[Advaita-l] Apaurusheyatva of Veda

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 11:34 AM, Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com> wrote:

> Also, experience (anubhava) has a role in exegesis of the shruti and not
> in
> verifying it. Atmaj~nAna is not a particular experience but an
> understanding
> that the non-dual Atman is the very content of *every* experience or
> cognition. This is really what is meant by aparokSha j~nAna or
> aparokShAnubhUti.
>
> praNAms
> Hare Krishna
>
> That is really well said prabhuji.  But I reckon, some school take a
> different step from the above.  According to them, mere vedAnta jnAna does
> not suffice this jnAna has to culminate in the 'experience' like
> nirvikalpa samAdhi / sAkshAtkAra  etc.



In the Bh.Gita Bhashya 11.54 the bhashyam says:

भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्यमहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन।

ज्ञातुं दृष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परंतप।।11.54।।

 न केवलं ज्ञातुं शास्त्रतः, *द्रष्टुं च साक्षात्कर्तुं तत्त्वेन तत्त्वतः*,
प्रवेष्टुं च मोक्षं च गन्तुं परंतप।

In the Br.Up.mantra on आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो, मन्तव्यो,
निदिध्यासितव्यः..Shankara, while commenting, after explaining each of the
elements involved there: shravaNa, etc. says: एवं हि असौ दृष्टो भवति, न
श्रवणमात्रेण । (only when shravaNa, manana and nididhyAsana)..are performed
does the Atman become 'seen' and not by mere shravaNa.

We can see the word 'dRShTaH' of the bhashyam and the words 'draShTavyaH' of
the Up. and the word 'draShTum' of the Gita verse are in the same sense and
context.  From the two bhashyam quotes it is clear beyond any doubt that for
Shankara 'Atma darshanam' means nothing other than 'sAkShAtkara'.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v



> You might have noticed the recent
> thread on 'avagati' with regard to this.  I am quoting for your ready
> reference from Sri praveen kumar's mail :
>
> //quote//
>
> The author Vachaspati mishra in his work Bhamati says
>
> ''Not mere knowledge alone is desired but that leads to Avagati or
> Sakshataka(direct experience).That which
> culminates in Avagati is the object of desire denoted by the suffix san
>
> This is in the context of atman.All the sub commentators of shankara
> bhashya
> did suggest direct experience
> as a means of realisation not just mere vedantic knowledge of atman.
>
> // unquote//
>
> Apart from this, I have myself heard from one of the respected members
> that veda/vedAnta-s are like operation & instruction manual !!??
>
> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
> bhaskar
>