[Advaita-l] jnAni

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Fri, 21 May 2004, Subrahmanian, Sundararaman V wrote:

> Sometime ago (within the last month), there was a posting where the
> contributor (either Sri Jaladhar or Sri Vidyasankar) had mentioned that
> Sri Sankara uses the word "jnAni" to even to mean those who have just
> understood the scriptures and who need further strengthening of
> conviction for mukti.  I think the quote was from Br. Up.
>

I'm really sorry for the late reply.  Over the past few weeks I've been
busy writing a book (IT-related not Dharmic) and it's left me very little
time for the list.

I don't think the difference between jnana and moksha is due to the later
schools but basic to Advaitic thought.

what is liberation (moksha)?  Freedom from samsara which the endless
cycle of birth nd death caused by false identification with ones karma
(actions.)  Moksha is caused by the renunciation of karma.  When it goes
to 0 it can never come back because there is no volition to cause it to
come back.

enlightenment (Jnana) is the firm unshakable knowledge that one is none
other than Brahman.  There is no need for liberation because the Jnani
recognizes that in truth he was never bound.  What has changed is a
difference of scale and perspective.

So it can be deduced that the two do not necessarily coincide though
ideally they ought to.  From the conventional perspective, a jnani may
seem to be affected by karma and there not be mukta.  On the other hand a
soul with intense but incorrect knowledge of the nature of Brahman
(thinking that it has qualities -- saguna) may be able to escape from
samsara but not immediately be able to achieve total enlightenment.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
It's a girl! See the pictures - http://www.braincells.com/shailaja/