[Advaita-l] How can one claim to know Brahman?

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

In the prashna upanishad bhAShya, sha.nkara points out that while
knowledge is accessible to people in all 4 stages of life, it is more
difficult for householders since they may have to resort to lies or
adharmic things to sustain a family. So, knowledge is mainly
accessible to the people in the other 3 stages. In any case, it's
certainly not only for people in the sanyaasa aashrama.

praNAms
Hare Krishna

Even the spiritual aspirants who engaged themselves in pravrutti mArga
(gruhasta-s/householders) are eligible for brahma jnAna, if they adhere to
injuctions of their respective Ashrama dharma.. shankara says in chAdOgya
bhAshya * yEtEna gruhasthasya yEkatva vignAnE sati parivrAjyaM artha
siddhaM..(rough meaning ...if gruhastha attains brahma jnAna, the quality
of parivrAjakatva (parivrAjaka saNyAsa lakShaNa)  automatically comes to
that gruhastha)...

And in gIta bhAshya shankara says *pravruttEna chEt lOkasaNgrahArthaM
nivruttEna chEt jIvana mAtrArthaM taM, jnAnAgnidagdha
karmANaM*.....shankara clearly says there may be jnAni-s in saNyAsa as well
as in gruhasthA-s also..jnAni-s those who engaged in pravrutti dharma will
engage in work only for the sake of lOka sangraha & those who engaged in
nivrutti mArga just to hold his body (jIvana mAtrArthaM) lives on alms...In
continuation shankara says this is only appearance to outsiders but a jnAni
is neither pravrutti dharma follower nor nivrutti dharma follower...it is
mere mudhaiva chEShtAmAtraM.....

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar