Yoga states that performance of actions is a tool by itself.

    But as Krishna puts it performance of Karma is the renunciation of the fruits of action in the Mind, more a Sankalpa.

    Contrary views welcome.

    Janamejaya.

    Janmejay (Sanskrit: जनमेजय) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th or 11th century BCE). Along with his predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as an important figure in many later legends and traditions, such as theMahabharata, where he appears as the listener of the first narration of the great epic

    Citation.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrauta

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janamejaya

     

  • Shankar Mutts By Shankaracharya Four Vedas

    Shankar Mutts By Shankaracharya Four Vedas

    Those who know a little of Sanskrit and Hinduism would know what an Intellectual Giant Adi Shankaracharya was.

    But not many know the logic that has gone behind his establishing the four Mutts.

    He chose four directions to found the Mutts.

    Shishya
    (lineage)    		 Direction Maṭha Mahāvākya Veda Sampradaya
    Padmapāda East Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is Brahman) Rig Veda Bhogavala
    Sureśvara South Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ Aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman) Yajur Veda Bhūrivala
    Hastāmalakācārya West Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ Tattvamasi (That thou art) Sama Veda Kitavala
    Toṭakācārya North Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ Ayamātmā brahma (This Atman is Brahman) Atharva Veda Nandavala

    All the Four Vedas are represented

    Padmapadacharya (fl. 8th century CE) was an Indian philosopher, a follower of Adi Shankara.

    Padmapāda’s dates are unknown, but modern scholarship places his life around the middle of the 8th century; similarly information about him comes mainly from hagiographies. What is known for certain is that he was a direct disciple of Shankara, of whom he was a younger contemporary. Padmapada was the first head of Puri Govardhana matha. He is believed to have founded a math by name Thekke Matham in Thrissur, Kerala. Keralites believe that he was a Nambuthiri belonging to Vemannillom, though according to textual sources he was from the Chola region in South India.

    Sureśvara (also known as Sureśvarācārya, c. 750 CE) was an Indian philosopher, who studied under Śankara. Śankara is said to have entrusted to Sureśvara his first monastic institution, the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Suresvara is believed to have founded the famous Naduvil Matham in Thrissur…

    Little is known for sure about Sureśvara’s life. According to a strong tradition within Advaita Vedānta, before he became a disciple of Śankara, Sureśvara was known as Maņdana Miśra, a Mīmāmsāka. After being defeated in debate by Śankara, Miśra renounced his life as a householder, and became a sannyāsin. Whether this Maņdana Miśra was the same as the author of Brahmasiddhi is questioned by modern scholars, on the basis of textual analysis.

    Hastamalakacharya (IAST Hastāmalakācārya) (c. 8th century CE) was a disciple of Adi Shankara, the Advaita philosopher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ, the monastery founded by Adi Shankara in Dwaraka. Hastamalaka founded a matha by name Idayil Matham in Thrissur, Kerala.

    The Mādhavīya Śaṃkaravijayam states that when Adi Shankara was at Kollur, he accepted invitations by brāhmaņas to have Bhikşa (alms or food) at their houses. On such an occasion he visited a village called Śrī Bali (present day Shivalli), where every house was said to emit the holy smell of the smoke of Agnihotra sacrifice, to accept Bhikşa. That place was inhabited by about two thousand brāhmaņas who were learned in the Vedas and performed the Yajnas prescribed in the Vedas. There was also a temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati.

    In that village there lived a brāhmaņa, Prabhākara, who was noted for his learning. He had a son who though appearing quite handsome, behaved rather like an idiot. Though upanayanam was performed for him, he did not take to studying the Vedas, instead preferred to sit around doing nothing. Hearing about Adi Shankara’s visit, Prabhākara approached the Acharya (teacher) with a load of fruit and prostrated before him. He also made his son prostrate before him. Prabhākara explained to Adi Shankara that his son behaved rather like an idiot and sat idly throughout the day.

    Then, Adi Shankara addressed that young boy and asked him who he was. The boy replied in 12 verses containing the gist of theAdvaita philosophy.Thus Adi Shankara was immensely impressed with him and accepted him as his disciple. He was named Hastāmalaka (one with the amalaka fruit in his hand) since the knowledge of the Self was natural to him like an Amalaka fruit in one’s hand. Adi Shankara took the boy into his party and started towards his next destination..

    Totakacharya (IAST Toṭakācārya) (c. 8th century CE) was a disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara, the Advaita philosopher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Jyotirmaṭha Pīthaṃ, the northern maṭha founded by Ādi Śaṅkara near Badrinath. He founded a maṭha by name Vadakke Matham in Thrissur, Kerala…

    he Mādhavīya Śaṅkaravijayam states that when Ādi Śaṅkara was at Śṛṅgeri, he met a boy named Giri. Ādi Śaṅkara accepted the boy as his disciple. Giri was a hard-working and loyal servant of his Guru, Ādi Śaṅkara, though he did not appear bright to the other disciples. One day, Giri was washing his Guru’s clothes, when Ādi Śaṅkara sat down to begin a lesson on Advaita Vedānta. He however did not start the lesson saying he was waiting for Giri to come back from his chores and singing lessons. At this, Padmapada pointed to a wall and said that it would be the same if Ādi Śaṅkara taught to this dumb object as he taught to Giri. Now, Ādi Śaṅkara wanted to reward Giri for his loyalty and devotion. Thus he mentally granted Giri the complete knowledge of all the śāstras (sciences). The enlightened Giri composed extempore the Toṭākāṣṭakam, a Sanskrit poem in the toṭaka metre, in praise of the Guru Ādi Śaṅkara. Thus the dumb disciple Giri became Toṭākācārya.

