Brief Introduction to AdvaitaSiddhi

Brief Introduction to AdvaitaSiddhi

AdvaitaSiddhi is one of the three Brhad-prastana-traya, which form the navya-vedanta (the neo-vedanta, should not confuse this with the half baked “new” ‘vedantina’). The other two being, Chitsukhi or Pratyag-tattva-pradipika by Sri Chitsukha muni, and Khandana-khanda-khadya or Anirvacaniya-sarvasva of Sri Sriharsha. These texts use the navya-nyaya (neo logic) language, very liberally.These three are referred to as Manana-granthas - the text for the reflection; done after one does the shravana, listening of the Prastana-traya.

There are many books written by great masters on the non-dual philosophy. These books may be based on one idea of the Vedanta or maybe based on a collection of different ideas. This book deals with almost all the different ideas of the non-dual school.

A book written on Vedanta can be an individual book, based on another of non-dual philosophy or based on some other philosophy.  The present text falls in the third category is a text based on the condemnation of the mistakes which are shown by the Acharya of School of duality on Advaita Vedanta.

This book is based on the collection of negation of Advaita-Vedanta done by masters of duality and semi-duality schools. Great Acharya of the semi-duality is Sri Vedanta Deshika wrote the text called Shastadushani collecting 66 purported mistakes of non-dual school. And another Acharya of the School of duality Sri Jaya Tirtha wrote the book called Vadavali in which he again collected some 34 superimposed mistakes. This forms the base for the book called Nyamrtha written by Sri Vyasa Tirtha belonging to the School of duality. This is the book which is dealt with here by one of the greatest Acharya of Vedanta Sri Madhusudana Saraswati.

Though, this is a condemnation of School of duality and presenting the Vedanta teaching in the proper light. This book is accepted to be a Prakarana Grantha. Therefore, each topic here is accepted to be an individual prakarana. There are totally 108 prakaranas, dealt in four adhyaya - chapters, like that of the Brahma Sutra.

No Work Just Gnan

vadantu çästräëi yajantu devän

    kurvantu karmäëi bhajantu devatäù |

ätmaikyabodhena vinäpi muktiù

    na sidhyati brahmaçatäntare'pi || 6||

Vadantu – let him speak, Shastrani – on the scriptures, Yajantu – let him propitiate, Devani – the deities, Kurvantu – let him do, Karmani - the karmas prescribed in the scriptures and the other karmas, Bhajantu – let him worship or serve the Gods, Atma-aikya=bodhena – the knowledge of the non-duality of the Self,  Vina-api – without it, Mukti – realization, Na – will not, Sidhyati – be accomplished, Brahma-shatantare-api – even in hundreds of Brahmas period.

Let him speak on the scriptures, let him propitiate the deities, let him do the karmas prescribed in the scriptures and the other karmas (for the benefit of people), let him worship or serve the Gods, without the knowledge of the non-duality of the Self, even in the hundred lifes of the Brahma one will not gain the release.

Here by the different types of actions, Vadantu, Yajantu, Kurvantu. And Bhajantu the four different types of means to gain the result of karmas is explained. They are Samskarya, Apya, Utpadya and Vikarya respectively.

The Brahman knowledge cannot be any of them because if it is accepted as a result of karma, the knowledge becomes non-eternal. Other than that, it cannot be -

1.       Samskarya – purificatory, there is nothing to be purified. 

2.       Apya – gain, there is nothing other than the Self, and it is never lost being our very nature.

3.       Utpadya – creating, it being ever present as our own nature or Self, cannot be created.

4.       Vikarya – transformation, it cannot be transformed; any change proves it is non-eternal.

Atma-aikya-bodhena – only by the knowledge of the Self as nothing different from our real nature. The identification with body-sense organ complex is because of ignorance, in reality we are the absokute Self, without this knowledge.

Brahma-Shatantare – a life period of brahma, the first born is very large in comparison with the human life span. A day of brahma is equivalent to forty thousand lack years of the human being.

Or In other words, without the knowledge of the non-duality of the Self, if we run, climb trees, shout or take baths or for that matter chant mantras, take dip in holy rivers, do yoga or meditation we will not be able to gain the realization.

Who is a Guru ?

çrotriyo'våjino'kämahato yo brahmavittamaù |

brahmaëyuparataù çänto nirindhana ivänalaù |

The Guru should be one who has studied the scriptures from the Tradition, should not be endowed with Sin (sinful actions), has gained victory on the desires, and the knower of the pure Self, and ever established in it and therefore tranquil, like the fuel less fire.

Shrotriya  is an important quality. Without the knowledge of the Brahman gained in the traditional way, if it is mystical, will not be able to guide or sometimes guide the disciple in a wrong way. In Bhagawad gita bhashya it is said “asampradayavid sarvashastragnopi murkavad upekshaniya” (the one who has not studied in a tradition, though is a master in the other shastras should be ignored lika aa idiot).

Avrajina sinless, sin is not an object of sense organ, therefore it cannot be found out, if be said, the actions are the pointer to the inner karma imprint, therefore in whom there is no wrong action, understand him to be sinless.

Akamahata – desireless. But than, the desire for moksha is also a desire, therefore there cannot be vairagya (dispassion) in the disciple too?  No, the desire for Self is like the desire for the spectacles in one bridge of the nose. It is not lost, but unknown due to ignorance, in the same way, we are the Self, but due to ignorance it is not known. This is not an attainment of unattained, but the as though attainment of the already attained. In the case of the Guru, he has attained that which needs to be gained. And since there is nothing other than him, he cannot have desire or hatred for other.

First it is said, brahmaviduttama dna again brahmani uparata, what is the difference between them ? once there is the knowledge the Brahman shines without any obstacle, but because of the previous imprints (vasana) he fails to be established in it. So, the rest of the life becomes the effort to establisg in it. And once that is done he becomes one with the Brahman. And that is why it is said shantam tranquil, he is tranquil because the Brahman is tranquil “shantam shivam advaitam” (tranquil auspicious nondual) is the Self.

When ther is another object other than the Self, there exists the desire to gain it, but when there is nothing other than the Self, there is no disturbance because of the imprints.

it is said "the Guru should be the one whoe removes the ignorance of the disciple and not impose his own ignorance on him"

Shraddha - what is it?

çästrasya guruväkyasya satyabuddhyavadhäraëam |

sä çraddhä kathitä sadbhiryayä vastüpalabhyate || 25||

Accepting the statements of the scriptures and the instructions of the Guru to be completely true is called Shradda, through which the Truth is understood, according to the knowers of Truth.

