Shiva Gita (study and summary)
by K. V. Anantharaman | 2010 | 35,332 words
This page is entitled 鈥渃ritical evaluation of concept of bhakti and advaita鈥� contained in the Shiva Gita (Study and English comments by K. V. Anantharaman). The Shiva Gita is a philosophical text from the Padma-purana in the form of a dialogue between Lord Shiva and Shri Rama. It deals with topics such as Advaita metaphysics and Bhakti and consists of 768 verses.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Appendix 5 - Critical Evaluation of Concept of Bhakti and Advaita
[Full title: Critical Evaluation of Concept of Bhakti and Advaita enunciated in 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻]
Modes of Meditation.
艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 teaches both meditation on the formless absolute (狈颈谤驳耻峁嘺 Brahman) and worship of the Supreme Being with form (厂补驳耻峁嘺 Brahman) for the benefit of different levels of seekers.[1]
1.0 Pur膩峁噄c approach
鈥楾丑别 B峁沨ad膩ra峁噛aka 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 (2.2.1) says that Brahman has two aspects, Formful (惭奴谤迟补) and Formless (础尘奴谤迟补). The 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 accept both these aspects, but concentrate particularly on the Formful Aspect, which is more significant for the devotional mind. What is called Formless will be indistinguishable from a Nihil (艢奴苍测补). In the same way if the Formful alone is accepted with out the Formless or the Infinite and Absolute Being 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 its compliment, the former will be only a limited entity indistinguishable from an exalted man. So the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 in general accept the Supreme Being 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 both 惭奴谤迟补 and 础尘奴谤迟补, with a greater stress on the 惭奴谤迟补 aspect and call him 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍. The 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 is 笔补谤补尘补-笔耻谤耻峁, the Supreme Person, but not an individual.
He has an archetypal form, but it is a potential multi-form that can take any form in which He is invoked.
yen膩k膩re峁嘺 ye 尘补谤迟测腻 m膩mevaikamup膩sate |
ten膩k膩re峁嘺 tebhyo'ha峁� prasanno 惫腻帽chita峁� dade || 艢颈惫补-g墨t膩 XII-5 [6?].
An anthropomorphic veneer is put on Him, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 man could think of him only in terms of the highest that he could conceive of, and that is himself in an idealized state of existence. So the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 try to depict, and impress on man, the Divine majesty of the 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 through symbolic and at the same time, highly realistic descriptions of this Archetypal Form with divine attributes with high poetic touches. In these highly artistic descriptions, care is taken at every step to impress on man the suprahuman and transcendent nature of the object dealt with, and that accounts for many of their unearthly and unusual features. When the details of these descriptions are taken in isolation and scrutinized, they look bizarre; but the cumulative or synergestic effect they produce, when taken 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 a whole, with a receptivity born of 艢谤补诲诲丑腻, is to make a tremendous impact of Divine consciousness on the mind. No literature in the world has succeeded in making God a reality to man by such vivid and realistic descriptions 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 have done.鈥�[2]
2.0 Bhakti explained.
Madhus奴dana Sarasvat墨 provides insight into how devotion enables the mind to dwell on the Lord without difficulty by giving the example of sealing wax. When vermillion colour is added to molten wax, it retains the colour even after it solidifies. Similarly, the mind that melts in loving devotion to God is transformed forever. The objective of the spiritual practice being purification of the mind, devotion achieves it without much effort on the part of the devotee.[3]
3.0 Bhakti and 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻.
艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 like Bhagavad 骋墨迟腻 devotes an entire chapter on Bhakti Yoga and in more length, which commences with a question from 艢r墨 搁腻尘补 to Lord 艢颈惫补 seeking the nature of devotion and how it is generated and how does one attain supreme release which is the nature of merest Brahman-hood.
