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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00061 Nov 2001

 
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Pranamams to the Learned.

Sri Sudarshan is very eloquent in the position he has taken with regard to 
study of
scriptures. Notwithstanding his beliefs and convictions, adiyen would like to 
seek a
clarification. Is he by any chance suggesting that once we depart here an after 
life
awaits us where we would be gainfully employed coveting material or some such 
benefits
and study of scriptures would prepare us for them? I thought the goal of this 
life
should be moksha which would end the cycle of births and deaths once and for 
all. I
believe that once in the the state of moksha, one would have the constant 
vision of
God. To quote from a treatise on Visishtaadvaita philosophy, " The liberated 
soul has a
direct vision of Brahman in Vaikuntha and is absorbed in the eternal bliss of 
union
with Him. To the liberated soul, the pluralistic world remains, but the 
pluralistic
view is abolished. The distinction between him and the Brahman still remains 
and there
is no loss of personality. He will continue for ever enjoy this state of bliss 
by
serving Brahman". When expalined so simply and understood, I don't see a real 
need for
going deep into scriptural studies unless I do it for one or more of the 
following
reasons: a) I just love to read scripture and enjoy it just as many read mystery
novels; b) I am in the profession of a priest and it is my duty to be erudite 
in the
knowledge of God and like to impress the devotees with my knowledge; c) I like 
to
participate in debates about scriptures and their role in the society; d) seek 
answers
in scriptures if possible, for worldly problems; e) try to pass some of that 
knowledge
to my children if at all by any divine intervention they are inclined to 
listen, and so
on. If I am so inclined as to reduce effects of my sins, I will perhaps recite 
Vishnu
Shasranama, Narayanopanishad or Krishna nama sankeertana because each one of 
those
proclaims to remove our sins (paapas) if recited regularly. And that is easy 
enough to
do. I am not trying to be facetious but I think it is a stretch to say that 
study and
practice of scriptures will give an edge in an after life. If we end up being 
reborn,
there is no guarantee that it will be as humans again and there is no guarantee 
that we
will be carrying the memory. I would certainly appreciate some clarifications 
of the
premise on which Sri Sudarshan based his statements.

Adiyen.

Keshava Prasad.

Sudarshan M.K. wrote:

> --- In tiruvengadam@xxxx, "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx>
> wrote:
> Dear friends,
>
> There are many lessons one can draw from the opening 'anuvAkam' of
> the "brughuvalli" of the Taittiriya Upanishad. One of them is that it
> very, important to regularly study our religious or scriptural
> literature. In fact such study should become a lifetime habit.
>
> The young Brghu goes to his father Sage Varuna and asks him "adhIhi
> bhagavO brahmEti" --- "Sir, please teach me all I need to know about
> Brahman".
>
> Varuna replies, "tad vijignyAsasva, tad brahmEthi" - "Begin intense
> study, so that you may succeed in knowing That Brahman". And the
> young Brughu then goes away to perform the 'tapas' of intense
> study - "sa tapO tapyata, sa tapastaptvA!".
>
> Why is it important to devote ourselves to such intense study as
> Brghu undertook?
>
> The answer is quite simple and practical.
>
> We need to regularly study the literature of our scriptures for the
> same reason why in our professional careers we regularly read
> literature related to our respective field of work or specialization.
>
> The doctor or surgeon who passes his MD or FRCS does not stop
> studying; the lawyer or attorney-at-law never stops reading legal
> journals, digests and manuals. The same is the case with architects,
> accountants, engineers, IT-specialists or fashion designers. No
> matter how old or rich in experience a professional is, he knows that
> he is only as good as the knowledge he possesses is thorough and
> up-to-date. And to ensure that he is up-to-date, he will go to any
> length, undergo any pain and perform any kind of 'tapas' necessary,
> isn't it? A professional who is not constantly on what is called the
> "cutting-edge" or "leading-edge" of his field of work or
> specialization gets "left behind" rapidly. And in these modern days
> of 'knowledge-workers', as all professionals know, the world shows no
> respect whatsoever for an out-of-date professional. Which is why
> "continuing professional education" has become so important for all
> of us. Sooner or later, we all realize that either we continually
> study or we perish.
>
> What is true of our professional careers, unfortunately, holds good
> for our spiritual careers too.
>
> Our professional careers span, say, only 40 or 50 years ? at
> best, we can all hope to sustain our worldly careers only as long as
> our lifetimes. But our spiritual careers extend well and far beyond
> our bodily lifetime on earth. Every faith in this world, be it Vedic,
> Christian or Buddhist, tells us that each of us has a soul - a
> 'jeevAtma' - and this soul is eternal. So as 'jeevAtmAs' all of us
> have eternal career spans to look forward to. There is a second and
> greater career awaiting us after we have all spent our time upon
> earth.
>
> Now, being the first-class professionals we all like to believe we
> are, should we not therefore begin preparing a career plan for
> ourselves in the after-world? Should we not be asking ourselves
> questions such as the following:
>
> (1) "What will my second career in the spiritual realm be after I
> have left these worldly shores?".
>
> (2) "What will be expected of me in that second career of mine? What
> sort of duties and responsibilities will I be carrying out then? What
> demands will be made upon this soul of mine in that career-role?".
>
> (3) "In order to succeed in that eternal career, what kinds and
> varieties of knowledge should be acquired by my spirit? How should I
> qualify myself for that great second career which awaits me? What
> knowledge or 'atma-gnyAnam' should I be gaining?"
>
> (4) "And how, where and from whom or from which institute should I
> gather that sort of knowledge?".
>
> There is one answer only for all such questions and it is this: Great
> Religious Literature.
>
> The greatest religious literature that we as Indians have are the
> priceless Vedas handed down to us by our ancient 'rshi-s' and which
> have in fact one primary purpose only: viz. to prepare us for our
> spiritual careers in the after world. And in doing so they serve the
> very same purpose as any of the literature we all avidly seek in our
> professional life viz. "continuous education" for a better and ever
> more prosperous future career.
>
> The study of the Vedas, or any scriptural literature for that matter,
> involves, no doubt, discipline and hard work. It is a kind of
> 'tapas'. (Attending 'vedadhyAyana' classes, for example, thrice a
> week at Sri.IVK Chary's house here in Kuwait, is perhaps a sort of
> 'tapas'too on our part).If we are successful in our professional
> careers it is because of the "tapas" we undertook voluntarily, isn't
> it? We must remember how hard we toiled for the expertise we
> eventually gained in our field of work. Similarly, it is only through
> the 'tapas' of regular and earnest study of scriptural literature
> that we can also hope to succeed and prosper in great "second career
> of the spirit" awaiting us. So studying the Vedas regularly should be
> looked upon by all of us as a holy 'tapas'... "sa tapO tapyata, sa
> tapastaptvA!"
>
> This is one of many wonderful messages of spiritual wisdom contained
> in that opening episode of the "brghuvalli" in the ancient Upanishad.
>
> ******************************************
> We will continue in the next post.
> Regards,
> dAsan,
> Sudarshan
> --- End forwarded message ---
>
>
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>
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--
MZ?






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