Accepting the statements of the Scriptures and the Guru as completely without any error and true to the core is called Shraddha. Shraddha is loosely translated as faith or trust or acceptance. But a faith or trust or for that matter acceptance can be negated and turned into unfaith, distrust or non-acceptance. Therefore, by shraddha what is meant is complete surrender. When there is surrender there cannot be any change in that stance.

And this Shraddha is said to be the foremost of all the other pre-requisites, because only when one has the complete shraddha he will be able to follow the instructions. That is why Bhagavan in Gita says “Shraddhavan labhate gnanam” (a man with shraddha gains the knowledge). And “Ashradhdhanasya na matim dadyat” one who does not have shraddha, to him the knowledge should not be imparted)

In yoga there are different kinds of samyama (meditative practice) is explained to gain the supernatural powers. Though, later the sutrakara Patanjali maharshi himself negates such accomplishment as a hindrance to the knowledge. Then why is is explained, for this the explanation is given by bhashyakara Vyasa mahrshi, only when one gains something at a grosser level he will have the shraddha to practice the subtler instructions of the Yoga.

---- 25

Vivekacudamani - 410

prakåtivikåtiçünyaà bhävanätétabhävaà

    samarasamasamänaà mänasambandhadüram |

nigamavacanasiddhaà nityamasmatprasiddhaà

    hådi kalayati vidvän brahma pürëaà samädhau || 410||

Devoid of being the cause and the effect, its nature is beyond imaginations, unchanging, without any equal, not releated from faroff with the measurements / comparisons (or the association with the pramana), accomplished through the statements of the vedas, eternally known to oneself, dualityless (devoid of modification), the infinite Self the knowledgeable one understands in the heart in the Samadhi.

Prakrti-vikrti-shunyam – devoid of cause of effect. There is no cause for the Self to be vikrti, and it is not cause for anything to be prakrti. Though the Self is explaiied as the “abhinna nimitta upadana karana” (both material and instrumental cause), it is with reference to the ignorance. since Self is Asanga (non-attached).

Since it is devoid of the cause and effect, it is Bhavaa-atita-bhavam – its nature is beyond the the imagination. That which cannot be classified as cause or an effect cannot be imagined.

Since it is beyond imagination, we need to explain, is it ever changing in nature. Because what changes ceaselessly can also not be imagined. Therefore, samarasam – unchanging.

Unchanging like what, to explain this asamanam – without any equal. It has nothing equal to show a similarity.

Since it is without any equal, we may ask to understand through comparison, greater than what or lesser than what. To dismiss this idea it is said, Mana-sambandha-duram – beyond comparison or there is no Pramana for this Self is not an object for any Pramana (means of right knowledge), therefore there can be no measurement or comparison or Pramana.

When there is no pramana, how can one understand this, to explain this Nigama-vacana-siddham - accompplished through the statements of the Vedas (verbal testimony). The scriptures proves the existence of Self with “pragnanam brahma” (Self is knowledge) or “sat brahma” (Self is existence) and this is taught by “tad tvam asi” (that you are) and what is taught is experienced as “aham brahma asmi” (I am the Self).

That which is accomplished through Vedas will be non-eternal (attained is anitya), therefore, it is said, nityam – eternal.

How is it known to be eternal, this is explained as asmad-prasiddam – known to oneself (ourself). The scriptures declare “pratibodha viditam matam” (known in each thought function as I).

If it is known it is with vikalpa – modification, this is negated with nirvikalpam – without any modification, through the experience of being the witness of different states, periods and place.

How to perform Purascharana

After knowing that people are interested in knowing about purascharan, see many visiting what is purascharana page, thought of writing a blog on how to do apurascharana.

The first and foremost requirement for doing a purascharana is Mantra. By mantra what we mean is the one initiated by a Guru and not just picked up from a book, due to infatuation or fantasy or the fun of it. Most of the time the mantras, which one is not initiated if put to use, gives a lot of trouble (have myself experienced and seen with others), and this is from a person who did not believe in mantras.

After deciding on the mantra. One should have a proper blessing and guidance of the Guru to perform the purascharana. Without this there is no point in doing it.

After performing the daily oblations, particularly if one is initiated into the sacred thread, should perform the sandhya-vandhana. Without sandhya-vandhana, for the initiated, any number of chanting will only be giving partial or no result. So, I prescribe, atleast for a short period before doing a purascharana, one take up chanting the gayatri mantra along with the sandhya, to gain focus.

After bath, and applying the forehead marks (bhasma, kumkum or whatever one is used to), start with the achamana, ritualistic sipping of water with the mantra initiated (from here on mantra is only the mantra of purascharana). Worshiping of the deity in the form of a yantra or statue is also accepted as a part of the purascharana.

If one is going to use an yantra, it should be the one for the deity of mantra, and should be drawn by the competent person, and if is bought from the shop, should be purified and initiated before the puja. Initiation of the yantra is the pranaprathishtha which a competent Guru should be able to do. Statue puja doe not involve te complexities of the yantra puja. In the yantra puja, one is required to invoke the deities in each portion of the yantra (this is a matter for another blog).

After performing the puja. The mantra should be chanted. These are the angas (limbs) one has to perform before starting the chanting of the mantra – 1. Rishi-chandas-devata nyasa, 2.Anga and Kara nyasa, 3. Devata dhyana (with sloka), 4. Devata dhyana (with the gayatri mantra for the devata), this is optional, 5. Mantra chanting. (may write a different blog for each one of these, in detail)

1. Rishi-chandas-devata nyasa – Rishi - each mantra has a Rishi, who is the one who saw the mantra with the deity associated e.g. ganaka, vamadeva, dakshinamurthy etc, Chandas – the meter in which the mantra is strung e.g. gayatri, pankti etc, Devata – the deity associated with the mantra. There are two more parts in this, the keelaka and the shakti, which is like the key and the power to the mantra. As it is considered each mantra has a shapa (curse) or so, this becomes important.

2.Anga and Kara nyasa – the mantra Shastra says “deva bhutva devan apyeti” (becoming the deity, worships the deity). This is done here. Sometimes the mantra is broken into different portions or it maybe altogether different associated deities, whicb is placed in different parts of the body. In the case of

a. Anga nyasa – the different parts of the mantra are placed or invoked in 1. heart, 2. forehead, 3. Tuft area, 4. Shoulders, 5. Eye triads (including the third eye) and 6 which creates a layer of protection from the unwanted disturbances from the other elements.

b. Kara nyasa – the same different parta (generally) as used in the anga nyasa is used in 1. Thumb, 2.first finger, 3. Middle finger, 4. Ring finger, 5. Little finger and 6. the palm and backside of the palm

3. Devata dhyana (with sloka) – each deity has a different form, shiva in the form of dakshinamurthy is different from the natraja (or if you like, lakshmi is different from saraswati or shakti). And different dakshinamurty or laksmni or ganesha have different froms. The form is for and of the mantra. Should chant this sloka and meditate on the deity in that particular form.