Lord replies to 搁腻尘补:
yo ved膩dhyayana峁� yaj帽a峁� d膩n膩ni vividh膩ni ca |
madarpa峁嘺dhiy膩 kury膩tsa me bhakta岣� sa me priya岣� ||
One who studies the scriptures, performs sacrifices, gives various gifts with the thought that he does them all 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 offerings to God, is alone very dear to God.[4]
4.0 Disciplines conducive to Devotion.
The following are the spiritual disciplines that are conduce to the rise of knowledge which in turn bring about release:
uddh奴layati g膩tr膩峁噄 tena c膩rcati m膩mapi |
tasm膩tparatar膩 bhaktirmama r膩ma na vidyate ||
sarvad膩 艣iras膩 ka峁囜弓he rudr膩k峁Ｄ乶dh膩rayettu ya岣� |
pa帽c膩k峁r墨japarata岣� sa me bhakta岣� sa me priya岣� ||Smearing the upper part of the body with sacred ash and worshipping God also, devotion greater than this, Oh 搁腻尘补! does not exist.[5]
One, who constantly wears 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 on the head and the neck, chants the five lettered holy syllable (Nama岣� 艢i惫腻ya岣�) meaning prostration unto Lord 艢颈惫补, he is the dearest devotee of the God.[6]
5.0 Role of 痴颈产丑奴迟颈 in the worship of 艢颈惫补.
The use of sacred ash or 痴颈产丑奴迟颈 is elaborately described in Bhasma J膩b膩lopani峁d which is well covered in our treatise on Bhasma in chapter VII, so too the 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 effect, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 delineated in 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 J膩b膩lopani峁d. The devotee is exhorted in the use of 笔谤补峁嘺惫补 which identifies one with the Almighty and 翱峁僰腻谤补鈥檚 greatness also has been elaborately discussed in chapter VI.
Lord 艢颈惫补 tells 搁腻尘补 that
辫耻峁补峁� 辫丑补濒补峁� 蝉补尘奴濒补峁� 惫腻 patra salilameva 惫腻 |
yo dady膩tpra峁嘺ve mahya峁� tatko峁璱gu峁噄ta峁� bhavet || 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 XV.28
One, who offers me flowers, fruits with roots, leaf or water alone, chanting the syllable OM, gets million times the normal benefit, which is an echo verse in Bhagavad 骋墨迟腻 .[7]
6.0 Preferred time of worship
In the practice of devotion, God is very much pleased by his worship on 笔谤补诲辞峁 time, bathing him using fruit juices, sandal paste, milk and honey and chanting Atharva Veda hymns standing in water with uplifted hands.[8] All these worship provides one with Citta 艣耻诲诲丑颈 which helps the devotee to reach the divine abode through the paths of moon or sun and then through his grace, get liberated.
7.0 Lineage of Bhakti
鈥楾丑别 concern with the sentiment of devotion to the Supreme Being is 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 old 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the Vedas themselves in the Indian tradition. The 峁歡 Veda 厂补峁僪颈迟腻 is full of it, although it is true that at a later time even the purely devotional hymns were adapted for ritualistic use and propiatory rites. In the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 the predominant direction of the quest is to find out the unity of existence, to know that 鈥榖y knowing which everything is known鈥� and man is helped to transcend all fear. But the path of devotion is very clearly observable even in the oldest 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 like the B峁沨ad膩ra峁噛aka 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 and Ch膩ndogya 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 . Tire doctrine of grace finds expression in 碍补峁环辞辫补苍颈峁诲 and the Kau艣it膩ki 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉, while 艢惫别迟腻艣惫补迟补谤补 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 teaches a full-fledged devotional attitude and discipline, along with the conception of a Deity who can be communed with and prayed to and who responds to such prayers of the votary. The 艢惫别迟腻艣惫补迟补谤补 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 go to the extent of telling: 鈥淚t is only in an aspirant having supreme devotion to God and also to the Guru that the truths of the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 will fructify 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 realization鈥�. What the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 in general do is to supplement this Vedic development with highly personalistic conceptions of the Deity suited for purely devotional purposes without losing link with the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉, and to elaborate the devotional 厂腻诲丑补苍腻蝉 into highly specialized system.鈥�[9]
