ASHTAVAKRA SAMHITA

the story of ASHTRAVAKRA AND JANAKA IS FOUND IN MAHABARATHA. when Ashtavakra was in his mother's womb his father KAHOR was sitting beside his wife SUJATA, and was reciting vedas. To their surprise , the child in the womb cried out."father, i learnt all the vedas through ur grace lying in my mother;s womb, but i am sorry to say that u often make mistakes in ur recitation.Kahor took this  as a grave insult and cursed his son saying he would be born with eight bends.Accordingly the child was born with twisted form and was named ASHTAVAKRA. KAHOR one day went to JANAKA'S COURT to beg money from king. The king had a great scholar in his court called Vandin who was the son of  king varuna. KAHOR WAS DEFEATED BY VANDIN  in vedic debate. As a result he was sent into the depths of the sea,  and was engaged there as a priest taking part in a sacrifice performed by Varuna. Time passed when Ashtavakra was 12, he heard the sad plight of his father. Accompanied by his uncle SVETAKETU, He went to janaka's court. He was not allowed, but when he showed his extraordinry knowledge of vedas, he was cordially welcomed by Janaka.At once he entered into a debate with Vandin and defeated him in the debate.He then rescued his father from grip of varuna. Kahor was very much pleased with son's achievement and wished to withdraw the curse he had put on his son before his birth.He therefore told ASHTAVAKRA to bathe in river SAMANGA, and the son obeyed, and when he came out of the river all his limbs were straight[ all the bends were removed].but his name continued as  ASHTAVAKRA. sage ASHTAVAKRA was later on Janaka's guru, and the dialogues between Janaka and Ashtavakra was known as Ashtavakra samhita or Ashtavakra GEETA. T his work is fully loaded vedanta tatwas and it talks about the ultimate truth of Brahman.

MEANS TO LIBERATION[MOKSHA]---UPADESHA SAHASREE

ADI SHANKARA in this famous works says that means to liberation should be explained again and again untill it's firmly grasped by the shishya., who is a pure Brahmana disciple who is indifferent to to everything that is transitory and achievable through certain means, who has given up the desire for a son,for wealth and for this world and the next[regions of the fathers,and the gods] who has adopted the life of a wandering monk and is endowed with control over mind AND SENSES,WITH COMPASSION ETC, AS WELL AS THE QUALITIES OF A DISCIPLE WELL KNOWN IN SCRIPTURES, AND WHO HAS APPROACHED THE TEACHER IN THE PRESCRIBED MANNER, AND BEEN EXAMINED IN RESPECT OF HIS CASTE, PROFESSION, CONDUCT, LEARNING, AND PARENTAGE.

ON EXPERIENCE

The word anubhava in most books is translated as experience in many vedanta books, which is wrong.in sanskrit anubhava is direct knowledge.experience does'nt convey this meaning.any experience does'nt give knowledge.Any mental condition caused by sense perception or memory can be called experience, but one need not have knowledge of what is experienced.for eg---pain is one's experience but the knowledge of pain implies it's origin also.one may see a object outside without knowing what it is. seeing is no doubt an experience but knowing is totally difft.When u say Atmanubava  it's not an experience.  for if u say self is to be experienced, then it means that self is not within the field of one's experience and has to be experienced by special means.If the self is consciousness can the experiencer be independent of consciousness.The experiencer is the self, while self is not just the  expeiencer.This ever present consciousness exists even if u ,experience or not experience.Vedanta says duality exists because of superimposition of experience upon the self consciousness.This recognition is ATMANUBAVA.

