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Re: ARTICLE : Purusha Suktham
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Subject: Re: ARTICLE : Purusha Suktham
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From: jaldhar@braincells.com (Jaldhar H. Vyas)
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Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 05:55:12 GMT
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Apparently-To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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References: <ghenDy7F10.9FK@netcom.com> <ghenDyAurn.LpE@netcom.com>
Mani Varadarajan (mani@be.com) wrote:
: Where may I ask do you get such information?
: Vaidikas have always revered the Purusha Sukta
I agree.
: as a fundamental part of Vedanta teaching.
Here I disagree. The Purusha Sukta is the quintessential text of Karma
Kanda. As the original poster mentioned, it is widely used in rituals.
It was the first Vedic text I learnt (after the Gayatri of course) for
this very reason. So I could do puja. Advaita teaches a strict
seperation between karma and jnana. As these people claim to be Advaitins
they are making a hideous pervrsion of the true siddhanta if they try and
"vedantize" things which have nothing to do with Vedanta.
:This is irrelevant of the sect to which one belongs.
: The Purusha Sukta is one of the first sections
: of the Veda taught to students in Vedantic monasteries,
: and portions of it recur throughout the Upanishads.
:
: One example:
:
: vedAham etam purusham mahAntam
: adityavarNam tamasa: parastAt
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: I know that Great Purusha of brilliant
: lustre who is beyond all darkness.
:
: tam evam vidvAn amRta iha bhavati
: nAnya: panthA vidyate 'yanAya
:
: Knowing Him alone does one cross over death now itself.
: There is no other way other than this.
:
: These phrases with minor variants are repeated in
: a number of Upanishads, not the least of which is
: the Svetasvatara. Now, I do not know a single Vaidika
: who will deny that the Svetasvatara is a fundamental
: text of Vedanta!
:
The verses you quote prove the importance of Purusha in the Veda but I
think it's stretching things a bit to say they are portions or echoes of
the purushasukta itself.
--
Jaldhar H. Vyas [jaldhar@braincells.com] o- beable .-_|\
Consolidated Braincells Inc. / \
http://www.braincells.com/jaldhar/ Perth Amboy-> *.--._/
"Witty quote" - Dead Guy finger me for PGP key v McQ!
