[Advaita-l] Self-knowledge

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

praNAms Amuthan prabhuji
Hare Krishna

AA prabhuji:

i don't have an offhand quote from AchArya's bhAShya,
but svAmi satchidAnandendra sarasvatI mentions in one
place (again, i forgot where) that nirvikalpa samAdhi
is a mere experience of deep sleep. though what i have
stated does not follow from this, it should atleast
make it sound plausible.

bhaskar :

As far as I remember, swamiji quotes both sushupti & samAdhi as *avidita*
while commenting on shankara bhAshya on ItarEya upanishat.  But I dont
think he mentions that *to have the jnAna of sushupti* nirvikalpa samAdhi
is must...

AA prabhuji:

samAdhi is a special state of the mind. during
nirvikalpa samAdhi the mind subsides and our identity
with the self which is ever present is directly
realized. how can this be puruSha tantra j~nAna?

bhaskar :

I dont know in what way you are describing nirvikalpa samAdhi here...if it
is nirvikalpa samAdhi as explained in patanjala yOga sUtra as asMprajnathA
samAdhi or nirbIja samAdhi then it is definitely a purusha tantra jnAna
which can be attainable through meditation after stilling the mind through
pratyAhAra & dhAraNa.  As we all know to attain nirvikalpa samAdhi, dhAraNa
& dhyAna are indispensable..(6th & 7th limbs of patanjali's ashtAnga yOga)
and shankara equates dhyAna to kartru tantra sAdhana where as jnAna which
is direct means to brahma jnAna is not kartru tantra & it is entirely based
on vastu tantra...dhyAna & jnAna are not same in shankara philosophy Here
is what shankara says
on dhyAna & jnAna in tattusamanvayAt sUtra bhAshya :

" dhyAnaM chintanaM yadyapi mAnasaM, taThApi puruShENa kartum, akartuM
anyaThA vA kartum shakyaM!!  puruShatantratvAt! jnAnaM tu pramANa janyaM!
pramANam cha yaThabhutavastu vishayaM! ataH jnAnaM kartum akartuM anyaTha
vA kartuM *aShakyaM*! kEvalaM vastu tantramEva tat, na chOdanAtaNtraM  nApi
purusha tantraM, tasmAt mAnastvEpi jnAnasya mahat vailakshaNyaM!!

AA prabhuji:

since during samAdhi we remain as our own self, and since svarUpa j~nAna is
not something that is newly created, it ought to be called vastu tantra
j~nAna.

bhaskar :

Since nirvikalpa samAdhi is the result of intense meditation intentionally
*performed* by aspirant I doubt this can be categorized as
vastutantra...vastu tantra jnAna is knowledge that which is completely in
control of vastu / object (vastu adhIna) & cannot be influenced by the will
of its cognizer.  This knowledge to be realized *as
it is* as an object really *is* & this perception knowledge cannot be
influenced by the will & wish of its cognizer. Whereas, in yOga sAdhana
aspirant through his determination can attain this samAdhi & can come
back..

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar