91-611: Swami Dayananda Saraswati (15 August 1930 – 23 September 2015) was a renunciate monk of the Hindu Saraswati order of sannyasa. He was also known as Pujya Swamiji and was a traditional teacher of Advaita Vedanta . He was the founder of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulams in Pennsylvania, USA; Rishikesh, Uttarakhand and Coimbatore Tamil Nadu, India. He was also the spiritual Guru of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He
182-655: A Sadhu in the Himalayas nine years to learn, the students at Sandeepany learned in two-and-half years. In 1979, Swami Dayananda established a three-year study program at Sandeepany West in Piercy , California. In 1982, he returned to India and continued to spread the message of the Upanishads through public talks and lectures. Swami Dayananda Saraswati died by the banks of the Ganga, surrounded by his devotees and students in
273-690: A cost of more than five crore rupees and provided funds for the annual chariot festival. Swami Dayananda Saraswati filed a Writ Petition (W.P. 476/2012) before the Supreme Court of India challenging the Constitutional validity of various provisions of the Hindu Religious Endowments and Institutions Acts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry. This matter is now pending before the Supreme Court. He supported Dr. Subramanian Swamy to defend and protect Ram Sethu when
364-489: A general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the Indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice. Shastra has a similar meaning to English -logy , e.g. ecology, psychology , meaning scientific and basic knowledge on a particular subject. Examples in terms of modern neologisms include In Western literature, Shastra is sometimes spelled as Sastra , reflecting
455-760: A misunderstanding of the IAST symbol 'ś', which corresponds to the English 'sh'. The word Śāstra literally means "that which has been instructed/decreed", from the root √śās- which means "instruction/decree" combined with the ṣṭran-suffix . "Shastra" commonly refers to a treatise or text on a specific field of knowledge. In early Vedic literature, the word referred to any precept, rule, teaching, ritual instruction or direction. In late and post Vedic literature of Hinduism , Shastra referred to any treatise, book or instrument of teaching, any manual or compendium on any subject in any field of knowledge, including religious. It
546-502: A mobile app, "Teachings of Swami Dayananda", which is available for Android and iOS. In 2000, as an initiative of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, an apex body of Hindu religious heads of the various Sampradayas was created and convened by Swami Dayananda Saraswati's efforts. A congregation of the heads of various traditions meet, discuss contemporary issues concerning Hinduism and provide leadership and service to
637-521: A more apt translation is "non-secondness." Advaita has several meanings: The word Vedānta is a composition of two Sanskrit words: The word Veda refers to the whole corpus of vedic texts, and the word "anta" means 'end'. From this, one meaning of Vedānta is "the end of the Vedas" or "the ultimate knowledge of the Vedas". Veda can also mean "knowledge" in general, so Vedānta can be taken to mean "the end, conclusion or finality of knowledge". Vedānta
728-411: A person on earth, sun does rise and set, there is both light and darkness, not "all is light", there are relative shades of light and darkness. Both are valid realities and truths, given their perspectives. Yet, they are contradictory. What is true from one point of view, states Grimes, is not from another. To Advaita Vedānta, this does not mean there are two truths and two realities, but it only means that
819-670: A professor of philosophy specializing in Sanskrit and Vedic studies, the word Advaita itself is from the Vedic era, and the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya (8th or 7th-century BCE ) is credited to be the one who coined it. Stephen Phillips, a professor of philosophy and Asian studies, translates the Advaita containing verse excerpt in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad , as "An ocean, a single seer without duality becomes he whose world
910-697: A professor of religion at St. Olaf College, Minnesota (USA), and Vasudevacharya, previously Dr. Michael Comans, former faculty member in the Department of Indian Studies at the University of Sydney. Radha (Carol Whitfield, Ph.D.) an early student of Swami Dayananda helped establishing Sandeepany West and Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg USA, Arsha Kulam in California a centre for teaching of Advaita Vedanta. In addition to teaching, Swami Dayananda has initiated various philanthropic efforts. He founded
1001-573: A retired Professor of English. It was Iyer who introduced the meter of chanting the Bhagavad Gita verses that was initially followed by Chinmaya Mission centres, and is followed even today by all the Arsha Vidya centres amongst other centres as well. Swami Chinmayananda entrusted Natarajan with the responsibility to set up Chinmaya Mission's Madurai branch. In 1955, Natarajan accompanied Swami Chinmayananda to Uttarakashi and helped him in
