ओम्।

Incidentally, today being upakarma, I scribbed a small ode on Yajnopavita early this morning as I woke up with this thought:

भो यज्ञोपवीत,

किन्नु पाशवद्बध्नासि।

जपविद्याकर्मभिः पुष्टं सत्,

ज्ञानदाह्यमपि न दग्धमसि।

उपकर्मणा त्वां पुनर्नमामि, यतोहि,

असत्सु तेषु तु कदापि न दहसि।

तादृशेनापि त्वया, भो उभयपाश,

अलङ्कृतोस्म्यहमलङ्कृतोस्मि।

गुरुपादुकाभ्याम्।

प्रवीणभट्टः।

Brahmasūtravṛttipāṭha

 श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः।

Namaste. 

I'm trying to resume the daily morning pāṭha online (~0600-0700 IST) from Friday 22nd July 2022, navamī; it will be Brahmasūtravṛtti of Bhagavān Sadāshivabrahmendra. Those interested in serious study of the same may kindly join the Whatsapp group to keep track of announcements, Q&A, etc.

Although the pāṭha is open to all and in Sanskrit-English, being nyāyaprasthāna, it requires prior study of saṃskṛtavyākaraṇa, tarkasaṅgraha Upaniṣad- and Gītā-bhāṣyas, along with an overview of other darshanas. Pls forward if you feel it would be useful to others. Thanks.

gurupādukābhyām 🙏🏽

pravīṇabhaṭṭaḥ

Thoughts 116

ॐ

११६. किं साधनं कः साध्यः एतयोः विवेकः नैव दृश्यते लोके। साध्यप्राप्तये परधर्ममपि नैकः स्वीकरोति, स्वधर्मं त्यक्त्वापि, तस्मिन्नेव परधर्मे वसति, साध्यं विस्मरति। साधनं कदापि दुष्पूरं भाति, तथैव तत्र भगवता श्रीकृष्णेन कामः महाशनः अनल इत्युक्तम्। एषः कामः सर्वं अश्नाति तर्हि अलं न विद्यते अस्येति। जीविकां साधनत्वेन न पश्यन् साध्यमिव पश्यति सर्वः। कुतो मोक्षः।

श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः।

Yet another tribute to Shani

Shani troubles every sentient being in many ways, either as a part of his being in the daSA-bhukti or as his sAde sAti cycle that goes on for 7.5 yrs. This is just another story of his achievements.

Shani was set to trouble Shiva in his regular way. In negotiations, Shani had asked for a short period of time, when he has to affect Shiva and Shiva refused. Shiva being Ishvara himself felt that he shouldn't be affected by Shani and so he wouldn't be affected by Shani! This came out as a challenge between the two, one trying to trouble the other and the other thinking that he wouldn't be affected at all, being all-powerful. Shiva had a plan, he decided to hide during the time Shani was to influence him, meaning Shani will have to find him first. That seemed to work. Now, one version of the story says that Shiva hid under a pond and another that he hid inside a horse becoming tiny, but the fact remains that he did hide during the time. Obviously, Shani couldn't find him, at least thats what Shiva knew, because the time period of challenge had passed without Shiva confronting Shani's laid out troubles.

At the end, Shiva came out of his hiding and claimed to have won the challenge saying that Shani couldn't find him at all. To this, Shani responded that the troubles can come in any way and may not even be obvious, but they are troubles nonetheless. Why else would the ruler of the three worlds, Ishvara himself, give up his ruling for the time he was affected by Shani and hide instead?! And so did Shiva agree that Shani had, indeed, influenced him. :)

nilAnjana samAbhAsaM raviputraM yamAgrajaM
chhAyAmartanda sambhutaM taM namAmi shanaischaraM

So whats in a name?

Apart from children teasing you or even when you're grown up, friends making fun of you, numerologists taking shots at whats wrong with your name, there are other things to it too. While I can't remember people's names and "whats in a name?" is a good phrase for me to throw around when I err, I'm sure there are many who remember names by effort and take decisions based on the ones they associate with even before meeting up. In a traditional system of earlier generations, what name to keep for a child was a matter of great research. For some, its so even today.

In many orthodox families, the first born male in a family gets his grandfather's name, or at least something closer. Although my parents followed that, as popular names, they chose another as well. So my elder brother got his name as Prashant, apart from Krishna inherited from our grandfather. I got my maternal grandfather's name Padmanabha, which was never used and was called as Praveen instead. My father had a story behind this naming concept, but not one that interests me much, except to tell it around, since I care less for values formed on emotions when they contradict the tradition; all the more so in recent years. Be as it may...

