Vidwan Sri S K Ramachandra Rao in praise of Shankaracharya

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V Subrahmanian

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Dec 14, 2022, 4:48:18 AM12/14/22
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#AdiShankaracharya is the brightest star in the firmament of India's intellect. The dazzling brilliance of his mind has survived the passage of centuries; its influence has been both widespread and profound. A large section of the Indian population considers him an incarnation of Lord Shiva himself. The impact of his personality was felt all over the country; his erudition and intellectual eminence were recognised even during his lifetime (which incidentally was very brief) his intuition and genius have since won him an abiding celebrity. As a philosopher, as a thinker, as a scholar, as a writer and as a poet, his greatness was titanic; as an orator, as a debater and as an organiser, his eminence was of no mean order. He indeed belonged to a race of men that occur rarely and when they do, hold the world in wonder.
Words of Vidwan Sri S K Ramachandra Rao, the great scholar, prolific author & professor of psychology.

Bhaskar YR

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Dec 14, 2022, 5:30:48 AM12/14/22
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praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

Late Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao was heading the Kalpataru Samshodhana foundation here in Sringeri Mutt, Bangalore an ardent disciple of HH Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati interestingly writes in his preface to “ Shankara and Adhyasa Bhashya” as follows :

 

//quote//

Shankara is one of the most misunderstood thinkers of India.  Later writers claiming to be his followers have misrepresented him and his critics have damned him relying almost entirely on these later writers.  Padmapaada’s panchapaadika (and glosses over it), vimuktaatman’s Ishtasiddhi and to an extent Vaachaspati’s Bhaamati have been responsible for the presentation of Shankara’s thought which was attacked by Raamaanuja and Maadhva.  Had these Acharyaas confined their attention to shankara’s own writings, much of the controversy would certainly have been avoided, and sectarian differences would greatly have been minimized. 

//unquote//

 

This is his very first para in that preface.  And in the fourth para after acknowledging and appreciating the contributions of later vyAkhyAnakara-s, he observes as follows :

 

//quote//

Many Ideas (like mUlaavidyA, vivarta, mahAvAkya, six fold pramaana, avidyA lesha) which are now major details of Advaita cannot be found in shankara’s own writings.  They belong to the development of thought that is post shankara.  There is a need to examine whether these ideas were necessary to explain some basic conceptions of shankara or they have served to camouflage and distort the original thought.  Did shankara really dismiss the world as an illusion?? We do not find evidence for it in vedanta sutra bhaashya at any rate.

//unquote//

 

And now, no need to rush the socalled traditional opinion on SKR and his observation, as one can easily expect pattern of those thoughts from the desk of traditionalists 😊

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

V Subrahmanian

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Dec 14, 2022, 5:51:16 AM12/14/22
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Prof SKR Rao was heavily influenced by SSS.


Prof SKR Rao was a Madhva by birth but had a great appreciation for Advaita. 

regards
subbu

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Bhaskar YR

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Dec 14, 2022, 6:32:35 AM12/14/22
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praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

This is for the records sake for others who want to know more about Sri SK Rao.

 

Though he appreciated Sri SSS and his efforts he openly said some of his view points not acceptable to him.  Sri SKR Rao has not studied bhAshya under Sri SSS and his guru was mahamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Paalakkaad Narayana Shastri, he wrote books like shaarada peetada maanikya on HH Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati mahAswaminaH and openly said he is the shishya of Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekhara bhArati mahAswaminaH and he never ever identified himself  and promoted anything in favour of mAdhva lineage, he was directly appointed by Srinigeri Dakshinaamnaya peeta to do more saMshOdhana on shankara’s works ( as I said he was heading Kalpataru Samshodhana Kendra here in Bangalore Sringeri Branch).  He has studied all the available material (both in manuscripts and printed version) when he was doing the research on Consciousness in Advaita under the auspices of Sri Abhinava Vidyaateertha swamigal Scientific Research Academy, Madras (now Chennai).  And he himself said he had an occasion to go through once again all the major and minor works in Advaita both printed and in manuscript and critically examine their value in understanding shankara.  So, he was not just the blind follower of Sri SSS to label him as ‘influenced by Sri SSS.  Ofcourse he was not a dump wit to blindly follow whatever said by Sri SSS, he himself was a scholar a veracious reader and critical observer.  So it is totally irrelevant here to highlight he is mAdhva (!!??) he is influenced by Sri SSS etc. etc.  just because he is rising voice against later vyAkhyAnakAra-s. 

