[Advaita-l] Animal sacrifice

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Mon, 9 Jan 2006, Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian wrote:

>
> No. That's not what I am talking about. That's quite different. I
> don't remember the verses offhand. I'll have to hunt for them. But I
> believe it's the sambandha vaartika where the kaamavilayavaada is also
> refuted (in some other place). The topic under discussion is what is
> the connection between the puurva and uttara bhaagams of the shruti,
> which has no connection with kaamavilayavaada.  Sureshvara also refers
> to the fact that Sankara takes this topic up for discussion in a later
> part of the bhaashya (which is only obliquely refererred to in the
> upodghaata).  Will post when I get the chance.
>

Please do.  After doing a little research I noticed these shlokas in 
the varttika which are perhaps what you are referring to?

nAla.m vimuktaye kAmya.m yadi nAma tathA'pi tu |
pu.mso vairAgyahetutvAdupakAryeva tanmatAm || 1107 ||

Even though the kAmya karmas cannot cause liberation the view [1]
is that they are helpful to a man as a cause of non-attachment [2]


asahyadu.hkhaphalata.h svakAryavinivrttikrt |
viraktihetuta.h karmapratiShiddha.m yathA tathA || 1108 ||

Just as the prohibited actions leads to non-attachment by turning one away 
from that which results in sorrow,[3]

api kAmya.m krta.m sarva.m du.hkhAtmakaphalatvata.h |
Aviri~nchyAtsvakArebhya.h syAdeva vinivrttaye || 1109 ||

So too, knowing kAmya works all eventually lead to results filled with 
sorrow, even upto the world of Virinchi[4], leads to non-attachment.

ityuktapratipattyarthamAjagAmottara.m vacha.h |
ekavAkyatvameva.m cha vedasya syAdasa.mshayam || 1110 ||

In order to explain the above concepts, the following is said.[5]
Thus the unity of meaning of the Vedas is established without doubt.[6]

[1] of Shankaracharya

[2] Because even though they are motivated by desire atleast they involve 
asking for the aid of a higher power not pure ego.

[3] Carrying out a prohibition is also an action.  E.g. if you are offered 
meat to eat and refuse.  By means of these prohibitions we wean ourselves 
away from ego.

[4] Brahma.  The highest reward of karma is Brahmaloka but it too leads to 
sorrow because of its transitory nature.  Knowing this makes one turn away 
from kAmya karma too.

[5] In Shankaracharyas' bhashya.  Shankaracharya makes the same point 
though in less detail.

[6] In other words as Ramakrishnan said, both the karma and jnana kandas 
have a single purpose: knowledge of Brahman, though one is indirect and 
the other is direct.

So I suppose this is reassuring to those who still desire but I don't see 
it as providing a carte blanche.  I don't see why this means one shouldn't
avoid desire as much as s possible as Sanjay said.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>