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#17327837407331092-673: A student of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. The sannyasi disciples of Swami Dayananda include Swami Suddhananda Saraswati who administered the Swami Dayananda Ashram at Rishikesh, due to ill health, he handed over the administration of the Ashram to Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati. Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati heads the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg. Swami Sadatmananda heads the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Annaikatti, Coimbatore . Swamini Brahmaprakasananda heads
1183-419: A type of literary composition distinct from Shastra. In Sanskrit, "sutra" typically referred to one or more aphorisms ; hence sutras use short, aphoristic, evocative statements. In contrast, a Shastra is typically longer, with more detail and explanations. An example of a Sutra is Patanjali 's Yogasutras (considered a classic Hindu treatise), while an example of Shastra is Hemachandra 's Yogasastra (considered
1274-661: A village in Tamil Nadu, under the aegis of Swami Dayananda Educational Trust (SDET). It manages an arts college, two higher secondary schools and a traditional Veda Pathasala. With the inauguration of the Swami Dayananda Memorial, residential study programmes are conducted by the disciples of Swami Dayananda. Jnanapravaha, a Vedanta study centre, was designed to hand over the legacy of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's teachings at his birthplace in Manjakuddi . It
1365-562: Is Brahman." While the term "Advaita Vedanta" in a strict sense may refer to the scholastic tradition of textual exegesis established by Shankara, "advaita" in a broader sense may refer to a broad current of advaitic thought, which incorporates advaitic elements with yogic thought and practice and other strands of Indian religiosity, such as Kashmir Shaivism and the Nath tradition. The first connotation has also been called "Classical Advaita" and "doctrinal Advaita," and its presentation as such
1456-439: Is a Hindu tradition of textual exegesis and philosophy which states that jivatman , the individual experiencing self, is ultimately pure awareness mistakenly identified with body and the senses, and non-different ("na aparah") from Ātman - Brahman , the highest Self or Reality . The term Advaita literally means "non-secondness", but is usually rendered as " nondualism ", and often equated with monism . It rejects
1547-667: Is a Pramāna (a means of knowledge) to know the truth of the Self. In Natarajan's own words, I saw the Swami giving direct knowledge to the people he was teaching. This resolved all my conflicts. My problems with Vedanta had been my mistaken notion that it was a system. This shift in his vision about Vedanta impelled Natarajan to study the Shastra with Sankara's commentaries. In 1962, he was given Sannyasa by Swami Chinmayananda and named Swami Dayananda Saraswati. In 1963, he went to Mumbai, to
1638-576: Is after about 500 BCE. However, it is unclear when various Shastras were composed and completed. The authenticity of the manuscripts is also unclear, as many versions of the same text exist, some with major differences. Patrick Olivelle , credited with a 2005 translation of Manu Dharma-sastra, published by the Oxford University Press, states the concerns in postmodern scholarship about the presumed authenticity and reliability of manuscripts as follows (abridged): The MDh ( Manusmriti )
1729-417: Is attained through knowledge of Brahman, recognizing the illusoriness of the phenomenal world and disidentification from the body-mind complex and the notion of 'doership', and acquiring vidyā (knowledge) of one's true identity as Atman - Brahman , self-luminous ( svayam prakāśa ) awareness or Witness-consciousness . Upanishadic statements such as tat tvam asi , "that['s how] you are," destroy
1820-482: Is based on this broader strand of Indian thought. This broader current of thought and practice has also been called "greater Advaita Vedanta," "vernacular advaita," and "experiential Advaita." It is this broader advaitic tradition which is commonly presented as "Advaita Vedanta," though the term "advaitic" may be more apt. The nondualism of Advaita Vedānta is often regarded as an idealist monism . According to King, Advaita Vedānta developed "to its ultimate extreme"
1911-553: Is both the efficient and the material cause, that from which the material universe evolves. Yet, in the Brahmasutras Brahma is a dynamic force, while the Advaita-tradition regards Brahman as an "essentially unchanging and static reality," sinve Brahman changing into something else would mean that Brahman would not exist anymore, while a partial change would leave Brahman divided. By accepting that Brahman
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#17327837407332002-516: Is due to mediaeval doxographies , the influence of Orientalist Indologists like Paul Deussen , and the Indian response to colonial influences, dubbed neo-Vedanta by Paul Hacker, who regarded it as a deviation from "traditional" Advaita Vedanta. Yet, post-Shankara Advaita Vedanta incorporated yogic elements, such as the Yoga Vasistha , and influenced other Indian traditions, and neo-Vedanta
