Easy Vedanta

SARALA VEDANTA [Vedanta Simplified]

The extreme spiritual training and intense Sadhana required for undertaking an in-depth study of Vedanta is a well known fact. Even in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad when Sage Yagjnavalkya tries to explain the nature of the Brahman to his wife Maitreyi, herself a soul far advanced in the spiritual path, she replies in utter bewilderment “ Your reverence has thrown me in the midst of confusion. I do not understand it at all”. Probably this must have been in the mind of Acharya Shankara when he wrote three types of scriptural texts to cater to the needs of the different levels of spiritual aspirants.
His commentaries on the Prasthanatraya are the acme of philosophical dialectics, which can be understood only by the cognoscenti. Hence, he wrote several independent treatises explaining the concept of Advaita for the beginners to study before embarking on in-depth pursuit of Vedanta. The third category is the hymnal literature [Stotras] like Bhaja Govindam for the common man. Together these three genres of texts reveal his ingenuity in establishing a philosophical tradition that can be practiced by all people.
This tradition of simplification of Vedanta is kept up even today. In keeping with modern times, Sages and seers like Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, Swami Shivananda, Swami Chinmayananda and a host of others have made the basic tenets of Vedanta understood even by a common man, by giving practical examples in day to day life. The following few illustrations will testify:

BHAGAVAN RAMANA MAHARSHI:

1. Vada and Bonda: In the year 1952 one Mr.M.S.Nagarajan, a staunch devotee of Bhagavan, was in charge of the daily pooja of the Mother’s shrine. He was also in charge of the Sri Ramanashram’s kitchen. As it was Dhnurmasam [the cold months of November and December], a devotee by name Ramaswamy Iyer volunteered to offer special Prasadam—Sakkarai pongal and Vada—to the Mother at the time of the early morning pooja before sun rise. Nagarajan had to attend to all these things single-handed. He got up early in the morning at 3.30 AM, finished his bath in the pond, went to the shrine, removed the old flowers, cleaned and swept the floor and kept the temple premises clean and tide for the Pooja. Thereafter he went to the kitchen for preparing the special items for the Prasadam.As he was not conversant with the preparation of Bondas, he was a bit worried. Anyway he sarted the work. Reminiscing this incident, Nagarajan writes: “I lit two fires. I placed the pot of Pongal on one fire and put a pan of oil on the other for the Vada. I then sat down on the ground to grind the black gram which I had soaked in water earlier. By the time the dough was ready, oil was quite hot. This was my first experience of making Vadas. I took some dough and tried to spread on the leaf in the form of neat round Vada as I had seen others do, but it would not come properly. I tried again and again but I failed. I got annoyed and threw the dough back to the vessel. At that moment I felt some movement behind me. When I turned around, I saw to my consternation, Bhagavan standing behind me and watching my efforts to make Vadas. I was agitated but Bhagavan calmly told me “It does not matter. You have added too much water while grinding the black gram. Anyway now make round balls of dough and fry them. They will become Bondas”. I did accordingly.
When the Bondas were served at breakfast, Iyer got annoyed and shouted “Look here! Did I not ask you to prepare Vadas? Why have you made Bondas?” Bhagavan who was listening to this conversation quietly intervened and said “What does it matter? If the cakes are flat and circular they become Bondas and if they are spherical they become Bondas. Only the name and form are different but the stuff is the same. Why make fuss?”
Every one was surprised by Bhagavan’s apt reply. Bhagavan thus brought home the Vedantic truth that the world consists of only names and forms which are not real and what lies behind all of them is one and the same viz SAT or ULTIMATE TRUTH

2. Hot Idlis: A middle aged devotee was advised to avoid spices. Once he went to the Ramanashram and sat for breakfast. Hot Idlis were served with Sambar. He told the server that as he has been advised to avoid Sambar, he would prefer curds instead. On hearing these words, Bhagavan, who was sitting in the opposite row at once remarked in Tamil “ That is how you must quench your burning desires with a cool , calm and composed mind”

3. Coat and Vest: Once an aged devotee went to Sri Ramanashram for the first time in the last week of December when it was pretty cold. Thinking that Bhagavan also must have been affected by cold, he suggested in all his innocence that Bhagavan should put on a coat and vest for bearing the cold. The Maharshi smiled and said “Our poor SOUL is all but suffocated with five robust coats [Five Sheathes or Pancha Koshas] namely Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vigjnanamaya and Anandamaya and you have the heart to inflict two more?”

SWAMI SHIVANANDA OF RISHIKESH:

Railway Engine: A group of railway employees from Madurai once called on Swami Shivananda, Founder of the Divine Life Society at Rishikesh. They requested him to explain the meaning of Vedanta in simple and understandable language. Swamiji, knowing that they were all railway employees, humorously remarked “Detach and Attach” “That is very simple” said one of the employees “that is what we do every day at our work spot.” Swamiji then replied “Do the same thing when you go home. Detach your mind for sometime from the worldly objects and attach them to the Lord’s feet”

SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA:

Sometime in 1975 Swami Chinmayananda was conducting a Geetha Gjnana Yagjna in Calcutta. During the question hour, one of the devotees got up and said “Swamiji, can you explain in one simple sentence the entire essence of Vedanta?” Swamiji immediately said “Shut up and Get out”. The devotee was flabbergasted for a second. Swamiji then explained “Shut Up” means close all your attachments to the senses and Get Out means
get out of the habit of thinking that I am the body”
B.M.N.Murthy




ARTICLE NO. 448---SARALA VEDANTA
Created:Friday, June 13, 2008 10:22 PM