Sphota-vada - Awakening a burst of insight

In his book ,''Vaisnavism''(FOLK Books,New York,1992),Steven J.Rosen discuss ''sphota-vada'' doctrine with Dr.Guy Beck (Louisiana State University).


According to Dr.Beck,''sphota is the aspect of the inner consciousness that is awakened when one reads a sentence or hears a mantra being chanted.It's something greater than the sum total of all the parts,or syllables,of the mantra,and which is latent within human consciousness. They're flashes,of sorts,which open up inside the mind,kind of like the 'light bulb' effect when someone understands something.''


The grammarians developed the idea that the sphota is latent in human consciousness and it just needs to be awakened.So,the theory of mantra is,at least theoretically-according Dr Beck,in many respects ,related to sphota doctrine.The way that repetition of mantras is supposed to reawaken one's sense of bhakti,or for the Vedantins,to give a flash of the atman or Bbrahman,so also does the sphota reawaken in one's conscioisness.

This remind me on Bhaktivedanta Svamin's theory that prema lies dormant in the heart and only needs to be awakened,but according to Satya Narayana Prabhu-this is false.


Anyway,Mimamsakas say that there is no such thing as the sphota inside the human being-that everything is only in the Vedas.And when one hears a Vedic mantra,for example,one is understanding something that's directly caused by Vedic syllables.You are receiving impressions from the text-it's nothing that is already inherent in your consciousness.


Bhaktisiddhanta published something,and in that work he attempted to reconcile the sphota idea with traditional mantra understanding.Apparently,he gave a lecture to this effect and it was transcribed and published in the ''Gaudiya Darsana''.
He presented the point that the ultimate referent and nature of sphota is Krsna.Jiva Gosvamin,in his ''Tattva-sandarbha'',I think,denounces the sphota doctrine and it has been rejected by most schools in India.The only school that doesn't reject it is the Yoga-school.

Any taughts,please?


With respect,

Dear Jiva, please accept my pranamas !


I just have a simple request :

Although it is clear, could you please develop this statements a bit more ?

ys

Dear Hari Saranji,
dandavat pranams.Thanks for your interest in this topic.

The Mimamsakas are school of,Vedic interpretation.They promote strict adherence to the Vedas as being the eternal uncreated Word.

So,they say that the word is identical with the thing that it refers to,and this go back to the early Vedic orthodoxy(when you pronounce a word,it is non-different from the thing that you are pronouncing).Like the name of ''fire''.You say the name ,''agni'',and in a sense,that IS agni,especially if you know the proper mantras and have sufficient metaphisycal know-how.

For Mimamsakas,there is an eternal connection between the word and something out there in the universe which you 'manipulate' through ritual and through proper pronunciation.In the sphota-doctrine,there is no such implicit connection between the word and the thing it represents,at least not in the same way.The word and the idea of the thing are connected.

Now look at Maha-mantra-''problem''.Sometimes it is said that Caitanya switched the order of the words of Maha-mantra.
One of Bhaktivedanta Svamin's disciples,Acyutananda ,once asked Bhaktivedanta about that,and Bhaktivedanta said:''It doesn't matter,if you chant enough-and sincerely-then it doesn't matter which words come first or which come second.''

And that idea is,in a sense, related to the sphota concept.According to sphota doctrine,the order of the syllables isn't that important;it has the same effect in either case.On the other hand,the Mimamsakas view is that the order is absolutely crucial.

With respect,

Dear Jiva, thanks for your explanations.

The above statement sonds like Tantra?



But my point is : The information above is very interesting, because it let us think a bit more about our nature. I always heard that the soul is sat, cit , ananda. But the idea that the soul is empty(probably only sat is present) is quite possible. So in other words, if we are coming from tatastha-shakti how can there be any possibility to develop any relation or information about Bhagavan’s Lilas ? Coming from such circumstance, how could the soul feel any attraction to Bhagavan, but his impersonal aspect?

If the Mimansakasa’s statements are correct it would be something like : ‘The soul which is compared to a virgin woman ( prakrit ) gets knowledge through the Vedas ( the purusa ) in this way, by impregnating her with light and sabdha-brahma ( the mantras ) the soul gets it’s emancipation’

That idea comes from the theory that the soul does not have any knowledge, it can be compared as a proper soil; the seeds of bhakti can be planted and the fruits are what the jivatma relishes as a result of it’s liberation.