    Look at the way Shankaracharya appointed Pontiffs, from deep south to west and from North to South.

    And three of these Mutts  fall into a pattern of being in the same latitude.

    Geographically speaking the char Dham make a perfect square with Badrinath and Rameswaram falling on the same longitude and Dwarka (old) and Puri on the same latitude, representing the farthest north, east, west, and south points of India (at that time, before coastlines changed)

    Badrinath, coordinates. Longitude.

    79.49481879999996

    Rameshwaram Longitiude.

    79.31292910000002

    Dwaraka latitude.

    22.2441975

    Puri Latitude.

    19.8133822

    * Present alignment.

    Citations.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_Dham

    http://www.distancesfrom.in/odisha/puri-latitude-longitude/46.html

  • Sanatana Dharma Different From Hinduism

    The term Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism are often used interchangeably.

    I have also been using  he same way.

    Adi Shankaracharya Quote on the essence of Sanatna Dhama.Image.jpg Adi Shankaracharya Quote on the essence of Sanatna Dhama.

    I am using this to enable people to find the information as many are familiar with the term Hinduism.

    But are they really the same?

    There are the same but with a minute difference.

    Sanatana Dharma denotes oldest dharma, Dharma being translated as Righteousness.

    On what Dharma is I shall be writing in detail.

    The essentials of the Sanatana Dharma are.

    • Reality-centered rather than prophet-centered.
    • Experience based rather than belief based.
    • Beyond any historical date of founding.
    • The process of growth, which comes from the seed.
    • Inherent in, and inclusive of all.
    • In the world, while above the world.
    • Both immanent and transcendent.
    • The whole and the parts.
    • Loving of all and excluding of none.
    • The primary worship is for Agni.
    • Various Deities have been  mentioned. each being worshiped for a specific purpose.
    • Two levels of Knowledge, one Apara which deals with the Higher Knowledge of Brahman, Apara, the other one being what we use now, for practical life,Para Vidya.
    • Two specific areas mentioned one by performance of Duties and another  Path of Knowledge.(Gnana and karma Kandas)
    • It encompassed all Living beings.
    • It emphasizes self-realization .
    • Reality is Attributeless,Nirguna, though the Gods described in the Vedas attribute qualities to Gods, they are to be considered as stepping sones to Self Realization and they are not an end in themselves.
    • Yagas and Yagnyas were performed.
    • Sanatana Dharma is intensely personal.
    • No collective/community worship is recommended.
    • No mention of temples and temple worship.
    • They do not talk of Hell for not following The Vedas.
    • Santana Dharma encompassed the world.
    • Prayer or one’s self is not encouraged.

    Hinduism.

    A name given by the west to denote people who were living on the Banks of the River Sindhu, Punjab.

    The practices followed by these people, which was a corrupt form of Sanatana Dharma was called Hinduism.

    Many Gods are worshiped.

    Fire worship is more or less extinct.

    Community worship is in vogue.

    Worship In temples.

    Many rules as Sampardayas or More are being practised, which do not have the sanction of the Vedas.

    Following of Self styled Gurus, rather than a qualified Guru is being followed.

    Prayer for Self aggrandisement is in practice..

    Vedic Karmas are not being followed as much as they should be.

    Sanatana Dharma, over years of practice deteriorated into becoming a belief of worshiping many Gods and indiscriminate performance of yagas and yagnyas without referring to Gnana Kanda.

    This resulted in the erosion of the Sanatan Dharma.

    It took a Buddha to found Buddhism, which revolted against Sanatana Dharma, but that was absorbed by Sanatna Dharma later is a different issue.

    To restore Sanatana Dharma Adi Shankaracharya established the Shanmathas and systematized all the Yogas, Bhakthi, Karma, Gnana Yogas.

    Related articles

  • Date Of Shankaracharya Born In Chidambaram

     

    श्रुतिस्मृतिपुराणानामालयं करुणालयम्|

    नमामि भगवत्पादशंकरं लोकशङ्करम् ||
    Śruti smṛti purāṇānāṃālayaṃ karuṇālayaṃ|
    Namāmi Bhagavatpādaśaṅkaraṃ lokaśaṅkaraṃ||

    I salute the compassionate abode of the Vedas, Smritis and Puranas known as Shankara Bhagavatpada, who makes the world auspicious.

     

     

    Adi Shankaracharya.jpg.
    Adi Shankaracharya.