bhakthi combined with karma

IT,S TO BE NOTED THAT VAIKUNTA EKADASHI IS ON 5TH OF JAN. DIRECT RELAY FROM SRI RANGANATHA SWAMY TEMPLE WAS SHOWN FROM 3.30 A.M ONWARDS IN JAYA T.V.ALL THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT EKADASHI VRATHA SHOULD FAST ON THIS PARTICULAR EKADASHI .YOU MAY ASK WHY SHOULD I FAST?FASTING HELPS IN PURIFICATION OF BLOOD AND DIGESTIVE ORGANS.. IF ONE IS PRONE TO EAT MORE, HIS INTESTINES ALWAYS REMAINS FULL.A FAST CLEARS ORGANS OF WASTE MATERIALS.DIGESTIVE ORGANS WILL ENJOY THE REST. BLOOD GETS PURIFIED AND WILL GET RID OF UREA AND FAT.I SHALL ALSO ALSO QUOTE 1ST VERSE 92ND DASAKA OF NARAYANEEYAM.--VEDAI SARVANI KARMANYAPHALA PARATHAYA VARNITHANITHI BOODHWA,THANI THHVYARPITHANYEVA HEE, SAMANUCHARAN YANI NAISHKARMYAMEESHA. MAA BOODVEDAIR NISHIDDHE KUHACHIDAPI MANAHA KARMAVACHAM PRAVRITHHI DHURVARJHA CHEDAVAPTHAM TADAPI KALU BAVATHYARPAYE CHITH PRAKSHE.------KNOWING THAT THE RITUALS LAID DOWN IN THE VEDAS ARE NOT MEANT PRIMARILY FOR ATTAINMENT OF THE RESULTS OFFERED BY THEM. I SHALL WHILE PERFORMING THEM, DEDICATE THEM TO THEE ALONE. IN THIS MANNER I SHALL NOT BE BOUND BY THE RESULTS OF MY  ACTIONS.MAY I NOT DO BY THOUGHT,WORD, OR DEED ANY ACT WHICH IS FORBIDDEN BY VEDAS. EVEN IF I  CANNOT AVOID PERFORMING SOME SUCH ACT, I SHALL OFFER THAT ALSO TO THEE, THE SUPREME BEING.

18 puranas[VERSES THEREIN]

THE GREAT SAGE SUTA TALKS ABOUT VARIOUS PURANAS, THE NUMBER OF SLOKAS WHICH ARE THERE IN EACH PURANA. 1. BRAHMA PURANA COMPRISES TEN THOUSAND SLOKAS.2.  PADMA PURANA--FIFTY THOUSAND SLOKAS.3.SRIVISHNU PURANA-TWENTY THREE THOUSAND.4.SRIMAD BAGAVATHAM---EIGHTEEN THOUSND. 5.SHIVA PURANA-TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND.------6.NARADA PURANA---------TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND.-----7.MARKANDEYA PURANA------NINE THOUSAND. 8.-AGNI PURANA------FIFTEEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED.--9.-BHAVISHYA PURAN FOURTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED.---10.......BRAHMAVAIVARTHA PURANA---EIGHTEEN THOUSAND.--11.-LINGA PURANA---ELEVEN THOUSAND.--12.-VARAHA PURANA-TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND.---13.-SKANDA PURANA-EIGHTY ONE THOUSAND. 14.-KURMA PURANA-SEVENTEEN THOUSAND.---15.-VAMANA PURANA--TEN THOUSAND.----16,,MATSYA PURANAM----FOURTEEN THOUSAND.--17--GARUDA PURANAM--NINETEEN THOUSAND.---18.---BRAHMANDA PURANAM---TWELVE THOUSAND.        THIS WAY TOTALLY THERE ARE FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND SLOKAS IN EIGHTEEN PURANAS.-- BAGHAVATHA PURANA WAS GRACIOUSLY REVEALED BY ALMIGHTY LORD FOR THE FIRST TIME TO BRAHMA THE CREATOR, SEATED ON THE LOTUS SPRUNG FROM LORD,S NAVEL THE NECTOR LIKE STORIES OF LORD HARI IS SUM AND SUBSTANCE OF ALL UPANISHADS, WHICH ARE THE CULMINATION OF VEDAS. AND HAS BEEN CHARACTERISED AS THE ONENESS BRAHMAN THE ABSOLUTE AND THE INDIVIDUAL JEEVA..

