[Advaita-l] Shankara and Madhusudana Saraswati on 'Bhakti' in the Bhagavadgita

[D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ]

Sri Madhusudana Sarswati has written a tract by the name
Bhagavadbhaktirsayana with auto commentary
declaring bhakti to be a rasa. Text is available with Sanskrit Documents
site.

regards,
Sarma.

2017-07-23 14:49 GMT+05:30 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> Shankara and Madhusudana Saraswati on 'Bhakti' in the Bhagavadgita
>
> A sample of the stance that Shankara and Madhusudana take with respect to
> 'Bhakti' in the BG:
>
> BG 12.20: [This chapter itself is called Bhaktiyoga]:
>
> ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते।
> श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः।।12.20।।
>
> Shankara:   मद्भक्ताः च उत्तमां *परमार्थज्ञानलक्षणां भक्ति*माश्रिताः
> *ते अतीव मे प्रियाः।*
> Madhusudana ते मत्परमा भक्ता* मां निरुपाधिकं ब्रह्म भजमाना*स्तेऽतीव मे
> प्रियाः।प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः इति
> पूर्वसूचितस्यायमुपसंहारः।
>
> Both Shankara and MS agree that the 'Bhakta' of this verse refers to the
> Advaita Jnani. His Bhakti is Jnaana lakshanaa bhakti.
>
> BG 18.54:
>
> ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति।
> समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु *मद्भक्तिं* लभते पराम्।।18.54।।
>
> S:
> *मद्भक्तिं* मयि परमेश्वरे भक्तिं भजनं *पराम्* *उत्तमां ज्ञानलक्षणां *
> चतुर्थीं *लभते* चतुर्विधा भजन्ते माम् (गीता 7।16) इति हि उक्तम्।
>
> MS:
> एवंभूतो ज्ञाननिष्ठो यति*र्मद्भक्तिं मयि भगवति शुद्धे परमात्मनि
> भक्तिमु*पासनां
> मदाकारचित्तवृत्त्यावृत्तिरूपां परिपाकनिदिध्यासनाख्यां श्रवणमननाभ्यासफलभूतां
> लभते परां श्रेष्ठामव्यवधानेन साक्षात्कारफलां चतुर्विधा भजन्ते
> मामित्यत्रोक्तस्य भक्तिचतुष्टयस्यान्त्यां
>
> *ज्ञानलक्षणमिति वा।*
> In the verse too both the commentators hold the same view of bhakti:
> Jnaana lakshanaa bhakti.
>
> *BG* 18.55:
> S: अतः *ज्ञाननिष्ठालक्षणतया भक्त्या *माम् अभिजानातीति
>
> MS: *भक्त्या निदिध्यासनात्मिकया ज्ञाननिष्ठया *मामद्वितीयमात्मानमभिजानाति
> साक्षात्करोति।
>
> Here, the verse itself says:
> भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः।
> ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम्।।18.55।।
> Through 'Bhakti' one realizes Brahman completely, actually. Both the
> commentators hold the same view: the bhakti that results in the
> Brahman-realization is Jnānaniṣṭhā lakṣaṇā.
>
> In all these places the Supreme Bhakti is spoken of in the BG. For Shankara
> and Madhusudana such a bhakti is non-different from Parājnāna
> lakshaṇā/niṣṭhā. One can recall the famous verse of the Vivekachudamani:
>
> मोक्षसाधनसामग्र्यां भक्तिरेव गरीयसी ।
> स्वस्वरूपानुसंधानं भक्तिरित्य भिधीयते ।।
>
> Among the means to Moksha, Bhakti is the supreme. Contemplation of one's
> true Self is admitted to be 'Bhakti'. This is actually the sādhya bhakti.
>
> Even with reference to sādhana bhakti involving one-pointed supreme
> devotion specific deities Shankara and Madhusudana do not differ.
>
> Madhusudana writes this verse in BG commentary at the end of a chapter:
>
> शैवाः सौराश्च गाणेशा वैष्णवाः शक्तिपूजकाः। भवन्ति यन्मयाः सर्वे सोहमस्मि
> परः शिवः।।3।
>
> 'I am that Supreme Śiva which is what the Śaivas, Sauras, Gāṇeśas,
> Vaiśṇavas, Śāktas meditate upon.'
>
> Shankara, in his Prapanchasāra has specified various deities such as
> Shiva/Dakshinamurty, Surya, Agni, Vinayaka, Saraswati, Vishnu, etc. as
> means to attain moksha.
>
> http://www.mediafire.com/view/hohmqulb63qkqel/The_Papanchasara_of_
> Shankaracharya_-_A_brief_introduction._AB.pdf
>
> The 'Prapancha Sāra' of Shankaracharya is a vast book with 33 Chapters.
>  The thrust of the teaching of the work is: All deities, pitrus, grahas,
> etc.' when worshiped appropriately with devotion can confer all that is
> desired and even moksha.'
>
> Thus, there is absolutely no truth in the erroneous idea that 'Madhusudana
> Saraswati differed from Shankara and proposed a distinct bhakti marga'.
>
> regards
> subrahmanian.v
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