[Advaita-l] Are actions essentially meaningless?

[ramesam vemuri]

In the context of the various stages described herein,
interested members may like to kindly see:
 
* Comparison of the "Stages" in Yoga-based and Knowledge-based Spiritual Paths
(Yoga Bhumikas and Jnana Bhumikas) *
 
at:  http://beyond-advaita.blogspot.com/2010/12/yoga-based-and-knowledge-based.html
 
regards,
  

________________________________
 From: श्रीमल्ललितालालितः <lalitaalaalitah at lalitaalaalitah.com>
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> 
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Are actions essentially meaningless?
  
*श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
*www.lalitaalaalitah.com


On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 4:03 PM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Madhusudana talks about jnana bhumi. Do these stages map to stable and
> unstable jnana?
>

Whatever *shrI madhusUdana-sarasvatI* talks about *GYAna-bhUmI*, appears to
be taken from *jIvanmuktiviveka *of *shrIvidyAraNya*.

Anyway, the first three stages are of *sAdhana*, fourth stage is of
asthirapraGYA(unstable but aparoxa GYAna), and others belong to different
degrees of sthirapraGYA(stable GYAna). The fifth, sixth and seventh stages
have increasing degree of stability respectively.

So says *shrIvidyAraNya* in *jIvanmuktiviveka *:

'*सिद्धो न पश्यति*' , '*आचारमाचरति*' - इत्युभयोः परस्परविरोध - इति चेत् ।
*न *। विश्रान्तितारतम्येन व्यवस्थोपपत्तेः ।

This portion is preceded by two shloka-s. One of them from *bhAgavata *says
that GYAnI doesn't see his body. The other of sage *vashiShTha *says that
they do the needed according to the practiced AchAra.

*Q:* How is it possible to not see body and do the needed at the same time
by the same person ?

*A:* There is no contradiction. Both are possible with different degree of
niShThA(self-abidance). When in deep samAdhI, the GYAnI doesn't see the
world. While the one without samAdhI does the needed.

This again shows that GYAna may have different stages of stability and it
will cause difference in nature of GYAnI-s. So, we say that GYAnI may be
engaged in karma according to prArabdha, i.e. we may not see all signs of
GYAnI(which are popularly known) in him. But, when he gains stability of
knowledge by practicing yoga and sadvAsanA-s, he acquires all signs of
GYAnI which are mentioned in gItA, etc.

**************************  (snip)