2093-489: Is found in other Upanishads as well as in Bhagavad Gita such as in verses 15.20, 16.23–16.24, and 17.1. The Ṛigvedaprātiśākhya (11.36; 14.30) uses the term Shastra to refer to the prātiśākhya tradition. Kātyāyana , Patañjali and Pāṇini 's Aṣṭādhyāyī use the term. Similarly, the Vedāṅgajyotiṣa uses the term to refer to astronomical treatises. The term vedāṅgaśāstrāṇām , refers to
2184-605: Is in this location, students of Vedanta discover the study material and resources necessary to further their knowledge in Advaita Vedanta. The teaching centres founded by Swami Dayananda conduct programs for the public to study the knowledge of Vedanta . There are more than sixty centres in India and across the globe that carry on the tradition of Vedantic teaching under the banner of " Arsha Vidya ". The media has referred to Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India as
2275-482: Is intelligent and consciousness, is the sole Reality, "that from which the origination, subsistence, and dissolution of this universe proceed," as stated in the second verse of the Brahman Sutras. In Samkhya, purusha is the efficient cause, and prakriti is the material cause: purusha causes prakriti to manifest as the natural world. Advaita, like all Vedanta schools, states that Brahman, consciousness,
2366-598: Is no duality between a Creator and the created universe. All objects, all experiences, all matter, all consciousness, all awareness are somehow also this one fundamental reality Brahman. Yet, the knowing self has various experiences of reality during the waking, dream and dreamless states, and Advaita Vedānta acknowledges and admits that from the empirical perspective there are numerous distinctions. Advaita explains this by postulating different levels of reality, and by its theory of errors ( anirvacaniya khyati ). Shankara proposes three levels of reality, using sublation as
2457-848: Is not one of the systems of Indian philosophy. Samkhya is the philosophy of India!" Gopinath Kaviraj The Brahma Sutras, the constituting text of the Vedanta-tradition, rejects the purusha - prakriti dualism of the samkhya-tradition, and "much of the Brahmasutra appears to have been written to refute the perspective of the Samkhya school." Samkhya postulates two independent primal principles, purusha (primal consciousness) and prakriti (nature, which includes both matter and cognition and emotions). In samkhya, prakriti consists of three qualities ( Guṇas ), which are in balance, until they come in contact with purusha and
2548-548: Is not an awareness of Brahman, but instead an awareness that is Brahman. Although the threefold practice is broadly accepted in the Advaita tradition, and affirmed by Mandana Misra , it is at odds with Shankara, who took a subitist position. Classical Advaita Vedānta states that all reality and everything in the experienced world has its root in Brahman, which is unchanging intelligent Consciousness. To Advaitins, there
2639-411: Is often a suffix, added to the subject of the treatise, such as In Buddhism , a "shastra" is often a commentary written at a later date to explain an earlier scripture or sutra . For example, Yutang Lin says that a text written by him and not given by Buddha, cannot be called a "Sutra"; it is called a "Sastra". In Buddhism, Buddhists are allowed to offer their theses as long as they are consistent with
2730-503: Is one of six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy . While "a preferred terminology" for Upanisadic philosophy "in the early periods, before the time of Shankara" was Puruṣavāda , the Advaita Vedānta school has historically been referred to by various names, such as Advaita-vada (speaker of Advaita), Abheda-darshana (view of non-difference), Dvaita-vada-pratisedha (denial of dual distinctions), and Kevala-dvaita (non-dualism of
2821-420: Is the "real self" or "essence" of the individual. It is caitanya , Pure Consciousness, a consciousness, states Sthaneshwar Timalsina, that is "self-revealed, self-evident and self-aware ( svaprakashata )," and, states Payne, "in some way permanent, eternal, absolute or unchanging." It is self-existent awareness, limitless and non-dual. It is "a stable subjectivity, or a unity of consciousness through all
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2912-573: Is the sole, unchanging reality, various theoretical difficulties arise which are not answered by the Brahmasutras, which asserts that the Upanishadic views have to be accepted due to their scriptural authority, "regardless of logical problems and philosophical inconsistencies." Advaita and other Vedānta traditions face several problems, for which they offer different solutions. According to Deutsch and Dalvi, "The basic problem of Vedanta [is]
3003-496: The śāstra of the Vedāṅga s. The term " śāstra " is found in Yaska 's Nirukta (1.2, 14), where the reference is to Nirukta (etymology). An early use of the term śāstra with reference to the literature on dharma is found in the vārttika of Kātyāyana , who uses the expression dharmaśāstra Shastras are predominantly post-Vedic literature, that
