vedanta sutras part 2

Question 1

what is the appoorva praksha view of finding brahman: mihamsa view

Answer 1

There is no need to know brahman. Immortality can also be achieved through ritual.

Question 2

ramanjujas view of how one should approach performing rituals and realizing brahman

Answer 2

One should read vedas and perform rituals and get to the point to realize that they are not enough. After this one can seek higher truths by reading the upanishids.

Question 3

sankaras view of how one should approach performing rituals and realizing brahman and what are the prerequisites needed to achieve liberation

Answer 3

One should not ever concern themselves with the useless knowledge of the vedas. One should try and achieve liberation if:

1. not interested in temporary things
2. renounce all desires
3. 6 treasures
4. desire to achieve moksa

Question 4

6 treasures

Answer 4

1. peaceful mind
2. eliminate sexual desire
3. tolerate senses
4. have faith in mind
5. keep mind focused on brahman

Question 5

Appoorva praksha of sankara and sankaras response

Answer 5

Brahman has no charactersitics of which it can be known. The imagined world which is made up of brahman and the absolute reality is made of truth, knowledge and infinity.

Question 6

Conflict between badraynnas texts and sankara’s interpretation

Answer 6

Badrayanna implies a clear distinction between brahman and the world which sankara says refers to conventional reality but no where in the scriptures does badrayanna indicate the existence of a conventional reality and a nonconventional reality.

Question 7

Ramanuja and appoorva praksha and his response

Answer 7

Apoorva praksha: Can learn about brahman through inference in addition to scripture. Ex: if the world is made up of parts, the parts have to be put together by someone like a creator.
Response: Who put these parts together, demon? Multiple gods? Finite being? or one infinite being? You can only know this from scripture.

Question 8

verse number 4: scripture is not much good, is inconsistent»>response to this?

Answer 8

Scripture is consistent because it is eternal you just need to read it from the right lense or from the right commentary.

Question 9

verse 5: because of thinking not mentioned

Answer 9

Ramanuja and sankara point to this as a rejection of sankya philosophys stating that the world arises from an intelligent being who thinks and not from matter.

Question 10

v. 5-11 Intelligibility and appoorva praksha

Answer 10

sankya’s response: The intelligence part of the verse refers to it’s secondary meaning

ramanuja and sankyha: The atman is mentioned in later verses and this can only be a reference to a concious entity.

Sutra 7: Can achieve moksa to devotion. Can’t be devoted to matter

Question 11

Madva’s interpretation of sutra 5

Answer 11

Rejection of opponent’s view that brahman cannot be percieved. Madva argues that it can be percieved because it is a concious entity and concious entities can be percieved.