4. Devata dhyana (with the gayatri mantra for the devata) – as said already, this is optional. Not all the deities have gayatri mantra and not all the tradition follow this.

5. Mantra chanting – again and again, I am not tired of saying, chant only the mantra one is INITIATED bu a proper Guru. The deity is of the form of mantra. Fix the number of repetition, in malas or in numbers, per day. And follow the routine. The mantra chould be chant in the morning and the evening. Though in the evening there is no need for the puja as done in the morning. Otherwise, all the other steps explained above should be performed.

If the competent Guru prescribes a path, which overrides all the above, follow the Guru.

Savikalpa Vs Nirvikalpa Samadhi

There are two types of Samadhi in the vedanta 1. Savikalpa and 2. Nirvikalpa

1.       Ignorant – who has the association with the avidya.

a.       The kid who sees a wild elephant (world) in the wooden statue (Self), like the ignorant sees the world as different from the Self.

b.      Has the ahankara (ego) which is impure

2.       Savikaplpa – the Self is experienced with the world of duality, which is seen as not different from the Self. The world of duality and trinity is seen as the Self.

a.       The experience of an elder man in the statue is the elephant along with the knowledge of the wood which it is made of, like the one with the savikalpa Samadhi.

b.      Has the association with the shuddha ahankara (pure ego)

3.       Nirvikalpa – where there is nothing other than the Self.  This is the “Ekatmabhava”.

a.       And the experience of the carpenter in the same statue is the knowledge of the type of wood, like the one in the nirvikalpa Samadhi.

b.      Has the ego called nirvikalpa ahankara.

Either one is an ignorant or realized, ther can be no intermediate state. Though there maybe gradation in the purity of heart.

The 'other' Pramana

There are three accepted pramanas (other than the perception, inference, verbal testimony etc), 1. Shruti (Vedas), 2. Smrti (recollections) and 3. Yukti and 4. Anubhava (experience).

1.       Shruti – is the ultimate pramana, ehrn compared to all the other pramanas.

2.       Smrti – is the second most important pramana, in the absence of an equivalent shruti. If the shruti and the smrti statements contradict, then the shruti is accepted to be the pramana. The smrti statements supported by the shruti and the statements which are non-contradictory is pramana.

3.       Yukti – normally translated as logic. With reference to the shruti and smrti it also is expressed as nyaya. Here it does not only mean the normal logic, of worldly and logic school, but it means the conclusions of the topics in the Brahma Suta.

4.       Anubhava – the experience with reference to the shruti is the pramana, and not an independent experience. We have the expereice of pot etc objects of the world, they are not paramarthika (ultimate reality), as they make us believe, but vyahavarika (transactional reality) as accepted by the shruti. Therefore the statement “anubhava avasana hi brahmavidya” (brahmavidya (knowledge of the Self) is complete only with the experience of the Self).

Karma Connections

Jivanmukta doesn't have sañcitakarma or āgāmikarma since his tripuṭi is eliminated. But his prārabdha karma remains as long as his body falls. Now coming to my doubt. The text tatvabodha ascertain that his karmaphala will get transferred to good people. But how a jñānī's karma has a fruit as his he is has no kartr̥tvābhimānah. 

That is a very valid doubt. and every vedanti has to face this, at some point.
the doubt arises because of the iidentification with the karma.
therefore it should be understood properly.

1. there is no karma, from the standpoint of the ultimate truth, Sefl.
therefore there can be no association with it, before, during and
after (B-D-A) the knowledge. this association with it B-D-A is because of
ignorance. and if it exists the knowledge has not ripen. this from the
stand point of the Truth.

2. from the standpoint of the non-realized :). the karma exists until
the identification with the body-sense organ complex exists. just
because i know the rules of the traffic or for that matter dont know
or dont care i cannot be relieved of the traffic rules.
the knowledge destroys all the karmas (gnana-agni sarvakarmaani
basmasat kurute) there is no doubt about that. and there as you
rightly understood, the prarabdha is accepted, for holding the body as
holding to the body.this we call lesha-avidya (small ignorance) or
iswara-prerita (guided by iswara).

But the reality, when the gnani reacts (!) to the world it is accepted
to in "badha-samanadhikaranya", and therefore he cannot have any idea
of reality in it, and therefore it cannot be producing any karma, and
that is why, the shruti says he is free from the defects of punya and
papa from the action "vidhi-nisheda para" beyond the injuctions of the
do and donts of the shruti.

Now, if during the period of prarabdha karma i do some activity, and
no one can resist the activity, which takes place. then this is a
karma and has to produce the result. and in the iswaras mainframe all
the identity of this jiva is deleted, but still this jiva as a single
node still exists, and there in this jiva as a temporary memory, the
karmas has to be registered. the karmas cannot exists without
producing the result, and there is no birth for the jnani, were will
it go. so, we logically answer, it will go to the others, for
producing the results. this karma will be split after the deha viyoga
of the gnani by the iswara.


नासीदस्ति भविष्यति---> Avidyalesha -> if it is not accepted then the
whole vyavahara of the jnani cannot be explained,. that is why i gave
an option of accepting the iswara prerita. remember Vidyaranya
bhagavans three prarabdhas ones own, others and iswaras. these are to
logically explain the existence of the body, otherwise, there is
nothing for the gnani from his view is what is said as nasit ...

you asked (about the karma) , the Shastra says (some excuse for its existence). in reality, see answer 1.

Dharma Connections

Many a time it is dangerous to interpret the Shastra verbatim. That is why we always give importance to the tradition. There is a statement which says Brahma does not grow due to merit or decrease due to demerit – “na dharmena vardhate nadharmena kaniyan”.

The statement seems to be a very harmless statement, at face value. And the interpretation given above fits the bill, and is what is generally given by the lecturers.

But, for someone who has studied tarka or has a little logical sense this statement interpretation will be one of the ‘foolest’ way of interpreting.

Foolest ? ok, we can understand Brahman does not grow because of punya or decrease because of papa. But, what about the inverse or vice-versa. That is, will Brahman grow because of adharma and decrease because of dharma. That is not the case, too.