3094-718: The Global Peace Initiative of Women , held in Phnom Penh , Cambodia, in 2009 and the second one was organised in Colombo , Sri Lanka, in 2010. Sri Swami Dayananda has participated and contributed to a number of other international forums including: Swami Dayananda has promoted the preservation of ancient cultures, religious and spiritual practices of India that have survived several millennia yet struggle in modern times due to lack of support. He has started several Veda Pathashalas (Centers of Learning of Vedas) for
3185-466: The Samkhya -dualism between Purusha , pure awareness or consciousness, and Prakriti ('nature', which includes matter but also cognition and emotion) as the two equal basic principles of existence. Instead, it proposes that Atman-Brahman (awareness, purusha ) alone is ultimately real , and, though unchanging, the cause and origin of the transient phenomenal world ( prakriti ). In this view,
3276-580: The Sannyasa Upanishads (first centuries CE), the Vākyapadīya , written by Bhartṛhari (second half 5th century, ) and the Māndūkya-kārikā written by Gauḍapāda (7th century). Gaudapada adapted philosophical concepts from Buddhism , giving them a Vedantic basis and interpretation. The Buddhist concepts were further Vedanticised by Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), who is generally regarded as
3367-482: The jivatman or individual self is a mere reflection or limitation of singular Ātman in a multitude of apparent individual bodies. It regards the material world as an illusory appearance ( maya ) or "an unreal manifestation ( vivarta ) of Brahman," the latter as proposed by the 13th century scholar Prakasatman . Advaita Vedanta is a Hindu sādhanā , a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and states that moksha (liberation from suffering and rebirth)
3458-534: The mahavakyas , posing a paradox of two opposing approaches which is also recognized in other spiritual disciplines and traditions. Shankara's prominence as the exemplary defender of traditional Hindu-values and spirituality started to take shape only centuries later, in the 14th century, with the ascent of Sringeri matha and its jagadguru Vidyaranya (Madhava, 14th cent.) in the Vijayanagara Empire , While Adi Shankara did not embrace Yoga ,
3549-452: The srutic evidence for the identity of jivanatman and Atman-Brahman. This meditation negates the misconceptions, false knowledge, and false ego-identity , rooted in maya , which obfuscate the ultimate truth of the oneness of Brahman, and one's true identity as Atman-Brahman. This culminates in what Adi Shankara refers to as anubhava , immediate intuition, a direct awareness which is construction-free, and not construction-filled. It
3640-621: The Advaita-tradition by then had accepted yogic samadhi as a means to knowledge, explicitly incorporating elements from the yogic tradition and texts like the Yoga Vasistha and the Bhagavata Purana , culminating in Swami Vivekananda 's full embrace and propagation of Yogic samadhi as an Advaita means of knowledge and liberation. In the 19th century, due to the influence of Vidyaranya 's Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha ,
3731-502: The All India Movement for Seva (AIM for Seva) in the year 2000, with the vision of transforming society through a network of service, to bridge the urban-rural divide, thereby, empowering every person to contribute to the progress of the nation. The focus was on value-based education and reaching out to the children of rural India through a network of Chatralayams (Free student hostels) and schools. Swamiji proposed not alienate
Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-599: The Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam at Nagpur . Some of his other senior disciples are Swami Paramarthananda, Swami Tattvavidananda, Swami Suddhabodhananda, Swami Brahmatmananda, Swami Paramatmananda, Swami Nijananda, Swami Tadrupananda, Swamini Brahmalinananda, Swami Paripoornananda and Swami Shankarananda. All Arsha Vidya teachers teach Vedanta around the world have formed the Arsha Vidya Sampradaya. Other students include Anantanand Rambachan,
3913-732: The Indian traditions of religious philosophy and practice which accept the authority of the Vedas. The various schools of Vedanta aim to harmonise the diverging views presented in the Prasthantrayi , the Principal Upanishads, along with the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gitā , offering an integrated body of textual interpretations and religious practices which aim at the attainment of moksha , release or liberation from transmigratory existence. "Samkhya
4004-625: The Kailash Ashram. This place where Swamiji stayed has grown into a complex called Swami Dayananda Ashram with his samadhi located there and the Sri Gangadareswar Temple established by him. Around 1967, due to the declining health of Swami Chinmayananda, the Mission approached Swami Dayananda to give public talks and lectures. Between 1967 and 1970, Swami Dayananda travelled to different towns and cities in India spreading
4095-708: The Sutras, and those are called "Sastras." In Jainism , the term means the same as in Hinduism . An example of Jaina Shastra is the 12th-century Yoga Shastra of Hemchandracharya . Shastra is sometimes the root of compounded Sanskrit words. A custodian of Shastra , for example, is called Shastradhari ( Sanskrit : शास्त्रधारी). The term is found in several passages of the Rigveda (2nd millennium BCE), such as in hymn VIII.33.16. नहि षस्तव नो मम शास्त्रे अन्यस्य रण्यति । यो अस्मान्वीर आनयत् ॥१६॥ In this Rigvedic verse,
