[Advaita-l] Inward and outward contemplation

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Ven Balakrishnan prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Except that Sankara often says that neti, neti is the final teaching; once that is absorbed, one should direct attention towards that (BG), and should live on the strength of that (Brhad).  Sruti takes one to the point of neti, neti; thereafter it seems he is saying it is about absorption in knowledge.  That is what 'who am I' is doing.

>  In that case shruti cannot be considered as untya pramANa for realization of brahman or complete eradication of avidyA.  How shruti is the final pramANa in brahma jignAsa?? ( I am deliberately avoiding here shankara's clarification in sUtra bhAshya that in the case of brahma jignAsa shruti as well as anubhava are valid pramANa because we are not talking about any individual experience (vaiyuktika anubhava) here.  As we all know, it has to be universal anubhava approved by again shruti ( shrutyanugraheeta sArvatrika pUrNAnubhava).  Here shAstra vAkya pramANa and shAstra vAkya janita jnana play an important role as clarified by bhAshyakAra.  Though brahma vAchaka sentences in shruti is not directly indicating brahman as vAchya or lakshya, it is there to direct us that brahman is yatOvAchO nivartante aprApya manasa saha.  So what is the result of shravaNAdi pratyaksha sAdhana of jnana pradhAna shruti vAkya-s, like shrOtavyO, mantavyO nidhidhyAsitavyaJ, satyaM, jnAnam anantaM brahma etc. ?? when the shruti pramANita vAkya janya jnana dawns, the very jnana sublates the triputi i.e. pramAtru, prameya and pramANa vyavahAra.  That is the reason why shruti in Advaita tradition considered as final pramANa.  In the geeta bhAshya shankara clarifies :  the final pramANa indeed removes the very knowership (pramAtrutva) of Atman. So, IMHO, there is no question of 'thereafter' once one established himself in absolute jnana through the means of shravaNAdi vAkya janita jnana.  

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar