[Advaita-l] The "Royal Way"

S Jayanarayanan sjayana at yahoo.com
Thu Feb 19 12:05:31 CST 2004


What svAmi vidyAraNya means by GYAna (that is different from mukti) is
crystal clear: it is saMyak (perfect/complete) as well as aparoksha
(immediate/direct). aparoksha brahmavidyA is final realization, where
Brahman is not merely known "through the upanishhads" or "through the
upadesha/Ishvara", but as Brahman-itself, directly with no mediacy. It
is in spite of such knowledge that mukti is not yet achieved. I had
posted some relevant extracts from the JMV, which is now at
http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/public/advaita-l/2003-August/012752.html

Ramana Maharshi has spoken of lack of firmness in Self-realization, but
I don't have the exact references. Vidyasankar had posted a similar
reference in Shankara's commentary on BR^hadaaraNyaka upanishhad.

-Kartik

--- "M. S. Ravisankar" <ravi at ambaa.org> wrote:
> I went through some of the messages in the original thread.  I have a
> feeling that the word j~nAna is used ambiguously in the texts, that
> is,
> sometimes as j~nAna and sometimes as vij~nAna. It may be the cause
> for the
> issue that how a brahma-j~nAni  need not be a mukta. May be the
> statements
> such as "brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati" denote brahma-vij~nAna and when
> it
> happens, the release is immediate.
> 
> My 2c.
> 
> Ravi
> (according to giita bhaashhya, vij~nAna is svAnubhava yukta j~nAna)
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: S Jayanarayanan [mailto:sjayana at yahoo.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 11:22 AM
> > To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
> > Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] The "Royal Way"
> >
> >
> > I said the jIvanmukti-viveka (JMV) of svAmi vidyAraNya mentions the
> > Royal Way, it comes under the second chapter.
> >
> > As I don't have the JMV with me anymore, I can only quote from
> memory:
> > "First sAdhana-chatushhTaya then brahma-GYAna - this rAja mArga
> (Royal
> > Way) is well-known. But when King Janaka heard the (ashhTaavakra or
> > avadhuuta) gItA, he immediately realized Brahman. This is no doubt
> due
> > to his former sAdhana and puNya..." And then the JMV goes on to
> explain
> > how Janaka had to eliminate his vAsanas to attain mukti, as he did
> not
> > have perfect sAdhana chatushhTaya.
> >
> > Since the JMV mentions it as "well-known", and since we already
> know it
> > to be the first thesis of Shankara in his BSB, I presumed that it
> was
> > the "well-known Shankaran way". Shankara himself does not use that
> > phrase, as far as I know. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
> >
> >
> > --- venkata subramanian <venkat_advaita at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > i saw in one of your postings, wherein you have said about the
> Royal
> > > Way - of the Acharya Pada.
> > >
> > > Could you please give me where it is found.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> _______________________________________________
> want to unsubscribe or change your options? See:
> http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
> Need assistance? Contact:
> listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org



__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want.
http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools



More information about the Advaita-l mailing list