The primary idea of the scripture is to tell us that punya and papa cannot bring about any change in the Brahman. Because it is not a samskaarya or aapya or utpaadya or vikaarya (purify, gain, create or transform). The four modes of attainment through karma.

So, the interpretation should be, Brahman does not grow or decrease of punya and papa.

What is Purascharana and how is it performed.

Invariably, many people enter the blog with a question (google search) of purascharana. We will see in this blog what it is and how it is done.

Purascharana means pura charati iti, that means, that which is performed before or prior. Before the deity or prior to the mantra siddhi. We will come to the q what is mantra siddhi later. Now, what should be done before or prior to complete a purascharana.

Purascharana means repeating a mantra for a particular number of times and for a period of time. This is the first and important part of the purascharana. There are five parts / limbs to a purascharana, 1. Mantra japa (repetition of mantra) 2. Homa (fire obulation using the mantra) 3. Tarapana (water obulation using mantra) 4. Marjana (ritualistic sprinkling of water) and 5. Bhojana (feeding of Brahmins / Sadhus).

Japa – repeating the mantra for a specified number of times. This is normally n Lakh times, where n stands for the number of characters / alphabets in the mantra. If the mantra is a very big one, than, it is also accepted as 1 lakh repetition. And, at the beginning of the japa everyday, the puja should be performed to the mantra deity or the yantra for the particular mantra.

Homa – after performing the reqired number of japa. The Homa should be performed using the same mantra adding a “swaha” to it. And the number of times the homa should be performed is 1 / 10^th of the Japa. Likewise, the later stages in the purascharana is 1 / 10^th of the former stage. The obulation material or the material for the offering in the fire is generally Ghee (clarified butter), but sometimes, may vary according to the purpose of the pursacharana.

Tarpana – water mixed with milk or jiggery etc. is used to perform tarpana. In this, the water is taken in a spoon and it will be poured through the palm, leaving the thumb. This too should be done using the mantra and a “tarpayami” added to it.

Marjana – the water is taken in a bowl and a small piece of ginger it tied to the tip of it, through which the water is sprinkled on oneself or the yantra. The sprinkling should be done using the mantra suffixed with a “marjayami” to it.

Bhojana – number equal to 1 / 10^th of the number of marjana should be fed, as the last part of the purascharana.

This completes one round of purascharana. In kali age to attain mantra siddhi one should perform four purascharana using a mantra. Manra siddhi generally means attainment of the complete control of the mantra, for using it in a way desired. But, for a sadhaka, it means the blessing of the deity. It could be felt by the peace one gains after the purascharana.

If for some reason, one is not able to perform the above other limbs, than it can be substituted with four times japa (four times of the 1 / 10^th of the previous limb).

Grahana Dos and Donts.

What should one do or not do in Grahana (Eclipse)

According to the Shastra, Grahana is a very different auspicious period. Very different means, on the auspicious hour all that we do is not done, but at the same time, during this period one performs spiritual karmas and avoids doing wrong karmas.

It is accepted, we get many-fold results for the karmas performed during this period.

There are different aspects which are seen during a grahana period. First is called Sutak period (theetu in tamil). This period differs for a solar and lunar eclipse. For solar this period is 12 hours before and for lunar it is 6 hours before the ecplise. After the start of this period, norlmally, no solid food is consumed. And temples are closed during this period, till the end of grahana.

The grahana period is itself of three periods, the start, middle and the end (called sparsha, moksha and nivrtti in sanskrit). Before the start and end of the grahana, one takes bath. Sometimes, there are people who do bath during the middle of the grahana, moksha period. After the grahana, the house should be washed or atleast water should be sprinkled.

During the grahana, chanting of mantras, slokas and even tarpanas (obulation to the ancestors) is performed. We avoid doing puja, homa and also any other inauspicious activities.

                                                                                                                                       

When we do a mantra japa, normally we do achamana (sipping of water), sankalpa, rishyadi nyasa, anga and kara nyasa and dhyana as a part of the japa (we will see this in a different blog later and also the method of doing a purascharana). But, during the grahana we need not perform all this, but just do the rishyadi nyasa before the japa..

If one is initiated into many mantras, this will be the period to just, as to say, charge the mantras. But, one should the main mantra, one regularly chants for the maximum period.

After the grahana, after taking the bath, one should should chant the mantras again for a small period. In the day time, it is also a practice to change the yagnopavita (sacred thread).

What is Guru Poornima / Vyasa Poornima ?

This is a long pending question. What is Vyasa Poornima/ Guru Poornima Puja.

We have to understand the difference between the Guru Puja and Guru Purnima Puja first. Guru Puja, nor mally in south, is one celebrated on the day of the Samadhi of the Guru, otherwise called as Varshika. Whereas, Guru Purnima Puja is celeberated for the Gurus in the Sampradaya / Parampara / Tradition.

This is normally celebrated by the Sannyasins. This is also an important day, as it is the day of the beginning of the Chaturmasya. (See - Chaturmasya Nirnaya page in the blog). We should remember, the puja a parahamsa sannyasi performs on this day too, is only Manasa Puja or Mental worship and not a Physical worship.

In this five peoples belonging to five groups are worshipped along with ones own, Guru parampara.

Firstly, in the Center of all the group, Lord Krishna, who is nothing but the Paramathman (Self) himself and Jagat Guru, is worshiped. Around him are worshiped the other forms of Sri Krishna, Sri Vasudeva, Sri Sankarshana Sri Pradyumna and Sri Aniruddha, are worshipped. The position is Sri Vasudeva in the left top, Sri Sankarshana in the right top, Sri Pradyumna in the right bottom and Sri Aniruddha in the left bottom.

Then, in the right side of Sri Krishna, Sri Vyasa Maharishi is worshiped. Around him are worshiped his four maharishi disciples, Sri Sumanthu, Sri Jaimini, Sri Vaisampayana and Sri Paila. In the same order as previous (LT, RT, RB and LB).

To the left of Sri Krishna, Bhagawan Bhashyakara Sri Shankaracharya. Around him are worshiped his four disciples, Sri Padmapadacharya, Sri Sureshwaracharya, Sri Thotakacharya and Sri Hastamalakacharya.

Above Sri Krishna, Devarishi Sri Sanaka is worshiped. Around him, Sri Sanandana, Sri Sanatana, Sri Sanatsujata and Sri Sanatkumar.

