[Advaita-l] What exactly is karma saNyAsa??

V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Sat Nov 16 12:01:22 CST 2013


On Fri, Nov 15, 2013 at 10:12 PM, Srinath Vedagarbha
<svedagarbha at gmail.com>wrote:

> >> Will a jnani not know that even bhagavan is unreal and his svarupa is
> >> brahman? Why should he listen to someone who doesn't exist?
> >>
>
> >The answer exists in the cited verse itself:  it is for the benefit of the
> >ajnani-s.  He should not unsettle the belief of the samsarin-s who act
> >based on their faith in the veda.
>
> Again, same question can be asked -- wouldn't a jnAni know other ajnAni-s
> are equally  unreal just as bhagavAn (even though svarUpa of both bhagavAna
> and ajnAni-s re brahman).
>

Dear Srinath,

We should remember that the jnani has a mind that has not been destroyed
yet.  So the he will remember with gratitude the Jnani who helped him get
jnana and he will do that to another seeker.  Apart from this, we can also
look at it thus:  If it is in the prArabdha of the seeker to get
help/upadesha/guidance from Jnani X, that will happen despite X knowing
well that the seeker-ajnani is mithyA.  It is the same way X's Guru too
knew ajnani X to be mithyA and since it was in the prArabdha of both ajnani
X and the Guru that the former should benefit from the latter, it happened.


>
> So, same question as Sri.Rajaram asked -- why should a jnAni should listen
> unreal bhagavAn for the betterment of equally unreal ajnAni-s?
>

Thus it is not 'listening' to a command; it naturally happens.  If a
Jnani's prArabdha is such that he is always in samAdhi, not much can come
from him as benefit to all types of seekers.  And the statement of Bhagavan
'let the jnani engage in action' will not be applicable to this Jnani.
 Just like the Bhagavatam verse: AtmArAmAshcha munayaH....itthambhUtaguNo
hariH  [ Those Jnanis who have attained the Supreme let themselves
overwhelmed by the descriptions of divine sports of Bhagavan.] some Jnanis
engage joyfully in saguNa brahman devotional practices like pUja, bhajan,
beholding the Lord in various teertha kshetra-s, etc.  Some engage in
teaching Vedanta, yoga etc.  Some like to remain secluded, away from all
public glare.  Bhagavan's statement becomes validated in those particular
type of Jnanis who are made for that purpose.  It is all, again, in the
prArabdha: of the Jnani and the seeker.

In the Mundakopanishat mantra  (1.ii.13) it is said:

तस्मै स विद्वान् उपसन्नाय सम्यक् प्रशान्तचित्ताय शमान्विताय ।

येनाक्षरं पुरुषं वेद सत्यं प्रोवाच तां तत्त्वतो ब्रह्मविद्याम् ॥
[To him who has approached duly, whose heart is calm and whose outer organs
are under control, that man of enlightenment should adequately impart that
knowledge of Brahman by which one realizes the true and imperishable
Purusha.]

Shankara says: It is a 'rule' niyamaH, even for the Acharya that he imparts
the Knowledge to the aspirant who has approached him in the proper manner
(with the right preparation/equipment).  Shankara uses the word 'niyamaH'
in respect of a Jnani Acharya.

Finally, it should be remembered that realizing the mithyAtva of the
jagat/jiva/Ishwara triad does not and need not make one an atheist or a
wayward.  His positive normal human emotions can and do find expressions.

regards
subrahmanian.v

>
> -SV
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