Basics of Dvaita Philosophy

Jai Vijayaraya !


Jai Bedi Anjaneya!

Hare Srinivasa !


Many people, refuse to accept simple concepts like asura mohana. This is an attempt to simplify this concept.
This foundation is required for many more complex concepts.

Jivas

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Q1) What are classification of Jivas?

A1)

Satvik – Peace Loving, Spreading good

Rajasic – On the Fence, goes with majority

Tamsic – Violence loving, destructive mentality

These are broad classifications, there are intermediate classifications.

But the spectrum starts with Sattvik and ends with Tamsic, Rajasic being the middle portion.

Some people like to go to temples, some people hate temples and love clubs, some people like both

( Temples and clubs are used metaphorically for Satvika and Tamsik places not literally )

Satvik people love to do good, hence enjoy heaven.

Tamsik people love to be “bad” hence suffer in hell.

Rajasik toggle around between heaven and hell.



Asura Mohana

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Q2) What is asura mohana?

A2) Diverting tamsic people away from Sri Vishnu worship is the core theme of asura mohana.



Q3) Why asura mohana?

A3) If tamsik people start Sri Vishnu worship then they will be soliciting protection of the highest order.

Hence, every effort is made to ensure that the tamsik people steer clear from Vishnu aradhana

Every asura has prayed to Brahma or Shiva and has been killed by Sri Vishnu or Shiva.

The glorious exceptions being Prahlad and his grandson Bali.

Everyone who worships Sri Vishnu is promised his protection.

Because of the very nature of tamsik people, every effort has to be made divert them away from Sri Vishnu aradhane.

It is like ensuring terrorists are not armed with nuclear weapons



Q4) Scripture proof for Asura Mohana?

A4)

a. The Mohini avatara during Samudra Manthana for distributing Amrutha is classic Asura Mohana.

Vayu devaru is the abhimana devata for Amruta and Shri Hari Bhakti.

Shri Hari himself shows that he gives Amruta only to the Satviks ( Devatas ) and not to the tamsiks ( asuras )

b. Reclaiming the vedas back from asura hygriva during matsya avatara.

c. Pushpa vrishti ( showering of flowers from sky) on duryodhana when he abuses Sri Krishna. This is will ensure that Tamsik people will be inspired to abuse Sri Krishna.

There are many more instances.



In all the scriptures not one Sri Vishnu Bhakta has been harmed. Their egos have been vanquished but they have not been destroyed as opposed to asuras. Doesn’t this itself prove Sri Hari is Sarvothamma !



Puranas classification

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The central theme of all the puranas is the supremacy of Vishnu.

There are 18 puranas available collectively known as Ashtadasha Mahapuranas . The author of all of these puranas is Bhagavan Vedavyasa himself. It is understood that the God’s will is to teach the true purport of the Vedas only to eligible noble souls. Others are carefully misleaded and they never get hands on the true purport of the Vedas.

Hence Bhagavan Vedavyasa, while composing these 18 Mahapuranas, has himself categorized them into three types viz. Satvika Puranas, Rajasa Puranas and Tamasa Puranas. While the Satvic puranas are verily valid, Rajasic puranas have some misleading statements also. The Tamasic puranas are predominant with misleading statements and are intended to mislead the ineligible from the truth.

We find the names of the 18 puranas and their classification into Satvika, Rajasa and Tamasa in Padmapurana Uttarakhanda 235 Adhyaya.



Satvika Puranas:

वैष्णवं नारदीयं च तथा भागवतं शुभम् ।

गारुडं च तथा पाद्मं वाराहं शुभदर्शने ।

सात्विकानि पुराणानि विज्ञेयानि शुभानि वै ।।

· Vishnu Purana

· Naradiya Purana

· Padma Purana

· Garuda Purana

· Varaha Purana

· Srimad Bhagavata Maha Purana



Rajasa Puranas:

ब्रह्माण्डं ब्रह्मवैवर्तं मार्कण्डेयं तथैव च ।

भविष्यं वामनं ब्राह्मं राजसानि निबोधत ।।

· Brahmanda Purana

· Brahmavaivarta

· Markandeya Purana

· Bhavishya Purana

· Vamana Purana

· Brahma Purana



Tamasa Puranas :

मात्सयं कौर्मं तथा लैङ्गम् शैवं स्कान्दं तथैव च ।

आग्नेयं च षडेतानि तामसानि निबोधत ।।

· Matsya Purana

· Kurma Purana

· Linga Purana

· Shiva Purana

· Skanda Purana

· Agni Purana



सात्विका मोक्षदाः प्रोक्ताः राजसा सर्वदा अशुभाः ।

तथैव तामसा देवि निरयप्राप्तिहेतवः ।। प.पु. उत्तर 236.21



Among these puranas Satvika Puranas lead one to liberation, Rajasa do not cause good and tamasa puranas lead one to hell.

Having said this, not all portions of the Rajasa and Tamasa Puranas are invalid. Wherever they are in accordance with other satvika puranas they are perfectly valid.



One should bow down to Bhagwan Sri Ved Vyas has made sure that every body achieves their svabhava by reading the puranas.

Since Sri Hari is impartial he has made sure that everybody is empowered in reaching their respective states.



Hope this clears the basic step of understanding of asura mohana, the basis of classification and why the puranas need to be encoded

Next we shall a sample of how the texts true meanings are lost with word by word translations.

Jai Bharateesha,

Hrishikesh.S.S.