[Advaita-l] Self-Realization

[Amuthan]

namo nArAyaNAya!

dear shrI vinAyaka,

On 1/18/07, br_vinayaka <vinayaka_ns_at_yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Therefore the vRitti j~nAna destroys avidyA and then it itself disappears
> and the person remains as Brahman. You may know the classical example. The
> heat of the sun cannot by itself burn a piece of straw. But when this heat
> is focussed through a lens it burns the straw. svarUpaj~nAna is like the sun
> and vRtti j~nAna is like the heat through the lens. svarUpa j~nAna is no
> doubt beyond the intellect because it alone is pAramArthika (absolute
> reality), while the intellect is only vyAvahArika (empirical reality).
> ramaNa mahaRshi's staements do not at all contradict the
> above.
>
> (Unquote)
>
> I dont know whether Sasrti-ji is there in the list or not. Can anybody help me to understand
> the vRitti arising and destroying avidya and disappearing and making the person realized?
>
> vRitti is defined as getting rid of all anatma thought and when is totally devoid of all anatma
> thought avidya gets automatically destroyed. But i could not follow why it is said that vRitti
> itself disapperars. ...

the vRtti mentioned above is variously known as brahmAkAra/
akhaNDAkAra/ AtmAkAra vRtti, ahaM sphuraNa, nirvisheSha-Atma
sAkShAtkAra etc.

according to sha~Nkara, the immediate knowledge of brahman that arises
because of vedAnta vichAra destroys aj~nAna and leads to anAtmavRtti
nirodha. this immediate knowledge of brahman is the same as brahmAkAra
vRtti. from the yoga point of view, it is a form of saMpraj~nAta
samAdhi where the mind assumes the form of the self.

the siddhAnta is that brahmAkAravRtti destroys avidyA (dehAtmabhAva)
and finally destroys itself. the destruction of the brahmAkAra vRtti
by itself would correspond to a transition from sampraj~nAta to
asaMpraj~nAta samAdhi, in the above scheme of classification.

AchArya gauDapAda talks of brahmAkAra vRtti in his mANDUkya kArikAs as follows:
'yadA na lIyate chittaM na cha vikShipyate punaH.
 ani~NganamanAbhAsaM niShpannaM brahma tattadA..' (mA.kA. 3.46)

the resolution of brahmAkAra vRtti into the self after destroying
avidyA is known, for instance, from verses like:
'aj~nAnakaluShaM jIvaM j~nAnAbhyAsAdvinirmalam.
 kRtvA j~nAnaM svayaM nashyejjalaM katakareNuvat..' (Atmabodha 5)
the j~nAnAbhyAsa mentioned by AchArya is the
shravaNa-manana-nididhyAsana process (= vedAnta vichAra)

it is important to keep in mind that according to sha~Nkara, it is not
chitta vRtti nirodha that produces Atmaj~nAna. it's the other way
about - by steadily holding on to Atmaj~nAna, which arises from
vedAnta vichAra, chitta vRtti nirodha is effected permanently. this
doesn't mean mano nigraha is not necessary. mano nigraha is absolutely
necessary for vedAnta vichAra. however, permanent chitta vRtti nirodha
is impossible without Atmaj~nAna.

vAsudevaH sarvaM,
aparyAptAmRtaH.