[Advaita-l] From the Notes on Naiskharmya Siddhi - 4th Chapter

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

PraNAms - the portion is from the Naiskarmya Siddhi of Sureshvaraacharya notes based on Swami Parmarhanandaji discourses. Any mistakes are mine. 
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                                        Unrestricted life style of a Jannani

Once one has realized that I am Brahman, there is nothing else to be accomplished. He is kRitah kRityaH – he has accomplished what need to be accomplished. He has fulfilled the very purpose of life itself. There is nothing more to do or not to do. There is no more scriptural injunctions in terms of does or don’ts for a jnaani. Hence the question is who regulates the jnaani’s life-style. Can he behave anyway he wants since for him, everything is mithyaa or only apparently real and has no bearing in terms of his knowledge of oneness. 

Jnaani’s life-style is self-regulated or regulated by his jnaanam. This can be understood from two angles a) paaramaarthika dRiShTi or b) vyaavahaarika dRiShTi. 

>From the point of paaramaarthika or absolute truth he has advaita dRiShTi.  chodya-chodaka-chodanaa tripuTi or triad involving instruction or knowledge-the one who is instructed- process of instruction or the triangular format is removed with the destruction of ignorance. The triad is adhyaasa or error of superimposition on the absolute due to ignorance or ajnaanam. By mere elimination of ajnaanam by listening to scriptures, chodanam, the teaching, has done its job. Nidhidhyaasana or continuous remembrance of that knowledge is done to firmly abide in that knowledge that is gained by shravana and manana. After acquiring jnaanam, there is no more vipariita bhaavana – that is notional reality assigned to the perceived or experienced duality. The reality to duality, I and the world, is dismissed by the vision of adbhiShTanam or the substantive truth. For such a jnaani, everything or experiential duality is reduced to mithyaa. Neha naanaasti kinchana –
 there is absolutely no reality to the observed plurality. That the world is different from I is the vipaariita bhaavana and that notional dvaita prapancham or reality to the duality is negated. Ekaatma vaasanas or brahmaatma vaasanas or constant recognition of oneness is established in the subconscious mind by shravana, manana and nidhidhyaasana. For him nidhidhyaasana automatically or effortlessly takes place. When it becomes natural, he is said to be firmly abiding in that knowledge – he has jnana nishTa. Therefore there is no further need for vidhi (has to do) for nidhidhyaasana-  as nidhidhyaasitavyaH, tavyaH implying one has to do nidhidhyaasna -  that vidhi instruction is no more needed for one who is firmly established in jnanaa or who is jnaana niShTaa. It becomes aparaayatta bodha or automatically done by the mind even without shaastra prodding him to do. 
Should shaastra instruct or does it automatically occur –is discussed in B. Sutra 3.4-47 and 4.4-1 -aavRitaaH.. 

Objector: Nidhidhyaasana does not take place automatically due to dehaatma vaasanas which are due to anaadi kaala ajnaana – beginningless ignorance prompted endless actions. On the other hand, aatma vaasanas that came recently in this life due to study, only during the class time. Therefore scriptural injunction should apply also to jnaani. 

Ans: Even though dehaatma vaasanas are quantitatively big due to millions of past lives, qualitatively they are week, since they arises due to ajnaana or  ignorance. Darkness may be there in the cave from millions of years past. However, one small candle can eliminate the darkness instantaneously or immediately. Hence Brahmaatma vaasanas is strong and powerful since it is born of pramANa (pramANa janyatvaat) or by means of knowledge. Hence there is no more niyama vidhi (has to be done) for one who has done shravana, manana and nidhidhyaasana sufficiently. Once established in the knowledge, no separate instuction for nidhidhyaasana is required, since it occurs naturally. Therefore no shaastra injunction is required for it for a jnaani. In essence scriptures need not have to instruct a jnaani in terms of dos and don’ts. 

However, for the individual to whom this is not natural due to habitual involvement in the world of duality, or when bheda darshanam or notion of reality to the perceived duality due to praarabda is overpowering then nidhidhyaasana is a vidhi in order to abide in the knowledge gained via shravana and manana. Nidhidhyaasana is described by Krishna in the 6th chapter – shuche deshe….etc. He has to devote some time contemplating on the nature of the truth – is the instruction. For jnaani it is aparaayatta bodhanam – occurs spontaneously.
 
