[Advaita-l] sharira a must for Brahma Jnana

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 2:31 PM, Sumitha Ramachandran <sumitha.rama at yahoo.com
> wrote:

> Namaste.
>               In Vivekachoodamani we have the verse Janthoonaam narajanma
> dhurlabham........
> wherein the importance of  a Narajanma is stressed.
>
> Does one require a sharira (body)  for Brahma Jnana?
> We have heard that King Janaka got jnana from formless yogis . If one can
> be helpful in giving jnana in a formless state, can one take them too while
> formless? Or is it that one has to take a human form and do shravana ,
> manana and nidhidhyasana to obtain Jnana?
> What do the scriptures have to say about this?
>


In the Chandogya upanishad 8th ch. we have the story of PrajApati giving
the instructions on brahmavidyA to Indra and virochana, both non-humans.
There are many such cases in the upanishads.  In fact the Br.up. 1.4.10
says 'whoever among devas, rishis, manushyas, know in the form of 'aham
brahma asmi' essentially become That.'  So, it is not mandatory that one
has to be a human either to give or receive brahmajnAna.  Only that in the
human body it is said the sAdhana is easy since there is a lot of
opportunity for generating vairagya.  In kathopanishat it is said that in
manushya loka and in the Brahma loka alone there is great clarity in
brahmajnanam.  But, Shankara says, it is extremely difficult to first of
all go to brahmaloka. Therefore it is best to strive for and obtain It in
the manushyasharIra itself. In pitR and gandharva and other lokas so much
clarity is not there, meaning, it is difficult to obtain.

Regards
subrahmanian.v

>
> Thanking in advance,
> humbly,
> sumitha
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