But on the other hand if the theory that the soul has everything and just have to be purified in order to manifest it’s nature, and based on the idea that there are two types of souls ( nitya-badha and nitya-siddhas ), how comes that even after hear so much about the Lord’s pastime that jiva-badha does not developed a real attraction for it’s beloved ?


Ys

I hope that you will forgive me if I only answer briefly to your point regarding Tantra.
Everything else is, in this or that way, connected with ''jiva-issue''.All I can do ,in that sense, is to recommend reading of the book entitled ''In Vaikuntha Not Even the Leaves Fall'' by Kundali dasa and Satya Narayana dasa.


According to prominent Bengali scholar Govinda Gopala Mukhopadyay,''the Vaisnava cult,which stems from the Pancaratra system is,in it origin,tantric.The Bengal variety of Vaisnavism is predominantly sakta in character,in view of its emphasis on elaboration of the worship of Radha.''

However,it doesn't mean that Vaisnavism is indebted to Saiva or Sakta types of worship;it just means,in my humble opinion, that they all have family resemblances.

With respect,

Dear Jivaji, Radhe Radhe !

How could we distinguish between Trantra and Vaishnava’s rituals and procedures ? Is Radha-Krishna’s parakya-rasa and Gaytri-mantra, part of the Tantric side of Vishnavism ?

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What would be, according to Lord Caitanya's teachings, the most suitable conclusion about it ?




ps:
Forgive me for not formatting the questions in a proper manner. I wish if there was some others senior devotees that could help you to develop this topic.


ys

Someone please give a clear definition of "Tantrism".

Dear Hari Saran-ji and Madhavananda-ji,
thanks for your taughts.Taking into consideration your points and suggestion , I will attempt to answer:

Tantra (and Agama) is the term used in general sense to indicate a non-Vedic ritual system.

The works of Six Gosvamins are full of quotation from the Tantras and Agamas.For example, Sanatana's ''Brhat-bhagavatamrta'' and Gopal Bhatta's ''Haribhakti-vilasa''.

In his book ''Hare Krishnas in India''(p.161),Charles R.Brooks quote one Radha-Ramana priest,Premananda Gosvamin:

''Prabhupad [A.C.Bhaktivedanta Svamin] did not teach [his diciples] any of the tantra,easpecially the mudras (hand positions) that are absoultely required [for Deity worship]...''

In short,there is ample evidence of contact between the Tantric and Vaisnava schools before and during the time of Caitanya.(For more on this subject see ''The Place of the Hidden Moon'' by Edward C.Dimock,Jr.,Delhi,1991).

But , let us try to stick to this topic for now.

Jiva Gosvamin denounces the sphota-vada (he quote Sankara ,I think ?...anyway..)

Jiva Gosvamin said that there is no independent entity over and above the words of a given text.The text itself is numinous.

One of Bhaktisiddhanta's discilpes,B.V.Bharati Maharaja,in a Bengali work entitled ''Sphota-vada Vicara'' ,elaborated on Bhaktisiddhana's idea that the ultimate referent and nature of sphota is Krsna.Unfortuanlelly,I didn't read this book.May be someone can help with this?

with respect,

Learn more about 'Tantrism' at these links-

http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/index.htm
http://www.hinduism.co.za/tantra.htm
http://atributetohinduism.com/Hindu_Scriptures.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tantrism/

Dear Jivaji and Madhavaji, Radhe Syama, Syama, Syama, Radhe Radhe!

Reading the above information I recalled sometime ago when in the thread:
http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com//index.p...4&t=504&hl=puja
Radhapada-ji in support of the Raganuga's methodology of worshiping, he said:

So, my point now is: If Tantra is included in the processes of Vaishnava cult and accepted as a fundamental parte of it, how should we understand this subtle division ? In other words, is the worshiping in the mood of Raganuga-bhajan the end of the tantric's influency on it or is it just another subdivision of Tantrism in it ?

ys

Haribol, Hari Saran Prabhuji.

The entire body of the ritual and devotional practices of Caitanyaism has been codified by Gopala Bhatta in his erudite ''Haribhakti-vilasa''.As the ''Haribhakti-vilasa'' epitomises Vaisnava Acara,it naturally includes in its scope a great deal of Smrti topics and in this sense it may be regarded as the most important Smrti work of Caitanyaism.Like the orthodox Smrti ,again,of Bengal,which absorbed very largely Tantric ideas,rites and formulas since the time of Raghunandana,most of the rituals (NOTE:not all rituals !) and ceremonies of this Vaisnava Smrti (''Haribhakti-vilasa'')appears to have been profoundly influenced by the practices of Tantra,which must have been widely and deeply spread in Bengal at this time.

