VP lectures

Sri Vysasa Madhva Samshodhana Pratishtha

Summary points from the Lecture on “Daily Rituals for Success of Men and Women” by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya

Date: 15 January 2006, 2.00-6.00 pm Venue : Vijayabharathi High School, Girinagar

Purpose of this document

The purpose of this document is to bring out summary points from the lecture delivered by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanajanacharya as a part of the “Madhvacharya for the Youth” series conducted under the auspices of Sri Vyasa Madhva Samshodhana Pratishthana. The purpose of the workshop was to bring out the relevance and meaning of the prayers that one needs to offer for overall upliftment. The focus of the lecture was on the performance of rituals like Sandhyavandane, Japa, recitation of basic shlokas and observation of certain disciplines in today’s routine life where we experience shortage of time and other constraints. This document is not a comprehensive account or accurate assimilation of the lecture delivered, but seeks to capture some salient points from the same. Any error in the process is seriously regretted.

Summary Points

Relevance of daily rituals and good conduct (achara)

§ The lecture started with paying obeisance to God, Vayu and Gurus.

§ The performance of daily rituals should be looked at from the perspectives of the shastras to see a new meaning emerge from the same.

§ In our shastras, it is said that Knowledge is the purest and most sublime thing. This is true even in our modern lives. The importance of a scholar or knowledge worker is greater than the richest of men. However if this knowledge is not supplemented and supported by good conduct, this knowledge can be harmful and perverted. To illustrate this, the most heinous crimes are committed by the most brilliant of men, but who have employed the intelligence for a bad cause. So, it is clear that knowledge has to be channeled in the right direction by good conduct.

For salvation (Moksha) it is knowledge that is useful but performance of the right action or duty is a critical support to the same.

§ Karma is performance of righteous duty (sadachara) and not a mere performance of some random actions.

§ To illustrate this further, we need a vessel to heat and store the milk, but it is the milk that consume. Our conduct (achara) is like the vessel and our knowledge (vichara) is like the milk.

§ Just as a farmer, purifies the soil where he plans to sow and reap the crops, one needs to purify the mind through one’s conduct and habits to elevate one’s thinking to a higher level.

§ Thus, Achara (good conduct) and Vichara (knowledge) go hand-in-hand.

Timing of rituals

In today’s life we face enormous challenges in cultivating both the achara and vichara. Hence we need to use the time available in an optimal manner, that is, we need to maximize the benefit that we get in the limited time.

One such powerful method is to perform the rituals at the correct and prescribed time. Even in our modern times, the concept of time is sacrosanct. In our student as well as our official lives, performance of activities has to be done in a time-bound manner, else the relevance is lost.

The start of our daily rituals should be performed early morning when the power to achieve the most is then. The mind is pure and devoid of any stress and confusions. As the day progresses the mind looses the purity as there is a lot of overlap amongst the different things. In the early morning the mind is pure and is fresh to grasp anything. Hence one should wake up early in the morning and pray to God during that time.

One should rise in the morning with a prayer to the God reciting the mantra – Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Then one should perform Dhyana or recollection of what one has studied the previous day.

Sandhyavandane- The Vedic Prayer

After bathing, one should perform the Sandhyavandanam, a vedic prayer that is to be done during the sandhyakala only. The purpose is to activate our mind and brain and then drive away the evil spirits that are active during that period with an intention to harm us.

Just like the water in a vessel can be stabilized by keeping the vessel stable, we must stabilize our mind by first sitting in a comfortable and stable manner. The yogic pose of Padmasana is recommended for this purpose.

The Sandhyavandanam is to be performed in the following order. Against each action is mentioned the meaning and significance.

• • For performing Sandhyavandanam, one does not have to observe too much madi. This does not require too much time and can be performed easily. Performance of Sandhyavandanam is mandatory for all men. Under no circumstances should one give up this activity. Women should recite Krishnamantra instead of the Gayatri mantra.

• Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra

• • After this one could recite three important and powerful shlokas- Sri Vishnusahasranamam composed by Sri Vedavyasa himself, Sri Dvadashastotra composed by Sri Madhvacharya and Sri Harivayustuti composed by Sri Trivikramapanditacharya. These can be recited in the evening also. However one should not perform the Punashacharana of these in the evening. It is estimated that it takes about 30 minutes in all to recite these shlokas. One is blessed with whatever one wishes on reciting these shlokas

• On food- One should not consume food items which are prohibited (nishiddha) as they are harmful to one’s body and mind.

