[Advaita-l] Two types of Atma jnAni-s & their approach to real life situation

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

Bhaskarji - PraNAms

In my understanding, jnaani is the one who clearly understood that he
is guNa-atiitaH and guNas belong to prakRiti only - as discussed
precisely by Krishna in the 14th Ch. of Gita, in response to Arjuna’s
question. It is not the absence of guNas but recognition that guNas
belong to the prakRiti and not to the saaskhi that I am. Jnaani is one
who understands this and a  jnaana niShTaa or brahma niShTaa is the
one who abides in this knowledge all the time.

Anger, etc arises at the BMI level - along with ahankara, which itself
is a combination of aatma and anaatma. Jnaani has viveka or
discriminative intellect to shift his attention to the aatma part as
saakshii, while recognizing that anaatma part which is of lower
prakRiti has the anger, kaama etc - due to past habits or due to
praarabda karma. Hence, due to past habits, the emotions do arise at
the BMI level and jnaani sees them or witnesses them. One who is
mature in nidhidhyaasana shifts himself quickly to his aatma or higher
level and witnesses the operation of the emotions at the lower level.
This recovery time gets reduced as one gets established more and more
as saakshii. That is a part of nidhidhyaasana. It is not a new
knowledge or jnaanam but abidance in the knowledge that one has
already gained.  As one gets established that I am saakshii more and
more – by abhyaasa and vairagya - he slowly gets firmly abides in his
jnaana that I am pure saakshii and not these changing BMI that
includes emotions. That is what is referred to as upahita chaitanya.

To me it is as simple as that. Gradations in the jnaanam are not in
the jnaanam per sec but how far I can abide in my true nature as aatma
than at the anaatma level, even though I clearly understand that I am
aatma and not anaatma. That is, it is gradations in abiding in the
knowledge not in the knowledge per sec. This I presume as what is
described or referred to as gradations in the jnaanam. Gradations are
not really quantized states to talk about as levels but gradual
abidance as effects of praarabda or habits of the past slowly die out,
even if one discusses them as gradations in the brahma nishTa, more
for academic discussions. Jaanam eliminates the ajnaanam, but not the
ajnaana janya karma which is essentially the praarabda, which was the
cause for the BMI. Until BMI drops the praarabda remains.

This I have discussed this elaborately in my perspective series.


Hari Om!
Sadananda