In my understanding(as another definition ) tantra is the term which implied in its essence a mystic worship of Sakti or Female energy,exalted in conjuction with the Male Energy in the universe.
I am not going to bother quoting myself regarding tantra(I have written elsewhere on this forum about that),so I will just say that the Vaisnava Sakti-tattva,the acceptance of Kama-gayatri,and the idea of Radha as the Sakti point probably to tantric influence,both remote and direct.It is not surprising,therefore,that Radha figures in a tantric light in such Vaisnava tantras as the ''Narada-pancaratra'' or in Rupa Gosvamin's ''Ujjvala-nilamani'' where he declares that Radha is already established in the Tantra (tantre pratisthitA) as the Hladini Mahasakti of Krsna.

This is all what I can say about that ,at least in this moment.Keep in tuch

With respect,

Interesting. In 1983, while granting his darshan to Shaktas from Pracin Mayapur, my Guru told me personally, so that all Shaktas could hear it: "You know, we are the greatest Shaktas. Krishna is Kala (the black one) so Radharani is Kali." Then he quoted Caitanya Caritamrita: radha purna shakti - krishna purna shaktiman - Radha is the full Shakti and Krishna is the full shaktiman (powerful One).

Going back to Sphota-vada, Sir John Woodroffe defines it thus:
"Sphota, which is derived from Sphut, to open (as a bud does), is that by which the particular meaning of words is revealed. The letters singly, and therefore also in combination, are non-significant. A word is not the thing, but that through which, when uttered, there is cognition of the thing therby denoted. That which denotes the thing denoted is a disclosure (sphota) other than these letters. This Sphota is eternal Sabda"...

"Sound (shabda), which is a quality (Guna) of ether (Akasha), and is sensed by hearing, is two-fold - namely, lettered (VarnAtmaka-shabda) and unlettered, or Dhvani (DhvanyAtmaka-shabda). The latter is caused by the striking of two things together, and is meaningless. Shabda, on the contrary, which is AnAhata, is that Brahman sound which is not caused by the striking of two things together. Lettered sound is composed of sentences (VAkya), words (Pada), and letters (Varna). Such sound has a meaning. Shabda manifesting as speech is said to be eternal. This the NaiyAkas deny, saying that it is transitory. This opinion the MimAmsa denies, saying that the perception of lettered sound must be distinguished from lettered sound itself. Perception is due to Dhvani caused by the striking of air in contact with the vocal organs. Before there is Dhvani there must be the striking of one thing against another. It is not the mere striking which is the lettered Shabda. This manifests it. The lettered sound is produced by the formation of the vocal cords in contact with air, which formation is in response to the mental movement or idea, which by the will thus seeks outward expression in audible sound. It is this perception which is transitory, for the Dhvani which manifests ideas in language is such. But lettered sound, as it is in itself - is eternal. It was not produced at the moment it was percieved. It was only manifested by the Dhvani, it existed before as it exists after.
The air in contact with the voice organs reveals sound in the form of letters of the alphabet and their combination in words and sentences. The letters are produced for hearing by the effort of the person desiring to speak and become audible to the ear of others through the operation of unlettered sound or Dhvani. The latter being a manifester only, lettered Shabda is something other than its manifester".

Sphota is usually taken as the Pranava, OM.

prajapati vai idam agre aseet
tasya vag dvitiya aseet
vag vai paramam brahma
In the beginning was Prajapati, the Brahman, with whom was the word and the word was verily the Supreme Brahman.
The Bible also states, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God".

