[Advaita-l] Meditation Vs nitya karma

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

--- On Wed, 10/15/08, Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com> wrote:


Kindly pardon me if I hurt your feelings...your very first comment *boring* about puja vidhAna forced me to think in that way...

Bhaskarji - PraNAms.  

There is no question of hurting. I was restating my statement correctly to avoid misinterpretations. 

Now question of injunctions. There was discussion on this topic related to this - Ref.B.Gita Ch. III Shankara Bhaashya introduction to the ch.  Taking the jnaana karma samucchaya vaada, shankara again addresses the injunctions and the taking the purvapakshii's position that karma has to be done as there are Vedic injunctions - if it is not done one will incur pratyavaaya paapam. 

Shankara rejects the arguments.  

Non-performance cannot produce anything (pratyavaaya) since absence cannot be a cause for production. What it does is it does not reduce the sin. It contributes to non-reduction of praarabda karma - in all nitya karmas we chant - samasta durita kshayaartham aham idam karishye - I am doing this for the reduction of all my paapam. In the morning sandhyaavandanam also .. paapebhyo rakshantaam.. of whatever was done in the night!

Hypothetical argument: If suppose non-performance causes or produces pratyavaaya then Vedas become apramaaNam. If non-performance produces we have a case of abhaavaat bhaavotpattiH - a production of existence from non-existence thing. Vedas will be providing an idea that is contradictory to other pramANas. 

If non-performance of nitya karma produces aagaami karma then the performance will generate what? - According to miimaamsa performance does not produce any merits - we have a case of performance does not do any thing but non-performance gives troubles. 

PramANam is anadigata abhaadita arthavishaka jnaanatvam - it has to give phala prayojanam - as part of shad lingas. Vedas now giving us a pain - since doing is a struggle and not doing is more painful. Veda vaak becomes a pramANam for what? - To give us pain either way? - ( I know people are sentimental but I am just putting forth arguments presented in the discussion)

Purvapakshi says - Veda vak gives new power to abhaava - abhaava of nitya karma.  Vedas have that power to produce a result for abhaava. 
If that is the argument then Vedas again become apramaaNam since pramaaNa is jnaapakam not kaarakam. PramaaNa should reveal not produce a result of an action - just as jnaanedriyas which are pramANas give knowledge and are different from karmendriyas which produce. 

Therefore non-performance can not cause sins; but will not reduce the sins. Non-sweeping the floor will not make the floor dirtier but will not remove the dust on the floor. And performance will purify the mind. 

Karma and jnaana have to be sequential not as purvapakshi wants as mixing of the two - Until one can become yogaaruudhaH. 

When I said I get bored - does that mean I am immature. Prabably.  I get bored with lot of things in the world starting from the useless US presidential debates. I rarely I turn TV on because most of it is boring. Now I realize that I could be immature - since I should enjoy everything since everything is His vibhuuti, right? No sir, unfortunately I tolerate certain things and I try to avoid certain things and I go after certain things - all though I do understand that sarvam khalu idam brahma - all that I see is Brahman. Sama dRishTi means take things as they come - even if it is boring but not necessarily going after boring things. Hence I do not go and do as part of Lord's wish; but if I am put in a position to do, I will do what need to be done as that too as Lord's wish. 

All injunctions are for karmayogi - chittasya suddhaye karma na tu vastuupa labhyate - all actions are for purificaition and not for gaining moksha. yoginaH karama kurvanti sangham tyaktvaa aatama suddhaye - Yogis perform action for purification. Yes there are veda vihita karmaas for gruhastaas - but these are constrained by kaala and desha niyamita karmaas. We do not have those varnaasrama dharmaas - yet we do have some obligatory duties as husband as a wife as a son and as daughter. 
That is my understanding. I am follwing my swadharma!
Hari Om!
Sadananda