Author Archives: MSR
Prasthānatraya of Vedānta
The Upaniṣads, the Bhagavadgītā, and the Brahmasūtra are known as the prasthāna–traya – the triple foundation/cannon of Vedānta. Prasthāna means ‘foundation’ and thus, these three constitute the three foundations of – Śruti – revelation, Smṛti – remembrance, and Nyāya – reason. They are respectively known as, the Upaniṣads or Śruti-prasthāna, the Bhagavadgītā or Smṛti-prasthāna, and the Brahmasūtra or Nyāya-prasthāna.
Vedas are referred to as Śruti, and since the Upaniṣads form part of the Vedas, their name as Śruti–prasthāna is justified. The Bhagavadgītā stands next to the Upaniṣads with reference to authoritativeness, and is considered almost an equal. Bhagavadgītā or ‘Song of the Lord’ – contains the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa to the humanity. It forms part of the epic, the Mahābhārata, which is a Smṛti or remembered text. Thus, Bhagavadgītā is known as the Smṛti–prasthāna. The Brahmasūtra represents the standpoint of reason because; it sets forth the Vedāntic teachings in a logical order. It is also calledUttara-Mīmāṃsā-Sūtra since it is an enquiry into the final sections of the Vedas; Vedānta-Sūtra since it is the aphoristic text of Vedānta; Śārīraka-Sūtra since it is concerned with the nature and destiny of the embodied jīva; and Bhikṣu-Sūtra since those who are most competent to study this are the Sannyāsīs, or renunciates who are bhikṣus.
Thus, we see that the basic sourcebook of Vedānta, and its basic doctrine is based upon Śruti, and supported by Smṛti and reasoning (Nyāya). In light of this, the central teaching of all three sourcebooks will be posited to be one and the same, i.e. Brahman. Read the rest of this entry
Gayatri: The Profound Prayer ….
The Sun is the visible face of the Para Brahmn, the Supreme, writes R K MADHUKAR
The spiritual light which is hidden within the Sun is the most brilliant light, Jyotir Uttamam. It is shining through the hearts of all living beings in the form of consciousness. The spiritual light which is shining within the physical Sun also shines within the heart of every human being ….. Yajnavalkya Samhita
The Gayatri is essentially a mantra which invokes the Savitr. According to the vedas and other ancient scriptures, Surya, Savitr and Savitri are the names used to address the Sun. Numerous vedic hymns praise and offer worship to the Sun as Surya and Savitr. The Sun is not merely a natural phenomenon but, more significantly, is Shakti or divine power.
In Hinduism, the Sun is regarded as the visible representative of the Para Brahmn — Supreme Power. The related vedic statement expressing this is Asavadityo Brahma. That means Aditya is Brahma. The ancient scriptures assert that the Brahmanda or the entire universe has emerged from Para Brahma, the Supreme Being. Since this universe came into existence at the instance of the Supreme Being, he is also known as Aditya. This Aditya is the Para Brahma or Isvara, master of this creation. And, Surya is the symbol of this Supreme Being. Read the rest of this entry
Mind-Body-Money … The Maya!
It is interesting to see the connections among the trio … Mind-Body-Money.
We all know through the spiritual science that the Body is nothing but the physical manifestation of the Mind which is non-material (Mass less). Medical science also confirms the psycho-somatic interrelationships. Hence whatever happens in the body – its influence reflects in the Mind in functionality – and vice versa. If body is in pain, Mind cannot do even simple functions like looking & reading some text on a paper. A great singer may not be able to render a bit of pleasant tune vocally – while suffering from dysentery or diarrhea. A trained body builder & weight lifter may find … 5Kg too heavy to carry if he suddenly receives the news of accident of his near ones. People faint just by looking at blood. Healthy body – healthy mind. Sick mind – sick body.
You can safely compare the human Mind as the software & Body the hardware in the modern lingo of computer age.
In the case of a computer, both hardware & software are created and developed by humans and integrated into one system for functionality. But in the case of humans, Mind is self born and self developing or transforming – while totally controlling the body throughout the life span. Read the rest of this entry
Japan’s 97-year-old physician educator offers advice for seniors
WORDS TO LIVE BY – Author/Physician Shigeaki Hinohara
By JUDIT KAWA GUCHI
Japan’s 97-year-old physician educator offers advice for seniors ~ Japan Times
At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world’s longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara’s magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke’s College of Nursing . A fter World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo ; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation’s top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. A lways willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including “Living Long, Living Good” that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. A s the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.
Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot.
We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight.
For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.
Always plan ahead.
My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I’ll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
Privacy and Secrecy
Often I found that there is confusion between privacy & secrecy among the people. I decided to deeply contemplate on this subject to find my own clarity on it – which I am sharing here with you all.
Privacy is about you alone seeing & fully knowing all about your action –ie- how & where it is being performed and when. Easiest example is, attending to the calls of nature like a going to a toilette for a Loo or WC. There is no secrecy about this –ie- you have no problem letting others know about “what” the action is, but it is about not letting others know “how” you do it –OR- how you “look” while doing it. The paradox about this whole thing is – mostly everyone does it the same way – but no one would like others to know exactly how you look at that time. The urge for privacy is more with female gender than the male for historical reasons of evolution.
Like all existence, the urge for privacy is very personal and varies from person to person – in relation to the other persons. Peculiarly – the intensity of urge for privacy progressively gets decreased with growing intimacy between people – but increases phenomenally with estrangement. We can often see this happening at homes between parents & children, among the siblings, even among the friends & colleagues etc. Read the rest of this entry
MSR Ayyangar's Blog 