Benefits of performing rituals

• • The true benefit of performing the above mentioned rituals come when one does it persistently for a month. One should understand the meaning of the prayer that one recites. Knowing the meaning of what we recite gives the significance of the same and generates the interest in pursuing the same in a persistent manner. One will definitely realize the benefit of these-a stress-free life and efficiency in all quarters

  • If one does not get the opportunity to attend lectures (pravachana) or regular classes (patha) one should use the books and cassettes to obtain the knowledge on spiritual matters.

• With the performance of the rituals, one’s mind and body are ready to gather the knowledge on all matters.

II Sri Krishnarpanamastu II

Summary points from the Lecture on the Bhagavad Gita for the Youth by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya

by Sunder and Pavamaan

Date : 20 Nov 2005, 2.30-6.30 pm

Venue : Vijayabharathi High School, Girinagar

The purpose of this document is to bring out some summary points from the lecture delivered by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanajanacharya as a part of the “Madhvacharya for the Youth” series conducted under the auspicies of Sri Vyasa Madhva Samshodhana Pratishthana. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce The Bhagavad Gita as a text and a way of life to the youth focusing on the pragmatic interpretations and actionables from the epic. This document does not claim to be a comprehensive and accurate assimilation of the lecture delivered, but seeks to capture some glimpses from the same. Any error in the process is seriously regretted.

Following are the salient points of the lecture:

• • The lecture started with paying obeisance to God, Vayu and Gurus.

  • There is an urgent need to educate the youth about philosophy. Recalling the words of Sri Prahlada from Bhagavatha, philosophy is to be learnt and practices only by the youth.

  • Bhagavad Gita is a text which gets written about and spoken about but has not been comprehensively understood by anyone.

  • It has been translated into maximum number of Indian as well as foreign languages.

  • It appears in the sixth chapter of Sri Mahabharatha in the Bheeshama Parva and it is a upaparva (sub-chapter). The Mahabharatha, as acknowledged even by foreign philosophers such as Max Mueller, equals the rest of the philosophical works put together in terms of the sheer size and the vastness of the topics that it covers.

  • Interestingly the Bhagavad Gita is the smallest work, but most comprehensive in it’s coverage of every aspect of philosophy. Perhaps there is no area of our life (and beyond) that it does not impact.

  • The speaker is Sri Krishna (Paramatma) and the listener is Arjuna (Jeeva).

  • The Gita is a message of peace in a deadly battlefield. The Mahabharatha war was fought with the deadliest of weapons between the greatest warriors of the times. The impact of the war was so great that birds flying overhead fell dead due to the sound generated by the war. The Gita is a message that was delivered in such a petrifying atmosphere. No one other than Lord Krishna, the most powerful being could have spoken in this atmosphere.

  • This deadly war was fought between cousins indicating it was within a family. This is similar to the internal wars that go on in our minds, which are equally deadly as internal enemies are always more dangerous than external ones. It is possible to shut out the external enemies but that cannot be done for the internal ones.

  • The issues during the war are similar to what the people especially the youth of today face. The answer to both the issue-the Mahabharatha war and the turmoil in our minds is the same-the Bhagavad Gita. The first person to bring to light the linkages between the Mahabharatha and the Gita was Sri Madhvacharya. He has written two books on the Gita- Gita Tatparya and Gita Bhashya and he has written the Mahabharata Tatparyanirnaya. Here he says that the Gita is the darshana (theory) and the Mahabharata is the nidarshana (illustration).

  • Many people feel that since there is a stark contrast between the Gita, the message of peace and the Mahabharatha war, the war of destruction, probably the Gita has been interpolated (added later) to the Mahabharatha. This is not true and is not supported by any argument. It must be understood that the Gita was recited by the omnipotent force, Sri Krishna and not an ordinary human being.

  • The start of the Gita is with Arjuna refusing to fight the war stating that he is overcome by emotions at the thought of killing his own people for the purpose of gaining a kingdom. He says that the ruling over a kingdom does not interest him. Moreover killing his kith and kin will only bring about adharma all over.