Below Sri Krishna, Sri Dravidacharya is worhiped. Around him, Sri Gowdapadacharya, Sri Govindacharya,  Sri Vivaranacharya and Sri Sankshepakacharya (Sri Sarvagatma muni).

In front of all these people, Sri Guru is worshipped alongwith, Parama Guru, Paramshti Guru, Parapara Guru should be wordhiped. Since we have already worshiped Sri Krishna, Maha Guru worship is already done. Here, we can worship all the other Acharyas of Brahmavidya, like, Sri Vacaspati mishra, Sri Vidyaranya, Sri Madhusudhana Saraswati, Sri Sadhashiva Brahmendra, Sri Appayya Dikshitendra, Sri Chandrashekara Bharati, Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati and other Acharyas one has great respect for.

Around these group in the eight corners we should worship, Indra etc. devatas, as worshipped in a Yantra or Mandala.

 It is a day for the disciples to worship their Guru. Guru too, himself being a disciple of some Guru, worships him.

Is Vaimanika Shastra a Myth?

Somebody who is interested in Vaimanika Shastra asked me the veracity of it.

Let us understand this very clearly. The rishis were not just people who defined code of conduct for this world and gaining the other. But, they had a very great scientific understanding also.

But, this unlike the current scientists is not totally based on the study of the proof, but through their intuition. Bose speaker’s inventor Mr. Bose conceded that, most of his invention was based on intuition, rather than purely understanding. Not to say about Mr. Steve Jobs of macintosh / iphone / ipod. Or more importantly, the famous man who ran naked on the streets shouting “eureka”.

In Malayalam there is a saying, a man who knows mantra is Tantri and a man who knows Tantra is Mantri. (Mantra – Sacred chants, Tantri – Superior Preist, Tantra – techniques, Mantri – Minister)

What is the truth about the flight and missile technology of the yore. Like we have a different mantra today called programming. The old days Rishi too used a code called Mantras. If it is coded as “dam dim doom” or “bam bim boom” etc, we called it bijakshara in shastras and superstition in science.

But, let us take any one character and add an “m” to it and chant it for some time (like, kam kham, kim khim, kum, khum etc.). If we are not initiated in that mantra, we may have some temporary physical difficulties.

Let us come to the present discussion. If the code is “start, if … than …, else, for … to, return, goto end etc. or push, pop etc., then again this is not a understandable language for a common person as well as the computer. This is going to be converted to a 0 or a 1 by the system to understand, but still, for the people at large this is a mysterious mantra.

We can’t SEE, does not mean it does not exist.

The Vaimanika shastra is written by the great rishi Shri Bharadwaj. whose name many carry as their Gotra.

 

Strange are the ways of Ishwara - (Kedar Deluge)

This is a question forwarded to me :

These links are about Dhari Devi. This author says unless the idol is put back in position and appeased, death and destruction will continue throughout India.

We have heard about guardian deities throughout our life .. (ellai amman etc). But the chief priest of the temple himself doesn’t speak about this ! His quote below…

Don't blame the gods says the priest of the Dhari Devi temple, blame man he insists. Head priest BP Pande said, "Man has constructed these dams, we are to blame, don't blame the gods. We harmed nature, now this is nature's retaliation."

http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/seekers/faith-and-rituals/the-cause-of-kedarnath-destruction-dhari-devis-wrath

http://www.speakingtree.in/ramesh.nsw/profile

What is Sastra Nethralaya’s view ? Some people are asking in the blog, why are the saints and sadhus keeping quiet about this. And why is the temple priest himself doesn’t seem to favor this view ?

I hope Sastra Nethralaya has not restricted its scope to only Vedanta !

Firstly, if it is shastra then there is always scope for shastranethralaya to discuss it. This we have made clear in our very first post here and in the forum too.

About Dhari Devi. As we know this is a small temple in the banks of alaknanda river, a little further on the route to rudra prayag (conflusion), a little further of Srinagar. It is though not a big temple in size, but is a famous temple. People flock this temple for child, which it is very famous for among others. The most important thing is this is the Gaurdian Deity, as the questioner asks. The whole of this portion of hill is considered as Kedar Khanda (part of the Kedar), and this deity is the deity for this part of the hills.

This may sound strange for many, who have not been introduced to the idea of the deities. But, this is a very common thing in the hills, a little more than that of the other parts of india, this beleif is more strong here. And, they are not mistaken in this. There is an annual meeting of these deities in uttarkashi, during the month of January. And on every kumbha mela held at Hardwar, they have a special day for bath too. On this day like the jhulus (parade) of the sadhus on the secial occasion these deities go on a jhulus.

Let us see some interesting details about this annual meeting of the deities. The deities, their travelling counter-part (urchava murthi), will be requested on the day of the beginning of the journey, and only after the deities give their ascent they will move (MOVE), really (will understand from the later passages).  After this they will be carried from their respective places on a dole (pallak, palanquin). The entourage consists of a priest, the musicians and some extra players for sharing / carrying the dole. During this travel, it is not the people who decide where to stop, but the deity itself. It will be strange to hear this drama, when the deity decides to stop in a village, the weight of the dole becomes heavy, unbearable for the people carrying it. Still, if they pursue on their way, the dole will start to rotate in a 360 degree, making it difficult for the people carrying. For a person, who is born and brought-up in a city, and not a village of south india, where these kind of things are famous, it is difficult to believe, unless one has a direct experience..

Incidentally, the area where virakth ashram is, there is a temple of a devi, little further (around a k.m.), which is the guardian deity for that part of rishikesh. And, everyday this deity goes to Ganga, on the road front of Virakth ashram,  in the early morning, around 3 am. This was witnessed by me once, when I didn’t know about this, when I asked the neighbors who are pahadis (hill tribe), they informed about this event.

In the hills, you can see the fear and respect they show for these deities.

They are stubborn deities. If they are angry, there is nothing strange, they are there to protect the hill flock. And if there is a danger for it, and therefore fot them, it will act in ways which are strange to conceive.

But, how can God be so rude ?, fearing, this backlash, the priest and the others prefer not to respond in this angle. But, they are not Gods, they are menial deities, whose only job is to take care of the people in its jurisdiction. For this, it may go to any extreme.

Then why should it kill its own people, which it should protect ? it is the law of karma which is taking place. The place in and around these holy paces, the hill folks have become very greedy, though it can be argued it is their way of sustenance etc., they were selling alcohols etc. and making the place unholy.

But why kill the devotees ? the demand supply chanin is in work here. The devotees, who turn up to these temples are just mostly selfish tourists (this may sound rude), with some devotion.

