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

[Vaidya Sundaram]

Namaskaram.

----- Original Message -----
From: "kalyan chakravarthy" <kalyan_kc at hotmail.com>

> >For normal day-to-day life, the karma kanda is of great importance.
>
> This is a rather general statement from you. What is the goal of life?
What
> is "normal"? Rituals or the quest for truth?

Sorry to get into this at this late stage of the debate, but it seems rather
that this question, and perhaps what I present as my argument, comes up very
often, and in line with my earlier mail today about the need for any pursuit
of liberation.

> What is the goal of life?

(I will answer what I think it is below, but), What do you think is the goal
of life?? A very very fundamental question to be answered I think. And by
all parties in the debate I might add. Because if one has not answered this
and again, if all people discussing this are not on the same page or
understanding, your answers are going to be very different anothers. I think
you answered your own question by asking another one, name "Rituals or the
quest for truth" - I ask you then, in your conception of the truth, are
rituals opposite to that of "truth" - ? If you ask the same question to the
purva mimamsakas, I am sure you would hear them deny any truth apart from
just rituals.

And in my understanding of vedanta, or any pursuit advised by vedanta,
rituals are not divorced from truth. They are an in-evitable first step to
the truth. The advaita parampara of Adi Shankara is clear on this point.
Refer the sopana panchakam - Vedo nityam adhiyatam, Taduditam karma
svanushtiyatham - read the vedas daily, follow the enjoined ritual therein
faithfully ... do you need any greater proof ?

I would also refer the web site:
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part12/chap7.htm

For the other question you raised:"" What  is "normal"? ""

Sorry, you are on your own here :-)

bhava shankara desikame sharaNam
Vaidya.