[Advaita-l] Ritambara Prajna

[Raghav Kumar]

Even the vedic knowledge was revealed in the antaHkaraNam of the
mantra-dRStAraH at some point in history.  The fact that knowledge is
revealed for the first time in history (of this kalpa) in a Rishi's mind
does not make it paurusheya jnAnam.

Even scientific insights and breakthroughs are about Ishwara's srishti
and are therefore apaurusheya. There is some truth in this argument. (we
talk of the invention of the phone - a paurusheya effort but the discovery
of electr-magnetism, an apaurusheya phenomenon which was not created by Man
exercising his will but by Ishwara-niyati)

But the difference is that these scientific insights are improvable and in
that sense provisional. For example, Newton's law of gravity has been proved
to be imperfect and merely an inaccurate approximation (special case) of the
more generalized Einstein's general theory of relativity. One might argue
that Vedic truths dealing as they do with the adhidaivik order of sriShti
(not perceptible to the mind and senses) are not provisional or improvable
like it is with science. Still it is noteworthy that the older scientific
theories are never totally contradicted (or set aside) by the newer ones ;
they become special cases of the newer ones. So the argument that scientific
insight (discoveries) like gravity etc., are not paurusheya cannot be
entirely set aside. Einstein would talk of  scientific insights  as "reading
the mind of God" Swami Vivekananda used to say "all (insightful) knowledge
is born of samadhi".I guess he would endorse what you said of the virtually
indispensable role played by Yoga sadhana in acquiring knowledge..

Another interesting thing you said (implied), Sriramji is that you cannot
carry forward the shAstra-adhyayana done in this birth to the next. But you
can indeed do so w.r.t. the yoga-sadhana and its results, - you can carry
them forward to the next birth. I understand why you are saying this. But
supposing, shAstra-adhyayana is understood as "well-assimilated and
understood shAstra" and not the phD oriented shAstra study, then there would
be no difference between the two.

The KaThopanishad too does say, for the record,  "yonim anye prapadyante
sharIratvAya dehinaH, sthAnumanye anusaMyanti yathA karma yathA shrutam"  (
a jIva takes the next womb in accordance with his karma and what he has
"heard", i.e., his inner convictions (vijnAnam-upArjitam) born of study of
shruti. )
The phrase "yathA shrutam" assurance of the Shruti MAtA should take care of
the fact that shAstra adhyayana too (atleast the well-assimilated part of it
!!) is indeed carried forward to the next birth.

raghav
Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 12:42 PM, Venkata sriram P <venkatasriramp at yahoo.in>wrote:

> Namaste,
>
> Just wanted to ask what is "apaursheyatva".  My idea of "apaursheyatva" is
> something like this:
>
> Let us consider with the example
> "Newton's Law of Gravity".
>
> The phenomena of Gravitation existed since times immemorial,
> also before the birth of Issac Newton and would exist in Future.
>
> But it was Newton who "Observed" this phenomena when
> apple was falling down from the tree. And thus propounded
> the Law of Gravitation with the formula:
>
> F = G x m1*m2/r*r
>
> The apple might have fallen "n" number of times to
> reinforce the Law of Gravitation, but, went unnoticed by "ordinary" folks.
>
> So, what needs to be observed is that Law of Gravitation
> "Exists" which is "apoursheya" and to express this Law,
> Newton used the syllables F,G,m1,m2 & r.
>
> On similar lines, the veda darshana.  The tattva behind the
> mantra darShana is "apaursheya" which is like Gravity Force.
> And the sabda heard / revealed is taken as a pramANa
> because this is the only source to be taken to know the
> apaursheya jnana.  And hence, the sabda pramANa is
> taken here as final authority.
>
> //
>
> In fact it is this rtambhara prajna which as presented seems to be
> defective being based on personhood.
>
> //
>
> We cannot brush aside the sAstra based on the
> principle of apaurshetva / paursheyatva.
>
> Are we not taking Bhagavat Gita as the pramANa
> sAstra even though it is paurShEya.
>
> Infact, i find Yoga Sutras, a practical & useful guide in my sAdhana in
> nirOdha of chittavritti, prANAyAma, dhyAna, dhAraNa etc.
> It emphasizes on praNava upAsana in the sUtra "tasya vAchakaH praNavaH".
>
> // but to annhilate ajnana which allows svayamaprakasha
> jnana to shine forth.
> //
>
> Can you suggest any universal method of annihilating ajnana?
>
> //
> my point is it is orthogonal to whether one
> understands the shastra or not.
>
> //
>
> I take this with a pinch of salt.
>
> Even if one practices the yOga and eventhough he is
> half-way through in the current birth, in the next birth,
> he is born as yOga bhraShTa to continue
> the sAdhana.  At least, this assurance is there in
> BG.
>
> What is such assurance in Sastra Adhyayana?
>
> regs,
> Sriram
>
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