  • He says that he has desire for Shreyas and not Preyas. This is an important differentiation between the two. Shreyas is a term that cannot be translated into English. It is to be understood as a happiness of the higher order which one gets by performing superior duties. Shreyas is attained in the life after death. While Preyas is the happiness that one gets in this world and which is not permanent in nature. One should always target Shreyas and not merely Preyas.

  • Arjuna teaches us the following important lessons:

    • • How to ask the right questions to clarify your mind of the distresses? He presents his argumentation on why he does not want to fight in a logical and sequential manner. This gives a scope for the person answering the questions to be rational similarly. Illogical questioning can never be answered logically.

      • Whom to ask the questions? He asks none other than Sri Krishna, the most powerful and knowledgeable person to clarify his doubts. There is no point in asking questions to people who themselves do not have an adequate knowledge to answer them.

      • What kind of an answer must one seek? He seeks a firm (dridha) answer, not one which is vague and wavering.

      • One need not have an inferiority complex while asking questions. Just as one should not hide one’s illnesses from a doctor, one should not hide one’s doubts from his Guru. Here Arjuna seeks answers from Sri Krishna as a friend but as Jagatjanmadhiakaraka (the Creator of the universe)

• • • A seeker of knowledge should forsake all other pleasures. Just like Nachiketa refuses anything other than the answers for is question from Lord Yama, Arjuna refuses to accept anything else such as a kingdom in lieu of the answers to his questions. The Kathopanishad was brought to light from the questions that Nachiketa asked and the Bhagavad Gita was born out of the questions asked by Arjuna.

Reading the first chapter of the Gita called the Arjunavishadayoga is very important as should not be skipped. It presents the questions that Arjuna has in his mind. The rest of Gita is a series of answers that Sri Krishna gives to these questions.

• • Preyas gives us wealth but not happiness. Shreyas gives us knowledge and permanent bliss.

  • For seeking Shreyas one must seek knowledge and happiness from within. Antahasukha is essential for Shreyas. While Preyas is welcome in some measure, one should not chase it all his life. Preyas should be minimized and Shreyas has to be maximized.

  • Hence one’s goal in life should be to seek Shreyas. A goalless life cannot be considered a successful one.

  • The body needs food while the soul needs knowledge to sustain.

  • The death to the body is a certainty but the soul is eternal. Hence one should not feel the sorrow when the body dies since it is bound to do get destroyed.

  • When one is fighting a war people who are evil and people who support evil both should be destroyed. Just as the entire pot of poisoned milk has to be discarded, the entire army of the Kauravas which has poison (duryodhana, dusshasana etc) and milk (Bheeshma, Drona and Karna) has to be destroyed. Arjuna has to perform this duty without any attachment towards his kith and kin.

  • One of the most important shlokas of the Gita is “Karmanye Vadhikaraste…..”. A popular interpretation is that one should not have any desires attached to the fruits of ones duties. This would mean that one should be desire-less in life. It appears that this goes against the thought expressed by Sri Madhvacharya in other writings where he says that it is impractical to be desire-less. The right explanation was given by Sri Madhvacharya himself. He has said that every action has two types of fruits-Primary fruit and the secondary fruit. Primary fruit of any action is to please Lord Vishnu (Sri Vishnu Preetyartham) and the secondary fruits are all the other fruits such as progress of oneself and his family members. One must always seek the primary fruit and never the secondary one. Thus the correct interpretation of this shloka is that one has a right over one’s actions and over the primary fruit.

  • The fruits of all actions should be offered at the feet of Lord Krishna for it to be any consequence. Hence one should perform superior duties and offer it to God to get the best benefits.

  • Gita has thus very comprehensive answers to all the questions.

  • The other important lesson from the Gita is that God is all pervasive and omnipresent. Lord Krishna does not have any boundaries for existence.

  • What is prayer or Bhagavadaradhane? Performing one’s duties without expecting the fruits of the same and offering the same at the lotus field of Lord Krishna. Thus a doctor performing an operation, a carpenter cutting wood all are praying if they offer the actions to the Lord. Prayer should not be understood in the limited concept of the set of rituals one performs as Devapuja but in a large context. However Devapuja should not ignored and must be performed.

  • Gita teaches us the important lesson to be self-dependent. The onus of acquiring the right knowledge and performing one’s duties according to the rules set by the Lord is entirely on us. Ignorance is not an excuse.

