Mananam

maha saṅkalpam (reflection via free translation) mamopātta-samasta-durita-kṣaya-dvārā śrī-parameśvara-prītyarthaṃ For the sake of pleasing (prītyarthaṃ) śrī-parameśvara , as a means (dvārā) for the destruction (kṣaya) of all (samasta) accumulated (upātta) sins (durita). (This is the essence of Karma Yoga – Doing vaidika karma with īśvarārpaṇa buddhi and īśvara-prasāda buddhi.) tad-eva lagnaṃ sudinaṃ tad-eva, tārā-balaṃ candra-balaṃ tad-eva, That indeed (tad-eva) is the auspicious moment (lagnaṃ), that indeed is the good day (sudinaṃ), that indeed is the strength (balaṃ) of the stars (tārā) and the strength of the moon (candra). vidyā-balaṃ daiva-balaṃ tad-eva, lakṣmī-pateḥ aṅghri-yugam smarāmi. That indeed is the strength (balaṃ) of knowledge (vidyā) and the strength of fortune (daiva); when I remember (smarāmi) the pair of feet (aṅghri-yugam) of the Lord of Lakṣmī (lakṣmī-pateḥ). (The idea is tithi, vāram, etc. become indeed auspicious, when we hold on to the feet of Swāmi.) apa...

  After the initial introduction and remembering/thanking Sangeetha (my undergraduate friend and student of Swamiji), who sought an appointment for me to meet Swamiji, and profusely acknowledging Swamiji’s grace in granting us the time, I proceeded to begin speaking along the following lines, seeking Swamiji’s guidance.   1. On Deepening Nididhyāsanam in G ṛ hastha Āśrama I started off saying that if śrava ṇ am is “advitīya vastu tātparya avadhāra ṇ am” , mananam is “advitīya vastu anāvarta anucintanam” , and nididhyāsanam is “advitīya svasvarūpa vastu anāvarta anusandhānam” . How can one go deeper into nididhyāsanam, especially while living in the g ṛ hastha āśrama, where constant svasvarūpa-anusandhānam is the goal, but vikṣepas keep showing up in the form of vikalpas ? Swamiji smilingly acknowledged my framing and said mananam is reflecting upon the tattvam based on the yuktis learnt from the teacher. Then nididhyāsanam is mananam that happens continuously, even...

  Epistemic Clarity Paves the Way to Vedānta as a Pramā ṇ a-Śāstra One of the most overlooked but foundational aspects of spiritual life, especially in the Advaita Vedānta sampradāya , is the necessity of epistemic clarity. Let’s take a brief detour to get a Glossary 101 on this—epistemology, epistemic, pramā , pramā ṇ a . Etymology & Mapping: Epistemic, Epistemology ↔ Pramā, Pramā ṇ a Epistemology : From Greek: epistēmē ( ἐ πιστήμη) meaning “knowledge” + logos (λόγος) meaning “discourse” or “study.” → Epistemology is the study of knowledge: its nature, sources, limits, and validity. Epistemic : Derived from epistēmē , it means “relating to knowledge or to the degree of its justification.” → Anything epistemic pertains to what counts as knowledge or how knowledge is formed. Pramā ( प्रमा ) : Valid, true, non-contradicted knowledge. Pramā ṇ a ( प्रमाण ) : Means of valid knowledge, e.g., perception ( pratyak...

"The snake does not exist, but only the rope exists — it merely appears as the snake." Questioner: I have a question as a student of Vedānta. Why do we need nimitta-kāraṇam or upādāna-kāraṇam when vivarta-kāraṇam seems like the most logical explanation in support of Bhagavatpāda’s teachings? The creator of the pot or the clay does not in reality exist. The snake does not exist, but only the rope exists; but it appears to be a snake. What am I missing? Responder: Anna — I I've taken time to prepare a pramāṇika exposition . Hence the time to respond. (Something I'm sure you will enjoy, as one āstika enjoys tīrtha-snānam ). Good point — very valid as well. Yet, there is a nuance here. The problem in communicating Advaita epistemology (i.e., pramā , pramāṇa-tattvam ) lies in straddling two horses at the same time — the language of pāramārthika (where non-duality alone is) and the language of vyāvahārika (the relative plane of duality). All discussions on...