PDA

View Full Version : Smarta Hinduism?



Spiritualseeker
06 August 2009, 06:10 PM
Namaste,

Can someone tell me a bit about Smarta hinduism. I read just briefly about it in Dancing with Siva. It seems like it is monistic which I enjoy about it. It also seems non sectarian in terms of stating one way of worship or one God is better then another. I just want a bit more information. Also are there any westerners that practice this path?

-juan

yajvan
06 August 2009, 07:53 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

Namasté

Namaste,

Can someone tell me a bit about Smarta hinduism. I read just briefly about it in Dancing with Siva. It seems like it is monistic which I enjoy about it. It also seems non sectarian in terms of stating one way of worship or one God is better then another. I just want a bit more information. Also are there any westerners that practice this path?

-juan

If you do a search on smarta here on HDF, you will find several conversations on this matter and it may help you... see what you think after your search and readings.

praṇām

TatTvamAsi
06 August 2009, 11:16 PM
Namaste,

Smartism is subsect of Advaita Vedanta.

One specific point of Smartism is the import of Adi Sankaracharya, who is Shiva incarnate. He reinforced Advaita in the Vedas and settled the squabbles between different traditions within Sanatana Dharma on which deity is the foremost (i.e. Shiva vs. Vishnu etc.). Smartism, loosely interpreted, is quite liberal in its outlook because no one particular deity is Supreme; only Tat (Brahman--> all is manifestation of that one ultimate reality).

Many Brahmins in South India are Smarta; praying both to Shiva & Vishnu. The funny thing is, most "Shiva" temples have mUrtIs (idols) of Vishnu whereas a "Vishnu" temple will almost never have a Shiva mUrtI or even a Ganesha mUrtI! As a sidenote, there is a brand new temple opened in North Carolina, Vishnu temple, which has NO Ganesha mUrtI! LOL!
This is exactly what Adi Sankara spoke against and because Hinduism, like other religions, would be reduced to "my daddy is better than your daddy" BS and miss the beauty of the philosophy of Hinduism.

The other aspect, traditionally speaking, is the import of Smriti (that which is remembered as opposed to revealed through contemplation (i.e. Yoga/meditation)). I am quite sure you must have read about the Sruti and Smriti principles in Sanatana Dharma (?). Sruti is Veda, Smriti is law/tradition.

I highly recommend you buy a copy of VivekachUdamanI by Sri Adi Sankara; the most brilliant exposition, probably only rivalled by the AvadhUta GItA, on Advaita Vedanta.

Vivekam is such a beautiful word in Sanskrit. It means "discrimination" in the correct sense; to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff! This is what introspection, meditation, Yoga, and study of the Scriptures are all about!

Namaskar.

Eastern Mind
07 August 2009, 06:25 AM
Namaste TTA: On my trip to India, in Murugan and Siva temples, I can't recall ever seeing a Venkateshwara anywhere, but maybe they were there, I just wasn't meant to see them.

Regarding Smarta, I find that it gets a bit confusing trying to see all gods as equivalent. I understand that Shankara had excellent intentions to harmonise things, but in some ways he made it less discernable, like mixing milk and orange juice. I prefer the pure Saiva, or pure Vaishnava. It seems simpler, hence stronger. Kind of like a solid concrete pillar, or a pillar made up of 5 separate ones.

There is no doubt he must have been a great orator and writer, but on the mystic side, I'm not so sure. The mystics like Ramana Maharshi have a lot to add. The other difficulty I have encountered with pure Smartans here is an "I'm right and you're wrong' attitude towards other sects." Once I was at a visiting Tamil elder's home, and I said 'Vannakkam" in greeting, only to get a harsh and angry scolding that it should be "namaskaram". I was young and naive, and hurt by his anger. "Yeah, I'm really glad I came."

