[Advaita-l] Self-knowledge

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

praNAms Sri Amuthan prabhuji
Hare Krishna


AA prabhuji:

i don't think what you have said above is correct.
bhagavatpAda says the following in bR^i.up. bhAShya
(1.4.7), 'yadyapyevaM sharIrArambhakasya karmaNo
niyataphalatvAt ** samyagj~nAnaprAptAvapi **
avashyambhAvinI pravR^ittiH vA~NmanaHkAyAnAm.' -
'since the karma which led to the formation of the
present body (i.e. prArabdha karma) is bound to bear
its fruits, activities of the speech, mind and the
body continue ** even after (one attains) samyag
j~nAna (= aparokSha tattva j~nAna) **.'

bhaskar :

I think I had a lengthy discussion on this upanishad maNtra
earlier...Anyway, prabhuji, IMHO the long running shankara bhashya on
Br.Up. 1.4.7 requires rather a careful study ( I think seeming prasankhyAna
theory also finds place in his commentary when he says
Atma-vijnAna-smRti-saMtati) .  The *karma phala-s (fruits of karma) *even
after saMyag jnAna* should not be taken literally.  This fruits of karma is
not to be taken as result of original injuction (vidhi), coz. this duty can
be considered as a duty without *doer*.  Because the very knowledge of Atma
jnAna sublates the notion of kartru & bhOktru bhAva..(shankara in gIta
commentary).

Hence, commentaries like above should be understood without disturbing the
shankara's mUla siddhAnta.  So, texts like, samyagjnAnaprAptAvapi
avashyambhAvinI pravruttiH vANmanaHkAyAnAm. must be contextually
understood.  After all as we know, once jnAni realizes his svarUpa is
yEkamEvAdvitIya, who will be there to bear the fruits of prArabdhA karma??
So, the knowledge (paramArtha jnAna) one has
already gained does not get affected due to prArabhdha karma phala..  after
realisation shruti says even vedAs are no vedAs then where is the question
of prArabhdha karma phala for a jnAni prabhuji??  Shankara elsewhere in the
same bhAshya says *siddhaM jIvatOpi vidhushaH asharIratvaM...(after Atma
jnAna jnAni attains asharIratvam (bodylessness) even he lives in
body)..kaTOpanishat says Atma jnAna removes the knots of heart and
annihilates all the doubts (bhidyatE hrudaya grantim chidyante *sarva*
saMshayaH)...and shankara says while commenting on this upanishad *
prabhinna *samastha* avidyAgrantEH jIvata yEva brahma bhUtastE AtmavidaH na
gatirvidyAtE*  Is is this enough to prove jnAni does not have any sory of
karma phala prabhuji??   If we interpret the above commentary in any other
way, definitely it contradicts the mUla siddhanta of shankara & shruti as
well. For the greater clarify of the above commentary, parallely we can
check sUtra bhAshya 3-4-47 also.

While on the subject I am not able to understand the undue importance that
we are giving to jnAni's sharIra & his antaHkaraNa here...karma &
karmaphala can hold sway only on body & antaHkaraNa.  When the
shruti/shankara says jnAni is asharIri what is the point in still talking
about jnAni's body & his karma even after saMyag jnAna??  Absolute
knowledge is nothing but the realisation of identification of the Self with
Brahman. When this knowledge has dawned, there is nothing else to achieve.
The presence or absence of a body is hardly matters here.  Moreover, in
realisation only the Absolute exist..nEha nAnAsti kiNchana says shruti.
Since the Absolute is nothing other than the true nature of the enquirer,
it is just the realisation of one's own true nature through the removal of
ignorance. The notion of being an individual who is capable of action, who
is bearing fruits of his prArbhdha, saNchita karma phala, who is  seeking
liberation from birth & death, doing spiritual sAdhana for it etc. etc. are
all in the realm of ignorance. can this applicable to jnAni/brahmajnAni
also who has realized his secondless nature??

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar