[Advaita-l] Vikalpa, Savikalpa, and Nirvikalpa

[vinayaka ns]

Namaste.

dhyAnEnAtmani pashyanti kEchidAtmAnamAtmanA|
anyE samkhyEna yOgEna karmayOgEna chAparE||

Through meditation some realize the Self in (their) intellect with the help
of the internal organ; others through sAnkhya-yOga, and others through
karma-yOga.

BG 13.24

Annotation of Sri Madhusudhana Saraswathi:

"Indeed, here (in the field of spiritual disciplines) there are found kinds
of people; some are the best, some are mediocre, some are weak, some are
weaker. The Lord speaks of these spiritual disciplines for the
Self-realization in the case of the best ones among these: dhyAnEna,
through meditation, through a current of similar ideas that is
uninterrupted by (any) foreign idea, through contemplation on the Self
resulting from shravaNa and manana, which is referred by the word
nididhyAsana; kechit, some, the best yOgis; directly pashyanti, realize;
AtmAnam, the Self, the inmost Consciousness; Atmani, in (their) intellect;
AtmanA, with the help of the internal organ, which has been perfected
through meditation.

He speaks of the discipline for Sef-realization in the case of the
mediocres: anye, others, the mediocres; sAnkyEna yOgEna, through
sAnkhya-yOga, through contemplation that results from vichAra on the
vEdAntic texts thus - 'These things, the transformation of the three guNAs,
are all the not-Self and are unreal. I am the Self, the witness of those
things; I am eternal, all-pervasive, changeless, real and devoid of all
kinds of contact with matter'-, which (contemplation) is in the form of
shravaNa and manana occurring before nididhyAsana, which is preceded by
discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal, etc.;- (the
portion) 'realize the Self in (their) intellect' is understood. That is to
say, (they realize) after its (sAnkhya yOga's) developing into dhyAna
(meditation).

The Lord speaks of the disciplines for Self-knowledge in the case of the
weak; cha aparE, and others, the weak ones; karma-yOgEna, through
karma-yOga, through the multifarious duties which are enjoined by the
vEdas, which are appropriate for the concerned castes and stages of life,
which are undertaken with the idea of dedication to God, and which are
devoid of (any) expectation of gain (for oneself);- (the portion) 'realize
the Self in (their) intellect' is understood. That is (they realize)
through shravaNa, manana and dhyAna which arise after purification of the
mind."

I am quoting this for the benefit of the interested members who can't read
the original.

Tr. by Swami Gambhirananda.

Best Wishes,

Vinayaka

PS: Typos if any are mine.