Exploring Philosophical Leadership in the Hindu Tradition
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Ashtavakra Gita
Chapter 5 to 15 Volume – 02 Index Chapter Title Verses Page No Introduction 1 to 9 1 Self - Witness in all 20 9 to 62 2 The Marvellous Self 25 63 to 142 3 Self in All - All in Self 14 143 to 174 4 Glory of Realisation 6 175 to 194 5 Four Methods - Dissolution of Ego 4 195 to 208 6 The Self Supreme 4 209 to 224 7 That Tranquil Self 5 225 to 236 8 Bondage and Freedom 4 237 to 242 9 Indifference 8 243 to 259 10 Dispassion 8 260 to 275 11 Self As Pure Intelligence 8 276 to 293 12 How to Abide in the Self 8 294 to 305 13 The Bliss Absolute 7 306 to 325 14 Tranquillity 4 326 to 339 i Chapter Title Verses Page No 15 Brahman - The Absolute Reality 20 340 to 385 16 Self-abidance - Instructions 11 386 to 405 17 Aloneness of the Self 20 406 to 468 18 The Goal 100 469 to 570 19 The Grandeur of the self 8 NIL 20 The Absolute state 14 NIL Total 298 ii Index S. No. Verses Page No Chapter 5 - Four Methods - Dissolution of Ego 67 Verse 1 197 68 Verse 2 201 69 Verse 3 203 70 Verse 4 207 Chapter 6 - The Self Supreme 71 Verse 1 211 72 Verse 2 218 73 Verse 3 219 74 Verse 4 220 Chapter 7 - That Tranquil Self 75 Verse 1 227 76 Verse 2 228 77 Verse 3 229 78 Verse 4 230 79 Verse 5 232 iii S. -
Karmic Philosophy and the Model of Disability in Ancient India OPEN ACCESS Neha Kumari Research Scholar, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
S International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities Karmic Philosophy and the Model of Disability in Ancient India OPEN ACCESS Neha Kumari Research Scholar, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Volume: 7 Abstract Disability has been the inescapable part of human society from ancient times. With the thrust of Issue: 1 disability right movements and development in eld of disability studies, the mythical past of dis- ability is worthy to study. Classic Indian Scriptures mention differently able character in prominent positions. There is a faulty opinion about Indian mythology is that they associate disability chie y Month: July with evil characters. Hunch backed Manthara from Ramayana and limping legged Shakuni from Mahabharata are negatively stereotyped characters. This paper tries to analyze that these charac- ters were guided by their motives of revenge, loyalty and acted more as dramatic devices to bring Year: 2019 crucial changes in plot. The deities of lord Jagannath in Puri is worshipped , without limbs, neck and eye lids which ISSN: 2321-788X strengthens the notion that disability is an occasional but all binding phenomena in human civiliza- tion. The social model of disability brings forward the idea that the only disability is a bad attitude for the disabled as well as the society. In spite of his abilities Dhritrashtra did face discrimination Received: 31.05.2019 because of his blindness. The presence of characters like sage Ashtavakra and Vamanavtar of Lord Vishnu indicate that by efforts, bodily limitations can be transcended. Accepted: 25.06.2019 Keywords: Karma, Medical model, Social model, Ability, Gender, Charity, Rights. -
An Introduction to the Vedas
An introduction to Vedas By Swami Shantananda Puri Maharaj, Written during July to August, 2013 This document contains a brief introduction to the Vedas. A. Origin of Vedas and their expansion: Out of the four Vedas, namely, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda, the first three alone are used in practice and that is why those three Vedas are called the triad or trayee. Here again, as Hinduism was originally based on the performance of fire sacrifices, called yagas and yagnas, the mantras of Yajurveda were used for pouring oblations in the fire, Rigveda was used for praising the Lord / praising the Gods, in the form of prayers, and Samaveda was being sung to tunes. “YAJUSHA YAJETA, RICHA STOOYATE, SAMNA GAYATE”. Actually Samaveda may not be considered as an independent Veda as the major portion of the mantras was taken from the Rigveda and set to tunes. In fact, people who wanted to study Samaveda, had to study music for about 2-3 years, and only then were they