Forum for higher wisdom

  Epics (Ithihasas) Ithihasa is a historical narrative in allegory and symbolism composed in classical literary style. Ramayana composed by Rishi Valmiki and Mahabharata composed by the Sage Veda Vyasa are two epics which have influenced literature and various art forms for centuries all over India, Indonasia. Ramayana accepts the principles of Santana Dharma and duties of ruler in particular. The aim of the epics is to teach the laws of right living according to Sruthis and Smrithis by means of exploits of the great national heroes  – Rama and Krishna. Ramayana is the account of the deeds of a divinely great hero – Rama – who set example in application of Dharma, the Laws of divine Virtues, in every aspect of private and public life of kings and commoners. It portrays in the life of the hero the ideal of humaneness, brotherhood, firmness of character, honesty, sacrifice and goodness. Ramayana is depicted in 24,000 verses. Mahabharata has a more profound theme which invol...

  According to Advaita Vedanta, the Brahman shines through the individual as the witness of self, actions, cognitions, and the states of the mind. It is called the “Witness consciousness” ( sakshi Chaitanya ). This witness consciousness delimited by the psycho-physical adjuncts is the Jiva . The Witness consciousness is continuous with Brahman and non-different from it. Jiva in its identification as a separate entity distinct from Brahman is a mere appearance, like a dream. It is essentially one with Brahman. Shankara calls Absolute Reality as Para-Brahman, and the manifested Cosmic Intelligence which radiates from the former as Iswara or lower Brahman. The Iswara is the same as Parabrahman in its essential character but associating with Maya produces the world of appearance. But Iswara is not overpowered by Maya like the J iva . Iswara is never in bondage. Smriti Texts In Sanskrit tradition scriptures are categorised under two heads: Sruti (Revealed knowledge), and Sm...

  The metaphysics of Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya The metaphysics of Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya is centred on the establishment of the reality of only the Brahman, showing that the world cannot have an independent being of its own and demonstrating that the being of the world is rooted in the Brahman. He accepts the Upanishadic doctrine that there is but One Reality which is infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, characteristic of which is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Absolute Being, Consciousness and Bliss) Advaita propounds four levels of Being: The lowest of the four levels is “insignificant being” ( tuchcha satta ). It includes merely imaginary, fanciful, self-contradictory, like the horns of a hare, or son of a barren woman etc. They belong to imagination and are shown to have no intrinsic reality. The next higher level is the illusory being ( pratibhasika satt a ) or apparent Being, like the mistaken notion of a rope to be a snake. Higher than illusory Being is ...

  Advaita Vedanta and Gaudapadacharya by a lover of Ancient Wisdom Gaudapada (6 th Centure CE) was the teacher of Govindapada, who was the teacher of Adi Shankaracharya. Shankara is widely considered as the founder of Advaita Vedanta. Gaudapada-acharya’s seminal work, Gaudapada Karika , also known as Mandukya Karika , is the earliest surviving complete text on Advaita Vedanta. In the Karika, Advaita (Non-dualism) is established on rational grounds ( upapatti ), independent of scriptural revelation. Its arguments are devoid of any religious, mystical, or scholastic elements. Scholars are divided on a possible influence of Buddhism on Gaudapada’s philosophy. The fact that Shankara wrote an independent commentary on the Karika, apart from his commentaries on Brahmasutras, principal Upanishads, and Bhagavadgita ( Prastanatrayis ), proves the importance of Gaudapada Karika in Vedantic literature. Adi-Shankara elaborated on Gaudapada’s work, and more ancient scholarship to write m...

  On love Pure Love, you have brought out is unexpecting, universal, untainted by personality, Love for Love’s sake. Plato in his admirable discourse on Justice, in his dialogue on Ideal Republic, says the same thing. Universal Justice is Love Immortal which is selfless, embracing All – friends and foes alike. The same is the burden of the Song Celestial – Bhagavadgita. Quotes from Plato and Bhagavadgita reinforces what the Great Prophet said, which you have cited: Poet Pindar is quoted by Plato, the choice one has to make: Whether shall I the lofty wall Of Justice try to scale; Or, hedg’d within the guileful maze Of Vice, encircled dwell? Bhagavadgita, Chapter IV: Devotion through Spiritual Knowledge: “Those who have spiritual discrimination call him wise whose undertakings are all free from desire, for his actions are consumed in the fire of spiritual knowledge. He abandoneth the desire to see a reward for his actions, is free, contented, and upon nothing depende...

  Annihilation - Total surrender A Modern Sufi In common every day talks we always speak of being one with God, His Prophets and Saints, so also with pious people and law obedient ones. But compulsions of daily living, the material world, the economic needs of daily pressures makes us trip and fall. Though we say our prayers, keep Namaz, give doles and Zakat and make Holy pilgrimages yet our conscious stands witness against us for our hidden misdemeanors. We wear a mask and hide our self from our wrongs by projecting ourselves as very virtuous, kind and affectionate ones. Quite large number of our very close ones would discover our makeup and recognize our real one in us. Great many sages and wise ones have realized that there is no dichotomy in us. The evil and good are both ourselves. It requires of us to sacrifice a great amount of ourselves with deep penance and very hard work to realize our positive and negative nature, to conquer it to achieve bliss and tranquility. It is but...