I really like what Atlanta did with the western temples. Instead of trying to appease everyone, and put it all into one temple, they built two temples. Same piece of land, but two temples. Then you get one vibration instead of two coming at you at the same time. Now this is just my opinion, for what it is. At so many temples, the attempt is to appease everyone in the community. Vibration wise, in my humble opinion, it just doesn't work. Can you imagine a round table discussion of 10 people, each of whom is speaking a different language.

I guess what it boils down to is an intellectual versus mystical debate.

Aum namasivaya

yajvan
12 August 2009, 09:49 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

I thought to contribute the following:
smārta स्मार्त- is relating to memory ; that is , recorded in or based on smṛti¹ i.e. based on tradition.
So, what would be some smṛti literature that we are aware and may have read?

The itihāsa-s - the mahābhārata, the Bhāgavad gītā, the rāmāyaṇa
The law-books of manu
The 6 vedāṅga : veda + āṅga - āṅga¹ is a limb, a member - hence vedāṅga is a limb, an accessory to the veda:
jyotiṣa - science of light i.e. astrology and astronomy
śikṣā - phonetics
chandas- meter
vyākaraṇa- grammar
nirukta - etymology
kalpa - ritual
The purāṇa-s - there are 18 major purana's , found in 3 groups: rājasa with brahmā as the subject mater, sāttvika with viṣṇu as its subject matter and tāmasa with śiva as the subject matter.Hence when we are dealing with smārta we are in the realm of iti smṛteḥ, that is, 'according to such and such a traditional precept or text'

In post 3 TTA talked of Ādi Śaṅkara-ji and his contributions to society. We have much to be thankful to Śaṅkara-ji for, as he has been proclaimed śaṇmata sthapanācārya or the founder of the 6 fold system. The 6 are the various expressions of saguṇa brahman i.e. śiva, viṣṇu, sūrya, gaṇeśa, śakti, and his 6th was kumāra. All celebrations and the expression of Brahman, 6 views of the Divine.

It is tradition to (usually) pick one of the 6 ( or derivative there of) as one's iṣṭa devatā ( an aspect of the Divine, of Fullness of Being, that one favors and therefore worships and adores).

praṇām

words

smṛti स्मृति - remembrance , reminiscence , thinking of or upon ; the whole body of sacred tradition or what is remembered by human teachers. Compare this to śruti or what is directly heard/percieved/cognized or revealed to the ṛṣi-s ;
aṅga अङ्ग - a limb , member; a subordinate division or department

kd gupta
18 August 2009, 06:23 AM
Smartism is derived from smriti means memory which in other way, can be called as wisdom . This is the sixth sense as defined beyond five Indriyas, so is a sick sense which needs to be activated as per indivisual. Srimadbhagwatam insists on satsang therefore.
Reading after many thoughts of the members, it becomes necessary specially in hindu dharm forum, not to quote or tallk unhealthy and unwise topics . Reply of such type of topic is as bad as quoting .
Unwise means , knowing that all the three vedas contain only the satvik narration in olden times and so is the smartism , we quote many added unwanted and false illustrations in the name of upnishads , Vedanta etc.
Unhealthy means , trying to befool others and just wasting the time.
Smartism means the inference of Vedas , also said as per gita…
Tatah padam tat parimaargitavyam
Yasmin gataa na nivartanti bhooyah;
Tameva chaadyam purusham prapadye
Yatah pravrittih prasritaa puraanee.
Then that goal should be sought after, whither having gone none returns again. Seek
refuge in that Primeval Purusha whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.
COMMENTARY: That which fills the whole world with the form of Satchidananda, is
Purusha. That which sleeps in this city of the body is the Purusha. Single-minded devotion, which
consists of ceaselessly remembering the Supreme Being, is the surest and most potent means of
attaining Self-realisation.
Nirmaanamohaa jitasangadoshaa
Adhyaatmanityaa vinivrittakaamaah;
Dwandwairvimuktaah sukhaduhkhasamjnair
Gacchantyamoodhaah padamavyayam tat.
Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly
in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from the pairs of opposites known as
pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach the eternal goal.