allowed to recite the Vedas. The Samaveda contains the mantras for white magic also. The Atharvaveda contains amongst various subjects, some mantras for black magic in the form of certain kriyas / rituals for getting our enemies killed, invoking serious ailments in their body, etc. In the Ekagni Kanda, which is a part of one of the Vedas, certain mantras have been given. These mantras are for different situations. For example, if a reliable servant or cook has given a notice that he wants to go home or the servant leaves for home on leave and later An introduction to Vedas communicates that he does not want to return to the job, by chanting some of the specific mantras, the servant himself will come forward, express his change of mind and rejoin. -
The Mahageeta, Vol 1
The Mahageeta, Vol 1 Talks given from 11/09/76 - 20/09/76 Original in Hindi CHAPTER 1 Ashtavakra: The Purest Expression of Truth 11 September 1976 am in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium [NOTE: This discourse is in the process of being edited for publication. It is for reference use only.] JANAK ASKED: ”OH LORD, HOW DOES ONE ATTAIN WISDOM? AND HOW DOES LIBERATION HAPPEN? AND HOW IS NONATTACHMENT ATTAINED? PLEASE TELL ME THIS.” ASHTAVAKRA REPLIED: ”OH BELOVED, IF YOU WANT LIBERATION THEN RENOUNCE THE VISHAYAS, THE PASSIONS AS VISHA, POISON, AND TAKE FORGIVENESS, INNOCENCE, COMPASSION, CONTENTMENT, AND TRUTH AS NECTAR. YOU ARE NEITHER EARTH, NOR AIR, NOR FIRE, NOR WATER, NOR ETHER. TO ATTAIN LIBERATION, KNOW YOURSELF AS THE WITNESS, CONSCIOUS OF ALL THESE. ”IF YOU CAN SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE PHYSICAL BODY, AND REST IN CONSCIOUSNESS, THEN THIS VERY MOMENT YOU WILL BE HAPPY, AT PEACE, AND FREE OF BONDAGE. ”YOU ARE NOT A BRAHMIN OR OTHER CASTE, YOU ARE NOT IN ANY OF THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE, YOU ARE NOT PERCEIVED BY THE EYES OR OTHER SENSES. UNATTACHED AND WITHOUT FORM, YOU ARE THE WITNESS OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE. KNOW THIS AND BE HAPPY. 2 CHAPTER 1. ASHTAVAKRA: THE PUREST EXPRESSION OF TRUTH ”OH EXPANSIVE ONE, RELIGION AND ATHEISM, HAPPINESS AND MISERY – ALL ARE OF THE MIND, THEY ARE NOT FOR YOU. YOU ARE NOT THE DOER NOR THE ENJOYER. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LIBERATED.” We are embarking on a rare journey. Man has many scriptures, but none comparable to the Gita of Ashtavakra. Before it the Vedas pale, the Upanishads speak with a weak voice. -
Selected Gems from Ashtavakra Gita
INTRODUCTION It is true that the author had written long earlier two other books on ‘Ashtavakra Gita’, a unique practical text on Advaita philosophy - ‘The Quantum Leap into the Absolute’ (a summary of the text) and ‘Instant Self - Realisation’- both of which are available in the website. The author somehow felt that he had not done full justice to that text and his mind was not satisfied. When everyone of the nearly 300 verses of ‘Ashtavakra Gita’ is a gem of “purest ray serene”, selecting a few gems out of them and presenting them with a detailed commentary has not been an easy task. As many people have dubbed him, Ashtavakra was not a revolutionary who blazed a new trail. What all he has told in Ashtavakra Gita are also to be found in Bhagavad Gita as also a number of Upanishads like Annapurnopanishad, Adhyatmopanishad, Varahopanishad, Avadhootopanishad, Sanyasopanishad, Kaivalyopanishad, Atmaprabodopanishad, Sarvasaropanishad, Niralambopanishad, Tejobindoopanishad, Kathopanishad, 2 Selected Gems from Ashtavakra Gita Brahmabindoopanishad, Mahopanishad, Yogasikha Upanishad, Muktikopanishad, Kenopanishad and Adisankara’s Prakarana texts like Viveka Choodamani and Aparokshanubhooti. Ashtavakra puts them all in a telling way, just like a whip-lash. His language is lucid and simple. Some of the slokas are like catch-words in the burden of the song in folk-lore music. For instance his expressions like ^^fo’olk{kh lq[kh Hko** (I-5), ^^u Hk;a rL; dq=fpr~** (IV-6), ^^u â";fr u dqI;fr** (VIII-2), ^^ohrr`".k% lq[kh Hko** (X-3), ^^u^^u^^u fpUrk eqDr;s ee** (XIV-3), ^^fujis{k% lq[ka pj** (XV-4), ^^u rs o`f)uZ ok {kfr%** (XV-11), ^^fu%ladYi% lq[kh Hko** (XV-15), ^^fdeH;L;fr ckyor~**] ^^;nk ukga rnk eks{kks** (VIII-4), ^^ukga nsgks u es nsgks** (XI-6), ^^R;tSo /;kua loZ=** (XV-20) and ^^fpÙka eqDrL; jktrs** (XVII-30) are beautiful and easy to remember. -