4186-689: The US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. This material is available in many languages Swami Dayananda has supported several inter-religious dialogues. He has participated in Hindu-Jewish conferences facilitated by the World Council of Religious Leaders under that organisation's "Religion One on One" initiative. He had also participated in two Hindu-Buddhist summits. The first one, organised by
4277-943: The Union Government wanted to create a channel breaking it. He helped Dr. Subramanian Swamy implead in the Chidambaram Temple Case in the year 2009. Though the Podu Dikshitars and Dr. Subramanian Swamy lost the case in the Chidambaram Temple matter before the Madras High Court, their appeals were allowed by the Supreme Court which by its judgment, dated 06-Jan-2014 threw the Government out of the Chidambaram Sri Natarajar Temple, by setting aside
4368-748: The United Nations in 2005, this organization is focused on serving people in the remote, rural areas of India, in the areas of education and health care. The Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust (AVRandPT) is the source for Swami Dayananda's teaching and writings. It is a registered non-profit organisation since 21 February 2005, and is head-quartered in Mylapore, Chennai. AVRandPT publishes Swamiji's teachings, covering his decades of classes, public lectures and short and long term courses. These are available in printed book form, audio, video, ebook formats and on card pen drives. The trust has also created
4459-540: The agricultural fields of the family household and ensured that the family had income to live. Natarajan was interested in Vedanta . After listening to the public talks of Swami Chinmayananda in the year 1952, Natarajan was involved with the Chinmaya Mission in various roles and was appointed secretary of the Mission within the first year of its inception. He attended sanskrit classes of P.S. Subramania Iyer,
4550-434: The authenticity of Kulluka's text was openly articulated by Burnell (1884, xxix): "There is then no doubt that the textus receptus, viz., that of Kulluka Bhatta, as adopted in India and by European scholars, is very near on the whole to the original text." This is far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow
4641-567: The behest of a friend Rangachari, enrolled in the Airforce as a combatant in Bangalore with the GTS (Ground Training Station). He was underweight and could not qualify but was allowed to continue, he later stated that he aspired to be a pilot. Family duties, being his father's shraddham (a ceremony performed in honour of a dead ancestor), caused him to leave the Airforce and primarily he did not like
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#17327837407334732-539: The child during their schooling and that parents are required initially to attend the school until the child is comfortable in the environment away from home. In 2002, a major project witnessing growth in 2023 was initiated by Swami Dayanandaji. Located in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, "Swami Dayananda Krupa Home" provides lifetime therapy and support to men and children with developmental delays. Awarded consultative status with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) by
4823-426: The desires, not the emotions, not the ego, nor the dualistic mind, but the introspective, inwardly self-conscious "on-looker" ( saksi ), which is in reality completely disconnected from the non-Atman. The jivatman or individual self is a mere reflection of singular Atman in a multitude of apparent individual bodies. It is "not an individual subject of consciousness," but the same in each person and identical to
4914-692: The editorship of Tyagi , a fortnightly magazine of Chinmaya Mission. In 1956, on the advice of Swami Chinmayananda, Natarajan shifted to Bengaluru and continued to edit Tyagi which was also moved to Bengaluru. During his stay, Natarajan joined the Sanskrit College in Chamrajpet and studied with Prof. Veeraraghavachariar. In 1961, with the permission of Swami Chinmayananda, Natarajan went to study under Swami Pranavananda at Gudivada to clarify his doubts on Vedanta and self-enquiry. The stay with Swami Pranavananda helped Natarajan learn that Vedanta
5005-457: The equilibrium is disturbed. From this pradhana then evolves the material universe, distinct from purusha , thereby postulating purusha as the efficient cause of all existence, and prakriti as its material cause or origin. While closely related to Samkhya , the Advaita Vedānta tradition rejects this dualism, instead stating that Reality cannot evolve from an inert, consciousness- and intelligence-less principle or essence. Brahman, which
5096-598: The globe through his students with a primary focus on teaching Vedanta, Sanskrit and related disciplines. These traditional teaching centres are known as ' Arsha Vidya ' or 'Arsha Vijnana' (Knowledge of the Rishis). The word 'Arsha' has been used by many of Swami Dayananda's students in naming their facilities to mark their lineage. The four Arsha Vidya teaching centres that Swami Dayananda has established are: These residential centres conduct long-term courses, 1–2-week retreats, weekend study programs and family retreats throughout
5187-437: The identity of jivan-ātman and Brahman , destroys or makes null avidya ('false knowledge'), and results in liberation . According to Shankara, taking a subitist position, moksha is attained at once when the mahavakyas , articulating the identity of Atman and Brahman , are understood. According to the contemporary Advaita tradition, knowledge of Atman-Brahman is obtained gradually, by svādhyāya , study of
5278-525: The ignorance ( avidyā ) regarding one's true identity by revealing that (jiv)Ātman is non-different from immortal Brahman . In a narrow sense Advaita Vedanta is the scholarly tradition belonging to the orthodox Hindu Vedānta tradition, with works written in Sanskrit; in a broader sense it refers to a medieval and modern syncretic tradition, upholding traditional Hindu values and culture, blending Vedānta with Yoga and other traditions and producing works in vernacular. The earliest Advaita writings are
5369-439: The importance of Advaita Vedānta was overemphasized by Western scholarship , and Advaita Vedānta came to be regarded as the paradigmatic example of Hindu spirituality, despite the numerical dominance of theistic Bhakti -oriented religiosity. In modern times, Advaita views appear in various Neo-Vedānta movements. The word Advaita is a composite of two Sanskrit words: Advaita is often translated as "non-duality," but
5460-400: The isolated). It is also called māyāvāda by Vaishnava opponents, akin to Madhyamaka Buddhism , due to their insistence that phenomena ultimately lack an inherent essence or reality, According to Richard King, a professor of Buddhist and Asian studies, the term Advaita first occurs in a recognizably Vedantic context in the prose of Mandukya Upanishad . According to Frits Staal ,
5551-742: The judgments passed by the Madras High Court. The Supreme Court's Judgment in the Chidambaram Temple Case came as a boost for retrieving Hindu temples from Government control. A non-exhaustive list of his books include: Advaita Vedanta Traditional Shaivism/Tantra/Nath New movements Kashmir Shaivism Gaudapada Adi Shankara Advaita-Yoga Nath Kashmir Shaivism Neo-Vedanta Inchegeri Sampradaya Contemporary Shaivism/Tantra/Nath Neo-Advaita Hinduism Buddhism Modern Advaita Vedanta Neo-Vedanta Advaita Vedanta ( / ʌ d ˈ v aɪ t ə v ɛ ˈ d ɑː n t ə / ; Sanskrit : अद्वैत वेदान्त , IAST : Advaita Vedānta )
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#17327837407335642-438: The late evening of 23 September 2015. He had been ailing for some weeks and been in and out of hospitals for some time. He was 85 years of age. Swamiji's last rites were performed in the traditional manner as befitting a renunciate. He was buried in a grave, known as "bhu" samadhi, to the loud chanting of Vedic hymns and mantras. Many dignitaries, Hindu leaders and his students were there to pay their final respects. Visitors visit
5733-481: The material world? Third, if Brahman is ananda ('bliss'), why did the empirical world of sufferings arise? The Brahma Sutras do not answer these philosophical queries, and later Vedantins including Shankara had to resolve them. To solve these questions, Shankara introduced the concept of "Unevolved Name-and-Form," or primal matter corresponding to Prakriti , from which the world evolves, coming close to Samkhya dualism. Shankara's notion of "Unevolved Name-and-Form"
5824-461: The monistic ideas already present in the Upanishads. In contrast, states Milne, it is misleading to call Advaita Vedānta "monistic," since this confuses the "negation of difference" with "conflation into one." Advaita is a negative term (a-dvaita), states Milne, which denotes the "negation of a difference," between subject and object, or between perceiver and perceived. According to Deutsch, Advaita Vedānta teaches monistic oneness, however without
5915-532: The most prominent exponent of the Advaita Vedānta tradition, though some of the most prominent Advaita-propositions come from other Advaitins, and his early influence has been questioned. Adi Shankara emphasized that, since Brahman is ever-present, Brahman-knowledge is immediate and requires no 'action' or 'doership', that is, striving (to attain) and effort. Nevertheless, the Advaita tradition, as represented by Mandana Misra and others, also prescribes elaborate preparatory practice, including contemplation of
6006-465: The multiplicity premise of alternate monism theories. According to Jacqueline Suthren Hirst, Adi Shankara positively emphasizes "oneness" premise in his Brahma-sutra Bhasya 2.1.20, attributing it to all the Upanishads. Nicholson states Advaita Vedānta contains realistic strands of thought, both in its oldest origins and in Shankara's writings. Vedānta is one of the six classical Hindu darśanas ,
6097-481: The nature of Atman/Brahman." This truth is established from a literal reading of selected parts of the oldest Principal Upanishads and Brahma Sutras , and is also found in parts of the Bhagavad Gitā and numerous other Hindu texts, and is regarded to be self-evident. Great effort is made to show the correctness of this reading, and its compatibility with reason and experience, by criticizing other systems of thought. Vidya , correct knowledge or understanding of