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

Bhaskar YR

 

 

From: adva...@googlegroups.com <adva...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of V Subrahmanian
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Subject: Re: [advaitin] Vidwan Sri S K Ramachandra Rao in praise of Shankaracharya

 

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Michael Chandra Cohen

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Dec 14, 2022, 7:41:24 AM12/14/22
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V Subrahmanian

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Dec 14, 2022, 8:49:46 AM12/14/22
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On page 8 of the attached pdf (p.xii of the printed book), SKR Rao says: 

//Many ideas like Mulaavidya,.....six-fold pramanas....) are not found in Shankara's own works.//

However, the following two pramanas: Arthapatti (Presumption) and Anupalabdhi (non-perception) which might be seen as 'uncommon' (apart from the common Pratyaksha, Anumana, Upamana and Shabda) are indeed used abundantly by Shankara in his PTB, a sample of which is provided below: 

Arthapatti: 

बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद्भाष्यम्तृतीयोऽध्यायःतृतीयं ब्राह्मणम्

………वा अन्यस्मिन्वा फले अकल्पिते पुरुषा न प्रवर्तेरन्निति मोक्षः फलं कल्प्यते श्रुतार्थापत्त्या, यथा विश्वजिति ; ननु एवं सति कथमुच्यते, विश्वजिन्न्यायो न

(If not fruit is specified, one will not be enthused to perform an action and hence the fruit of Moksha is presumed, through the shrutyarthaapatti, just like in the Vishvajit yaga, even though a specific fruit is not explicitly stated, the svarga fruit is presumed) 

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताभाष्यम्त्रयोदशोऽध्यायःश्लोक २ - भाष्यम्

यथाप्रसिद्धितस्तु विधिप्रतिषेधशास्त्रश्रवणान्यथानुपपत्त्या 


श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताभाष्यम्अष्टादशोऽध्यायःश्लोक ६६ - भाष्यम्


तद्विधानान्यथानुपपत्तेश्च नित्यानुष्ठानायासदुःखं पूर्वकृतदुरितफलम् इति अर्थापत्तिकल्पना च अनुपपन्ना, एवं विधानान्यथानुपपत्तेः 

(The expression 'anyathAnupapattyaa..kalpyate' means: arthApatti pramana.) 



Anupalabdhi pramana: 

तैत्तिरीयोपनिषद्भाष्यम्षष्ठोऽनुवाकःमन्त्र १ - भाष्यम्

………कस्मात् ? यदस्ति, तद्विशेषतो गृह्यते ; यथा घटादि । यन्नास्ति, तन्नोपलभ्यते ; यथा शशविषाणादि । तथा नोपलभ्यते ब्रह्म ; तस्माद्विशेषतः अग्रहणान्नास्तीति । तन्न, आकाशादिकारणत्वाद्ब्रह्मणः । 

  (If X were to exist, it must be specifically grasped, just as a pot. If X does not exist, it will not be grasped, like the hare's horn.)  This is an example of anupalabdhi.

regards
subbu   

V Subrahmanian

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Dec 21, 2022, 12:33:21 AM12/21/22
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On Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 6:11 PM Michael Chandra Cohen <michaelc...@gmail.com> wrote:
 On page 8 of the attached pdf (p.xii of the printed book), SKR Rao says: 

//Many ideas like Mulaavidya,.....vivarta...) are not found in Shankara's own works.//

Vivarta: 

Shankara has used the word 'vivarta' in a few instances but not in the sense that is popularly understood by that term.  There are dozens of examples from Shankara' Bhashya literature that give us the unmistakable impression that he has  conveyed the vivarta vaada: 

BSB 2.1.18:  

तस्मात्क्षीरादीन्येव द्रव्याणि दध्यादिभावेनावतिष्ठमानानि कार्याख्यां लभन्त इति न कारणादन्यत्कार्यं वर्षशतेनापि शक्यं कल्पयितुम् । तथा मूलकारणमेव आ अन्त्यात्कार्यात् तेन तेन कार्याकारेण नटवत्सर्वव्यवहारास्पदत्वं प्रतिपद्यते । एवं युक्तेः, कार्यस्य प्रागुत्पत्तेः सत्त्वम् , अनन्यत्वं च कारणात् , अवगम्यते ॥ 

The cause alone takes the form and the name of the effect.  The effect is not different from its cause. The effect has no no existence apart from its cause.  The primordial Cause (Brahman) alone appears in all its effects down to the ultimate effect just as an actor would take up many roles.

