[Advaita-l] Vikalpa, Savikalpa, and Nirvikalpa

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

> I have 2 points. Is Citta Shuddhi necessary for Citta Vrutti Nirodha?
> What is Yoga philosophy saying? Because the Yoga philosophy is aiming
> for Citta Vrutti Nirodha. If Citta Shuddhi not necessary there cannot
> be Advaita Jnana in Samadhi also. Advaita is saying Jnana comes from
> Vedanta Vakyas only. It cannot be in some meditation experience. 
 
Sri Murthy,
 
The question you should be really asking is, "Is citta Suddhi possible with
zero yogAbhyAsa?" Forget about citta vRtti nirodha or samAdhi for now.
This goal of yoga is many, many steps away from the basics of yogAbhyAsa.
 
Yes, jnAna comes form vedAnta vAkyas only. Has anybody who has talked
about the usefulness of yogAbhyAsa or about its role in nididhyAsana said
otherwise? What exactly are you objecting to?
 
Please let me know if you find any or all of the following propositions
reasonable.

a. advaita jnAna is beyond words (yato vAco nivartante). Therefore, one
should never speak/write anything.
 
b. advaita jnAna lies beyond the mind (aprApya manasA saha). Therefore,
one should never apply one's mind to vedAnta.
 
c. advaita jnAna is beyond all action (na karmaNA na prajayA ...). So one
should never perform any action, especially vaidika karmA.
 
d. jnAna is beyond the bounds of logic (naishA tarkeNa matir Apaneya).
Therefore, one should never resort to the norms of nyAya reasoning or
any other kind of logical process.
 
e. advaita jnAna is beyond the three usual avasthAs. Therefore, one
should never sleep, never dream and never wake up. 
 
If you disagree with any of this, please let me about what makes yoga so
uniquely special that one should keep as far away from it as possible?
 
Yes, silence is the essence of the Atman, but one nevertheless gets the
jnAna only through the words of the vedAnta (Srotavya). Yes, brahman
is beyond the mind, but the AtmA is nevertheless to be deliberated upon
(mantavya, nididhyAsitavya). Yes, action is to be given up, but we need
karma yoga in order to even get the basic qualifications for jnAna. Yes,
brahman is beyond logic, but we have millennia of tradition during which
thousands of pages of logical arguments have been made by authors,
from gauDapAda and Sankara bhagavatpAda to the AcAryas of today.
Yes, jnAna is beyond the avasthA-s, but an analysis of one's experience
of the three avasthA-s is a key component of vedAnta.
 
Draw your own conclusions about yoga, dhyAna and samAdhi when it
comes to jnAna. If you still think yoga is only for "health" and "exercise",
perhaps you would fit right in with the "yoga studios" found in every
major American city and now making their way into India as well.
 
Vidyasankar