... today, all of this struck me when Raghav said that his niece was named as Mythri. My parents broke the tradition of running names such as Ramakrishna, Krishna, Ramchandra, by naming my brother and me differently. Most of the Hindus name their kids with Godly names by choice; even if they don't, in one way or the other it turns out to be a Godly name, with so many names for God. But we are those rare cases I suppose. :)

I personally feel that the name leaves an impact on the person both within and without. While my brother may have had *silent nature* earlier and may need to hold on to it and even prove it, I have to pick up *expertise* in all that I do, else give it up totally, in order not to do it badly! Funnily enough, if I look back, thats how my life has progressed these 33 years, unknowingly! Finally, for the same reason, I may end up dying with a huge bloated ego! :)

krishNArpaNamastu, padmanAbhArpaNamastu :D

Ashirvacana

Last week, my father's bhImarathA (70th year shAnti) was performed at our kuladevatA devasthAna. Interestingly, during mantrAkshata prasAda, one of the senior priests (SP1) gave me an AshirvAda that I always try to avoid. He invoked blessings to the effect that my marriage should take place within the year! Just when he was invoking blessings, I too invoked contrary blessings as to AjIvanabrahmacaryam cittashuddhiMca prAptirastu. Obviously, we got into a debate, as is my nature. The priest standing by immediately addressed SP1 and said that the Ashirvacana needs to be what I expect and not otherwise. To that, SP1 replied that he has already asked for an ashIrvAda, while I added that since I've asked something else, SP1's blessing didn't apply to me and we'll see as to which one my beloved Ganesha agrees to.

This discussion came to the forefront a bit later, when SP1 told SP2 as to what happened. I was warmed up from the previous discussion and said that I know a little bit, understand much less, but still I do know that for any Ashirvacana to work I need to have the saMkalpa, and if I don't have the latter, the former goes waste! The debate shifted to the four purushArthAs (dharmArthakAmamoksha) and four Ashramas (brahmacarya, grihasta, vAnaprasta and saMnyAsa) as per Vedas and the responsibility of the individual to follow those and bindings thereof. SP2 asked me if I knew those; I replied to confirm so. But, I went on, none of the people I know, at least those in my family tree, had taken to vAnaprastAshrama themselves, so they shouldn't even recommend marriage to me. Moreover, I said, to the person who has vivekavairAgya, these rules do not apply and as Kanchi paramAcArya, a jivanamuktA and a living God, Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, wrote in his Hindu Dharma, such a person can go directly from brahmacarya to saMnyAsa instead; not only is this approved, but also shreshTa! Lastly, I said that my Guru, Bhagavan Shridhara Swami Maharaj, has Himself mentioned in clear terms in one of the pravacanAs that a guru that asks a person of vairAgya to go back to saMsAra is not a guru at all! SP2 agreed, while SP1 went mum, and the debate turned to a beautiful discussion on Bhagavatpada Adi Shankaracharya.

I found out later that SP2, who is in his mid-sixties, is himself a staunch brahmacAri!

shRtismRtipurANAnAm AlayaMkaruNAlayaM
namAmibhagavatpAdaM shankaraMlokashankaraM

pramANas

pramANas or proofs that are accepted in Purva Mimamsa also stand valid in Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta. These are fundamentally three (pratyaksha/ perception, anumAna/ inference & shabda/ Vedic testimony) as described by Jaimini, but were added to by Prabhakara (upmAna/ comparison & arthapatti/ implication) and Kumarila Bhatta (anupalabdhi/ non-apprehension). However, aitihya/ rumor & smr^ti/ recollection are not pramANa-s at all.

pratyaksha:
This pramANa includes everything that is perceived by the senses by direct contact. Common perception in day-to-day transactional world are a part of this pramANa. That fire is hot, red in color, etc, are examples of pratyaksha pramANa.

anumAna:
Whatever is inferred from two things perceived (ie. via pratyaksha pramANas), that have a fixed, permanent relation between them, form this category. Its further subdivided based on the relation between the two; viz. pratyaksha-dr^STa & sAmAnya-dr^STa. In the former division, the relation is quite a straightforward conclusion, such as that between fire and smoke, as seen in the kitchen fire, holds good for a mountain/ forest fire as well, when smoke is seen. The latter division calls for an abstract relation such as that of sun's motion and sun's changing positions in the sky, nonetheless valid.

Sabda:
The entire shrutI falls under this category, where the domain is quite different and totally imperceptible and not derivable either, owing to various limitations of time and space. eg. swargaprApti from performing the agniSToma. The Vedas are considered as apaurusheya, meaning that they are not a creation of the Purusha/ God. This is same as saying that the Vedas were created together with the God or preceded the creator! These are divided further into five categories as: vidhI/ injunctions, mantra/ hymns, namadheya/ names, nishedha/ prohibitions & arthavAda/ explanations. Also included under this category are trustworthy authors of the shAstras.

All valid knowledge can be derived only through the lens of these pramANas. Anything beside these are indeed a source for faulty understanding, confusion or partial knowledge.

om tat sat