[Advaita-l] Supreme Brahman - the Ruler in Advaita?

[Rajaram Venkataramani]

As to whether gopis attained Atmasakshatkara or Paramatmasakshatkara, we
have to first understand that there can be no jnani who is not a bhakta.
Lord Krishna calls jnani as one of the types of bhaktas in BhG 7.
Vidyaranya defines jnani as a Hari Bhakta. Madhusudana says in his very
introduction to the gita and also 18.66 that bhakti is essential for karma
and jnana. In his introduction to BhG, he says that an atmarama is
attracted to the transcendental qualities of Hari, who is their very Self.
He classifies the gopis as the highest types of jnanis. He admits Janaka, a
jijnanusu, attains jnana but gopis dont even aspire for jnana but are
jnanis by definition due to their selfless love for Krishna, who is their
necklace!  As Hari is their very Self, for gopis atmasakshatkaram and
paramatmasaksharam are non-different. These two realisations will be
different only for one who in the first two stages of devotion "I am His"
or "He is Mine" but not for gopis who are in the state of "I am He".


On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 3:36 AM, Ranga Rathnam <sranga1955 at hotmail.com>wrote:

> Did gopis attain Atmasakshatkara or Paramatmasakshatkara?
>
> Best Regards
> Rangarathnam
>
> .>>>... in this thread we are talking about nirupadhika brahman that
> Sankara and Madhusudana talk about in BhG 15 and BhG 8. Just as Gaudapada
> calls turiya as Ishwara, Sankara calls Him Ishanashila or Narayanana and
> Madhusudana calls it Vasusdeva. This is a state of un-differentiated
> knowledge or the state of Vishnu. This parabrahman appears as Krishna and
> without becoming anatma. He takes the qualities of anatma when He appears
> as jagat but not when He appears as Krishna. Any form is prakrta but His
> form is apraktram, paramayarupam and pure consciousness. This nitya suddha
> buddha mukta Krishna, the son of Devaki and Yasoda, is the garland of the
> gopis who are jnanis.  Janaka attained jnana because of being a jijnasa
> whereas gopis started as jnanis by being totally selfless and spontaneous
> in their love for Krishna.  Some contemporary advaita scholars, jnanis
> though they may be, don't recognise the position of gopis as did
> Madhusudana. They think gopis went to Brahmaloka as do normal sadhakas.
> There is a huge difference between worshipping Krishna as the Self and as
> non-Self. This para-bhakti, which is advayajnanam, is non-different from
> Him, who is all bliss, says Madhusudana.
> > Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
>
>
>
>
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