  • God accepts whatever is offered to him with Bhakti. If one starts to pursue Sadhana late in life, the Lord accepts that too from that time onwards.

  • There is nothing as pure and sublime as knowledge. Hence of all the yagnas, Gnana Yagna is most dear to the Lord.

  • Finally Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to carefully consider the answers he has given to his questions and think it through thoroughly. This is the method of the study of our scriptures, unlike what is popularly believed that our scriptures force themselves onto people’s mind without giving them time to think.

  • Further to this, Arjuna says that he would like to see Lord Krishna fully. At this point in time Krishna tells him that no one can see him with ordinary eyes but would need special eyes (gnanachakshu) to perceive him and grants them to Arjuna who sees the Vishwaroopa of Lord Krishna.

• Followers of Bhagavad Gita will lead a balanced life full of happiness both in this world (aihika) and world beyond (paraloukika).

Sri Vysasa Madhva Samshodhana Pratishthana

Summary points from the Lecture on “Relevance of Sri Madhvacharya’s Philosophy in our Daily Lives” by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya

Date: 25 Dec 2005, 2.30-6.30 pm Venue : Vijayabharathi High School, Girinagar

Purpose of this document

The purpose of this document is to bring out some summary points from the lecture delivered by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanajanacharya as a part of the “Madhvacharya for the Youth” series conducted under the auspices of Sri Vyasa Madhva Samshodhana Pratishthana. The purpose of the workshop was to bring out pragmatic aspects of Sri Madhvacharya’s philosophy in our daily lives. It focused on the principal tenets of the philosophy and how the youth can benefit from the study of the same. This document is not a comprehensive account or accurate assimilation of the lecture delivered, but seeks to capture some salient points from the same. Any error in the process is seriously regretted.

Summary Points

Following are the salient points of the lecture:

The lecture started with paying obeisance to God, Vayu and Gurus.

On has to understand the meaning of philosophy to appreciate the relevance of philosophy. Hence we need to start with understanding philosophy.

Comparison of schools of philosophy

As per the Advaitha school of philosophy

All sprits are one

Universe is unreal

Bramhan is real

The Jeevas are referred to as the chips of the same block (Bramhan)

As per the Visishthadvaitha school of philosophy

Matter is real

Jeeva is real

Bramhan is real

Bramhan is whole and the Jeeva is a part of Bramhan

As per the Dvaitha school of philosophy

Bramhan (Sri Vishnu) is an independent reality

Jeeva and Matter are dependent reality (dependent on Braman)

This classification method used by Sri Madhvacharya and elaborated in his succinct text Tatvasankhayana, called Ontology is unique in the history of philosophy.

Independent and Dependent Reality

What is the meaning of Independence as used in this context? Here the meaning is absolute Independence. It is unlike the use of word Independence in the context of nations. While a nation may be called independent because it has independent governance, it is dependent on several countries for several inputs. Lord Vishnu is not dependent on anything for anything.

Dependence of the Jeevas is of three types

Swaroopa- Dependence for existence. For e.g. we exist in this world today, but after our death we will not. We are dependent on God’s will for our existence.

Pramiti- Dependence for knowledge. We have limitations to our knowledge. For e.g.-we may know something about some subject, but do not know everything about every subject.

Pravrithi- Dependence for activity. We have limitations in our performance of activities. We get tired mentally and physically and therefore we are dependent on God for physical and mental strength.

Nature of God

Unlike the Jeeva, God has infinite unique qualities in infinite measure

He can perform any activity. He can also remain without performing any activity (Jeevas cannot remain without performing any activity)

He does not need the assistance of anybody for performing activity.

He is free of any defects and full of qualities (as recounted by Sri Madhvacharya in his opening verses of his text, Brahmasutrabhashya, as Doshavarjitam).

All the qualities are auspicious and present in infinite measure.

He is omnipresent.

His organs are perfect and omnipotent. For e.g. his ears can see and his nose can listen.

He has a spiritual body and not a body like our’s.

His body is filled with supreme qualities and knowledge.

God’s greatness is not been acquired from external sources and he is great, naturally.

God is Sarvagna or a person who knows everything. He has the perfect knowledge of every subject.

He is complete in all forms hence he is called Poorna.

