[Advaita-l] Nidhidhyaasana-4

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Nidhidhyaasana-4

Jnaani understands that he is the
witnessing consciousness that pervades all, but remains as non doer in spite all
doing is going in his presence. He is the one who is referred to as
karmaniakarmayaHpasyet, one who sees inaction in action, since all actions are
being done by the prakRiti only – 

prakRityaivachakarmaaNikriyamaanaanisarvashaH, 

yaHpasyati tat
atmaanamakartaaramsapasyati. 


He will remain as suutremaniganaaiva - as the
binding thread that provides the support to the total order of things, yet not
involved in any activities while all activities are going on in his presence.
Hence any involvement in action will be only with the recognition that it is a
drama of life. Thus he understands that he is jagannaaTaka suutra dhaarii –the
director, the supporter of the whole drama of life. He looks at the world as
though indifferent but participates as though actively when situation demands.
He acts but does not really act. He enjoys every minute of his life yet he
remains as just witnessing consciousness witnessing the drama of life as
bystander. Others may feel that he suffering due to body ailment, but a jnaani
sees the body suffering as natural to the body.  He looks at the honor and dishonor of the body
like a cow’sreaction at the garland put on her neck during the festival
time-says, Shankara:

praarabdasuutragrathitamshareeram
prayaatuvaatishTatugorivasrak|
natatpunaHpasyatitatvavettaa
nandaatmanaabrahmaNileenavRittiH||
417

Let the body which is tied to the
praarabda go through its honor and dishonor or its healthy or unhealthy states,
whether it stays or drops dead, how does that matter to the realized soul who
is reveling in pure exhaustible happiness by being one with totality. He does
not look back at the state of the body just as cow does not really care whether
people garland it or not, whether the garland stays on her neck or drops down. 
 
The body is looked upon as part of
the world as mithyaa. How he treats the body depends on jnaani. Some take care
of the body as one takes care of his house while some jnaanis may ignore
completely its fate to the nature. He can take care of the body as managing
trustee, who is assigned the responsibility to do so by factors beyond his
control. The body is also maintained to provide a vehicle for teaching the
highest knowledge gained to those who approach him sincerely for the
knowledge.  Remembering that his own teacher
out of compassion took pains to pass that knowledge to him, as an obligation to
his teacher and to the scriptures, he passes on that knowledge to worthy
students who approach him with the desire for knowledge. This forms an
acharyaRiNa or obligation to his teacher. 
 
Thus body, mind and intellect are
required to gain the knowledge. After gaining the knowledge these are looked up
as just instruments that served the purpose. It is like coffee-cup is required
to drink coffee. We cannot have just coffee without the cup. Hence cup is
purposeful instrument needed. If is a throw-away cup that no one else can use
it, after drinking the coffee, one just discards the cup unceremoniously. As
long as it is useful, it is kept in shape for its proper use. Ones it is no
more useful, it is disposed off.  Same
way for the BMI. They are required for gaining the knowledge. Once one is
firmly abides in the knowledge of the supreme, it has served its purpose and
allowed to decay naturally. Shankara concludes this section with glorifying the
state of the mind of a jnaani, or the jnaanam itself. Here the knower of
Brahman becomes Brahman, says the scripture. In tune with that Shankara says:

akhaNDaanandamaatmaanamvijnaayasvaswaruupataH|
kimicchankasyavaahetoHdhehampuShNaatitatvavit||

The knower of Brahman once
recognizing that the self that I am is of the nature of fullness with unbroken
limitless happiness and that is his intrinsic nature itself, what desire he has
to cater to the body needs. Hence if at all he takes care of the body, it is
only for loka kalyanam or for the benefit of the body. He becomes a living God
on the earth. Hence we pray to that teacher 

Guru brahma guru
vishNuHgurdevomaheswaraH|
Guru
saakshaatparabrahmatasmishreeguravenamaH||
 
Hari Om!
Sadananda