This is my Preface to my new book - Sri Madhvaxhary's Commenraey on Chhandogy Upanishad.
Preface
In
my study of various scriptures, I have
experienced the vast sweep of intellectual ideas expressed with clarity of
vision and purity of heart, in highly arresting poetic signs and symbols as
well as down to earth , rational,
reasonable, and well argued, well
debated logical conclusions. Every seer and saint is said to have experienced
the Truth, Satya. The Prime existence in its true and pure form in every thing
that is manifest creation and every manifest thing in the supreme Self, but
when he expresses it and communicates it is as per his attributes and
inclinations which has shaped his thoughts speech and actions using the signs,
symbols, legends I the language which he knows and which the people, the place
and the period know where and when he communicates.
Therefore
though there exists unity is their experiences their expressions may be
diversely communicated. One finds expressions of some such as would sweep one
from the depths of traditional beliefs, faiths dogmas with their intellectual
grandeur, or would be such as would touch the core of the heart, or would
enlighten with their intellectual brilliance or worth their rational, reasoned
down to the earth examples and statements. Some are outwardly intellectual, philosophical and
some are outwardly emotional and devotional leaving to the seeker not accept
the one and reject the other but accept both and seek the emotional, the
devotional in their intellectual, philosophical expressions and the
intellectual and philosophical truths in their emotional, devotional
expressions.
This
is what I have attempted when dealing with the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya.
While to mind Sri Shankar appeared as highly intellectual and philosophical
leaning towards the emotional and devotional Sri Madhva appears outwardly
leaning to the emotional and devotional though intellectually and philosophical
rational, reasonable and logical in hisinterpetation and presentation. The
language used in scriptures as well as the one used by the Acharyas is Sanskrit
which is one of the most cryptic in style and mystical in expression. It is the
language which has the power to become mystical concealing the pure and the
holy from the irreligious inquisitor. It
has the power of the Spirit and attuned to reveal the matrix of Satya, the
Prime Existence, in both the unmanifest and manifest forms, incorporating both
the he sense and of the voice, fashioning ideas as instrument of power, giving
meaning to the Divine presence,
incorporating the unseen divine
harmonies to the empirical language.
I
fully subscribe to Albert Einstein's views when he said that "Reigious
feelings take the form of raptuous amazement at the harmoney of natural Law,
which reveals an intellegence of such superiority that compared to it all the
systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant
reflection." Sri Aurobindo wrote that seers clothed their language and
words and images which had equally a spiritual sense for the elect and a
concrete sense for the ordinary worshippers, but they were obliged to keep
concealed their experiences behind an elaborate symbols, suggestions, myths and
legends of their era, lest the powers which the hymns possessed may be misused
by the evil people.
Therefore,
without being disrespectable, it must be accepted as reasonable assumption that it was difficult for the
Acharyas and Darshankaras to access the intent of the intellectual of
upanishads as it was difficult for the upanishadic intellectuals to understand the intent of the seers. It is
only the elect that can know the intent of the Vedic truth. Rarely does
one like Yajnyavalkya, Shankara, Madhva or even Sureshvara or Jayatirtha or
Raghvendra who could experience the truths seen and heard by the Vedic seers.
All the rest are only seekers who can take pride in the Knowledge they have
gathered, but not be bold to teach or
preach others of the truth seen by the seers or the saints.
Therefore,
my purpose is simple. As seeker try to know, try to understand as much as
possible according to ons's attributes and inclination, try to verbalized what you have known and
felt as YOUR experience, as your resonance, as your response for others to
know, experience, resonate their response verbalizing them. This would make their thoughts
crystellized as their Karma, to be taken furthering the next life, their
present gross body decays, disintegrates becomes destroyed, the various thing
that had gathered to make his consciousness reverting to the sources from where
they have drawn.My purpose is served, whether it will enlighten or confuse
other, I do not know. what I am doing I have to do, I will continue to do as
long as Prana the Prime Breath keeps alive. So God, the Almighty bless me and
assistme in doing what I do.
Mumbai
16th
October 2013 Nagesh
D. Sonde
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