6188-515: The newly inaugurated Sandeepany Sadhanalaya of the Chinmaya Mission , where he undertook the responsibility of editing the magazine of the mission Tapovan Prasad . In addition, Swami Dayananda taught chanting of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads to the students of Sandeepany. In November 1963, Swami Dayananda undertook a study-pilgrimage to Rishikesh and stayed in a grass hut in Purani Jhadi now known as Dayananda Nagar. He spent three years there, studying Brahma Sutras under Swami Tarananda Giri at
6279-405: The ontological criterion: Absolute and relative reality are valid and true in their respective contexts, but only from their respective particular perspectives. John Grimes explains this Advaita doctrine of absolute and relative truth with the example of light and darkness. From the sun's perspective, it neither rises nor sets, there is no darkness, and "all is light". From the perspective of
6370-410: The origin of the world, which declared phenomenal reality to be an illusion , became the dominant explanation, with which the primacy of Atman/Brahman can be maintained. A main question in all schools of Vedanta is the relation between the individual self ( jiva ) and Atman / Brahman . As Shankara and his followers regard Atman/Brahman to be the ultimate Real, jivanatman is "ultimately [to be] of
6461-436: The preparation of a Gita manuscript for publication. In Uttarakashi, he met Swami Chinmayananda's Guru, Tapovan Maharaj, who advised him, 'You have a duty to yourself which is also important. Stay here, meditate and study.' Natarajan could not take up that offer at that point in time. However, he promised Swami Tapovan Maharaj that he would return after one year to study with him and he did. Natarajan returned to Madras and took up
6552-418: The preservation of Vedas and Agamas to prevent their extinction due to a lack of infrastructure for learning. Swami Dayananda had appointed 35 oduvars in ancient Siva temples and paid them monthly allowance to sing the "Panniru Tirumurai", songs explaining Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. Swami Dayananda helped building five chariots for Sri Mahalingaswamy Temple at Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam in 2010 at
6643-409: The quality of consciousness." According to Shankara, it is self-evident and "a matter not requiring any proof" that Atman, the 'I', is 'as different as light is from darkness' from non-Atman, the 'you' or 'that', the material world whose characteristics are mistakenly superimposed on Atman, resulting in notions as "I am this" and "This is mine." One's real self is not the constantly changing body, not
6734-402: The relation between the plural, complex, changing phenomenal world and the Brahman in which it substantially subsists." According to Mayeda, following the post-Shankara predicate sat-cit-ananda , three problems emerge. First, how did Brahman, which is sat ('existence'), without any distinction, become manifold material universe? Second, how did Brahman, which is cit ('consciousness'), create
6825-472: The rigidity. "There was no freedom, I felt they were trying to control my mind. I have never allowed anybody to ever control me at any time, no one. That is why I think I am a Swami." Natarajan resumed his career as a journalist with 'Dharmika Hindu' magazine before joining a news agency, 'The Lens' run by Shri Rajagopal. He also worked for the erstwhile Volkart Brothers (now Voltas Limited). While in his absence his younger brother M.G.Srinivasan took charge of
6916-554: The samadhi to pay homage to this sage and teacher. Swami Dayananda assisted by his senior disciples has taught ten three-year programs (eight in India and two in the United States) and many of his students from these programs are now teaching all over the world. More than two hundred of his Sannyasi disciples are teaching Vedanta and Panini system of grammar. They form the Arsha Vidya Sampradaya. Swami Dayananda has established four traditional teaching centres and many more across
7007-519: The same one Reality and one Truth is explained or experienced from two different perspectives. As they developed these theories, Advaita Vedānta scholars were influenced by some ideas from the Nyaya , Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy. These theories have not enjoyed universal consensus among Advaitins, and various competing ontological interpretations have flowered within the Advaita tradition. Ātman ( IAST : ātman, Sanskrit : आत्मन्)
7098-420: The same time recognising the need to account for likely failings. The shastras do not present life as it was lived. Rather they reveal an idea of what life should be. The shastra texts constitute one of the great bodies of literature of the ancient world. Sutras are another genre of Indian texts that emerged in the 1st millennium BCE, particularly after the 600 BCE. Sutra (literally "binding thread") denotes
7189-428: The self and of the Vedic texts, which consists of four stages of samanyasa : virāga ('renunciation'), sravana ('listening to the teachings of the sages'), manana ('reflection on the teachings') and nididhyāsana , introspection and profound and repeated meditation on the mahavakyas , selected Upanishadic statements such as tat tvam asi ('that art thou' or 'you are That') which are taken literal, and form
