Elucidation of Terms and Concepts in Vedanta (By S.N.Sastri)
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1 Elucidation of terms and concepts in Vedanta (By S.N.Sastri) CONTENTS TRANSLITERATION CODE.....................................................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................3 ADHYAASA (SUPERIMPOSITION) ........................................................................................................................4 ADVAITA-JNAANA AND UPAASANAA (NON-DUAL REALIZATION AND MEDITATIONS) .................6 AATMAA –THE INDWELLING SELF ....................................................................................................................6 AVIDYAA (NESCIENCE)...........................................................................................................................................8 AVIDYAANIVR.TTI .................................................................................................................................................11 AHAMKAARA ...........................................................................................................................................................11 BRAHMAN .................................................................................................................................................................12 CAUSE AND EFFECT ..............................................................................................................................................16 CREATION.................................................................................................................................................................16 CREATION OF THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS.........................................................................................................19 CREATION OF THE ORGANS OF SENSE...........................................................................................................19 CREATION OF THE ORGANS OF ACTION .......................................................................................................20 CREATION OF THE ANTAHKARANAM OR INTERNAL INSTRUMENT......................................................20 CREATION OF PRAANA (VITAL AIR)................................................................................................................22 QUINTUPLICATION OF THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS........................................................................................23 THE THREE BODIES OF THE JIIVA (INDIVIDUAL SOUL). ..........................................................................23 THE FIVE SHEATHS................................................................................................................................................24 THE THREE STATES...............................................................................................................................................25 JIIVA (THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL)..........................................................................................................................29 IIS’VARA ....................................................................................................................................................................34 MAAYAA ....................................................................................................................................................................36 JNAANAM AND DHYAANAM--- DIFFERENCE ................................................................................................37 2 KARMA.......................................................................................................................................................................38 MUKTI (LIBERATION) ...........................................................................................................................................43 THE PATH OF THE MANES AND THE PATH OF THE GODS.......................................................................50 TRANSMIGRATION ................................................................................................................................................52 OM—THE SYMBOL AND NAME OF BRAHMAN .............................................................................................57 THE MAHAAVAAKYAS..........................................................................................................................................58 THE MEANS TO SELF-REALIZATION ...............................................................................................................62 THE FOUR PRELIMINARY REQUISITES ..........................................................................................................64 THE SCOPE OF REASONING (TARKA) ...............................................................................................................65 TWO KINDS OF VISION .........................................................................................................................................67 THE PROCESS OF VISUAL PERCEPTION.........................................................................................................67 ‘UPANISHAD’—MEANING ....................................................................................................................................68 MIND, VITAL FORCE AND SPEECH ...................................................................................................................69 UPAASANAM (MEDITATION) ..............................................................................................................................70 ‘DEVA’ AND ‘ASURA’ ---- MEANING ..................................................................................................................72 PARINAAMA AND VIVARTA ................................................................................................................................73 Transliteration code The code used here for transliteration of Sanskrit words is the ITRANS 4.0 used in internet with a few modifications. The Sanskrit vowels are, in order, as below:- a, aa, i, ii, u, uu, r., r.., l., l.., e, ai, o, au. Consonants:-- kavarga--- k, kh, g, gh, .n chavarga—ch, chh, j, jh, nj Tavarga—T, TH, D, DH, N tavarga--- t, th, d, dh, n pavarga—p, ph, b, bh, m y, r, l, v, s’, sh, s, h visarga--H 3 Abbreviations B.G. Bhagavad-gita B.S. Brahma suutra Br.up. Br.hadaaraNyaka upanishad Ch.up Chhandogya upanishad MaaND.up. MaaNDuukya upanishad MuND.up. MuNDaka upanishad S’.V.up. S’vetaas’vatara upanishad taitt. up. taittiriiya upanishad S.B. S’ankara bhaashyam V.C. Viveka chuuDaamaNi Elucidation of terms and concepts in Vedanta (Based on the commentaries of Sri Sankaracharya and other authoritative texts) By S.N.Sastri Introduction Statements expounding particular terms and concepts in Vedanta are found scattered at different places in the Upanishads and the commentaries thereon. For example, if we take the concept of mukti (liberation), the answers to questions such as, what is mukti and what are the means to it, are found in various places. It was felt that if statements relating to each topic were collected and put together, that would be of considerable help in getting a total view about that topic. This is the task undertaken in this work. This is not by any means an exhaustive collection of all the statements relating to any particular topic. The attempt has been to gather together as much as is necessary to get a clear idea about each topic. Another purpose that this topic-wise grouping would serve is to make it easy to trace the exact place where a particular point has been elucidated. Back to Contents 4 Adhyaasa (Superimposition) Brahmasuutra--- (B.S.)-adhyaasabhaashya of S’rii S’ankara- smr.tiruupaH paratra puurvadr.shTa avabhaasah---adhyaasa (superimposition) is the illusory appearance, in another place, of an object seen earlier elsewhere. It is similar in nature to recollection. (On seeing a rope in dim light and not recognizing it as a rope, a person mistakes it for a snake which he has seen elsewhere. The snake is not absolutely unreal, because it is actually experienced, and produces the same effect, such as fear and so on, as a real snake would. At the same time, it is not real, because it is no longer seen when the rope has been recognized. It is therefore described as anirvachaniiya, or what cannot be classified as either real or unreal). In the above definition, the words ‘similar in nature to recollection’ are intended to exclude recognition. ‘Recollection’ is of an object previously experienced, but which is not now present before the person recollecting. ‘Recognition’ is when the same object previously experienced is again present before the person. B.G.13.26 S.B.--- In this verse it is said that everything in this world is brought into existence by the association of the ‘field’ and the ‘knower of the field’, or, the self and the non-self. S’rii S’ankara points out in his commentary on this verse that the association of these two is only by superimposition, since there cannot be any real association between the self, which is absolutely real and the non-self which has only empirical reality. The non-self, (namely, the body, mind and organs,) is superimposed on the self and, consciousness, which is the nature of the self, is attributed to the body, mind and organs. S’rii S’ankara further points out in his adhyaasa-bhaashya on the Brahma suutras