Variations & Unity among Different

Dear all , my humble to you and all .

This is a great occasion to meet from different and and listen to their views
on various aspects of the . This gathering itself is a strong indication of unity that exists in
different , and no further discussion is actually needed. However, with the of ,
here is an attempt to present some thoughts on the variations & common aspects of
amongst our different . Hope this understanding will help in respecting & appreciating
the diversities, which is actually our wealth and strength.
This subject is very vast and hence it is not possible to capture all the aspects of different .
It is also quite possible that I might have committed some mistakes in developing the
understanding. Hence I sincerely request all the to forgive for any errors and
guide us in taking this thought forward.
The discussion is structured as follows:
1. Purpose of
2. Different & reference texts
3. Principles
4. Ritualistic aspects
5. Variations
6. Reason for variations
7. Conclusion
Purpose of
The 18 (4 , 6 , 4 , & 4 ) were taught by to mainly achieve the pleasures
of this and other worlds which are -

and hence the emphasis is on .
While & emphasized -

through , the path was considered to be
difficult to be adopted by all and . Moreover in , it became difficult to follow this
path by most of the people.
Hence , whose inherent nature is , , , , (and is committed to provide
all guidance to all desiring their own ) took another form through his own or , and
taught (through his five mouths- ) the , which became known
as or which have detailed this . While this is also indicated secretly in as
the 4
th
of , and the is also provided in the , the or have provided
detailed elaboration of this .
The purpose of is , which is the 4
th
of our . In this , is not
something which can be achieved only after this life or birth, but is achievable in the current
birth itself. Hence the emphasis is on & . This is achieved by proper knowledge
about the world, self, and the real cause behind it. This also conforms to and believes
that there is no real difference among the self, , , , & .
While or praising the glory by achieving & together are mentioned in
some texts, is fully aware of the fact that these are only to protect from getting misled
and becoming due to the practical difficulties in this world. Hence these statements
should be actually considered as the assurance and confidence about completeness of -


, and not at all as the glorification of only .
Reference Texts for
There are numerous reference texts for . These are due to different - / /
, / / , ( )/ (), / / / , /
/ . There are different // such as , , , ,
, , , , , , , , , , , ,
, , , , , , , , and many
others. In addition to these main texts, there are many commentaries on these texts which also
provide cross-references. Most of these texts are actively followed by different .
The and are consolidations of different texts. Similarly is also a
consolidation of various principles & rituals.
Principles:
The principles of are best summarized in the first of . Following is
the summary of these principles:
1. The world is made up of thirty-six (which are grouped as , & ).
Realization of these is very important for .
2. is actually covered with sheath of or ; the one which can not be sheathed is
(only) .
3. Self realization is the real , ultimate goal.
4. Nature of the
a. The world is referred through words and syllables; hence these are ().
b. s (made up of these syllables and words) have infinite power.
c. The main test of authoritativeness rests on a strong unshakable faith on the teacher,
and one should not spoil by argumentation.
5.
a. is nothing but the complete and continuous state of .
b. It is omnipresent in the own body of .
c. The articles which provide to can be used for this .
d. Not everyone is suitable for this and hence this should be restricted to
authorized by . Not following this rule leads to .
6. Duties of
a. Firm conviction & concentration on the .
b. Constant contemplation & repetition of the (and its meaning).
c. Always in the state of being himself.
d. Steer clear of those thoughts which are opposed to .
e. Not to speak ill of any science or system, as all systems are due to the grace of ,
and hence have applicability.
f. The secrets of to be revealed only to the worthy disciples.
g. Perform all duties without any expectation of reward.
h. Not to neglect any of his duties.
i. Be fearless (being under protection of ).
j. Always think of the - The phenomenon cognized by the mind are the articles of
oblation, five senses are ladles used to offer into the fire, the powers () are flames,
Ones self is the fire itself, and the limited self is the sacrificer.
7. Result of the is realization & knowledge of Atman, .
The has complete , he is full of compassion () & , & entire is his .
is the main cause of limitation () and removal of is .
, which are revealed to by provide the principles followed by in
. These are categorized in 3 parts, , , & . While there is no
contradiction among these and , the philosophical basis described in is more
detailed.
The is very important across and is considered to be the only way of through
which in the form of . It destroys and till the point, and guides the way to
acquire to destroy the subsequent . needs to be consumed in the remaining life.
One should also understand that considers it mandatory to acquire (removal of
). is is classified in two parts, , and (). It is the which
leads to ; but is an essential step to acquire . This is not at all
dependent on ( ); but occurs only with , which is the inherent nature of .
Hence what really matters is the attitude of - honesty, total surrender, and urge.

Most of the believe that this conforms to . Hence all the principles in &
other are also applicable to .
Ritualistic aspects
Rituals are the practical implementation of the above principles. At a broad level, the rituals are
classified in 3 categories- , , and . This is very similar and synonymous to / /
, / - / , / etc. is further classified into ( ),
- ( ) & ( ).
, , or is the starting point of this . After adopting this through ,
the entire life of the is devoted to and hence there are numerous rituals prescribed
through morning till night for the entire life. These are typically as follows:
1.

