🧵#Jagadguru#Shankaracharya#SriSri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji: People have a natural capacity to love. Affection requires an object & when that object is God, it gets labelled #bhakti or devotion. Nārada defines bhakti as the extreme love of God. He who attains such
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devotion no longer longs for anything and is ever fully satiated and happy. While attachment to wife, wealth, etc., causes bondage, attachment to God liberates. A sense object sometimes gives joy and sometimes sorrow. It is not always available and has several faults. On the
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other hand, God is ever-captivating, constantly available and totally free from blemishes. Further, what or who can be as loveable as God who is the repository of all good qualities? So bewitching are His glories that even sages who have realized the Truth and have
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nothing to achieve go into raptures on thinking of Him. Though intrinsically formless, the kind Lord does appear in various forms to grace His devotees and to enable people to easily contemplate on Him. The scriptures describe several marvellous forms of the Supreme.
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Bhagawan's mercy extends to all. Did not #SriRam tell Sugrīva when the latter voiced concern about accepting Vibhīṣaṇa, “To anyone who seeks refuge in Me but once, saying, ‘I am Yours’, I grant fearlessness”? A sincere devotee has no cause for any worry, for he has
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surrendered his body and mind to God and left everything in God’s hands. While it is said that a true devotee is in God’s loving care, it would be wrong to infer that a devotee ought not to have any hardship. #Bhagawan is, after all, not only most compassionate but also
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🧵A #MustRead on the Holy Master Jagadguru #SriSri Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji :
Even a remote reference to the Advaitic(non-dualistic) nature of any form of the god would immediately carry away Sri Jagadguru to the realms of Samadhi state. This was observed on many
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occasions and especially during the pooja HH offered to Sri Chakra. The #Lalitha#Sahasra Nama, which is usually chanted in the Sri Chakra pooja is replete with names which suggest the Advaitic concept of the One Brahman manifesting in different forms
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(For ex प्रत्यक्चितीरूपा, ब्रह्मात्मैक्यस्वरूपिणी, ब्रह्मानन्दा…) Sri Jagadguru would enter into the Samadhi state while chanting these Namas, and the mechanics of pooja would stop and not proceed to its conclusion. It would end only when HH would come out of the trance,
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🧵4 Commands by #Jagadguru#Shankaracharya#SriSri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji: People are habituated to satisfy their Svartha(self-interests)."I shall act upon something only if I get something out of it."This Svartha is present in everyone.We say that everyone is selfish but 1/5
#AdiShankara#Bhagavatpada says that it is good to have Svartha – provided you know what Svartha actually is. That which is beneficial to you is Svartha. Acquiring wealth, name and fame do not actually constitute Svartha. For all of these are transitory. Exert yourself to
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attain that which is permanent. Then you can be truly said to have Svartha. He who does not realize this having attained the rare human birth is indeed pitiable.
It may be fairly said without fear of contradiction that Sri Jagadguru had gone through every branch of #Sanskrit#Literature and retained
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most of it in his memory. The most knotty points HH would unravel in a marvellously easy way to the intense admiration of his audience. The Sastras were Jagadguru’s playground & would revel in them as often and as much as he could. Besides, the Sastras HH was adept in Kavyas
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and dramas also. It was a very favourite pastime with HH to repeat what are known as Antadi Slokas. More than a dozen Pandits may range together against the Jagadguru and still he would be a match to them all. HH would repeat from memory Slokas by thousands and all his
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🧵Just as in the world, some thief might lead a person with his eyes covered from a village(called Gandhara), and might leave him, with eyes covered and hands bound, in a forest where there are no human beings; and this person not being able to find his way calls out for
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help and just as some sympathetic person may hear his cry, then removed his blindfold & handcuffs and tells him- "Gandhara is to the north from here, go in this direction." Then having his bondage removed by the sympathetic person, goes along asking his way from village to
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village, and having been rightly advised, he reaches Gandhara. Here, two expressions are to be taken note of: The man in question would have first to secure information from some source, or other as to the path he has to follow, and secondly he must have the desire and the
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The 12th Sringeri Jagadguru #SriSri Vidyaranya Mahaswamigal was a great sage, prolific writer, statesman, spiritual leader of a throne that lasted for more than two centuries, and preceptor of that Vijayanagara empire’s first three sovereigns.
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HH’s works constituted the greatest treatises in post-Shankara Advaitic literature. HH’s marvellous interpretative skills reconciled many apparent differences in philosophic texts.
The South provided a stronghold for Vedic dharma, which had suffered under Muslim rule in the
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North. The resurgence of Vedic practices was evident in all areas, including politics and socio-religious activities.Sri Vidyaranya played a significant role in the formation of a Hindu empire, and HH also helped to restore worship in several temples that had been suspended.
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🧵The self-realization path: In the famous Ankola Sloka of Shivanandalahari, the various stages of Bhakti are vividly portrayed. A chaste wife, whatever be the nature of her husband, devotes herself to the service of him. There is a clear distinction between the Bhagawan and
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the Bhakta. It is the type of Bhakti characterized as 'dāsyam'. A creeper, which, growing near the tree, slowly catches hold of the trunk for support and ultimately when fully grown completely covers the tree. Here the relationship between the Bhagawan and the devotee is
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intimate and close as between friends. This superior Bhakti is called 'Sakhyam'. Final example - A river finding its way into the sea and becoming completely one with the sea after confluence. In a similar way, the devotee after having given up everything which is the
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