BAGHAVATHAM- AN OVERVIEW

BAGHAVATHAM IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL PURANAS[18 PURANAS]IT'S DEVOID OF FICTION,OR UGLY TALES.IT'S EQUALLY VALUED BOTH BY VAISHNAVAITES AS WELL AS SHAIVAITES.BAGAVATHAM  IS FULL OF VEDANTA AND DEVOTION[JNYANAM AND BAKTHI] VERSES ARE FULL OF DEEP MEANING IT FASCINATES  ANYBODY WITH AESTHETIC CHARM AND VIRTUES OF DEVOTION. ITS VALUED BOTH BY SCHOLARS AND SADHU SANTS[ OFTEN VYASA'S VERSES ARE PREGNANT WITH DEEP MEANINGFULL JNYAN AND BAKTHI. THERE ARE 14 COMMENTARIES. NO OTHER PURANAS HAS SO MANY COMMENTARIES.HENCE TRADITIONALISTS HAVE ACCEPTED BAGAVATHAM AS VALID .RAMANUJA  QUOTES FROM BAGAVATHAM IN HIS GREAT WORK VEDANTATATWASARAM.MADHVA HAD COMMENTARIES ON BAGAVATHAM  ADI SHANKARA IN PRABODHASUDHAKARAM QUOTES BAGHAVATHAM AT MANY PLACES. INCIDENTALLY VEDAVYASA WAS NOT SATISFIED EVEN AFTER WRITING THE GREAT MAHABARATHA. HE SURELY WANTED COMMON MAN TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULT TATWAS THAT ARE SAID IN SATRAS. IN A LUCID STYLE  HE GAVE HIS RACHANA CALLED BAGAVTHAM WHICH TALKS OF KRISNA'S LEELAS AS A FULL AVATHARA. WHOSOEVER HAD CONTACT WITH HIM ATTAINED MUKTHI. WHETHER IT BE THROUGH PREMA,ANGER,JEALOUSY,FRIENDSHIP, ENMITY, HE GAVE EVERYBODY MUKTHI WITHOUT ANY DIFFERENCES. THIS BAVA OF KRISHNA IS HIGHLIGHTED IN BAGAVATHAM. IT STARTS WITH JANMADYASYA YATOANVAYAADI TARATHA SCHARARTTHESHVABHIJNYA SWARAD,TENE BRAHMA HRUDA YA ADI KAVAYE MUHYANTHI YATSUURAYAHA.[ WE MEDITATE ON THAT TRANSCEDENT REALITY FROM WHOM THIS UNIVERSEMANIFESTS, IN WHOM IT ABIDES, INTO WHOM IT,S RESOLVED. BECAUSE HE IS INVARIABLY PRESENT IN ALL EXISTING THINGS AND IS DISTINCT FROM ALL NON ENTITIES WHO IS SELF CONSCIOUS AND SELF EFFULGENT WHO REVEALED TO BRAHMA[THE FIRST SEER] BY HIS MERE WILL  THE VEDAS CAUSE BEWILDERMENT EVEN TO GREAT SAGES  IN WHOM , THREE FOLD CREATION[SATWA,RAJAS,TAMAS] THOUGH  UNREAL , APPEARS AS REAL.MAY THAT ACHYUTA[ ONE WHO IS NOT TOUCHED BY MRITYU[ DEATH] GIVE IMMORTALITY TO THOSE WHO DOES BAGAVATHAM  PARAYAN WITH UTMOST DEVOTION.

GURU

GU KARASCHANDHAKAROHEE,RU KHARASTHEJA UCCHUATHE, AJNYANA GRASAKHAM BRAHMA, GURUREVA NA SAMSHAYAHA.IT'S TO BE NOTED THAT SYLLABLE GU STANDS FOR DARKNESS.RU SEANDS FOR LIGHT. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT GURU INDEED IS SUPREME KNOWLEDGE, THAT WILL SURELT DISPELS DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE.-----GURU GEETA-----VERSE 33.