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Role of Reasoning in Vedanta

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Vedānta certainly uses reasoning, but it does not treat Brahman as something produced or arrived at by reasoning alone. The method can appear discursive and analytical. But the pramāṇa is śruti. And the recognition is immediate. This is the important distinction between independent philosophical speculation (only observation and dependent logic) and śruti-anugṛhīta tarka, reasoning guided by the Upaniṣads. Ordinary reasoning tries to reach truth through conceptual analysis, inference, or intellectual construction. Vedāntic reasoning functions differently. It operates within the vision unfolded by the Upaniṣads, and its purpose is not to “discover” Brahman as some unknown object, but to remove mistaken identification. Take pañca kośa viveka for example. It is analytical in method, but revelatory in function.  The inquiry negates identification with the body, prāṇa, mind, intellect, and even ānandamaya. But this negation is not meant to infer some distant metaphysical ent...
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Algorithmic application of adhyāropa-apavāda

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I am aware of the body. Therefore, I am not the body. I am aware of sensations. Therefore, I am not the sensations. I am aware of thoughts. Therefore, I am not the thoughts. I am aware of emotions. Therefore, I am not the emotions. I am aware of the ego-sense, the feeling “I am this person.” Therefore, I am not the ego-sense. All these are witnessed: body, sensations, thoughts, emotions, and ego-sense. Therefore, provisionally, I take myself to be the sākṣī , the witness. This sākṣī standpoint is a necessary adhyāropa . It separates me from the body-mind complex. Now the thought arises: “I am consciousness.” The thought “I am consciousness” also appears in the mind. Therefore, I am not that thought as a mental event. But this thought is a pramāṇa-vṛtti , a knowledge-form produced by śāstra. Its function is not to create consciousness or objectify consciousness. Its function is to remove the error, “I am the body-mind.” Therefore, I do not cling to the thought as an object. N...
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Śrī Śaṅkara Jayantī 2026 (Agenda)

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  Śrī Śaṅkara Jayantī 2026 (Agenda) Theme:  Śrī Śaṅkara — Antaḥ Śāktaḥ    Reflecting on Devī's presence in Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda's works 📅  Saturday, May 2, 2026   •  🕘  9:05 AM onward   •  🏠 At Home 🎤 MC: SLC team led by Varenya 🪔 Opening — Invocation & Theme 9:05 AM  |  Śrīmad Lalitā Sahasranāmam — Pārāyaṇam All chanters Full parāyaṇam to invoke the Divine Mother's presence for the day. 9:50 AM  |  Welcome & Opening Remarks Varenya (MC) Why "Antaḥ Śāktaḥ"? —  antaḥ śāktaḥ, bahiḥ śaivaḥ, vyavahāre vaiṣṇavaḥ . A recap of last year's  Guruvaram Cintayāmi Anvaham , and how Advaita and Devī Upāsana are a beautiful samanvaya. Preview of the four sessions ahead. 📜 Topic 1 — Śrīmad Lalitā Sahasranāmam & Saundaryalaharī 10:00 AM  |  Speakers:  Śmt.  Sireesha &  Śrī  Nagesh Pothukuchi   •  with chanters Highlights: The origin story of  ...
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108 Divine names of Sri Bhagavatpada

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  श्रीशङ्कराचार्याष्टोत्तरशतनामस्तोत्रम् The 108 Names of Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya — with select meaning Verse 1 श्रीशङ्कराचार्यवर्यो ब्रह्मानन्दप्रदायकः . अज्ञान तिमिरादित्यस्सुज्ञानाम्बुधि चन्द्रमाः .. १.. śrīśaṅkarācāryavaryo brahmānandapradāyakaḥ . ajñāna timirādityassujñānāmbudhi candramāḥ .. 1.. 1 ॐ श्रीशङ्कराचार्यवर्याय नमः oṃ śrīśaṅkarācāryavaryāya namaḥ I bow to śri shankara who confers brahmānanda with Atmajnaana upadesam. I bow to the noble and respectable śrī Śaṅkarācārya. The word 'varya' is a modification of 'ārya' (and it is closely related to the tamil word 'aiyā'). 2 ॐ ब्रह्मानन्द प्रदायकाय नमः oṃ brahmānanda pradāyakāya namaḥ I bow to śri shankara who confers brahmānanda with Atmajnaana upadesam. 3 ॐ अज्ञान तिमिरादित्याय नमः oṃ ajñāna timirādityāya namaḥ I bow to śri shankara who (instantly) dispels (the otherwise) stubborn ajñāna with brahmajñānam like brilliant Sun rays instantly dispels the darkness of the night. 4 ॐ सुज्ञानाम्बुधि चन्द्रमसे नमः...
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