Sage Sankara’s whole teaching can be summed up in one sentence: ‘There is nothing else but Brahman. He says that Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge, and Absolute Bliss are real.
The universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is real; the rest, mental and physical, are but passing appearances.
Genuine philosophy must be independent of religion, as in Sage Sankara himself, the Saguna Brahman or a personal God is only a part of the phenomenal (if not illusory) world, and the Nirguna Brahman is the only reality and has nothing to do with religion.
Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause desires to go (Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2, P.207 v.4)
The Brahma Sutras, together with Sage Sankara's commentary thereon, do not contain the higher wisdom. They are intended for those who are incapable of thinking rationally.
Sage Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras is not on a philosophical basis, but on an orthodox and mystic basis, with an appeal to the Vedas as a final authority.
In the Brahma Sutra, Sage Sankara takes the position that there is another entity outside us, i.e., the wall really exists separately from the mind. This was because Sage Sankara explains in Manduka that those who study the Sutras are orthodox minds, intellectual children, hence his popular viewpoint to assist them. These people are afraid to go deeper because it means being heroic enough to refuse to accept Sruti and God's authority, in case they mean punishment by God.
A Gnani says the scriptures for children, but wise seekers will think rationally.
In the Brahma Sutras, Sage Sankara takes for granted, assumes that a world was created; He there mixes dogmatic theology with philosophy.
That God created the world is an absolute lie; nevertheless, one will find Sage Sankara (in his commentary on the Vedanta Sutras) clearly says this! He has to adapt his teachings to his audience, reserving the highest for philosophical minds.
The text of Brahma Sutras is based on religion, dogmatism, but in the commentary, Sage Sankara cleverly introduced some philosophy. If it is objected that many Upanishads are equally dogmatic because they also begin by assuming Brahman, only a few Upanishads do not but prove Brahman at the end of a train of proof.
Scholars' translation of the Brahma Sutras in the Sacred Books of the East must be read cautiously, as he has not understood its highest sense, e.g., for Advaita, they wrongly put "Unity" instead of “Non-duality."
Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism, and yoga, no less than philosophy, to the seeking world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.
Orthodoxy is the home of mysticism and deification, which is why they are not the keen rational truth. Thus, Sage Sankara is the Jagadguru to the religious follower, and he is a great Sage (Gnani) of the highest order to the seeking world. : : ~ Santthosh Kumaar
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