[Advaita-l] Reply to Sri Vidyamanya Tirtha's observations

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste
On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 10:15 PM, Vidyasankar Sundaresan <
svidyasankar at hotmail.com> wrote:

> > Mandana Mishra is also saying same thing by giving
> > Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Vakya support for Karma like Yajnas. Tametam
> > Vedanuvacanena Brahmana Vividishanti Yajnena Danena Tapasa Anashakena.
>
>
> This is a key difference between maNDana miSra and  Sankara bhagavatpAda in
> what this means for a sAdhaka. Is ahaM brahmAsmi ever a matter of aparoksha
> jnAna? And do you agree that this jnAna is incompatible with the notions
> of ahaM
> kartA and ahaM bhoktA? If the answer to both questions is yes, then it
> naturally
> follows that in this state of jnAna, there is no more place even for
> yajna, dAna,
> tapas and anaSana. It also naturally follows that yajna etc are important
> means
> to an end, not the end itself.
>
Kindly see the Sankara Bhashya for Br Up 4-4-22 - Tametam
 Vedanuvacanena Brahmana Vividishanti Yajnena Danena Tapasa Anashakena. Adi
Sankara is saying Dravya Yajnaa Jnaana Yajnaasca Samskrutaarthaaha,
Samskrutasya Vishuddha Sattvasya Jnaanotpattir Apratibandhena Bhavishyati.
The Jnana will come automatically when the Mind is purified by Yajnas. He
does not have to do anything more.

After some more sentences he is saying again Evam Kaamyavarjitam Nityam
Karmajaatam Sarvam Atma Jnaanotpattidvaarena Moksha Saadhanatvam
Pratipadyate. All the Nitya Karma is a Moksha Saadhana by giving Atma
Jnaana. He is not saying you have to first do Nitya Karma then take
Sannyasa. Then you get Atma Jnaana. Then Moksha. No. The Karma will
directly give Atma Jnaana. How? Because it will remove the Obstacle for
Jnana. The Removing of Obstacles is done by Action only. Upanishad Vakyas
only will give Paroksha Jnana if the Obstacle is still there. But Karma
will give the Aparoksha Jnana by removing the obstacle.

For thousands of years people have not understood this Adi Sankara's
importance to Karma and they are arguing he was against rituals.

I think Adi Sankara has agreed with Mandana Mishra here. Both are saying
same thing.


>
> > Mandana has given
> > the pure crystal example. The Pure Crystal is colourless. We have Jnana
> it
> > is colourless. When it is near a colourful object it also has the same
> > colour. We are seeing it colourful even though we have Jnana it is
> > colourless. But when you remove the coloured object the crystal is seen
> > pure colourless. The removing is Action. By Karma with Phala Tyaga we can
> > finally reach Brahma even though the Jnana is already there.
>
> That again is a false conclusion. The removing is not Action. It is the
> giving up of all
> Action. The pure colorless crystal is the AtmA, which is brahman. The
> colored object
> that is near it, as an upAdhi, is the superimposition of
> kartRtva/bhoktRtva on the
> AtmA that is intrinscially akartA and abhoktA. Removing the colored object
> is not just
> karmaphala tyAga, nor is it really another karmA generating new phala that
> needs a
> conscious act of tyAga.
>
It is common sense removing a coloured object from the colourless crystal
is Action only. It cannot be some other thing. The coloured object has to
be physically moved. Then only we can see the colourless crystal.


>
> Best regards,
> Vidyasankar
>
>


-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh