[Advaita-l] yAvad adhikAram avasthitir AdhikArikANAm - 3

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

Continuing with the rest of the bhAshya on this topic -

 

yadi hy upayukte sakRt-pravRtte karmaNi dehAntara-Arambha-
kAraNam Avirbhavet tataH anyad apy adagdha-bIjaM karmAntaraM
tadvad eva prasajyeta iti brahmavidyAyAH pAkshikaM moksha-
hetutvaM vA ASankyeta. na tv iyam ASankA yuktA jnAnAt karma-
bIja-dAhasya Sruti-smRti-prasiddhatvAt. tathA hi SrutiH - 
"bhidyate hRdaya-granthiS chidyante sarva-saMSayAH, kshIyante
ca asya karmANi tasmin dRshTe parAvare" (muNDaka 2.2.8) iti.
"smRti-lambhe sarva-granthInAM vipramokshaH" (chAndoyga 7.26.2)
ity evam AdyA. smRtir api "yathA edhAMsi samiddho 'gnir bhasma-
sAt kurute 'rjuna, jnAnAgnis sarva-karmANi bhasmasAt kurute
tathA" (gItA 4.37), "bIjAny agny upadagdhAni na rohanti yathA
punaH, jnAnadagdhais tathA kleSair na AtmA saMbadhyate punaH"
(mahAbhArata SAntiparva 12.204.16) iti ca evam AdyA. na ca 
avidyAdi-kleSa-dAhe sati kleSa-bIjasya karmASayasya ekadeSa
dAha ekadeSa prarohaS ca ity upapadyate. na hy agnidagdhaS ca
SAlibIjasya ekadeSa praroho dRSyate. pravRtta-phalasya tu
karmASayasya mukta ishor iva vega-kshayAn nivRttiH. "tasya
tAvad eva ciram" (chAndogya 6.14.2) iti SarIrapAtAv adhi-
kshepa-karaNAt. 

 

It may be doubted, with the experience of fruits of previous karmA
having begun once (in this body), will it not lead to a reason for
another body to arise? Similarly, will not other karmA also stay
without its seed getting burnt? This doubt is baseless, because the
Sruti (in references such as muNDaka upanishat 2.2.8 and chAndogya
upanishat 7.26.2) and smRti (in gItA 4.37 and SAntiparva 12.204.16
in the epic mahAbhAata) tell us that jnAna burns the seeds of karmA.
Once faults such as ignorance are burnt away, it is inappropriate to
think that one part of remaining karmA, the seed of faults, is burnt
away, but another part will regenerate. No part of a seed that has
been burnt by fire ever sprouts again. As for the previous action
for which the results have already begun to be experienced, like a
released arrow, they come to a stop through an exhaustion of their
own momentum. It is cast away with the death of the body, as per
the (chAndogya) statement, "His wait is only for so long".

 

tasmAd upapannA yAvad adhikAram AdhikArikANAm avasthitiH. na
ca jnAna-phalasya anaikAntikatA. tathA ca Srutir aviSesheNa
eva sarveshAM jnAnAn mokshaM darSayati "tad yo yo devAnAM
praty-abudhyata sa eva tad abhavat, tathA RshINAM tathA
manushyANAM" (bRhadAraNyaka 1.4.10) iti. jnAnAntareshu ca
aiSvaryAdi-phaleshv AsaktAs syur mahaRshayaH. te paScAd
aiSvarya-kshaya-darSanena nirviNNAH paramAtma-jnAne pari-
nishThAH kaivalyaM prApur ity upapadyate. "brahmaNA saha
te sarve saMprApte pratisaMcare, parasyAnte kRtAtmAnaH 
praviSanti paraM padam" (kUrma purANa*) iti smaraNAt.

 

Thus, it is apt that those who have a duty to fulfil continue till
their responsibility lasts. This does not indicate multiplicity of the
fruit of knowledge. Sruti (bRhadAraNyaka 1.4.10) teaches that
liberation through Self-knowledge is the same for all, whether they
are gods or sages or humans. (Some) great sages were attached
to other kinds of knowledge, such as those that give results such
as lordliness etc. These sages later attained isolation through
seeing the eventual loss of lordly powers and then gaining steady
knowledge of the supreme Self. It is remembered that at the time of
dissolution of the universe, along with lord brahmA, they enter the
highest state. 

 

[* This kUrma purANa verse is numbered 1.11.284 in one online source -
http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil/1_sanskr/3_purana/kurmp1_u.htm]

 

pratyaksha-phalatvAc ca jnAnasya phalavirahASankA anupapattiH.
karmaphale hi svargAdAv anubhava-anArUDhe syAd ASankA bhaved
vA na vA iti. anubhavArUDhaM tu jnAnaphalam "yat sAkshAd aparokshAd
brahma" (bRhadAraNyaka 2.4.1) iti SruteH, "tat tvam asi" (chAndogya
6.8.7 - 6.16.3) iti ca siddhAv upadeSAt. na hi "tat tvam asi" ity asya
vAkyArthas tat tvam mRto bhavishyasi ity evaM pariNetuM SakyaH.
"tadd ha etat paSyann Rshir vAmadevaH pratipede 'haM manur abhavaM
sUryaS ca" (bRhadAraNyaka 1.4.10) iti ca samyag-darSana-kAlam eva
tat-phalaM sarvAtmatvaM darSayati. tasmad aikAntikI vidushaH
kaivalya-siddhiH.

 

Any doubt about the fruit of knowledge is not correct, because of the
directly perceived results of knowledge. Results of action, such as
attainment of heaven, which have not been experienced yet, can be
doubted as to whethery they exist or not. The fruit of knowledge is a
matter of direct experience, as affirmed in the Sruti, "that brahman
which is perceptible directly" and from the teaching for attaining it,
"you are that". It is not possible to alter the meaning of the sentence
"you are that" to indicate, "you will die and then become that." The
result of knowledge, namely the state of being the Self of all, arises 
simultaneous with the right vision of the Self, as affirmed in the Sruti
in the case of the sage, vAmadeva, who saw the reality and proclaimed,
"I became manu and sUrya too". Therefore, the attainment of kaivalya
for the knower of brahman is unquestionable. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This ends the bhAshya on this sUtra. I will conclude this series in the 
next post with some of my own comments on the above.

 

Regards,

Vidyasankar
 		 	   		  
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