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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00014 Nov 2004

 
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Sri:

Dear BhakthAs :

It is with great pleasure I wish to acknowledge reciept of
VedAntha Vidwan Dr.N.S.Ananatha RangAcchAr Swamy 's
monograph on Brahadaranyaka Upanishad . This is volume III
in the series entitled " Principal Upanishads " with the Text , English 
Translations and Brief Notes according to Upanishad BhAshyakArar ,
Sri Ranga Ramanuja  Muni .

Ubhaya VedAntha Visishta Vidwan Dr.NSA Swamy has dedicated 
this volume to HH Srimath Paramahamsa ParivrAjakAchArya  
Sri Sri Srinivasa Mahaa Desikan ( Vaikunta Vaasi Sri Poundarikapuram 
Andavan and the Founder of Poundarikapuram Aasramam) with a moving 
acknowledgement : 

" {Dedicated with all humility and profound respect at  
the holy feet of Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan , 
who graciously blessed me with SamAsrayaNam 
and on account of whose grace I was able to know 
my Svarupam} ". 

Our most sincere Thanks to Dr. NSA Swamy 
**************************************
Through  the completion of this third and final volume on 
BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad , Dr. NSA Swamy has established 
a major mile stone in his prolific career as the Teacher , Writer
and intrepreter of VedAnthic doctrines with ease and acumen
to laymen and scholars . The clarity and the skill with which
he captures the quintessence of complex VedAnthic doctrines 
is unique to him . His explanatory notes on the passages from
Upanishad BhAshyakArar's commentaries are brilliantly chosen
to enrich our understanding of the nuances of the individual manthrAs 
of the different BraahmaNams of this Upanishad . His preface to
this volume is itself a brilliant overview to the BrahadhAraNyaka
Upanishad's Six chapters housing 57 BrahmaNAs . Here are some 
HIGHLIGHTS  in his own words form his informative preface/overview 
to this volume :

1. This Upanishad has some passages that are more powerful 
than the passages of ChAndhOgya . This Upanishad contains some
supreme uttrances of VedAntha .

2. Scholars have found the Upanishad to be the confluence of 
the teachings of all principal Upanishads. For example , the critical
passages of Isa, Kena and Katha are parts of the JyOthirbrAhmaNa of 
this Upanishad. 

3. There is concordance between AitrEya Upanishad and this Upanishad
in supreme utterances like " aathmaiva idham agra aaseeth " and
" Praj~Anam  Brahma ". 

4. The main current of the teaching of this Upanishad is to expound 
the fact of Brahman being the inner controller (antharyAmi Brahman)
of all other entities . The many teachings of Sage Yaj~nyavalka to 
his wifeMaitrEyi and other sishyAs -- all of these-- establish the importance of
antharyAmi Brahman  doctrine. Sage Yaj~nyavalka expounds the nature of
antharyAmi Brahman to Uddalaka as the One who dwells in all other entities
and who is within them and whom those entities do not know and for whom
all those entities are the bodies , and who rules all form within. 
This doctrine of Antharyaami Brahman is a significant contribution of
this Upanishad , which unites all multiplicity with the Unity of one 
Supreme without harming any one of them .

We are deeply indebted to Dr.NSA Swamy for his three volumes
on the Principal Upanishads in general and the complete coverage 
of ChAndhOgya and BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad in particular.

Dr.NSA has done yeoman service to the VisishtAdhvaitha Community
by bringing us close to the commentary of Upanishad BhAshyakArar 
that follows closely the views of AchArya RaamAnuja expounded in 
Sri Bhaashyam and related Sri Sookthis .

Additional thoughts on the Importance Of BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad 
**************************************************************************
Our PoorvAchAryAs have recognized Brahadaranyaka and ChAndhOgya 
upanishads as " the two pillars of the ancient Sri VisishtAdhvaitha philosophy 
".

Among these two , BrahadAraNyakam belongs to Sukla 
Yajur Veda Saakhai (Sathapatha BrAhmaNam) and 
ChAndhOgyam is affiliated with the Saama Veda Saakhai .

BrahadArNyaka Upanishad is a big one in size and mighty in scope .
Prakrutham Srimad  Andavan points out in this context that the VisishtAdhvaitha
philosophy would not have survived but for BrahadAraNyaka Upanishad .Among 
the many reasons for the excellence of this Upanishad , HH Srimad Andavan 
cites the extraordinary importance of AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam housed here :

" AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam , which establishes body and Soul relationship
between the Jivan and Brahman on one hand and world and Brahman on 
the other hand , effects compromise between bhEdha sruthis and abhEdha 
Sruthis ( Upanishadic passages)" .

The importance of AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam of BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad 
for VisishtAdhvaitha philosophy is described by HH Sri Ranga PriyA Swamy this 
way :

" The BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad declares this body-soul relationship THIRTEEN 
TIMES
in very clear terms showing that the above relationship is NOT a minor point . 
The sentences 
in the BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad and other places , which apparently show the 
identity 
of the Brahman and the world with individual selves , really mean that the 
world and the Jivas 
have an organic relationship with Brahman , having Him as their Self. The three 
( World , Jivan 
and  Brahman ) are naturally different entities , being one organic whole. This 
view vindicates 
the VisishtAdhvaithic standpoint " .

This body-Soul relationship or the SarIra-SarIri Bhava is " the corner stone of 
VisishtAdhvaithic
darsanam . This is unique and unmistakable hall mark ( PradhAna-prathitamtrA ) 
to
VisishtAdhvaitham . This doctrine is elucidated elegantly by AchArya RaamAnujA 
in
all of His Sri sookthis . This doctrine instructs us that Jivan ( Soul) and 
Prakruthi (world)
have no independent existence apart form that of Brahman( Iswaran/Parama 
Purushan). 
This Brahman of VisishtAdhvaitham is described by Acharya RaamAnuja as " akhila 
hEya 
pratyanIka, Samastha KalyANa guNAkaran " ( Free from all blemishes and is the 
ocean of
all auspicious attributes ). 

Once again , we are rpofoundly in the service of Dr.NSA Swamy for
his unflagging Kaimkaryam to educate us all about the teachings of
this most important Upanishad , whose passages have been used by
BaadharAyaNa in His VedAntha (Brahma) SutrAs . Dr.NSA Swamy is
85 years young and has an unrelenting schedule of KaalakshEpams,
and the preparation of substantive monographs on VedAntha in
general and VisishtAdhvaitham in particular in multiple languages .
His journey is an amazing journey due to the ParipoorNa anugraham
of the great POundarIkapuram Andavan and other AchAryaas of
that Paramparai.

It is our prayer to Sriman NaarAyaNa to bless Dr.NSA SWamy
with arOga dhruDa sareeram to continue with the noble task 
of sharing his encyclpaedic knowledge about our precious
treasures .

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa , NaarAYaNa !
Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






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