Then the question turns to the real devotees, for them what more great can happen, than leaving / laying their lives in the abode of Lord.

Why speak about this north, even on the Chennai – banglore highway, there is a temple which is in the center of the road, which had to be removed, but since the engineers, contractors and the others had recurrent problems, while trying to remove this they left it in the center of the road.

Samadhi

When we talk of samadhi, people normally confuse that the yoga Samadhi with gnana Samadhi.

Is there a difference ? because, in the yoga too the oneness of the seer, seeing and the seen is what is experienced in the Samadhi. And this seems to be the case with the vedantic gnana Samadhi too. But, if it be said, in Vedanta Samadhi it is accepted that only the seer remains, it is old wine in new bottle.

This argument is taken to a next level by some vedantins themselves, by trying to show the Samadhi and deep sleep as one.

So, what is the difference ? this is, the yoga Samadhi no doubt speaks of the oneness in a way to speak. But, this oneness is attained by the control of the thought-functions (vritti). And , this thoughtless (!?!) state is the same state attained in the deep sleep, so we can easily conclude it is not what the Vedanta teaches. But is sleep not similar to Samadhi, no, it cannot be, because the sleep is a kind of avidya vritti. This is explained in the yoga sutra, “abhava alambana vritti nidra”.

Ok, it is understood the sleep is not Samadhi. But still the difference between the yoga and gnana Samadhi is not explained. It is this the yoga Samadhi as explained earlier is cessation of thought function. And the gnana Samadhi is the one which is gained through the pramanic knowledge. Through the pramanic knowledge a vritti which is akhandakara vritti is generated and this is the one which destroys all the ignorance. If the akandakara vritti is a vritti then how is it negated, because though it negates the other vrittis, it will remain unopposed ? the akandakara vritti is like the fire, when there is fuel the fire burns, and when the fuel is burnt, the fire gets extinguished itself. There is no new effort needed, in the same way, for negating this akhnandakara vritti too.

This is why the yoga Samadhi is termed, Jada Samadhi (Jada – inert) and vedantic Samadhi is called gnana Samadhi.

Some Q & A - 5

16. Can you kindly explain why BhagawAN Bhasyakara and Sureshwaracharyaji, in some places   identify deep sleep as  a statewhen Atman becomes one with Brahman
 answer: For this BS 3.2.8 adhikarana and B.S 3.2.9 should be seen concurrently. because, though on 8 he says it is sushptisthana, since it is in tadatmya with brahma, still, one wakesup as that onesellf  before sleep. otherwise, even sleep will make you realized, what is the need for all this mula, bhashya, tika, prakarana etc. etc.
people want to sometimes see what they want, like here in this point holenarsipur swamiji. let me explain, a two days ago i saw a lorry with a headplate or frontpanel writing, "MAA KI BUWA" i was stunned, that someone remembers a strange relation. but after a minute or two it struck me it is not BUWA but DUWA with a strange mark in the D. or, the otherday when i was travelling i saw a board where they claim to teach maths, and on the board was written AlZebra, and i was trying to get a meaning, with ref to Al-Jaseera or Al-hamid and other notorious
names, but later it struck me he is referring to Alzebra, a famous branch of maths.
17. Can you kindly explain why Acharya Gaudapada compares this world with sashasringa (which is asat)? (in the second chapter) It was in this context I asked you earlier that sometimes I get confused while reading the karika where the difference btween mithya and asat is not very clear as if.While in advaita-siddhi the difference is clearly stated.
answer: Iam not answering this --> But, I urge you to go thru the karika of chapter 2 once more. what is vaitatya first and is not there a mithya word very clearly used for jagat by bhagavan gaudapada in the karika?
18. what is the controversy between Prabhakara and Kumarila Bhatta regarding Swadhay vidhi
 answer: the diff is just namesake diff. like one accepts the svadyaya as the study of the vedas and the other (Guru - Prabakara) accepts it only with the complete knowledge of the meaning.
19.Is there any difference between Bhamati and Vivarana regarding the
defination of mithya?
answer: the first is from pancapadika, the second and third is from pancaadika-vivarana, fourth chitsukhi (pratyagtattvapradipika) and the final one is by anandabodacharya.
In bhashya and bhamati, i remember the statement "sad-asadbhyam anirvacaniyam" as the definition of mithya. which is like, the first one. So, there is practically no differrence. even if it s so, it has more to do with the logical language etc. and not in the
way mithya is accepted.
20.Is Sureshwaracharyaji considered within Vivarana school or is He separated out ?What is the traditional position regarding this?
answer:He is accepted by both the schools (but should add, to some extent. otherwise there is no  need to start a new school of thought)
But frankly, he had an idea of his own, though based on the advaita.

Some Q & A - 4

11.Firstly when Madhusudana Saraswatiji, starts HIs Advaita Siddhi, he states that mithatya of world is to proved first.Can you please explain what exactly Buddhists positon regarding falsity of the world(I am speaking of Vijanavadins and Shunyavadins) and its relation with the advaita position? 
answer: They both accept the world to be non-existant, and is just a projection of vijnana or on vijnana. they say, aadau antau yad nasti,madhye api tad tatha - that which didnt exist in the beg and in the end, in between too its position is the same.
12. Then what is the difference between Buddhism and Advaita? Moreover why does Bhagawan Bhasyakara criticise Vijanavadain view that objects are vijana in His Brahmasutra Bhasya.?
answer: They say that the world is vijnamatra and therefore it is false(asat). and we asy it is illusion (mitya, maya, avidya). though, some people think that the karika has also expressed similar views and not mitya view, (they say, before people were intelligent to understand the difference with just sat and asat) it is wrong, because, the very
alatashanti prakarana deals with this.
13.Regarding therelationship between karmayoga with Jnana what is the difference inBhamati and vivarana school regarding this? There was some difference between them(of a minor nature) regarding the role of Karmayoga.
answer: bhamati - karma -> chitta shuddhi -> desire for knowledge - >shastra -> knowledge - > moksha
    Vivarana - karma -> moksha
This they present with the statement, karmana eva samsiddhim astita janakadaya and yagnena daanena tapasaa anashakena, yagnan dhaanamtapaschaiva pavanaani maniishinaam etc. And this cannot be accepted as
minor differences.
14. How can an advaitin say that Karma leads to Moksha! Bhagawan Bhasyakara is clear on this point.
answer:Are you sure ? . because, bhagavan bhashyakara in BS.3.2.5 see the bhashya.he says, tato hi ishward heto jivasya bandhamokshau bhavata. after he says, the point it is possible for some "kaschideva avirbhavati".