Thus the objector says for jnaani also it is vidhi. Jnaanam is only partial knowledge. To make knowledge complete nidhidhyaasana is required – how long? It is life-long. 

Ans: No question of partial knowledge – partial knowledge is possible for anaatma vishaya since anaatma is parted or has several parts. How can the knowledge of part-less aatma be partial? Sat chit ananda are not three parts. True, for the world only the sat is expressed. Upto 4th kosha or anandamaya kosha, sat and chit are involved. In the ananda maya we have sat chit and ananda but all three expressed as reflected happiness. Hence the degree of reflection depends on the qualities of the mind – satva, rajas and tomo gunas – There is gradations in the reflected aananda – priya, moda and pramoda as Tai. Up. discusses. All the four koshas have desha-kaala-sambandha, spatially and temporally limited. However, the turiiyam is beyond space and time. The space and time are superpositions on it. maayaa kalpita desha kaala kalanaa vaichitya chitriikRitam …says Shankara in DakshiNamurthy stotram.  There is adhyaasa sambandha or moha sambandha – an
 apparent relation involving object and its adhiShTaanam, similar to snake where the rope is.  Self-ignorance is part-less and the self-knowledge is also part-less. However ignorance is seemingly many because of many minds and therefore appears to be localized. Knowledge is also seemingly localized. That is why when Devadatta (Tom) realizes Yagnadatta (Dick) does not realize. 

Therefore from the paaramaarthika dRishTyaa jnaani’s life is not regulated by shaastra. Jnaani whose nature is aatma swaruupam all the apparent defects are completely wiped out since they are false as they are based on false assumptions. During jnaana vRitti everything that is negatable is negated. Samasta mithyaa prapancam, all apparent duality is negated as reality and understood as mithyaa that includes both secred and secular. – i.e both religious and non-religious activities are eliminated in one stroke.

Therefore jnaani’s life neither shaastra regulated nor unregulated but it is self-regulated. In the jnaani – shaastra or dharma vaasanas are there in addition to the powerful jnaanam. 

Question is, is there a risk in this proposal? Shastra means God and not regulated by shaastra means uncontrolled by God and his life style depends on internal vaasanas – will that not give problems? Ask the objector. Praarabdajanya vaasanas will be there – because of these there may be a violation of dharma when shaastra janya vaasanas get overpowered by praarabda janya vaasanas. How can one say that the jnaani’s life is not regulated by shaastras? Should I become a jnaani so that no shaastra can regulate my activities? 

Ans: No such risk is involved. Why? If such risk is involved shaastra would not have given complete freedom to the jnaani. Praarabda janya vaasanas can never influence the life-style of a jnaani.  Because they are too feeble. Jnaani’s life style will be influenced by powerful shaastra vaasanas and jnaanam. Ex. Birla gave a signed check book to Gandhi to use it for whatever he needs since he was sure that Gandhi will not abuse. All Gandhi cashed was a check for one Rupee, that too just to please Birla. 

This happened to me once.  Long time ago I requested Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji to record a series of 30 min talks for public broadcasting on the radio. He did it and after handing over the tapes he asked – where is my gurudakshina for this? At that time I was still new to the mission. I was not sure what I should give him. So I spontaneously gave him my signed blank check, asking him to fill it up whatever amount he thinks I should give. Swamiji took it – looked at me and kept it with him. After two days, the secretary returned the check to me and I found that he filled it as payable to - Hari Om - and under the amount -lots of blessings.  

During the spiritual evolution adharmic ajnaani is converted first to dharmic ajnaani by karma yoga and the Jnaana kaanda converts dharmic ajnaani to dharmic jnaani only  never to adharmic jnaani.

Ajnaani seeker follows Dharma deliberately
Jnaani follows spontaneously.
Saadhana catuShTaya sampatti will eliminate free life-style of a saadhak.

Hari Om!
Sadananda