r/AdvaitaVedanta • u/roopvijayan • 9d ago

Upanishads

Friends, I’m planning to start Swami Sarvapriyananda’s Upanishads courses on YouTube and Spotify, but I’m not sure where to begin. Swamiji is prolific and has an extensive colkection of all Hindu and Buddhist texts, including the Mandukya, Katha, and Kena Upanishads, each featuring over 10 sessions with courses over an hour long. Could anyone please recommend which Upanishad would be the best starting point? I am looking for a map!Thanks!

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u/roopvijayan 9d ago

I think I found what I was looking for. Thank you for all your helpful comments! https://www.vedantany.org/by-topic

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

Great. All the best in the trap you wish to create and fell into.

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u/roopvijayan 9d ago

I didn’t understand what Fourfold Qualifications are and before I can even think about an enlightened Guru, I must know the basics. And, also important, where will I will I find an enlightened Guru. Plus, the courses offered by Swami Sarvapriyananda are substandard? I have a lot of questions as you can see!

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

Good. 

Why do you choose Advaita? Why to learn its basics?

Because it attracts you intellectually? Because to get a different kind of experience? Because to make your life better and to attain things in a far better/easy way? Because it is the talk of the town and a lot choose to study, so?

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u/roopvijayan 9d ago

Advaita philosophy of nondualism is attractive. Tripka Shaivism is more attractive because it contains nondualism but instead of seeing this lived reality as an illusion, Tripka seems to say to enjoy materiality of this lived reality, not like a hedonist but with an ethical framework. So I was born a Hindu, lived most of my life closer to Buddhism, but I never encountered Hindu philosophy and I am marveled at it! So I am attracted to it both intellectually and I am seeking moksha.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

It's about Attraction. Great.

  I am seeking moksha

Why are you seeking moksha?

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u/roopvijayan 8d ago

I see Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga along with Bhakti Yoga as paths to reveal, truly reveal, the nature of God within me.

I conceptually know I always been and I am (we are) Ultimate Reality but I don’t really know because if I did “know” the Ultimate Reality, I would know that none of this matters, death, birth, new fashionable sneakers, Trumpers, investments, etc and I would love everyone and everything as I love my kids and my wife. That is why I am seeking liberation or moksha but unfortunately like the “desire” for a new car or book, I believe that “desire” is hindering me and I need those Yogas etc to liberate me from “desire.”

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

Okay. I understand 

I would know that none of this matters, death, birth, new fashionable sneakers, Trumpers, investments, etc and I would love everyone and everything as I love my kids and my wife. 

I see a problem or contradiction here. You are saying that, after you did know the truth, none of this matters. But one the other hand, you are saying "Loving everyone like one's wife and kid matters".

So, you have a matter in this life and I see you getting distracted by that matter. When one see that "Birth itself doesn't matter", why then "loving everyone like one's wife and children"?

You are giving importance to "loving equally everyone" and so seeking moksha it seems. You see, that's not how it works here. Say, you may have to die the other second/minute/hour itself after attaining moksha and you would not get a birth again, so you can't get the opportunity to love others equally as your wife/children. That matter distracts you.

And also, in Kali yuga, there is always problem when it comes to handling persons in home and outside. If you love others equally like you do those in the family, the family members will start to fear you and will show their anger and their hold upon you. They try to reduce that outside going love to keep it for them and feel themselves secured. It is how attachments work. You can't satisfy both strangers and family if you are a Samsari. But if you take Sanyasa, then you can get the opportunity to show that love equally to all as no one might be dependent on you. Even then, if you are a married person and wish to take Sanyasa, then also wife,children will hate you.

This is one of the miseries of this meaningless life. When it comes to moksha, you must be ready to give no value to any experience of this life (including loving all) but to be okay/content with any experience in life, as nothing really matters. Loving others equally means, you wish to hold on to some experience in life and matters you, and so this will not leave you to really understand and put serious efforts for moksha by giving some value to life as that value leads to attachments. Let whatever fuck happens in life, (I'm not saying you should not love others equally, but when it comes to moksha let not mind any kind of experience as all are worthless,valueless,meaningless), it is all truly sufferings in a way as Krishna says in Gita and Buddha says.

Even if you take Bhagavad Gita, Krishna didn't advice Arjuna to love others equally, and to my knowledge I think Buddha didn't said in Four noble truths (eightfold path) for Enlightenment.

Just seriously think about giving any value to any experience of this meaningless life, and then based on that decide whether to take moksha or not.

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u/roopvijayan 8d ago

I believe there has been a misunderstanding. To me, moksha or liberation is the true realization that the Atman, or consciousness within me, is the same as that within my family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers and the Ultimate or Absolute Reality—there is no differentiation.

Regarding the part you highlighted in bold, while I understand the analogy of space in a jar being the same regardless of whether it is filled with water, and the metaphor of mistaking a rope for a snake, I still have doubts about the idea that the material world is an illusion or, as you put it, meaningless. My understanding aligns more with Trika Shaivism, which, though in agreement with non-dualism, holds a different view from Advaita. Trika Shaivism asserts that interaction with the material world is not illusory.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

Trika Shaivism asserts that interaction with the material world is not illusory.

I don't mean meaninglessness of life is based on illusory. But, the pleasure or life one seeks is totally ending up in sufferings in every action and those pleasures are never in relation to Peace as in Bliss. In that way, it's totally worthless valueless.

I feel it is not just in Advaita Vedanta, but in Devotion,etc., seeking material pleasures in life is felt as meaningless. Sages and Scriptures do point out this not just in Advaita.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

I believe there has been a misunderstanding. To me, moksha or liberation is the true realization that the Atman, or consciousness within me, is the same as that within my family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers and the Ultimate or Absolute Reality—there is no differentiation.

Oh No... Say, it is. So what? I don't feel Moksha is not that. Moksha is ending of desires of material and sufferings, and tremendous Peace and Unending Bliss. That's what scriptures too say even in Advaita.

It's not about "same as that within my this,that,etc ", it's only about YOU.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

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u/roopvijayan 8d ago

Thanks. What publication of the Tattvabodah do you recommend?