VIVEKACHOODAMANI – “The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination" : Slokam 32a - The Place of BHAKTIs. Sri Swami Adi Sankaracharya.

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Friday, August 6,  2021. 7:14. AM. 
VIVEKACHOODAMANI VOLUME : 1. The PURPOSE of Human Life
PART 1: (Sloka-s 1-66, 66 No.)
1.4 QUALIFICATIONS of DISCIPLE & GURU
(Sloka-s 17-32a, 15 No.)
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Slokam 32a : Bhakti Inseparable from Self-Knowledge.

"1 svaatma tattva anusandhaanam Constant enquiry into the Real nature of one’s Self

2 bhaktih iti apare jaguh; is declared by others as defining Bhakti.".

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Commentary :

Slokam 32 is a little unusual. Not only has it got two distinct parts, but also the two parts fall into two separate Chapters! The second part is placed in the next Chapter.

1-2 The Vedantic definition for Bhakti was ‘Swa-Swaroopa Anusandhanam’. Now the Bhakti Yoga definition is subtly different: ‘Swa-Atmatattva Anusandhanam’. In the case of the former, knowledge (Sravana) has been received first, and so the nature of the Self is known intellectually before the Vedantic meditation begins. In the Bhakti Yoga case, the knowledge of the Self comes as one does the devotional practices or Upasanas or worship prescribed by the Bhakti school. There is no intention in Shankaracharyaji to make this difference into a bone of contention between the two systems.

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Example: Cash Payment or Hire Purchase
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A simple example may help to understand this difference. If one wants to buy a car, there are two methods he can adopt. He can earn all the money needed and then buy the car for cash; or he can buy the car before having earned all the money and pay for it in instalments over a period of some years. Vedanta is the first method, where one acquires all the knowledge in advance. Bhakti is the second method, where the knowledge is gained in instalments while doing the devotional practices.

The purpose of all this is to draw a comparison between Vedanta and Bhakti Yoga. There is only a small technical difference. Sri Shankaracharya has used the term “Bhakti” as an equivalent to what is normally called Vedantic enquiry. Enquiry is viewed as a form of worship. Enquiry requires knowledge first, wheras worship does not. The two approaches only start from different origins, but end at the same point, namely, complete union with the Self, which is the culmination of Bhakti, whether Vedantic (Advaitic) or Dwaitic.

End.

NEXT - 1.5 APPROACHING ONE’S GURU

( Sloka 32b-40, 9 No.)

To be continued ....


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