Re: BRAHMA IN BHAGAVAT GITA
Namaste Japmala,
I am delighted to see that your posts are now taking consideration of my views too (and it is not just a monologue which I felt it was earlier) and therefore, I hope that we can have a fruitful dialogue on the issue at hand. So, I have decided to continue with the discussion for the time being.
I will try to explain the points that you have raised herein above :
a) There is no doubt that Bhagwad Gita is essence of Upanishads. However, you must be knowing that there are more than 200 Upanishads and 108 of them have been considered canonical. Some Upanishads like Brahdaranyak Upanishad, Chhandogya Upanishad etc. are quite voluminous. Again there are Upanishads which go into detail of different yogic practices. Therefore, it is just not possible that everything whatever has been said in Upanishads can be brought into Bhagwad Gita.
The second aspect we must not forget while studying BG is the aim of Bhagwad Gita. The aim of BG comes from the circumstances described in Chapter 1 of BG. This was imparted to Arjuna who was confused to understand what his Dharma was during war. How could he kill his own relatives and even teachers ? So, the entire lecture by Lord Krishna in BG focuses on Karma-yoga mainly and therefore JnAna Yoga has taken a back seat in BG. Now, JnAna Yoga is not complete without Karma Yoga. In fact, even Bhakti Yoga is not complete without Karma Yoga. BG excels in its teaching when it comes to decide what is right and what is wrong for a man. Lord Krishna didn't want to make Arjuna a JnAna Yogi ... it was not a demand of the situation at the time of war. Unless we keep the first chapter of BG in mind, we are sure to draw faulty conclusions from BG. The first chapter of BG is the framework on which the whole of BG stands.
2) Your thinklng that your questions are the basics of Advaita is not correct. Advaitins have many more important things to do than always indulging in such exercises. I am a practising Advaitin and you can believe me on this issue. See, there are some Advaitic scriptures like AshTavakra Gita etc. which talk of pure JnAna without giving much importance to Bhakti. However, all Shankara's schools give due importance to Bhakti. I should tell you that three of Shankara's orders are Vaishnavas. These are Advaitins who accept Lord Rama/Krishna/Vishnu as their chosen deity and still they are Advaitins. There is no conflict. I personally know such saints. If you ever visit a Kumbh Mela, you try to meet Vaishnavas Advaitins from Digmabar Akhara, Nirmohi Akhara or NirvAni Akhara. Similarly, 10 Akharas of Shankara are Shaiva.
What I am trying to convince you that the orders of Shankara's schools accept Bhakti as the essential part of Advaita Sadhana. They may not resort to Murti Pooja etc. but Bhakti through meditation and following Yamas and Niyamas, bhajans, reciting Ramcharitmanas etc.. Kabeer too was a JnAna yogi. However, in his bhajans and teachings, his love for God/Rama is conspicuous. Then there are Shaiva sects (Kashmir Shaivism, Aghoris and Shaiva schools of Shankara) who are Advaitins but worship Lord Shiva as Brahman. On internet discussions, somehow, it has been spread that JnAna Yogis have been projected as against Bhakti but that is not true.
3) You say that Bhakti yoga is easier but I don't think it is so easy either. We learn from BG that Bhakti without Karma Yoga is not of much value. How many true Bhaktas we see in huge crowds of self-proclaimed bhaktas in our life ? Chapter 12 of BG is dedicated to Bhakti Yoga. In Verses 13 to 20 of this chapter, Lord Krishna describes the qualities a Bhakta should have. How many of today's Bhaktas follow the requirements of verses 13 to 20 of BG ? If they don't, are they true Bhaktas ? .... and if they fulfill the requirements of verses 13 to 20, then JnAna Yoga is not difficult for those Bhaktas, I feel. Because those requirements are the most difficult part for both the JnAna Yogi and a Bhakta.
4) As for BG as the authoritative scripture for JnAna Yoga : JnAna Yogis accept three authoritative scriptures as per Shankara's schools of Advaitins. These are Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads and Brahmsutras. As I told you, Karma-yoga is common to Bhkati and JnAna and for that BG is authoritative. There are many verses in BG which as per Adavitins are Advaitic in essence. If you are interested to know those verses, you can tell me. I can list out all those verses from Chapter 2 to Chapter 18. What has happened that some Vaishnava schools like ISKCON and MAdhacharya have explained those verses differently. However, when I studied Udhdhva Gita which is part of Bhagwat PurAna, I came to know that this PurANa, in no uncertain terms, endorses Advaita along with Bhakti.
5) If you read Chapter 6 of Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna describes how to meditate and attain JnAna. This is exactly what the JnAn yogis or Advaitins do. So, here too you can see that Bhagwad Gita describes a path for the JnAna Yogis. Though the methodology of meditation varies from one school to the other depending upon Guru. Nevertheless, the result is the same, as Truth doesn't change with adopted path. All these practices lead to Self-Realisation.
If you read the above post carefully, most of your doubts on Advaita may be clear.
OM
Last edited by devotee; 23 July 2015 at 02:30 AM.
Reason: typos and clarity
"Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"
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