Paramahamsa

A Vedantic Tale

R. Subramony

• Publisher: D.K. Printworld
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9788124605660
• eBook ISBN: 9788124609927
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

About the Book

This book is a tale centred on the theme of the philosophic ideals and teachings of Vedanta. With a first-person narrative style, it begins with the narrator's decision to spend the third of the four asramas, the vanaprastha stage of life, in Madurai, the abode of Goddess Meenakshi which has inspired devout scholars and poets for centuries. The tale is an account of the narrator's study of the philosophy of non-dualism or Advaita, as propounded by masters such as Sri Sankara and Ramana Maharshi, under the guidance of his guru Sankara Shastri. It reveals the nature of the Vedanta philosophy and its significance in understanding the meaning of life and the strange nature of human condition, in attaining peace and bliss in one's own being and in contributing to harmony and integration in the country. It discusses aspects of creation of the universe and of life, the world and nature around us and the sufferings and pleasures as experienced by humans from a Vedantic perspective.
The story is an interesting account that is not only profoundly philosophical but also touches the emotions of the heart. Readers will be fascinated by this interesting and profound story that conveys the deeply founded truths of Vedanta in a simple manner.

Preface

Paramahamsa — A Vedantic Tale explores the relevance of Acharya Sankara and Acharya Abhinavagupta to our times. The philosophy of Abhinavagupta and the uniqueness of Kashmiri Shaivism are extensively dealt with through the discourse of the imaginary character Paramahamsa Shivahari, whose guru was an expert in Tantraloka. This book also throws light on the teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and several aspects of Vedanta. The contributions of Sanskrit pandits like Neelakanta Dikshitar, Appaya Dikshitar and Sadasiva Brahmendra who fled from Vijayanagara in the wake of Islamic invasion to the villages near Thamirabarani River in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu are described. It is to be recalled here that Krishna Deva Raya was the king of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire exactly 500 years ago in 1509. It was a great pleasure for me to travel to villages on the banks of the Thamirabarani River like Pallamadai, Kodaganallur and Melacheval where a few pandits still reside. This book can also be regarded as a tribute to the Thamirabarani River along whose banks great scholars resided for centuries. The imaginary narrator of the novel comes to Madurai in the last decade of the twentieth century to study the works of Acharya Sankara and Ramana Maharshi. He is recovering from the shock of the death of both his wife and daughter. He also studies the life of his ancestor, Subbiah who travelled with Paramahamsa Shivahari (both fictitious characters) to different places in the 1860s. Through the conversations of Sankara Shastri, at the beginning of the book, to the narrator and later in the work Shivahari to Subbiah certain misconceptions regarding the philosophy of Acharya Sankara, especially the false charge that he preached mayavada, are cleared. The underlying principle of the novel is the relevance of Advaita Vedanta — non-duality — to our times. Acharya Sankara's philosophy is also explained and its eternal validity is stated. Advaita Vedanta contains the answer to duhkha or suffering. Paramahamsa is essentially a metaphysical novel and follows the Sanskritic tradition — Mahabharata and Ramayana for instance — in which focus is more on values and not on the colour of the shirt of a character and ornate descriptions. The contributions of saints such as Tirumular, Vallalar and Kumaraguruparar are described. There are descriptions of mandapams (small constructions for pilgrims to take rest), chatrams (choultries), chaturveda mangalams (villages given as grant for Vedic studies) and the Vedic culture of the 1860s which was on the decline when the colonial power introduced English education in the cities. The reader can get from the book information about the Upanishads and their significance. A major part of the book deals with Kashmir. Kashmir was a major centre of learning before it fell to the Islamic sword in the fourteenth century. There was an intellectual and cultural renaissance in Takshashila (modern Taxila in Pakistan) which spread to Kashmir. India has always been religiously and culturally one. Some scholars from the south visited Kashmir 1000 years ago in search of knowledge. The glory of the past of Madurai and the Meenakshi Temple are also described in the book. Through the travels of Paramahamsa Shivahari and Subbiah we are taken on a journey to the cultural and philosophical heritage of south India. There are conversations between the imaginary twentieth-century descendant of Subbiah and his intellectual opponents. They inform us about how we have neglected the study of our cultural and spiritual heritage after Independence and also how colonialism has uprooted us from our roots. The significance of the Hindu way of thinking in sharp contrast to the West is also highlighted. The book also contains information on Sri-Vidya upasana and kundalini yoga.

Paramahamsa seeks to focus on the relevance of Upanishadic India in our times. It will also be useful to spiritual seekers, who want to know about Advaita, Acharya Sankara and Acharya Abhinavagupta, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi and the saints of the Advaitic tradition like Sadashiva Brahmendra. The novel is a window to ancient Indian wisdom; to the perennial philosophy and its eternal relevance. Andr‚ Malraux said to Jawaharlal Nehru, “Let the great Sankaracharya guide India.” This is also the central message of the book.

I am grateful to Dr Subramanya Swamy, President of the Janata Party and former Union Law Minister, for providing the foreword. May God Almighty grant him a long life to serve Sanatana Dharma! I am grateful to Dr Kapil Kapoor (from JNU) for allowing me to quote excerpts from his keynote address delivered on 18 February 2001 at the National Seminar on Decolonising English Education, Department of English, North Gujarat University, Patan (Gujarat, India). I wish to thank Shri V.S. Ramanan, President, for granting me permission to quote from the books about Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi published by Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, especially from Moments Remembered: Reminiscences of Bhagavan Ramana by V. Gane...

Table of contents

• Dedicated to
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgement
• Bibliography
• Index