[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Why only jagat is mithya and jeeva is brahman !!??

kuntimaddi sadananda kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com
Wed Apr 27 09:11:45 CDT 2016


On Tue, 4/26/16, Aurobind Padiyath via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

 Both the jnAni and others
 are seeing exactly everything the same way it is
 existing. Only difference is that the jnAni
 knows everything is brahman
 only where as
 for others they do not know that.
 Aurobind
 -----------------------------

Aurobindji - PraNAms


I read mails here and there since they are overwhelming.:

You are absolutely right - Jnaanam destroys only ignorance.

 Hence jnaani as well as ajnaani sees Jagat as continuously changing entity - Jnanam involves recognition that whatever experienced and hence is time-bound is mithyaa (as shankara says dRisyatvaat).  Any changing entity should have changeless entity as its substratum or adhishTaanam on which changes takes place (Law of conservation - naasato vidyate bhaavo naabhaavo vidyate sataH).. Since jagat (that includes aakhaasha ) is infinite, the substratum or adhishTaanam must be infinite hence Brahman - since it is exits and scripture says it is consciousness (prajnaanam brahma) and being infinite it is ananda swaruupam too. Since I am is also sat chit and there can not be two sat chit - the understanding or jnaanam involves - 1. Brahma satyam (trikaala abhaaditam and adhishTaanam for everything as there is nothing other than Brahman in reality), 2. Jagat mithyaa - since it is changing with Brahman as adhiShTaanam which is changless and 3. aham braham asmi through mahaa vaakya vichaara. 

Jagat looking from its adhishTaanam point is Brahman, looking from transnational point where this discussion is taking place, it is mithyaa for jnaani, while ajnaani takes it as real and hence suffers. 

Is jagat Brahman or not - From the point of adhiShTaanam there is nothing other than Brahman, hence such a discussion is mute. In fact even ajnaanam is located in Brahman only yet Brahamn is not ajnaani. Sureswara discusses this exhaustively in terms of locus of avidya in Naishkarmya Siddhi. 

Jnaanam resolves only misunderstanding . Hence as long as BMI is there, jnaani cannot but see the world. If he cannot differentiate the world in terms of naama ruupa - he may have developed cataract problem - that is not due to adhyatimika jaanam - He better see the ophthalmologist.  

However even when Jnaani sees and still transacts appropriately, he knows that everything is nothing but Brahman and from that reference - he can say I am not seeing (the plurality). Hence he understand as Krishna says - pasyan sRinavan... naiva kinchit karomeeti; karmaNi akarmayaH pasyet, etc follows. 

It is like scientist looking at all objects as nothing but electrons, protons and neutrons. Even though he says oneness in terms of fundamental particles, the scientist still differentiates garbage as garbage and delicious food as delicious food - There is no confusion at transitional level even though from the fundamental level are the same.

Coming to the there examples of the Sat vidhyaa - gold becoming ornaments, mud becoming pots and iron becoming tools - the point of discussion is - eka vijaanena sarva vijnaanam bhavati - knowing one thing one can know everything. Hence Uddalaka gives three examples to illustrate the point - the key statement that repeats is - vaachaarambhanam vikaaro namadheyam - The gold becoming ornaments is only vaachaarambhanam vikaaraH - or namkevaste modification - or transformation-less transformation - It is vivarta transformaton only not parinaama. It is not destructive transformation when gold becomes ornaments. 

Parinaama aspect comes only if ring transforms into bangle since it is destructive. Hence the three example only illustrate the vaachaarambhanam vikaara transformation or vivarta and not praninaama transformations. Then only the proposition - eka vijnanaane sarva vijnanam bhavati follows. After these examples only, Swetaketu is convinced and wants to know more - Hence sat vidya starts with sat-chit becoming many - bahusyaam - prajaayeyeti, etc. ending up with - aitadaatmya idam sarvam, tat satyam -sa aatmaa - tat tvam asi - The whole thing being repeated 9 times. Jagat is aitadaatma idam sarvam - tat satyam is from the point of sat - that was stated in the sat eva aseet...etc. Then connecting to aatma and tat tvam asi statement. 

In essence the ontological status of gold, mud or iron is different from their products Hence the statement vaachaarambhanam vikaaraH- This relative example is used to illustrate the creation is also vaachaarambhanam vikaara - or name and forms with adhishTaanam of sat-chit-ananda.

Hari Om!
Sadananda



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