Hence there is a lot of difference between the God and us.

Basic tenets of Dvaitha Philosophy

The basic tenets of the Dvaitha philosophy are

Lord Vishnu is independent and supreme in all manners

The universe we live in is real

The Universe, jeevas, matter and God are all real and mutually different

There is hierarchy amongst the Jeevas

Moksha or salvation is the realization of one’s true nature and permanent state of happiness.

Bhakti is the way to achieve that state of Moksha

Hari Parataraha- Lord Vishnu is independent, supreme and full of auspicious qualities. No one or nothing can ever equal him in any manner. Everyone including Goddess Mahalaskhmi is dependent on him for thriving. All are powered by him through his graceAll names of God connote his qualitiesFor e.g. Sheshashayi means the God who is asleep on a serpent. But the inner meaning is that he is the God who is above death, as serpent connotes death. Hence God is indestructible and above the cycle of life and death.

Satyamjagat- The universe around is real. It is not a virtual world. If the world was to be virtual, nobody would be serious about the same. Great devotees such as Prahlada and Dhruva achieved greatness by believing in this aspect of the universe.

Thinking of God and the world to be real fills our lives with meaning and sense of purpose. Thinking of God in this manner enlarges our perspectives. Knowledge of God gives knowledge about everything else. It motivates us to lead meaningful lives. All things in this world are energized by God and manifests in their existence, knowledge and activity.

Tattvobheda- The Universe, Jeevas, matter and God are all real. They are mutually different and that difference is real. All men are born different and die differently.

Jeevaganaha Nichochabhavangataha- There are three types of Jeevas based on their nature-Satvika, Tamasa and Rajasa. It is not possible to know as to which ‘type’ one belongs to as long as one is in this world. A Jeeva belonging to a particular type will always remain that way and that does not change with time. For e.g. a person who is a Satvika will always remain so.

Muktirnaijasukhanubhootihi- Everyone aspires to be permanently happy and have no sorrows. But that state of permanent happiness is not possible in this mortal (temporary) world, just like a person cannot aspire to have a permanent job in a temporary organization. The realization of one’s true nature (satvika or Tamasa or Rajasa etc) is called Moksha. Moksha may be of two types. For the virtuous people, it is called Mukti or a state of permanent happiness and for the evil it is called Tamasa or state of eternal sorrow and darkness.

Amalabhakthi Tatsadhanam- In order to attain Mukthi, one has to have Bhakthi. Bhakthi is love and Knowledge of God. Love for younger people (people below us) is called Vatsalya (affection), love for peers is called Maitri (friendship) and love for people superior to us is called Bhakthi (devotion). Bhakthi should not be mistaken for emotions. Acts like crying, shouting, dancing etc are not Bhakthi. Only love expressed towards God with knowledge of his virtues is Bhakthi (as defined by Sri Jayateertha). The true test of Bhakthi is it’s firmness (sudhruda) and the enjoyment that it gives to the devotee (sadhaka). Both these come through knowledge.

Proof for acceptance

There are three types of proofs for accepting anything as a fact:

Pratyaksha - Perceptions from all senses

Anumana- Inference from observations (not to be mistaken for anumana as doubt)

Agama- Knowledge through establishes and accepted scriptures

One has to carefully examine all aspects using the above three criteria to establish if an observation is a fact or not. But Sri Madhvacharya says while these should be used, the ultimate examination lies in one’s conscience (Sakshi). Our conscience never fails to give us the correct answers and is called the Superproof.

As is the practice, one needs a laboratory to examine the validity of anything. The world is a laboratory to establish facts one learns from philosophy.

Conduct, Knowledge and Offering

For Bhakthi, both conduct (achara) and knowledge (Vichara are essential). Just like there are two criteria for selection of a person for a job-merit and conduct, a person wanting to grow Bhakthi in him should have both Achara and Vichara.

The last step in attaining Bhakthi is to offer the fruits of one’s karma at the lotus feet of God. God does not demand anything from anybody as he does not need anything. But accepts whatever is submitted to him as offerings with devotion.

This is just like a student has to have the right knowledge (vichara), right conduct (achara) and submit his answers to the right invigilator (God) to get the right fruits (Mukthi).

As recounted in the Dvadasha Stotram as Yat Kataksha Balvatyajitam Namami.

Gouna Namas