     

    Dating Adi Shankaracharya proves to be a daunting task.

     

    1.The habit of using nom de plume by Rishis, Philosophers and Kings.We have many Agastya, Avvaiyaar,Viswamitras.

     

    This makes it difficult to  date them precisely as they have lived at different points of time.

     

    Shankaracharya‘ Guru Govinda Bhagavadpada, one study claims lived during the period of Vikramaditya as there are two Vikramadityas,one of the

    Maurya and another of the Chalukya dynasty.

     

    The first one lived around 4th Century CE, while the latter in (Vikramaditya II )(733–746 CE)

     

    2.The internal evidence of Shankaracharya’s works do not provide many a clue,exception being the one about Thirugnana Sambhandar, who, it is

    agreed, is addressed by Shankaracharya as ‘Dravida Sisu’ in his Soundayalahari.

     

    His references to Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra are equally confusing to pin point the date.

     

    Kumarilabhatta is dated approximately at  roughly AD 700.

     

    Mandana Misra at 800 AD;he was a student of Mandana Misra.

     

    Thirugnana Sambhandar who is referred by Shankaracharya is dated  7th Century AD.

     

    There is confusion here as , according to some reports, Appar, who was a contemporary of GnanaSambhandar, lived during the period of Raja Raja

    Chozhan, who lived 985 and 1014 !

    This is not correct as Raja Raja Chozhan found the ancient scripts of Appar, among many others with the help of Nambi Anadar Nambi.

     

    Yet in his Magnum Opus, Ponniyin Selvan quotes Appar having met Kundavai, daughter of Raja Raja Chozhan.

     

    3.Adi Shankaracharya scrupulously avoided any mention of his personal Life.

     

    He always refers to himself as the Disciple of Govinda Bhagavadpaada, “Govindabhagavadpada Sishya’

     

    4.That Shankaracharya is an Avatar of Shiva-this has obfuscated research with out bias.

     

    With all these impediments there are two distinct views which seem credible.

     

     

    • 788–820 CE: This is the mainstream scholarly opinion, placing Shankara in mid to late 8th century CE. These dates are based on records at the Śṛṅgeri Śāradā Pīṭha, which is the only matha to have maintained a relatively unbroken record of its Acharyas; starting with the third Acharya, one can with reasonable confidence date the others from the 8th century to the present. The Sringeri records state that Shankara was born in the 14th year of the reign of “VikramAditya”, but it is unclear as to which king this name refers. Though some researchers identify the name with Chandragupta II (4th century CE), modern scholarship accepts the VikramAditya as being from the Chalukya dynasty of Badami, most likely Vikramaditya II (733–746 CE), 8 t which would place him in the middle of the 8th century. Max Müller, Macdonnel, Pathok, Deussen and Radhakrishnan all accept the dates 788–820 CE. The date 788–820 is also among those considered acceptable by Swami Tapasyananda, though he raises a number of questions.
    • 509–477 BCE: This dating, more than a millennium ahead of all others, is based on records of the heads of the Shankara Maṭhas at Dvaraka Pitha and Govardhana mathaand the fifth Peetham at Kanchi.However, the succession of acharyas at these two mathas were often disrupted by geopolitical realities and these records are not considered as reliable as the Sringeri chronology. Also, such an early date would be in conflict with much else in Indian chronology. According to these revisionist models, these are the actual dates, and it is other collateral dates, such as the date of Gautama Buddha (which serves as an anchor for modern academic history of India), that need to be moved back. However, such an early date is not consistent with the fact that Shankara quotes the Buddhist logician Dharmakirti, who finds mention in Xuanzang (7th century).[12] Also, his near-contemporary Kumārila Bhaṭṭa is usually dated c. 8th century CE. Most scholars feel that due to invasions and other discontinuities, the records of the Dwaraka and Govardhana mathas are not as reliable as those of Sringeri. Thus, while considerable debate exists, the pre-Christian Era dates are usually discounted, and the most likely period for Shankara is during the 8th century CE.
    • 44–12 BCE: the commentator Anandagiri believed he was born at Chidambaram in 44 BCE and died in 12 BCE.
    • 6th century CE: Telang placed him in this century. Sir R G Bandarkar believed he was born in 680 CE.
    • 805–897: A D Venkiteswara not only places Shankara later than most, but also had the opinion that it would not have been possible for him to have achieved all the works apportioned to him, and has him live ninety two years.

    On balance by relying on the records of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, where there no break in succession of the Acaharyas of Shankaracharya, the Date of

     

    Shankaracharya may be taken at 8th Century CE.

     

    *Anandagiri.

    Trotakacharya (IAST Troṭakācārya) (c. 8th century CE) was a disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara, the Advaita philosopher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Jyotirmaṭha Pīthaṃ, the northern maṭha founded by Ādi Śaṅkara near Badrinath. He founded a maṭha by name Vadakke Matham in Thrissur, Kerala.

     

    Inputs welcome.

     

    Citation.

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara

     

     

     

    www.sringeri.net

    History of the Tamils by PT.Srinivasa Ayyangar

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