B.R. Sridhar Goswami puts this in relation to Krishna, in his Prema Dhama Deva Stotram thus:

VERSE 12:
krishna-dristi-pata-hetu-sabdakartha-yojanam
sphotavada-srinkhalaika-bhitti-krishna-biksanam
sthula-suksma-mula-laksya-krishna-saukhya-sambharam
prema-dhama-devam eva naumi gaura-sundaram

Sri Gaurasundar explained how the Lord's sweet will and well-wishing glance are the background cause defining the meaning of each of the root sounds in Sanskrit. The sanction given by God is the deciding factor that correlates a sound and its intrinsic meaning, and not the dictates of men such as the prominent grammarians led by Panini, who affixed particular meanings and values to different sounds.
The purpose of every thing in existence, including such things as sounds and words, is to serve and enhance the beauty of the pastimes of the Lord Who creates, maintains and dissolves the Universes as a pastime.
The inner meanings of the root sounds of Sanskrit are also meant to add to the harmony of Sri Krishna's pastimes.
I sing with joy the unending glories of my sweet Lord, my golden Gaurasundar, the One and Only Divine Abode of Pure Love.

[quote=Hari Saran,Apr 28 2003, 04:17 AM] Radhapada-ji in support of the Raganuga's methodology of worshiping, he said: [QUOTE] The Murti of Sri Radha and Krsna, the dual image of God is rendered seva according to external vaidhi regulations. In raganuga bhajan, They are served with vaidhi regulations favorable for the attainment of Vraja bhava. An example is not to use mudras and placing syllables of a sacred mantra on ones body.

[/quote]
Dear Hari Saran-ji,

As much as I know,in Vrindavana,temple of Radha-Ramana is considered to have the most authoritative ritual.Gopala Bhatta's treatise on ritual,''Haribhakti-vilasa'',is strictly followed by the priests there,so I will try to give a brief survey of the relevant chapters of the ''Haribhakti-vilasa''.

The third ''Vilasa'' deals with the conduct and daily duties (sadacara).At the end of this ''Vilasa'' it is said that devotee should perform the sad-anga Nyasa,Mudras like Dhenu-mudrA,utter the PItha-mantra etc

''Vilasa '' four continues the topic of daily devotional acts.Among other things,devotee should sit down on a seat made of prescribed kinds of woods,besmear his body with the preparation of sandal-paste and Gopi-candana,and paint Tilaka marks,consisting of Urdhva-pundra,Narayani Mudra,figures of Vaisnava Avataras(the Fish,Tortoise etc)...

In ''Vilasa'' five,Gopala Bhatta proposes to describe mainly the tantric method (prAyasas tAntriko vidhih) of daily morning worship of the deity.Again,among many things,the auspicious pitcher (Mangala-ghata) properly filled with water and accompanied by a piece of stone,camphor and fruits,is to be placed before the deity.Directions are also given for placing sandal,flower etc in the different utensils for the offering of Arghya,PAdya,Acamaniya and Madhuparka.Each of these utensils should be protected by muttering the Mula-mantra eight times and performing the Cakra-mudra on them....Later,it is said that devotee should to engage himself in the contemplation of Krsna,repetition of the Mula-mantras,then he proceed to perform the five kinds of MudrA,called KarakacchapikA.by placing the hand with palm upward on his lap,etc...

''Vilasa'' six,deals with the operations relating to the daily morning worship of the image of the deity and its bathing and washing.Againg,after many things,devotee can with his fingers besmeared with sandal,show seventeen MudrAs,named after the weapons,ornaments and appendages of the deity,namely,Sankha,Cakra,GadA,Padma,Musala, etc..The bathing of the image (SnAna) is then dealt with.After soliciting permission and offering a pair of footwear,devotee should take the image to the bathing place,and exibit the AmrtIkarana-Mudra after placing Asana,PAdya,AcamanIya etc.

''Vilasa'' eight continue the topic of morning worship (PAtar-ArcA).It begins with a description of the burning of fragrant incense accompanied by the ringing of a small bell carried in the left hand,and by proper MudrA and Mantra.Next comes the offering of light(DIpana)and waving it in adoration before the image of the deity,directing the illumination from the feet to its eyes,again with proper MudrA and Mantra.The offer of the Naiveda (food) is also elaborately described.Besides Naivedya-mudrA,Dhenu-mudrA,GrAsa-mudrA,the five mudrAs,called PrAna,APAna etc,are to be employed at different stages of the ceremony.After a series of devotional acts devotee should take leave of the deity with the Visarjani MudrA and the prayer.

Someone can say that this is recommendation for the temple worship only, but I can not find such an instruction in the text itself.Of course,it doesn's mean anything because there can be the guru's personal instruction also.This is quite elaborate.

With respect,

A friend of mine told me once that BS Sarasvati, also ,said something like that.He heard that from his guru, Svamin B.G. Narasingha.