8.0 The Metaphysics of Bhakti and Advaita
鈥淭he Non-dual existence is described 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the ultimate nature of things. There is a general impression that non-dualist metaphysics (Advaita) gives no scope for devotion 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the ultimate end of spiritual living. This is due to the exclusive identification of Advaita with the school of 碍别惫补濒腻诲惫补颈迟补, which maintains that every manifestation of the Non-dual Being, including 莫艣惫补谤补, is a superimposition and therefore only an appearance. But this is too exclusive an idea. All 痴别诲腻苍迟补 or 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲ic philosophy is Advaita in the sense of accepting the unity of existence 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the ultimate nature of Reality. The differences of the schools of 痴别诲腻苍迟补 come in the interpretation of the relation between this Unity or Brahman and multiplicity. In 碍别惫补濒腻诲惫补颈迟补, Brahman, the Impersonal-Absolute, alone is real and everything else, including 莫艣惫补谤补, is appearance only. In the 痴颈艣颈峁ａ弓腻诲惫补颈迟补 of Ram膩nuja, Brahman is the all inclusive Whole to whom the universe and the 闯墨惫补蝉 are organically related, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the body and limbs are in an organism. In M膩dh惫腻鈥檚 Brahm膩dvaita, Brahman is the one Independent Being and the multiplicity, though separate from Him, has only an existence dependent on Him like that of reflection on its prototype鈥�.[10] 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 embraces all the above and exhorts one to follow the most suited to one鈥檚 natural inclination or 惫腻san膩.
9.0 Sadyomukti and Kramamukti
Lord also explained that one who meditated on the Absolute reached Him without fail drawing attention to the fact that this required restraint of the senses, equanimity of mind and the intent of the welfare of all living beings always. This path is certainly tougher and it is obvious that only a few would qualify for this. The difference between the two paths in a single word is strain and strain alone. For those who are attached to the body, it is difficult for their mind to become centred on the Absolute. Even with restraint, the mind will easily succumb to Ego and attachment due to the imprint of latent tendencies it has acquired from earlier births. The difference of realization with these two paths is that in 狈颈谤驳耻峁嘺 鲍辫腻蝉补苍腻, liberation is here and now ie. Sadyomukti, while in 厂补驳耻峁噊辫腻蝉补苍腻 it is Kramamukti.
10.0 惭辞办峁鈥攑补迟丑蝉
Lord 艢颈惫补 devotes an entire chapter for 惭辞办峁nir奴pa峁嘺m in 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 and gives five kind of releases 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补[11]鈥�
厂腻濒辞办测补mapi s膩r奴pya峁� s膩峁ａ弓arya峁� s膩yujyameva ca |
kaivalya峁� ceti t膩峁� viddhi mukti峁� r膩ghava pa帽cadh膩 ||
10.1 Five kinds of releases are i, 厂腻濒辞办测补; ii, 厂腻谤耻辫测补; iii, 厂腻谤峁ａ弓测补; iv, 厂腻测耻箩测补 and verse , Kaivalya. The first four are the result of worship and 厂补驳耻峁嘺 鲍辫腻蝉补苍腻 or meditation on Lord 艢颈惫补 with attributes. The last one, however, is absolute release resulting from true knowledge of reality 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 one with one鈥檚 own self. This is the release in strict sense of the term; others are more or less figurative, not being complete release. In 厂腻测耻箩测补 the individuality merges in the 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍, who is also the Absolute of philosophy, and the 闯墨惫补 ceases to be an individual by becoming one with the Absolute, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 a river ceases to be a river and becomes one with the sea when it has joined the sea. 艢补峁卥补谤补 Bhagavatp膩da explains this in 艢i惫腻nanda Lahar墨[12].
