[Advaita-l] Questions on the blessed Isa Upanishad

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste.

The references are to some of the observations made by Sri Jaldhar Ji in
previous posts.

Reg  << Some commentators note that, unusually, Ishopanishad is in the
samhita
portion of its shakha (it is the 40th adhyaya of Vajasaneyi Samhita of
Shuklayajurveda) instead of the Brahmana so it is connected to karma in a
way that other upanishads are not >>,

I am not sure if the **commentators**  referred to above refer to advaita
Commentators or to non-advaita Commentators.The Introduction to Isha Up in
the Bhashya of  Sri Bhagavatpada is cited below which clearly states the
Advaita position.

<< ‘ईशा वास्यम्’ इत्यादयो मन्त्राः कर्मस्वविनियुक्ताः, तेषामकर्मशेषस्यात्मनो
याथात्म्यप्रकाशकत्वात् । >>

Translation (Swami Gambhirananda)  << The (Vedic) mantras beginning with
IshAvAsyam (‘ईशा वास्यम्’) have not been utilized in कर्म (karma) (rituals
etc) , for they serve to reveal the true nature of the Self, which is not
an appendage to कर्म (karma) >>.

Reg  << "yAga is defined as relinquishing material accompanied by a call to
a
devatA." >>,

It is really a stretch to equate this ** relinquishing material** to the
**tyAga** implied in the first verse of  Isa Up. The term may be the same,
but the meanings are entirely different.

Anyway this is only my understanding which happens to be very different
from that of Sri Jaldhar Ji. I am just bringing it out so that other
members can take into consideration the differing viewpoints and arrive at
their own understandings.

Regards

On Sun, Dec 13, 2020 at 12:58 AM <jaldhar at braincells.com> wrote:

> On Sat, 12 Dec 2020, H S Chandramouli wrote:
>
> >
> > Is there any authority for claiming << The term tyaga itself comes from
> > karmakanda >> and  << This formula is called tyaga
> >   >> ??.  Please cite any references concerning the same. I have not so
> far
> > across any such statements in commentaries or treatises.
> >
>
> That mantra, dravya, and tyaga are the three components of a yaga (or
> specifically one ahuti in a yaga or homa) is one of those "everyone knows"
> kind of things so I was hard put to find an actual statement to that
> effect.  But a bit of googling led to Swami Madhusudana Saraswati in
> Gudarthadipika on Bhagavadgita 4.24:
>
> devatoddeshena hi dravyatyAgo yAgaH |
>
> "yAga is defined as relinquishing material accompanied by a call to a
> devatA."
>
> The Gita shloka itself shows how Brahman is the foundation of all the
> aspects of the yagna.
>
> --
> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>