[Advaita-l] RE: Dasa Avatars(In response to Shri B. Shankar)

[Sankaran Aniruddhan]

namaste,

> It is not that the entire upanishads are jnana kanda and the non-upanishadic
> part is karma kanda. There are overlaps on both sides. Have you read the
> atharva veda by the way?- Magical spells and incantations.

Has Sankaracharya denounced the atharva veda because of
this? And, what is so wrong with magical spells and
incantations? Probably, they are not necessary for
liberation. Maybe these mantras have an esoteric meaning?

> This is a rather general statement from you. What is the goal of life? What
> is "normal"? Rituals or the quest for truth?

Whoever said that performing the required nityakarma is
not a stage in the quest for truth? For many people,
performing karmas is the normal, day-to-day spiritual
pursuit. In many places, Sankaracharya has advised those
who are not ready to take up sannyasa (the majority of
people, I would presume) to perform their nityakarmas with
a sense of non-attachment to the fruits. Obviously, these
nityakarmas have their origin in the karma kanda portion
of the vedas. Therefore Sankaracharya has not rejected the
karma kanda for these people. And the diligent performance
of the nityakarmas eventually leads to chitta-shuddhi
which prepares one for real vedanta.

Aniruddhan

Sruti smRti purANAnAm Alayam karuNAlayam
namAmi bhagavatpAda Sam.karam lokaSam.karam