International Journal of Hinduism & Philosophy
International Journal of Hinduism & Philosophy (IJHP) The Publisher Bhagavad Gita Research Foundation (BGRF) has been established with the express purpose of ensuring a wider understanding of a supremely holy text of Hinduism. BGRF works not only to propagate this work but to ensure greater tolerance and openness of mind. The Bhagavad Gita offers a route to enlightenment that is open to all, for many of its devotees it is a means of finding the eternal way of ultimate liberation, knowledge, and bliss. Importantly, this philosophical treatise offers diverse paths (the spiritual, theological, intellectual and scientific) that help provide greater meaning to life. Through the study and practice of the tenets and teachings of the sublime book, we are all afforded a means to be spiritually nourished and satisfied. The BGRF seeks to ensure a wider understanding of one of the most influential texts in Eastern Philosophy, as well as bringing people together who have a wish to appreciate life's spiritual essence. We all need to seek and be prepared to question and learn in a spirit of mutual respect, tolerance, and humility. Bhagavad Gita Research Foundation (BGRF) is a non-profit making organization that is registered in UK as a company limited by guarantee. It is an independent and non-political entity that does not accept donations from any person or organization seeking to use the BGRF as a vehicle to promote their own political agenda. Copyright Authors are requested to make sure that submitted article is neither published nor simultaneously submitted or accepted elsewhere for publication. IJHP only accepts and publishes articles for which authors have agreed to release under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CCAL) version “CC BY 3.0”. -
Gautama One of the Saptarishis, Gautama Maharishi Was an Ancient Rigvedic Sage, Who Also Finds Mention in Buddhism and Jainism
Newsletter Archives www.dollsofindia.com Ancient Rishis of India - Part 1 Copyright © 2019, DollsofIndia India is a highly spiritual land, which houses several Rishis, mendicants and Godmen. Hindu mythology prominently features Rishis, their wives and their families in several stories. In fact, many of these Rishis actually played the role of catalysts, helping Devas, Asuras, divine beings and earthlings release their karma, thus bringing good, joy and peace back into their lives. Even today, we can find rishis meditating in the secret crevices of the Himalayas and some hidden caves of the Gangotri and Yamunotri. These sages have chosen to move away from the maddening crowd of civilization and moved to those remote areas in order to attain ultimate peace, mukti and, finally, moksha or liberation, during this lifetime. In this month's article, we bring you a feature on some of the most ancient Rishis of India. While most of them are males, there are a few female yoginis and sages who are equally, if not more powerful. There are several hundreds of rishis that we can talk about. In this two-part series, we bring you the stories of some of the most important and most ancient sages of this land. Agastya Agastya was a much-revered Vedic sage, who was famous for his reclusive nature. He was a great scholar and was knowledgeable in multiple languages. He and his wife, Lopamudra, are the celebrated authors of hymns in the Rigveda and other Vedic literature. He is also venerated in Puranic literature of Shaktism and Vaishnavism. Agastya prominently features in several ancient Hindu scriptures and tales, such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. -
A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Shambhala Dragon Editions) by Thomas Byrom