15.Can non-brahmins take sannyasa? What is the traditional position regarding this?If any non brahmmin wants to renounce, does tradition accept them?
answer:  The discussion is where sureshwara bhagavan differs with acharya bhagavan. acharya says only brahman has right, but whereas, varthikakara says since they have right for karma, they should have the right for giving it up too. but, the yatidharmasangraha or for that matter naradaparivrajaka or other sanyasa upanishads say only about brahmins. for others, if at all, they should not wear ochre robe.
now, the traditional people, who ever, except the south indian pitas,
accept. probably, they themselves are not brahmins or they dont follow
the sannyasa dharma.

Some Q & A - 3

cont ...

7.THe term pratiyogin , I always get confused about it, it seems to mean multiple things.I have read two translations of the term "counter-positive" and "counter-correlate".Can you kindly explain what is the basic difference between "counter-positive" and "counter-correlate" and what is the precise meaning of pratiyogi?
 In discussing the viprapatti ,the text says
'' it is the counter -positive which is negated for all time(past etc) in the locus in which it appears."
" it is the counter-correlative of the said negation in its absolute form."
Can you kindly explain what is the precise meaning?
answer :My english and my intelligence is very poor. so, i dont get into these counters, major and minor terms etc.

Pratiyogin according to nyaya is "yasya abhava", that is the object you are talking about. it need not just be the abscent object. simply put it is the adjunct or embodiment. this is what is said in" it is the counter-correlative of the said negation in its absolute form."

And for any pratiyogin there should be an anuyogin "yasmin abhava " -adhara, adhikarana, the substratum, locus.... and this is explained here with ref to pratiyogin '' it is the counter -positive which is negated for all  time(past etc) in the locus in which it appears."  


8. In your Brahmasutra lectures you said that it is generally believed that Bhamati tradition is for the householders and Vivarana is for Sannyasins. In this context I would like to ask what is the traditional view of liberation, can householders attain it? (recently I went to Sringeri, and bought abook of His Holiness Chandrasekherendra Bharati, where it is mentioned that He re generally did not agree to teach Brahmasutra Bhasya to householders)If this is so then what for is the Bhamati tradition ascribed to them?
answer : Forget chandrashekara bharati swamijis statement, i have tons of respect for him.  But, it is his perception. bhamatikara himself is a counter example. and there are innumerable examples.In advaita, understand this, not many people understand this, therecan be many ideas but the self is one. since the jagat is mithya, the explanation to it need not be precise. and also, whatever, explanation you give is precise too.

9. In Bengal, there is a particular tradition among Gaudiya Vaishnavas who say that Madhusudana Saraswatiji, was basically a vaishnava and not a true advaitin. They give lot of irrelevant logics which it seems to me, are of a little interest .However there is only one point ,in some places of Gita Bhasya Madhusudana Saraswati seems to differ from Bhagavan Bhasyakara. For example in His bhasya on 18.66 , He respectfully differs from Bhagavan Bhasyakara. Why is this so? Or is the answer like the one you gave me in the previous mail, i.e. maya's  jagat can be explained in various ways . What is disturbing me, is actually Madhusudana Saraswati rather emphasises His difference with Bhasyakara, in the last example (18.66).
answer: Forget about it. they are just ideas. why just him, even bhagavan bhashyakaras direct disciple sureswara bhagavan has contradicted him in brahadaranyaka varthika. see madhusudana bhagavans commitment in the mangala sloka itself. and when he starts with, advaitasiddi dvaita mithyatvasiddhipoorvakatvat... bhagavan bhashyakara himself says, tasmat vyaktistu na pramanam. and 2 just forget it is just ideas, they dont really mean anything, i
mean all the explanation someone gave.just remember, dont give importance to ideas, even this 

10. In Agama Prakarana, what does the prajna mean exactly, If it is avidya, then why is it called Ishwara sometimes?
answer: Praajna is the word which is sometimes used in this way.. but it probably is taken as prajne bhava (existing in prajna) and not as prajna eva praajna. (prajna is praajna) so, sometimes this type of interpratation happens. this meaning is what is taken even in kshetragna, by some. But tasya prajna prathistha etc, speaks it as the Self / knowledfe principle.

Some Q & A - 2

Cont...

5.What is the exact difference between Shaktadvaita and Shivadvaita ? I was recently reading an article by MM Gopinath Kaviraj who claims these two are different, but the difference between them seems to me rather based on terminology(at least reading the article it seemed)
answer:both shakta and shivadavaita are very similar. the idea for shakta philosphy is derived by bhaskaracharya from kasmir shaivism only. all said, if you want to see differrence 1 and 2 are differrent, but they are both numerals. here shiva is accepted as great and shakti on the other side, there it is a HUGE difference 
6.I was grappling with Advaita Siddhi, the first part starts with a discussion on Vipratipatti. I you have time can you elucidiate the basic positions of the purvapakshi and Siddhatin here.What I am trying to say what is the exact relation of this discussion with the objective of the Acharya i.e. proving the world is Mithya  Instead of starting the discussion ith Mithatya why does He start with this discussion?
answer:The purvapakshi does not want to accept the doubt which arises due to the viprapatti vakya in accepting the pakshata (sandigdasadhyadharmavan - where there is a doubt about the sadhya,and that type of dharma exists in whichever place, that is called).this is what he refers to with - yadyapi viprapattijanyasamsayasya na
pakshatasampadakatayopayoga.

1. Therefore this viprapatti statement which is declared by somebody
cannot be accepted as a part of the vicara.
2. And also, those who are in dialogue are sure about their own
statements, therefore, even if somebody pronounces this vipratipatti,
still, both are not going to listen to it.
3. And that somebody can easily declare that, you are going to prove
this, and you are going to condemn this. for this reason also there
can be no viprapatti and in effect no doubt.
But, for us though it may not be diretly accepted through doubt, asfor the negation of doubt it becomes a part of the vicara.

Some Q & A

Iam posting the posts by Rajit ji, in the forum.

