Pratyabhijna and Shankara鈥檚 Advaita (comparative study)
by Ranjni M. | 2013 | 54,094 words
This page relates 鈥楧evotion and Worship鈥� of study dealing with Pratyabhijna and Shankara鈥檚 Advaita. This thesis presents a comparative analysis of two non-dualistic philosophies, Pratyabhijna from Kashmir and Shankara鈥檚 Advaita Vedanta from Kerala, highlighting their socio-cultural backgrounds and philosophical similarities..
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7. Devotion and Worship
Advaita and 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 have accepted the importance of devotion and worship in the course of realization. There are two types of worship. One is the worship of the non-qualified non-dual Brahman and the other is the worship of the qualified Brahman. It is believed that the worship of qualified Gods makes the road to the Supreme Self clear and swift. It prepares the mind to feel the unity, to realize the identity and to visualize all as the ultimate entity.
The individual selves whose nescience are stronger and cannot meditate on the Higher Brahman, they are worshipping 莫艣惫补谤补 as Supreme God prescribed by the scriptures. The mode of worship and the form of 莫艣惫补谤补 vary according to the level of nescience. The worship of lower level personal Gods leads the worshipper to the realization of the Higher Brahman step-by-step. The result of worshipping God is the attainment of His Grace, and through this the individual would be able to realize his nature as pure consciousness.
Upani峁dic worship is mainly in the form of simple meditation (鲍辫腻蝉补苍腻). 艢补峁卥补谤补 has defined this worship as the continuous contemplation of the same cognition.[1] According to him it is an instrument for the concentration and purification of mind which lead ultimately to the realization of the Supreme reality.[2] There are different kinds of 鲍辫腻蝉补苍补蝉 instructed in 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉. There, the objects of worship include not only the deities but the universal powers like Speech (痴腻办-翱峁僰腻谤补), Vital Air (笔谤腻峁嘺), Sun (膧诲颈迟测补), Ether (膧办腻艣补) and Fire (Agni) also. These are contemplated as Brahman itself.[3]
In Advaita, at the stage of worship, the 莫艣惫补谤补 is described as S奴tr膩tm膩 (the self passing through the entire universe and holding it together just like the string does in a garland of pearls) and also called Mah膩pra峁嘺 (the mighty life breath). This type is for the worship of individuals who have stronger nescience. Again for still strong nescience individuals, 莫艣惫补谤补 is described as Vir膩t (sovereign) and as 痴补颈艣惫腻苍补谤补 (He who controls the entire humanity). For lower individuals whose nescience is strongest the personal Gods like Brahma, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, 艢颈惫补, Indra, Agni, etc. are prescribed by scriptures. In fact these Gods are not different from the Higher Brahman, but limited by the three modes or strands (骋耻峁嘺蝉) and in their permutations. The strands, viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the constituents of 惭腻测腻, which is under the control of 莫艣惫补谤补.[4] Even though there are several worship modes instructed, 艢补峁卥补谤补 states that all these dealings like worshiper and worshiped are pertinent only in the level of 础惫颈诲测腻.[5]
In 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 limited subject, who covered by 惭腻测腻 uses the path of devotion to the recognition of 惭补丑别艣惫补谤补, the gracious reality. Utpala discussed these concepts in his 艢颈惫补stotr膩val墨. 笔奴箩腻, Arcana, 顿丑测腻苍补 are some forms of worship seen referred in the text.[6] While commenting on the words 尘补丑别艣惫补谤补蝉测补 诲腻蝉测补峁� 办补迟丑补帽肠颈诲 腻蝉腻诲测补 (somehow attaining the state of servant of 惭补丑别艣惫补谤补) and 蝉补尘补蝉迟补蝉补尘辫补迟蝉补尘补惫腻辫迟颈丑别迟耻峁� (the cause for gaining all prosperities) in the first verse of 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻k膩rik膩, Abhinavagupta has clarified the importance of Devotion in the path of realization. He states that the attainment of 艢颈惫补ta or the recognition of one鈥檚 own self as the Supreme Self itself is the supreme prosperity.[7] 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 system uses the term 厂补尘腻惫别艣补 for the higher level of Bhakti, where the worshiper conceives himself as 艢颈惫补.[8] While explaining the notion of 狈补尘补蝉办腻谤补 (bowing down in reverence) towards 艢颈惫补, Abhinavagupta minutely illustrates Prahvat膩 (state of being subdued in reverence) as 厂补尘腻惫别艣补.[9] Utpala stated that nothing but His devotion only desired by the devotees, as the devotion towards the Lord itself brings all prosperities.[10] The concept of 厂补尘腻惫别艣补 is very similar to the notion of higher level of 鲍辫腻蝉补苍补 advocated by 艢补峁卥补谤补, where there is no difference between the meditated and one who meditate. Utpala says that only devotion is needed in the way to 艢颈惫补; no Yogic practice, no austerities and no mode of worships is recommended here.[11]
Kailas Pati Misra connects the worship in 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 with the 鲍辫腻测补蝉 of recognition. According to him the 膧峁嘺vop膩ya is Karmam膩rga, 艢膩ktop膩ya is J帽膩nam膩rga and 艢腻尘产丑补惫辞辫腻测补 is 叠丑补办迟颈尘腻谤驳补.[12] Navjivan Rastogi remarks that the concept of devotion in 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 system is to be seen more as an emotional and aesthetical experience not as a philosophical one. He also observes that the devotion in complete sense, which is the synthesis of unity and diversity, is possible only in the all inclusive philosophies like 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻.[13]
Thus in both systems devotion and worship are conceived in a higher level. Ardent devotion in the form of contemplation is used as a means for the realization of the ultimate reality. All hymns and practices lead the devotees to the same goal. For this purpose great teachers of both systems like Utpala, Abhinavagupta and 艢补峁卥补谤补 have composed several Stotras, which are impregnate with philosophical concepts. In this way 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 and Advaita of 艢补峁卥补谤补 bear many similarities in the concept of Ultimate reality. The recognition of the Ultimate reality through the annihilation of 惭腻测腻 is considered as the ultimate goal in both systems.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
up膩sanantu yath膩艣膩strasamarthita峁� ki帽cid膩lambanamup膩d膩ya tasmi峁僺am膩nacittav峁泃tisant膩nakara峁嘺峁� tadvilak峁峁嘺pratyay膩na-ntaritamiti 惫颈艣别峁岣� | t膩nyet膩nyup膩san膩ni satva艣uddhikara峁嘺tvena vastutattv膩vabh膩sakatv膩dadvaitaj帽膩nopak膩rak膩峁噄, 膩lambanavi峁yatv膩tsus膩dhy膩ni ca | 颁丑腻苍诲辞驳测辞辫补苍颈峁诲-艣腻峁卥补谤补-产丑腻峁补, 1.1.
[3]:
叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补-艣腻峁卥补谤补-产丑腻峁补, 1.1.12.
[4]:
Sankaranarayanan, S., op.cit., p. 172.
[5]:
迟补迟谤腻惫颈诲测腻惫补蝉迟丑补测腻峁� 产谤补丑尘补峁嘺 up膩syop膩sak膩dilak峁峁嘺岣� sarvo 惫测补惫补丑腻谤补岣� | 叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补-艣腻峁卥补谤补-产丑腻峁补, 1.1.12.
[6]:
艢颈惫补stotr膩val墨, 17. 1-4.
[7]:
parame艣varadharmasam墨pat膩kara峁嘺峁� atra phalam |... | parame艣varat膩l膩bhe hi samast膩岣� 蝉补尘辫补诲补岣� tanni峁andamayya岣� sampann膩 eva |... | pramu峁tasv膩tmaparam膩rthasya hi kim anyena labdhena | 莫艣惫补谤补pratyabhij帽膩-vimar艣ini, 叠丑腻蝉办补谤墨, Part I, p. 33; yasya yasya ida峁� svar奴paprathana峁� tasya tasya mah膩phalam | 莫艣惫补谤补pratyabhij帽膩-vimar艣ini, 叠丑腻蝉办补谤墨, Part I, p. 29f.
[8]:
ai艣varyamay墨 mahe艣varasam膩ve艣ar奴p膩 y膩 prak峁涐梗峁� 产丑补办迟颈岣� | 莫艣惫补谤补pratyabhij帽膩viv峁泃i-vimar艣ini, Vol. I, p. 28.
[9]:
prahvat膩 ca uktar奴p膩 bhagavatsvar奴potkar峁dar艣anena tadicch膩va艣膩vi艣墨r峁嘺艣ar墨rapr膩峁嚹乨ikalpitapram膩t峁沚h膩van膩sa峁僺k膩- r膩tmaka艣e峁v峁泃tisa峁僢have vyutth膩nasamayasa峁僢h膩vyam膩nasya 艣ar墨r膩digatapram膩t峁泃膩bhim膩nodrekasya ap膩sanena m膩y膩pra- m膩trabhim膩n膩tirekanyagbh膩vitasa峁僾id膩tmakasvasvar奴pat膩y膩 unmagnat膩tmaka岣� 蝉补尘腻惫别艣补岣� | 莫艣惫补谤补pratyabhij帽膩viv峁泃i-vimar艣ini, Vol. I, p. 7.
[10]:
bhaktilak峁墨sam峁沝dh膩n膩峁� kimanyadupay膩citam | etay膩 v膩 daridr膩峁嚹佱箖 kimanyadupay膩citam || 艢颈惫补stotr膩val墨, 20.11. Also vide 莫艣惫补谤补pratyabhij帽膩-vimar艣ini, 叠丑腻蝉办补谤墨, Part I, p. 34.
[11]:
na yogo na tapo n膩rc膩krama岣� ko'pi pra峁嚹珁ate | am膩ye 艣ivam膩rge'smin bhaktirek膩 pra艣asyate || 艢颈惫补stotr膩val墨, 1.18.
[12]:
Misra, Kailas Pati, Kashmir 艢aivadar艣an: M奴l Siddh膩nt, Ardhanarisvara Prakasan, Varanasi, 1982, p. 182.