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Essay name: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati

Author: Lance Edward Nelson
Affiliation: McMaster University / Religious Studies

This is a study and English translation of the Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati (16th century)—one of the greatest and most vigorous exponents of Advaita after Shankara-Acharya who was also a great devotee of Krishna. The Bhaktirasayana attempts to merge non-dualist metaphysics with the ecstatic devotion of the Bhagavata Purana, by asserting that Bhakti is the highest goal of life and by arguinng that Bhakti embodies God within the devotee's mind.

Page 529 of: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati

Page:

529 (of 553)


External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)


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Warning! Page nr. 529 has not been proofread.

NOTES: CHAPTER NINE 517 �
iti
("brÄhmaṇÄḥ putraiá¹£aṇÄyÄÅ› ca vittaiá¹£aṇÄyÄÅ› ca
lokaiá¹£aṇÄyÄÅ› ca vyuthÄyÄtha bhiká¹£Äcaryam caranti"
samnyÄsa vidhÄyake vÄkye brÄhmaṇatvasya viviká¹£itatvÄt
"svÄrÄjyakÄmo rÄjÄ rÄjasuyena yajeta" ity atra ká¹£atriya-
tvavat catvÄra ÄÅ›ramÄ brÄhmaṇasya tryo rÄjanyasya dvau
vaisyasya" iti ca smrti / purÄṇe pi mukhajÄnÄm ayam
dharmo yad visnor lingadharaṇam
±ô¾±²Ô²µ²¹»å³óÄå°ù²¹á¹‡a³¾
/ bahujÄtorujÄtÄnaá¹�
nÄyaá¹� dharmaá¸� praÅ›asyate //" iti ká¹£atriyavaiÅ›yayoá¸�
samnyÄsÄbhÄva uktaá¸� / . ká¹£atriyajanmaprÄpakena
karmaṇÄrabdhaÅ›arÄ«ras tvaá¹� vidvÄn api janakÄdivat
prÄrabdhakarmabalena lokasangraharthaá¹� karma kartum
yogyo bhavasi na tu tyaktum brahmaṇajanmÄlÄbhad ity
abhiprayaá¸� / etadṛśabhagavadabhiprÄyavida bhagavatÄ
bhÄá¹£yaká¹›tÄ brÄhmaṇasyaiva samnyaso nanyasyeti nirṇītam
vÄrtikaká¹›tÄ tu prauá¸hivadamatreṇa ká¹£atriyavaiÅ›yayor api
samnyÄso 'stity uktam iti draṣṭavyam, Pan, 129â€�130.
The question of eligibility for samnyÄsÄ must have been an
important issue for Madhusudana. He discusses it in the
passages quoted in the following two notes and also at 5.5-6
(Pan, pp. 252-253).
In this connection it should be mentioned that
tradition holds that the opening of certain orders of
Åšaṇkara saṇṇyÄsins in North India to Ká¹£atriyas and VaiÅ›yas
was initiated by Madhusudana on the advice of the Emperor
Akbar. The purpose is said to have been to provide groups
of monks capable of carrying arms to protect the Brahmin
samnyÄsins, who followed the rule of strict non-violence,
from the attacks of Muslim faqirs who were persecuting them
as representatives of Hinduism. Farquhar regards this
tradition as historically accurate (Farquhar, pp. 482-484).
Given the emphatic statement of the impropriety of
renunciation for the Ká¹£atriya expressed in the GAD, however,
we may legitimately doubt that our Madhusudana was involved.
32cp. this estimate of what happens after the
attainment of purity of mind through karmayoga with that
given in BR 1, sec. III. The text reads: ya� pūrvoktai�
karmabhiá¸� Å›uddhÄntaḥkaraṇaá¸� so 'vasyam bhagavadekaÅ›araṇo
bhagavadekasaraṇatÄparyantatvad antaḥkaraṇasuddheá¸� /
etÄdṛśas ced brahmaṇaá¸� samnyÄsapratibandharahitaá¸� sarva-
karmÄṇi samnyastu nÄma / samsÄravimoká¹£as tu tasya
bhagavadekaÅ›araṇasya bhagavatprasÄdÄd eva / etÄdīśaÅ› cet
ká¹£atriyÄdiá¸� saṇyÄsÄnadhikÄrÄ« sa karotu nÄma karmÄṇi kimtu
madvyapÄÅ›rayaá¸�, aham bhagavÄn vÄsudeva eva vyapÄÅ›rayaá¸�
Å›araṇam yasya sa madekaÅ›araṇo mayy arpitasarvÄtmabhÄvaá¸�
samnyÄsÄnadhikÄrÄt sarvakarmÄṇi sarvÄṇi karmÄṇi varṇÄ�-
Å›ramadharmarÅ«pÄṇi laukikÄni pratiá¹£iddhÄni vÄ sadÄ kurvÄṇo
maiprasÄdÄn mamesvarasyÄnugrahÄd avÄpnoti / hiraṇyagarbhavan
madvijñÄnotpattyÄ Å›ÄÅ›vatam nityam padam vaiṣṇavam avyayam
aparinÄmi etÄdṛśo bhagavadekaÅ›araṇaá¸� karoty eva na
pratiá¹£iddhÄni karmÄṇi, yadi kuryÄt tathÄpi matprasÄdÄt

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