These are some questions which were put to Swamiji, and He kindly answered them. Though these are being posted   under the topic Vedanta, occasional references are made to other darshanas also.
1. Firstly as far as I understood, in Advaita there is a Sat, Asat and Mithya.Now theMandukya karikas does not seem to differentiate between the last two. In the Bhasya of the karika also it seems as if Bhagavan Bhasyakar is not differentiating between Asat and MithyaHowver later Advaitins were bent on proving that Mithya and asat are different.Almost 75% of advaita siddhi is dedicating to defending the mithya position against the dualists. Specifically does the karika believe that the world is asat or mithya?
answer: Iam not sure, are you sure ?  because if so, then how did the association of sat and asat happen. and how will it go. it will be very complicated to explain advaita. and alatashanti itself means this mitya.
2.What is the difference between Shivadvaitabada ,Shaktadvaitabada and Advaita.? Is avidya of advaita the shakti inthis sysytem?Then why on earth should one worship avidya(which is not Ishwara) as the Divine mother? If Saguna Brahman of Advaita is Shakti then who is Shiva ?
answer :even for argument sake, if we accept, shakti to be avidya, it is ofthe shiva, and the shakti and shaktiman (weilder of power) are notdifferrent. therefore, worshipint the power means worshipping the shiva. and, they accept anava, karma, maya malas too. and these malasare synonymous to our avidya.
3.What is the difference between Hiranygarbha and Saguna Brahman?As far as I have understood the former is aJiva.But Bhagavan Bhasykara does not seem to differentiate between them in some places of His Brahmasutra Bhasya
answer:hiranyagarbha and saguna brahman are not differrent. both are jiva,in the sense, they are both created. this is what is accepted in yogawhen it is said, vishesha purusha ishwara.
4.Can there be liberation (in advaita) for a person who has not done Shravana etc, by simple Bhakti and through the grace of Ishwara? Or is the highest phala of bhakti is lokprapti?
answer:ofcourse bhakti will lead one to moksha. but the culmination ofbhakti will be to see who is the bhakta and what is the one he/sheworships, and this knowledge will be invariably be given to him by the iswara, directly or mostly thro a guru. this is what is said bykrishna, ananyas chintayanto mam. and bhagavan bhashyakara also saysthe same thing in the bs bhashya, but he attaches a string saying, that it happens very rarely to only some. if it does not end in knowledge itwill be giving the result of lokaprapti.

Doshas of Hetu

What is the difference between sadhyavikalata and sadhanavikalata dosha ?

Before answering this, let us understand that these doshas are often used to point out to the logical fallacy. There are others like bhagasiddhi, vyabhichara etc. too.

To understand these doshas, we have to understand the avavaya – limbs, of the tarka – syllogory. Generally, the logicians accept five limbs in a tarka, we vedantins accept only three, either the first three or the last three of the five limbs.

Pratigna, hetu, udharana are the important limbs.

Pratigna is the aim, where the sadhya – the one we want to prove in the paksha – the place where it needs to be proved is specified. Ex. Parvato vahnimaan, the mountain has fire. Here the mountain is the  

Hetu is the reasoning we give to prove the aim.  Ex. Dhumaat / dhmavatvaat, since it has smoke. Smoke is the pointer which always co-exists when there is fire.

Udharana is the example to prove the reasoning is correct with respect to the aim. Ex. Mahanasavat, like the kitchen. The concomitance ‘where there is smoke there is fire is gained’ from different places, like, kitchen, sacricial fire etc.

In sadhya and sadhanavikalata doshas, vikalata means handicapped or absence (abhava).

If the hetu does not fit in with the sadhya then it is sadhyavikalata dosha.

If the hetu does not fit in with  the udhaharana it is sadhanavikalata dosha.

If the hetu fits only in a portion of the sadhya, it is bhagasiddhi. Bhaga – portion, assiddhi – is not proven. In a portion of the sadhya the reason does not fit.

If the hetu misses the sadhya completely, it is called vyabhicara dosha.

No Confusion

In an earlier blog, I had said that the puranas are for the people who are less qualified. Now on reading this we (some of us :) ) have these doubts,

What exactly is the role of puranas?You wrote in your blog it is the means of realization for less qualified people .But somehow it seems that to understand the puranas one has to have more maturity than the shrutis.why I am saying this is because puranas often contains stories which areenough to confuse people ,sometimes Shiva or Shree Hari are shown to behave in such a manner that is not expected from a morally elevted person. we do find puranas extolling one God over the other. To reconcile them is rather diffiult.So less qualified people won't they get more confused?

The question is from a not-so less qualified. The less and / or lesser qualified person will not think like this. And if at all these questions arise than understand he is not the less ualified person we are talking about.

And as for the contradictions in the smrti, they are not like prastanatrayi, where one reads all, they select one of their favorite hero, and his one drama and generally stick to it, without bothering much about the difficulties you face :).

It is like the story we say, when the acharya was explaining bhagawad gita for more than an hour, one layman asked him to stop, when asked for the reason, he said, since bhagawan is turning around to teach arjuna he will have ache in his neck.

So, no confusion. OK :)

What is a Shiva Linga

Shiva linga though many people in their ignorance consider it as a phallus worship or union of male-female etc. these ideas are absurd. A linga means leenam artham gamayathi, that which points out to the hidden truth, and shiva means auspiciousness. A shiva linga is a pointer to the Truth. Truth is the most auspicious. In many place the linga is in the form of a ellipse. But there are temples where the ling is in the form of a circle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon or an octagon. And there is a temple in south tamilnadu (neat pudukkottai / arandangi), Avudayarkoil, the swami is called Atmanatheswara who has no form, Arupa. This is a temple built by Sri Manikkavacakar. Leave this alone, one of the jyothirlinga, Kedar has the linga in the form of a small mountain.

The shiva linga which is baneswara is the one which is brought from the river narmada. This is a naturally formed linga because of the rolling of the stone, in a small water fall. And the other lingas are either made from a stone from narmada of any good stone, like marble, crystal etc. Otherwise there is no "upadhi", attribute difference between a baneswara and any other iswara. But, there is an important difference, for a baneswara there is no prana-prathishta, establishing of vital-air (deity) through sacred chants required and for the other including a linga made from the narmada stone.

There are different types of lingas that are worshipped. The results are attributed to be different for each. Linga made of crystal, is a special form for the Brahmins. Others include narmadeswar linga, linga made from a metal gold, silver etc. There is a special linga made of mercury amalgamation which is considered to be good. There is one called hariharatma linga which is one found in a shaligrama stone. A shaligrama stone is like a bana linga which is found in the gantaki river flowing in Nepal. Inside this, when a shaligrama is bigger, there is a shivalinga form stone which is considered very sacred. We can make linga from clay or cow dung also.

It is also to be understood here, that when someone calls a shivalinga a Swayambhu, it does not mean, swayam bhavati iti, that which came automatically / naturally, except in the mythological stories. But, that for which the one who installed it in the first place is not known.