VivekachUdAmani

[Vaidya N. Sundaram]

Discussion of verse 8 continued.
--
  Thus the teacher of Brahman (desika) is himself non-different from
brahman. Like brahman, the brahmavit is also spoken of as sat.
BhagavatpAda speaks of approaching such a brahmavit. Thereby is indicated
the condition of the mind firmly established in Brahman, completely
withdrawn from whatever is non-Atman and non-sat (asat).
 With reference to the prescription to seek a guru for BrahmavidyA, the
sruti declares: tadvijn~AnArtham sa gurumevAbhigacchet samitpAnih
srotriyam brahmanistham: (Katha). "For knowing it (Brahman), with due
humility with the sacrificial twig in one hand, one should approach a Guru
who is well versed in Sruti and who has realsied Brahman".  "ananyaprokte
gatiratra nAsti anIyAn hyatarkyam anupramAnAt: (Katha). "As the ultimate
Reality is infinitely subtle, not to be known by argument, and of
infinitesimal dimension, when it is declared by one who had realised that
there is nought beside it, then all ajn~ana will vanish; he has nothing
else to know and the flow of samsara will stop." Even if one tries to
discover it unaided, doubt about it has to be dispelled only by reference
to another who knows it already. In this matter, we have the authority of
the dialogue between Suka and Janaka. In the Yoga Vasistha, it is said
that even though Suka had gained knowledge of whatever was to be known as
a result of the merit accrued to him by many good deeds in the many past
births, and though he was well taught by his own father, VyAsa, his mind
got firmly anchored in Brahman only after he listened to the words of the
Videha king Janaka who was a supremely realised soul.
 As the guru is sat, he is spoken of in the next word as mahAn. mahAn here
means not divided or confined wihin limits as a result of discrimination
of the five sheaths. The guru has realised that he (i.e his Atman) is
beyond limitations of the five sheaths of which he is constituted. So he
is aparicchinna, undelimited, and beyond any limitations, and thus a
mahAn.

 tam sampetya: approaching him (such a guru) according to rule.

 tenopadishhTaarthasamaahitaatmaa: with a mind whihc has well understood
the nature of Brahman signified by the upadesa of the Guru and also the
means of realising it.

 vimuktyai prayateta: let him strive for liberation. As the endeavour for
liberation will not arise without yearning for it, by this is implied
mumuksutva, the desire for mukti.

 Sri BhagavatpAda says: upadishhTaarthasamaahitaatmaa whihc means one
whose mind is deeply concentrated in the meaning of the upadesa. Such a
nature of mind cannot arise without renouncing every kind of karma.
Therefore the purport of this sloka is that a wise man who has renounced
all pleasures and desire for them should, after giving up all karmas,
meekly approach a guru who is firmly established in Brahman and reflect on
Brahman without intermission. All this leads to the proposition that only
a samnyAsin who has renounced every thing and is a mumukshu, is compitent
for Brahmavichara.



                      Vaidya N. Sundaram
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 Kandavar Vindilar      : Those who have seen (Brahman) have not spoken
  Vindavar Kandilar     :   those who speak (about It) have not seen (It)
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    satyakAma, satyasaMkalpa, Apatsakha, kAkutsa, shrIman nArAyaNa
        puruShottaMa, shrI ranganAtha, mama nAtha, namostute.
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