The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Shambhala Dragon Editions) by Thomas Byrom Ebook The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Shambhala Dragon Editions) currently available for review only, if you need complete ebook The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Shambhala Dragon Editions) please fill out registration form to access in our databases Download book here >> Series: Shambhala Dragon Editions Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Shambhala; F Second Printing Used edition (November 13, 2001) Language: English ISBN-10: 1570628971 ISBN-13: 978-1570628979 Product Dimensions:5.9 x 0.4 x 9 inches ISBN10 1570628971 ISBN13 978-1570628 Download here >> Description: The Ashtavakra Gita conveys with beauty and simplicity the essential teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential of the Hindu philosophical systems. Composed by an anonymous master of the school of the great sage Shankara, it is a book of practical advice for seekers of wisdom as well as an ecstatic expression of the experience of enlightenment. In this simple, aphoristic version, the translator conveys the clarity and lyricism of the Sanskrit original with fluency and precision. As the many reviews in this page testify, the translation of this Gita is superb. There are many translations of the Ashtavraka Gita. This translation excels in its utter simplicity, style, and grace. The translator, Thomas Byrom, understands this Gita to have the poignancy of verse and lays the stanzas in that manner. Other translations simply render the stanzas in prose, a big mistake. As poetry the content stands out and is easy to follow.This edition also stands out in an insightful introductory essay by J.L. -
In the Atmajnana Yajnas That Bhagavadpada Conducts, He Relies on the Bhagavad Gita, As a Moksha Shastra (Or Traditional Source)
In the Atmajnana Yajnas that Bhagavadpada conducts, he relies on the Bhagavad Gita, as a Moksha Shastra (or traditional source): In his own words: Page | 1 1. The Centrality of the Bhagavad Gita in these Yajnas : To bring about this very subtle ‘understanding’ [I prefer this term to ‘realization’, as the latter is already loaded] called Jnana , the Sutras of the Bhagavad Gita will be extensively used, only because the Gita stands out as a Moksha Shastra par excellence , even though, traditionally, it has not been viewed in this particular light by many Hindu acharyas, past & present. Rather than our present reliance on the Bhagavad Gita , one could have also relied on one or more of the Upanishads , or on the Brahma Sutras , or on the traditional Advaitic texts, such as Vivekachudamani , Vedanta Panchadasi , Tripura Rahasya , Ashtavakra Gita , Ribhu Gita , Yoga Vasishtham , etc; but the Bhagavad Gita was what Sri Sri Bhagavan had initiated me into, rather early in my life and it was also the Shastra , that came to be internalized, after I crossed sixty, so it will eminently serve our present purpose, because it is indeed, also the condensed milk essence of all the Upanishads . 2. A New Modern Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita : In the traditional Bhashyas [commentaries] on the Bhagavad Gita [and there are a number of excellent Bhashyas each having their own characteristic merits], one rarely ever sees the light from the wonderfully potent teachings of such modern Advaitic Masters of the last century as Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Sri J Krishnamurti - Being used for bringing home the truth of the Bhagavad Gita , in a more lustrous way [none of them is any more on the physical plane]. -
Hinduism Basics – Traditional Overview
Updated: 8th May 2016 | Current Version: v10.3.0 b [beta] PDF with TOC | Editable Doc | Odt with TOC | Website-New | HTML | Blog Entry | Scribd | SlideShare Hinduism Basics – Traditional Overview - The Most Organized Eternal Way Of Life Image Credits || tanno hamsa prachodayāt || || jnānadev tu kaivalyam || An article by Indiaspirituality Blog (Amrut) Copy Left: Copying / Giving Credit is Left to you. Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 India License Hinduism Basics – Traditional Overview || ॐ || || hari OM || || shrI guru sharaNam || || shrI Adi Sankara sharaNam || || shrI rAmakriShNaarpaNamastu || 1. Release Notes For latest updated article, please visit HTML version. If you find any typo and wish to contribute by suggesting a correction, please visit Google Docs version. Note: This article contains sanskrit words in itrans or IAST format. Firefox recognises ‘a’ and ‘ā’ as different characters while Chrome and it’s derivatives like Opera using webkit rendering engine considers letter ‘a’ and ‘ā’ as same. i.e. if you search for ‘shāstra’, FF will not highlight ‘shAstra’ while chrome will highlight both ‘shāstra’ and ‘shAstra’. Using chrome browser is recommended. Please read Transliteration key for further details. Skip to Table Of Contents | Start reading 1st article: What are shAstra - s No New Content will be Added Google Docs does not support large files and sometimes crashes while loading long article. Longer the article, longer it takes time to load article and more are chances of browser crashing, which is irritating, especially when you are in between your work This article is 255 pages long. Hence no new content will be added to this article unless it is necessary. -
The Philosophical Foundations of the Religious Consciousness
THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS SWAMI KRISHNANANDA The Divine Life Society Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India Website: www.swami-krishnananda.org 2 PUBLISHER’S NOTE This is a series of discourses that Swami Krishnananda gave in the Ashram during Sadhana Week in July 1989. The printed edition is called The Development of Religious Consciousness. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher’s Note . 3 Chapter 1: The Intuitive and the Exploratory Stage . 5 Chapter 2: The Ethical and the Legalistic Stage . 10 Chapter 3: The Epic and the Theological Stage . 17 Chapter 4: The Mystical and the Ritualistic Stage: Part 1 . 24 Chapter 5: The Mystical and the Ritualistic Stage: Part 2 . 31 Chapter 6: The Logical and the Philosophical Stage . 38 4 Chapter 1 THE INTUITIVE AND THE EXPLORATORY STAGE The theme of this series of discourses is a philosophical foundation for the entire process of the development of religious consciousness in the mind of man. Religion, to be defined, is the longing of the soul for the Soul of the universe. From the earliest time onwards, this inner aspiration of the human individual seems to have developed itself through five stages of what we may call the religious or the spiritual approach. The first stage may be considered as the intuitive and the exploratory stage, the second as the ethical and the legalistic stage, the third as the epic and the theological stage, the fourth as the mystical and the ritualistic stage, and the fifth as the logical and the philosophical stage. We have, throughout the history -
Ashtavakra Gita
This free e-book was downloaded from www.holybooks.com; http://www.holybooks.com/ashtavakra-gita/ Ashtavakra Gita Translated by Bart Marshall Translator’s Preface In Vietnam when I was twenty-one a hand grenade or mortar round--the circumstances made it difficult to determine which--blew me into a clear and brilliant blackness. For the next thirty-seven years that glimpse of infinite emptiness, so intimate, so familiar, kept me looking almost obsessively in esoteric books and far corners for an explanation of myself. Then, “suddenly,” the veil, as they say, was lifted. A few months after that occurrence, as my interest in reading began to slowly return, I found myself drawn mainly to the sayings and writings of old masters. What did Buddha have to say? What did Christ? Lao Tsu? Patanjali? I wanted to read them with new eyes. Oddly, in those thirty-seven years of seeking, I had never read the Ashtavakra Gita, and indeed was barely aware of its existence. Then recently, as I sat at the bedside of a dying friend and teacher, another friend placed it in my hands. I opened it and was astonished. Here, in one concise volume, was all that needed to be said. I immediately acquired other versions and poured over them. Each had its good points, but none of them spoke the way my inner ear was hearing. The literal transcriptions from Sanskrit were valuable as reference but required patient study to understand. English translations by Indian scholars made the meaning more clear, but tended to lack a certain rhythm, poetry and nuance of language I felt need of.