[Advaita-l] Isavasya Upanisad 9th Mantra

[V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l]

A 'blank' reply from me was sent inadvertently.

Taking the idea expressed by Sri Chandramouli forward, it can be noted that
in the particular Isha mantra 9, the devatAjnAna sadhana is criticized as
'even more dark ignorance' because:  Performing vihita karma is laudable,
though without the conjunction of upasana it would also not give
appreciable fruit.  So, this mere performance of nitya karma has been
characterized as 'andham tamaH'.  Now, the other one, mere devatopasana,
with the exclusion of vihita karma is spoken of as 'even more dark
ignorance' because, the non-performance of vihita karma leads to
pratyavāya.  So, the pratyavAya (pApam) is what is being indicated by the
criticism of 'mere' devatopāsana.
This is the reasoning for characterizing mere devatopasana as 'even more
tamas'.  One cannot propose that the pratyavāya can be neutralized by
devatopāsana.  There is no such an acceptance in the vedic system.

The ideal situation is being taught in the next mantra 10, where the
combination of nitya karma and devatopasana are prescribed for one and the
same person and that he has to practice them together, sequentially.  The
bhāṣyam has the word 'krameṇa'.

subrahmanian.v


2014-05-22 14:16 GMT+05:30 H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> Namaste.
>
> Nitya karma and Naimittika karma are compulsary for all three ashramas. But
> upasanas are not compulsary.  Without performing karmas, whatever else one
> performs, including upasana, they do not give fruitful phalas. That is the
> reason why those who perform upasana only , to the exclusion of
> nitya/naimittika karmas , are said to go to greater darkness. For upasanas
> to lead to phalas greater than is obtainable from karma alone ,  they must
> necessarily be performed in conjunction ( samuchhaya ) with karmas.
>
> Regards
>
>
> 2014-05-22 11:34 GMT+05:30 Venkatesh Murthy via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:
>
> > Namaste
> >
> > There was a discussion on Satya Darshana on this. I went to the new
> > Sringeri Sankara Bhashya site and searched.
> >
> > Below is the Sankara Bhashya
> >
> > अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति ये अविद्यामुपासते ।
> > ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायां रताः ॥ ९ ॥
> > भाष्यम्
> > अन्धं तमः अदर्शनात्मकं तमः प्रविशन्ति । के ? ये अविद्याम्, विद्याया अन्या
> > अविद्या कर्मेत्यर्थः, कर्मणो विद्याविरोधित्वात्,
> > तामविद्यामग्निहोत्रादिलक्षणामेव केवलाम् उपासते तत्पराः
> > सन्तोऽनुतिष्ठन्तीत्यभिप्रायः । ततः तस्मादन्धात्मकात्तमसः भूय इव बहुतरमेव
> ते
> > तमः प्रविशन्ति । के ? कर्म हित्वा ये उ ये तु विद्यायामेव देवताज्ञाने एव
> > रताः अभिरताः ॥
> >
> > The question I have is why Adi Sankara has not explained why people
> > absorbed in meditation on gods go to Greater Darkness than people doing
> > Karma? Adi Sankara does not explain why.
> >
> > On TV discussion the explanation was different. Avidya is Loukika Vidya
> > like Science, Engineering and others. Vidya is Bookish knowledge of
> Brahma.
> > If you have only bookish knowledge of Brahma and no realization it is
> worse
> > than having knowledge of Loukika Sastras like Science. With bookish
> > knowledge of Brahma you are making a big mistake thinking you know
> Brahma.
> > But you do not know.
> >
> > --
> > Regards
> >
> > -Venkatesh
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