[Advaita-l] Vikalpa, Savikalpa, and Nirvikalpa

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 3:37 PM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Namaste
>
> Fine. Leave Janaka. What about Vamadeva? He got Jnana when he was in
> the mother's womb itself. How can he practice Ashtanga Yoga including
> Samadhi in the womb?


What we know about Vamadeva is from the shruti.  He declared, from the
womb, says the shruti: 'I was Manu and sUrya....'  Now, the question is:
how is it possible for someone in the womb to so declare?  The Brahmasutra
'aihikamapi apratibandhe taddarshanAt' 3.4.51 cites this example of
Vamadeva too.  Practices could have happened in the previous birth, the
fruit of perfection did not occur then itself owing to some obstacles.
When the obstacles are gone, in another birth too the fruit can manifest.
If someone can declare, by words, can one not imagine that it was
subsequent to the saakShAtkAra that only preceded that verbal declaration?

Aitareya Upanishad .

2.5. Therefore it was said by the sage Vamadeva, "I, Vamadeva, being yet in
the womb,  knew all the births of these gods and their causes. In a hundred
cities of iron they held me down and kept me ; I broke through them all
with might and violence, like a hawk I soared up into my heavens." *While
yet he lay in the womb, thus said Vamadeva. *

6. And because he knew this, therefore when the strings of the body were
snapped asunder, lo, he soared forth into yonder world of Paradise and
there having possessed all desires , put death behind him, yea, he put
death behind him.


> This is showing Yoga practice is not necessary.
>

Pl. read the sixth chapter of the Gita with the bhashya.  And the
particular chapter from the book 'GitAshAstrArtha vivekaH' by Swami SSS
which was referred here recently.


> It may be good to practice but it is not the only way to get Jnana.
>
> In Gita Krishna is talking Sankhya and Yoga. In Sankhya approach we
> require analytical skills. If sharp analytical skill is there the
> person will not need anything more than that for Jnana. Yoga is a
> different approach. Both will be proper approach for Jnana. But we
> can't say only Yoga approach is correct.
>

Pl. understand that the yoga in the Gita is karma yoga.

regards
subrahmanian.v

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