Practical Vedanta

[Shashikanth Hosur]

Namaskaram
        I agree with Vaidya.  Mother says that its not possible for everyone
to have a Guru in that case the Shastras are the Guru.  That is the reason
why or forefathers have recorded and written them and passed it on from
generation to generation so that i can know and acess if they are walking on
the correct path.

shashi

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vaidya Sundaram [SMTP:Vaidya_Sundaram at I2.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 1999 1:13 PM
> To:   ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG
> Subject:      Re: Practical Vedanta
>
> On May 10 1999 Sunder Hattangadi wrote:
>
> > Truly speaking, the only one 'qualified' to study vedanta is one who has
> > been initiated into the 'brahma vAkya' by a sadguru.
> >
> > As I do not fall into this category, I shall gladly stay silent.
>
> namaskAram.
>  I see a catch 22 situation here. When will the guru initiate me into the
> "mahA
> vAkya"'s? Only when i am ready and fit to receive it. That is when, the
> spark of
> the Guru's words can itself light the fire and jnAna shines etc etc. But
> how do
> i make myself fit? One very common answer is - do your karma correctly, it
> will
> purify you ... while this is absolutely true, if not for a study of
> vedanta, it
> is very easy to lose track of the purpose of karma (which is only to
> purify the
> jivA,) and get entangled in karma.  Getting entagled in karma is where we
> are
> already and we want to remove it. but do be fit to study vedanta and get
> the
> bigger picture, we have to cleanse ourselves of the karmic influences by
> karma
> itself - and then the initiation into the mahA vAkya's will happen ... but
> if
> vedata is not seen as the end of karma, we cannot realistically expect to
> be
> detached from our action and all that ... see my point?
>
>  and while most of us in this list do not have a personal Guru whom we
> "report
> to" and who takes it upon Himself to lead us, we still embark on the study
> of
> vedanta. If we were not qualified in the first place, since we are
> expected to
> do karma, which we probably dont in it's entirety, we would be commiting a
> sin
> by studying a "forbidden" topic ... that is not a very comforting thought
> I
> might add!!
>
>  the only resolution I see to this catch 22 situation is if we abondon the
> basic
> premise that there is a qualification for the study of vedanta  -  to be
> initiated into it by a guru who teaches the mahA vAkya's ...
>
>  I hope members will find time to address this aspect of the topic also.
>
> bhava shankara desikame sharaNam
> Vaidya.