[Advaita-l] Which is better: Devotion or Self-realisation

[Mahesh Ursekar]

Pranams:

Definitely Bhakti!

If it wasn't for the bhakta, Sri Ramakrishna, there would not be the jnani
Swami Vivekananda!

When established in the Self, what need is there of the world? When
established in bhakti, the world is an ocean of love and each jiva a spark
of the divine! As is said of Sant Tukaram, he preferred to stay in the
dvaitic state rather than merge in Brahman since his found living as a
bhakta a source for his bountiful and glorious ahangas! Ah, how can one not
embrace such an individual....we, living, in the dvaitic state can but love
and (possibly) understand a bhakta but the jnani is gone far beyond!

Humble pranams, Mahesh


On 1/17/06, Aditya Varun Chadha <adichad at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 1/17/06, Amuthan Arunkumar R <aparyap at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> > up.). the bhakti that jIvanmukta-s do is the same as
> > being established in brahman. shrImadbhAgavatam
> > clearly brings out this in the shloka 'AtmArAmAshcha
> > munayo nirgranthA apyurukrame. kurvantahaitukIM
> > bhaktimitthaM bhUtaguNo hariH..'
>
> what you are saying must be correct. after all the jIvanmukta-s are
> established in brahman already. actually I have probably used the
> wrong word here (karma). I think karma means an action that has
> consequences.  ofcourse for a jIvanmukta there is no more karma to be
> performed, or in another sense, all actions of the jIvanmukta are
> "inconsequential" because the establishment in brahman is already
> completely realised.
>
> this brings up a deeper confusion that I have: is a jIvanmukta "a
> realiser of saguNa brahman only" or of nirguna brahman?
>
> another doubt is: for an aj~nAnI, is bhaktI a karma? is "meditation" a
> form of bhaktI? is this "meditation" a karma for the aj~nAnI? it is
> evident from your statement that for a jIvanmukta these are definitely
> not "karmas" that attract karmaphalas. but what about for an aj~nAnI?
>
> --
> Aditya Varun Chadha
> adichad AT gmail.com
> http://www.adichad.com
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