It is worth taking note of 艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 definition of Bhakti.[13]
mok峁k膩ra峁嘺s膩magry膩峁� bhaktireva gar墨yas墨 |
svasvar奴p膩numandh膩na峁� bhaktirityabhidh墨yate ||
Here he elevates Bhakti, culminating in advaitic realization.
10.2 In 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 Lord 艢颈惫补 gives an epitomatic definition of Brahman 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补
蝉补迟测补峁� 箩帽腻苍补尘补苍补苍迟补峁� 蝉补诲腻苍补苍诲补峁� brahma kevalam |
marvadharmavih墨na峁� ca mano惫腻c膩magocaram || XIII.9 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻
Brahman is mere Existence, Consciousness, Infinitude and Bliss; it is devoid of any attributes and inaccessible to mind and speech.
10.3 The sum and substance of Advaita is stated to be the initial superimposition of the world on Brahman and subsequent sublation, thereby showing the non-duality 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 truth[14]. (鈥�补诲丑测腻谤辞辫补-apa惫腻d膩bhy膩m ni峁rapa帽cam-prapa帽cyate鈥�)
11.0. Advaitic metaphysics.
鈥淭he cause of all human misery is traced to 础箩帽腻苍补 or ignorance. And it is underlined that no word or deed can exorcise 础箩帽腻苍补 which vanishes in toto only when supreme knowledge dawns. The desiderata for the seeker of knowledge are then specified and the technique of investigation is described. The distinction between self and non-self, the nature of superimposition, the nexus between J墨惫腻tman and 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补苍, the three states of consciousness, the five sheeths, and the tree bodies are all explained clearly. How the Mah膩惫腻kyas like Tattvam asi are to be interpreted and how Brahman is to be realized 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 Sat-肠颈迟-腻苍补苍诲补 is elucidated. The logic is razor sharp and no loose ends are left anywhere. 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 is indeed a vade mecum of Advaitic metaphysics.The analysis is thorough, neat and precise.鈥�[15]
12.0 Regressive absorption and 惭腻测腻
In the spiritual contemplation, the elements are regressively absorbed back into their antecedent cause. Thus earth is absorbed into water, water into fire, fire into air, air into ether and ether into 惭腻测腻 and 惭腻测腻 into Brahman[16]. 鈥�惭腻测补 [惭腻测腻?] is the name for that which can not be determined either 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 real or unreal. 惭腻测补 [惭腻测腻?] is not real like Brahman because it is subject to mutation, contradiction and in constant flux. But on this account one cannot go to the other extreme and conclude that 尘腻测补 [惭腻测腻?] is unreal because mere unreality amounts to total non-being which can never appear even in an illusion. A barren woman鈥檚 child鈥�惫补苍诲丑测腻 辫耻迟谤补岣�鈥攆or example, is a total non-being and hence logical impossibility. It can never even be conceived, much less experienced 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 a fact. Nor can one say that 尘腻测腻 is a blend of the real and the unreal 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 that will flatly contradict the basic logic of the excluded middle. One cannot both be and yet not be. So Advaita places 尘腻测腻, which transforms itself into the world, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 just an indeterminable illusion.鈥�[17]
13.0 Knowledge alone leads to Release.
鈥淜nowledge alone is the true means to release because only knowledge can dispel ignorance which is cause of bondage. Knowledge is the result of enquiry which consists in studying the scriptures with the help of the preceptor, particularly the texts of identity (Mah膩惫腻kyas) like Tattvam asi (that-thou-art). The inner essence of 鈥榯hat鈥� and 鈥榯hou鈥� is the same Brahman. The essential identity is arrived at by abandoning the conflicting connotations of鈥榯hat鈥� and 鈥榯hou鈥�.鈥�[18].