By the way,Advaitadas-ji ,can you PM me,please?

With respect,

Yes,back to the sphota-vada .

According to Dr.Beck ,followers of Madhvacarya said that Madhva criticized the sphota doctrine on the grounds that there was no separate sentence apart from word sense and words denote their own sense as well as their syntactical relation.Language for Madhva is an eternal substance only because it is made up of separate syllables.And for the sphota theorists,language exists within the mind in an ultimate sense,or that it is epitomized by the syllable ''om'',which is latent within.

The fundamental premise,in my humble opinion,of most of these doctrines is that sound or language equals consciousness.Consequently,it is understood that human consciousness is latently sonic,whereas,on the other hand,the Mimamsa school offers the more orthodox position that the syllable is potent in itself,and that this is the main center of attention.From the perspective of the sphota doctrine-the sentence is the center.

May be this can be reason why it has been neglected?In most mantra theory,focus is on the syllable as carrying impressions and by the repetition of the syllable,something is generated in the consciossnes.It is not awakening something that's there already.These are subtle distinctions and there are really some serious issues that must be dealt with,so I agree with Dr.Guy Beck when he said that ''they are unfortunately sort of glossed over too quickly.''

With respect,

I have seen it stated by various authors that it is necessary to know the meaning of a mantra for it to be effective.
SankarAcharya asks the question:
"Does not utterance, by feat of memory of the letters of the mantra in proper order constitute mantra japa".
He answers,
"No, the main factor is the generation of a new mental activity. Mantra is the mental activity and the transformational effects in the mind itself".
Therefore mere repetition of sounds without it evoking any vritti in the mind is not valid japa. The soul of the mantra or it's essence is the vritti it evokes in the mind.
The author of an article I read on this quotes a stanza from Nirukta that states:
"The Vedic Chant uttered as a mere feat of the memory of it's words and sounds is just like the offering of ghee on a mere heap of ashes without any fire in it".

Taken that mantras historically would be chanted by those with a clear understanding of the language, and thus have access to it's meaning. What then of westerners who chant japa and sing kirtan? If we take Gaura Arati kirtan, for example, inherent in it, is a clear visualization of the arati ceremony of Mahaprabhu. For those that have an understanding of Bengali a vritti of this ceremony is naturally formed within the mind. In both japa and kirtan (when the meaning is understood) the form of the Ista-devata will appear in the mind. For us in the west if we mechanically chant without knowing it's meaning this will not necessarily be so. Although it is explained that there will be some benefit due to bhakti.
Sri Hari Bhakti Vilasah ( 17.143,129) - states the characteristics of Japa:
The sadhaka shall not move his head and neck about, nor show his teeth. He shall sanctify his mind by withdrawing it from the object of the senses, pondering the meaning of the mantra and maintain silence.
If the mantra remains within the mind and the mind remains within the japa (mind and mantra are joined), then the characteristics of japa (japa laksana) are revealed to the chanter.

The sphota vada seems to take into account that the thinking process in all men is the same, although it is expressed differently through different races and hence language. Thus when one sees a jar the mind will form the shape of a jar, the expression of this maybe "ghata" for the Hindu and "jar" for the english, however the process is the same. Similarly, when the word jar is heard the mind creates the same image. It seems that the mind by repeated action and will power through mantra japa forms the shape of the ista-dev, when the mantra is chanted. This if true would mean that mantra japa takes our mind away from the objects of the senses and focusses its attention steadily more and more on the meaning and object of the mantra. So it seems that it's more like educating the mind than uncovering something latent.
Interestingly the idea of awakening something that's already there seems to be a common denominator of Sahaja cults!

On the other hand,some(as Sahaja Vaisnavas) say that only if mantra has no relationship to any intellectual process,someone will be able to appropriate its power immediately.For example,bija-mantras are such apparently meaningless agglomerations of sound as klIm,hrIm,grlIm etc..But these contain great power.

Quote Guest_Jagannathdas :''Interestingly the idea of awakening something that's already there seems to be a common denominator of Sahaja cults! ''

In my opinion,the reason for this is the fact that the Sahajiya Vaisnavas are monists.According to some Sahajiya texts,man and woman have in them both the divine Krsna and Radha.As Edward C.Dimock Jr. pointed out in his book,''Caitanya,...was a perfect illustration of the Sahajiya principle of unity in seeming duality...''

With respect,