7280-432: The society and country. In 1999, Dharma Rakshana Samiti was started by Sri Dayananda Saraswati to preserve Hinduism, its vision and way of life as the spiritual culture of India. Swamiji recognised that Hinduism, in present times, needs to be protected and preserved by its adherents. The BGHS course designed by Swami Dayananda presents the teaching of Bhagavad Gita and this programme is conducted in many countries including
7371-415: The specific states of individuated phenomenality." Ātman, states Eliot Deutsch, is the "pure, undifferentiated, supreme power of awareness", it is more than thought, it is a state of being, that which is conscious and transcends subject-object divisions and momentariness. According to Ram-Prasad, "it" is not an object, but "the irreducible essence of being [as] subjectivity, rather than an objective self with
7462-470: The teachings of Gita and the Upanishads. In 1971, Swami Dayananda agreed to conduct a long-term study program at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai , Mumbai and formulated a curriculum that would unfold the vision of Vedanta. Between 1972 and 1979, Swami Dayananda conducted two three-year residential Vedanta courses in Mumbai. In his words, At Sandeepany the teaching is traditional and rigorous. What would take
7553-439: The term means rule or instruction. The Maitri Upanishad (mid to late 1st millennium BCE), similarly, mentions the materialist Charvakas and Brihaspati who disagreed that the Vedas are a treatise of knowledge, proposing relativism instead, in the following passage: बृहस्पतिर्वै शुक्रो भूत्वेन्द्रस्याभयायासुरेभ्यः क्षयायेमामविद्यामसृजत् तया शिवमशिवमित्युद्दिशन्त्यशिवं शिवमिति वेदादि शास्त्र हिंसकधर्माभिध्यानमस्त्विति The term
7644-427: The universal eternal Brahman , a term used interchangeably with Atman. Shastra Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas Shastra ( Sanskrit : शास्त्र , romanized : Śāstra pronounced [ɕaːstrɐ] ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in
7735-504: The various Shastras, Manu's code of law has been among the most studied as the colonial British government attempted to establish different laws in British India based on Sharia for Muslims and Manu's code of law. The shastras are not consistent or single-consensus documents. Dharma-sastras, for example, contain opposing views and contradictory theories. This is in part because they represent an ideal of human behaviour, while at
7826-402: The vulgate in key readings. The literature of late 1st millennium BCE such as Arthashastra , and Shastras of various fields of knowledge from the early 1st millennium period is of great interest as it helped the emergence of diverse schools and the spread of Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism in and outside South Asia . The shastras are both descriptive and prescriptive. Among
7917-576: The year and the subjects taught include the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutras and several other related texts of Vedanta. The study also includes the Sanskrit commentary of Adi Sankara on these texts, known as Bhashya. Along with these studies, Sanskrit language is also taught with Panini system of grammar. The Gurukuls also conduct sessions of daily meditation and satsangs. Additionally, yoga, Indian classical music, ayurveda , jyotisha and allied disciplines are also taught. Swami Dayananda initiated another centre at his birth place, Manjakkudi ,
8008-812: Was awarded the Padma Bhushan , (the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India ), for his service to the nation in the field of spirituality in 2016. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was born as Natarajan in Manjakkudi in Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu on 15 August 1930 to Shri Gopala Iyer and Smt Valambal. He was the eldest of four sons. His early schooling was at the District Board School in Kodavasal. His father died when he
8099-419: Was eight years old, which meant Natarajan had to shoulder the responsibility in the family alongside his education. After completion of his education at seventeen years of age, Natarajan came to Chennai for earning a livelihood, where he learnt English and began his career as a journalist for the weekly magazine Dharmika Hindu run by T. K. Jagannathacharya (TKJ). However, owing to nominal income, Natarajan, at
8190-460: Was not adopted by the later Advaita tradition; instead, the later tradition turned avidya into a metaphysical principle, namely mulavidya or "root ignorance," a metaphysical substance which is the "primal material cause of the universe ( upadana )." In this view, Brahman alone is real, and the phenomenal world is an appearance ( maya ) or "an unreal manifestation ( vivarta ) of Brahman." Prakasatmans (13th c.) defense of vivarta to explain
8281-513: Was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794. (...) All the editions of the MDh , except for Jolly's, reproduce the text as found in the [Calcutta] manuscript containing the commentary of Kulluka. I have called this as the " vulgate version". It was Kulluka's version that has been translated repeatedly: Jones (1794), Burnell (1884), Buhler (1886) and Doniger (1991). (...) The belief in
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