14.0 Three theories of Advaita.
艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 embraces all three main theories of Advaita regarding soul and nature:[19]
14.1 The Pratibimba 惫腻da advocated by 笔谤补办腻艣腻迟尘补苍 and supported by thinkers like 痴颈诲测腻谤补峁噛补. 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 like B峁沨ad膩ra峁噛aka and 碍补峁环补 also endorses this. The same water presents itself 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 ocean, river, well, lake, jar water etc. The same one sun is reflected in all these receptacles of water, is seen 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 many. In the same way, the same 膧迟尘补苍 is reflected 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 many in bodies having inner organ or mind.
14.2 The Avaccheda 惫腻da maintained by V膩caspati Mi艣ra holds that Brahman -Intelligence, limited or conditioned (not reflected) by the intellect is the Soul. The same earth is found in its effect-condition taking the shape of mountains, trees, towers, walls, houses, mud vessels, jars etc. Similarly 惭奴濒补-辫谤补办峁泃颈 becomes many in its effect condition. Space is only one single whole. But it enters into several adjuncts and appears 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 space in the pot (骋丑补迟腻办腻艣补), space in the house (惭补峁环补办腻艣补), etc., it appears 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 many. In the same way, the one and only 膧迟尘补苍 appears to be manifest in several bodily adjuncts.
14.3膧bh膩sa 惫腻da is the third theory held by thinkers like 痴颈诲测腻谤补峁噛补 (who also subscribed to the reflection theory). This view maintains, 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 against, the reflection theory, that the reflection is wholly illusory and not real. Only through the sublation of this illusion through right knowledge, unity is gained.
14.4艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补 most eloquently, at the same time very succinctly summarises the concept of Advaita in the following words:
艣lok膩rdhena pravak峁膩mi yadukta峁� granthako峁璱bhi岣� |
brahmasatya jaganmithy膩 j墨vobrahmaiva n膩para岣� ||鈥淚 will summarise in half a verse what is laboriously instructed in millions of books. Brahman is the only reality and the world is illusory. And 闯墨惫补 is nothing but Brahman and Brahman 补濒辞苍别鈥�
15.0 Qualifications for Release
All the theories advocate the basic qualification 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 厂腻诲丑补苍腻 颁补迟耻峁ａ弓补测补尘 and by further 艣谤补惫补峁嘺, manana and 苍颈诲颈诲丑测腻蝉补苍补, one attains Release. 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 definitely gives preponderance to Advaita through knowledge.[20]
nakarma峁嚹乵anu峁ａ弓h膩nairna d膩naistapas膩pi 惫腻 |
kaivalya峁� labhate martya岣� ki峁僼u j帽膩nena kevalam ||鈥淭he mortal being does not get liberation either by the meticulous performance of religious duties, nor by gifts or by penance but only through right knowledge鈥�.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 chap.XIII verse 6-8
[2]:
Vide Bhakti-Ratnavali鈥攑. 19-21.
[3]:
骋墨迟腻 bh膩峁am鈥擬adhusudhana Sarasvat墨鈥攊ntroduction
[4]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 chapter XV-verse -2
[5]:
Ibid chapter XV verse -4
[6]:
Ibid-chapter verse -5
[7]:
Cf Bhagavad 骋墨迟腻 chap IX verse -26
[8]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 chapter XV鈥攙erse -30, 35 and 36
[9]:
Vide Bhakti Ratn膩vali p. 47-48.
[10]:
Ibid P. 44-45
[11]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 chap XIII. verse -3
[12]:
Vide 艢i惫腻nanda Lahar墨 verse -28
[13]:
Vide Viveka C奴岣嵞乵a峁噄 . verse -31
[14]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 English Commentary鈥擟entenarian Trust -p-xx.
[15]:
Vide Laghu惫腻sudeva Mananam鈥擯reface-p-iv
[16]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 English Commentary鈥擟entenarian Trust-p-xxi
[17]:
Ibid-p-xxvii
[18]:
Ibid-p-xxii
[19]:
Ibid-P-xxiii-xxiv
[20]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 骋墨迟腻 -chapter I-verse -2