Mandukya Karika Bhashyam:
4.70:
 स्वप्नमायानिर्मितका अण्डजादयो जीवा यथा जायन्ते म्रियन्ते च, तथा मनुष्यादिलक्षणा अविद्यमाना एव चित्तविकल्पनामात्रा इत्यर्थः ॥

Just as the jivas produced in a dream or by a magician appear to be born and die so too the various Jivas such as humans (that we experience in the waiting), although non-existent, avidyamAnaah, are mere imaginations of the mind. 

Shankara says this for Gaudapada's verse:

यथा निर्मितको जीवो जायते म्रियतेऽपि च ।
तथा जीवा अमी सर्वे भवन्ति न भवन्ति च ॥ ७० ॥ 4.70

Those, including non-Advaitins, who are not comfortable with Shankaracharya saying this end up accusing him as a vijnanavadin Bauddha😊

Here is one more passage from Shankara on vivartavada:

Mandukya Karika 2.18 bhashya:

रज्जुरेवेति निश्चये सर्पादिविकल्पनिवृत्तौ रज्जुरेवेति चाद्वैतं यथा, तथा नेति नेतीति सर्वसंसारधर्मशून्यप्रतिपादकशास्त्रजनितविज्ञानसूर्यालोककृतात्मविनिश्चयः ‘आत्मैवेदं सर्वमपूर्वोऽनपरोऽनन्तरोऽबाह्यः सबाह्याभ्यन्तरो…

Just as when the knowledge that what exists is the rope alone annihilates all imaginations born of such ignorance, so too from the passages Neti Neti etc. there arises the knowledge about one's true Non-dual nature that is beyond the superimposed ideas of one is bound, subject to misery, etc. 

Such passages are simply countless in Shankara's bhashyas.

warm regards
subbu
  




.

Bhaskar YR

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Dec 21, 2022, 12:42:23 AM12/21/22
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Hare Krishna

 

There is a valley of difference in saying not used the word and not used the idea (as propagated by later vyAkhyAnakAra-s). 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

Bhaskar YR

 

 

From: adva...@googlegroups.com <adva...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of V Subrahmanian
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2022 11:03 AM
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Subject: Re: [advaitin] Vidwan Sri S K Ramachandra Rao in praise of Shankaracharya

 

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On Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 6:11 PM Michael Chandra Cohen <michaelc...@gmail.com> wrote:

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V Subrahmanian

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Dec 21, 2022, 1:04:56 AM12/21/22
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On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 11:12 AM 'Bhaskar YR' via advaitin <adva...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

There is a valley of difference in saying not used the word and not used the idea (as propagated by later vyAkhyAnakAra-s). 


Can you explain the 'difference' by citing the passages of Vyakhyanakaras as against those of Shankaracharya that bring out the 'difference' you claim?

regards
subbu

Bhaskar YR

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Dec 21, 2022, 1:09:17 AM12/21/22
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praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

I just said there is difference between saying : using the word and using the idea.  SKR says hard to see the ‘ideas’ he is not saying not used the words but ofcourse barring the word mUlAvidyA 😊

 

And with regard to ‘difference’ between vyAkhyAna (by post shankarites) and mUla….are we not doing this exercise all these days!!?? 😊

V Subrahmanian

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Dec 21, 2022, 1:16:56 AM12/21/22
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On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 11:39 AM 'Bhaskar YR' via advaitin <adva...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

I just said there is difference between saying : using the word and using the idea.  SKR says hard to see the ‘ideas’ he is not saying not used the words but ofcourse barring the word mUlAvidyA 😊


I had got him right and that's why I showed a sample of instances where Shankara has employed the vivarta idea, as is understood popularly.   

regards 

Bhaskar YR

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Dec 21, 2022, 1:29:11 AM12/21/22
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praNAms

Hare krishna

 

I had got him right and that's why I showed a sample of instances where Shankara has employed the vivarta idea, as is understood popularly.   

 

Ø     You are welcome to have your opinion prabhuji.  Who am I to say anything.  I was just trying to say the difference between the usage of terms like idea and name. sometimes we call mischievous kids as ‘huccha’ (mad) and patients at lunatic asylums also will be addressed as huccharu, contextual usage of same ‘terms/names’ would give different ‘ideas’ it does not mean using the same names would invariably conveys the same ideas (like in the words avidyA and mAya).     If you think both are one and the same that is also OK with me 😊 And it can be noted I myself quoted all these quotes when I was trying to say kArya-kAraNa ananyatvaM and how brahman is abhinnanimittopadAna kAraNaM for the jagat when we take the srushti into consideration.  Anyway with this I rest my case.

Bhaskar YR

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Dec 21, 2022, 1:34:14 AM12/21/22
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