,

,

2.

3. ,

,

(to and residing in )
4.

,

5.
6. , ,
7. ,
8.

9.

10.

11.

12.


13.

14.

15.

16.

, ,

( .)
17.

18. &

19.

20.

21.

The rituals are also classified as , & ; adopting is prescribed only in
exceptional circumstances. is performed daily, and is performed at the specific
events such as . It is also stated that one becomes eligible to perform only after
performing . Similarly for performing , regular adoption of and is
mandatory to achieve the desired objectives.
In , the rituals are described through different such as , , &
.
Many also follow additional rituals which are from .
Variations
At the principles level, most of the principles are uniform & common across the .
Some variations exist in the order of priority & importance given to the different principles.
Some believe that all the principles of are not applicable in this .
At ritualistic level, many variations are observed. These are due to varying emphasis on specific
principles and consequent elaboration of .
Depending upon the importance given to or , the associated in various rituals
vary. In some , the emphasis is much more on internal and most of the are also
associated with the state of mind, whereas in laying more emphasis on , external
articles are used to develop the .
The object of meditation also varies, such as in , external means ( or ) is considered
as , whereas in , the are or places within the body. The is further
classified in 3 categories- , -, and . The variation is based on the internal
place of meditation resulting in different .
Even in , all prescribe that performing is must before without which
it is meaningless.
After performing and , also prescribes , where , , and
other are also considered to be the of .
There is uniformity across the on the importance of . is considered supreme; he is
the of for .
There are some variations in of and , within and across based on -
.
In there are ritualistic variations in different - , , and
.
Some variations are the concessions which are allowed only under exceptional situations e.g.
use of substitutes due to non-availability or limitations of place & time, or short-cuts. Over a
period of time, these were adopted as practices applicable for normal situations as well.
Some variations which do not have any reference in the authorized texts are also observed.
Reasons for variations
It is very important to understand the reason behind these variations. Our acknowledges
the uniqueness of each with his own and , due to which his and is
different than others. Hence the for him should be appropriate to his state. This
principle of - or - drives the variation. Once this principle is accepted, the
reason behind these variations is easily understood. Although due to or , the
/ has been initiated in in general, there is bound to be some variation and
hence the - .
Texts have also addressed this aspect through - such as , , &
.
At the entry level when it is difficult to internalize the meditation, or - is
prescribed and use of external articles are recommended. After some progression when one is
able to concentrate due to , then the dependence on external means is reduced. At the
time of , is aware of of the and accordingly prescribes appropriate ritual for
him. This is the basic reason of variation and hence it is observed that at the ancient times, same
had prescribed different rituals to different .
While it may be seen that in a particular , appearing to be at different level are
following similar practices, such differences may be just superficial and based on the ,
the levels would be similar.
The whole reason can be summarized based on what

has stated in


(11-4). The form of actually depends on our or . This can be
further elaborated as follows.
At the initial state, the believes the existence of , but also thinks that the results or
reward depends on own . In other words is responsible for doing justice. In such cases,
takes the role of , rewards for good deeds and punishes for the bad deeds. This is
considered as .
At the subsequent level, the acknowledges the power of , but also thinks that while she
will provide additional rewards when gets pleased, her punishments will also be much harsher
if she gets angry. It is with this logic that some texts describe the ill-effects due to the anger of
.
At the level, the has fully acknowledged not only the power of , but also her
, and . Hence he has completely surrendered to her and is convinced that she is
taking his complete care at all times at all places. With this , the is and without
any fear.
Additional rituals as per practices are according to the faith that this conforms to ,
and hence corresponding additional rituals should be adopted to help appropriate . This
practice is according to the (both & ) way of . However some believe that
being at , these need not be applicable.
It may be noted that some variations do not have any basis () or reference in the
authorized texts. These may have got added in the subsequent phases of due to
misunderstanding & lack of adequate guidance.
Conclusion
It is the which decides the rituals appropriate to the . Hence all the rituals are important
and their applicability depends on the & . We should appreciate diversities
among the rituals by understanding the deeper meaning and behind these diversities.
Study of different rituals is recommended at the level of , where prescribes
to become .
Adoption of rituals from other will depend on whether the specific ritual is
complimentary to the particular (based on - and - ) and the guidance
from . Till such time, one should adhere to the rituals of his own alone, as also
states that





(1-103).
The criticism of other practices, other , or other , is strictly prohibited.
It is my humble request to all that an introspection of practices not having
should be conducted to remove human errors and misinterpretations. This will help in
maintaining the sanctity of and glory of our .
If necessary, can participate in such reviews.
There is uniformity at the principles level & the variations in the rituals address the need of
different states of . This is our wealth which strengthens the unity among different
of .
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Pramod Bhargao Deval,
A-701, Sai Heritage, Sant Tukaram Road, Mulund (E), Mumbai- 400081. Mobile- 98331 91664