Translation Series - Gita Bhashya - Introduction 1/3

[Jagannath Chatterjee]

--- Srikrishna Ghadiyaram
<srikrishna_ghadiyaram at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> Can we simply interpret that:
>
> Narayana is beyond prakriti or mAya even in its
> unmanifest form (it is our experience that Narayana
> is
> beyond manifest prakriti, anyway). This visible
> universe has evolved out of this unmanifest
> prakriti.
> In essence it is conveyed that Narayana, the Self,
> is
> beyond the prakriti.
>
> An additional question:
>
> We worship Narayana following Vishnu Bhagavatam.
> But,
> at the same time the Devi Bhaktas also worship Devi
> as
> 'the Self', following Devi Puranas.
>
> If both Devi and Narayana be referred as the 'Self',
> then what is the 'prakriti' being worshipped as ??
> Where is the concept of mAya as 'paramEsa sakti' and
> 'not paramesa' coming from and how to support and
> interpret it ?
>
It is the shaktas (Devi bhaktas) who worship prakriti.
They have a purusha alright but they feel the way to
purusha is through the appeasement of prakriti.
Misrepresentation has led to many absurd consequences.
An example is given, when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana
walk together Lakshana does not have darshana of Rama
as Sita comes inbetween Rama and Lakshmana. So
Lakshmana has to first pray to Sita to kindly step
aside so that he can have a darshan of Rama. Prakriti
is not equated with Purusha but is considered to be a
powerful agent and almost the equal of purusha. This
prakriti has to be worshipped. However shaktas also
believe that purusha and prakriti are equal
manifestations of the same Self. We can here refer to
the Ardhanariswar aspect of Shiva.

Regards

Jagannath

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