[Advaita-l] Please tell the meaning of this Verse

[Siva Senani Nori]

Namaste.

For the Jnaanin, both cooked food and cow dung are Brahman. And, yes, either may be food for him; or for that matter if Yogis want, they can stay without food. Yet, their behaviour is not based on what they are capable of, but on what they want others to follow: यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः । स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥भगवद्गीता ३- २१॥

Similarly, when Yogis (=Jnaanins) eat etc. it is only to support their body - शारीरं केवलं कर्म (निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः। शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्॥ भगवद्गीता ४-२१॥). According to the normal rules of the world, cooked food is required to support the Sareera and hence that is chosen in preference to cow dung.

By the way, this difference need not be only for Jnaanins. It might be applicable to Jijnaasus as well. There is a story about Murari kavi who is famous for having experienced the difficulties of gurukulavaasa [1]. Apparently one day he noticed that his gurupatni served cow-dung and not daal. When he asked her about it, her reply was "So, you noticed after all these years. That means your concentration has wavered from your studies." On the same day, his samaavartanam (the rite marking the end of studies) happened.

Regards
N. Siva Senani

[1]  वाचमुपासते हि बहवः सारं सारस्वतं जानीते नितरामसौ गुरुकुलक्लिष्टो मुरारिः कविः ।
     अब्धिर्लङ्घित एव वानरभटैः किन्त्वस्य गम्भीरतामापातालनिमग्नपीवरतनुर्जानाति मन्थाचलः ॥ is a famous poem by Murari kavi about himself.
Meaning: Many people indeed worship Vaak, but only Kavi Murari, who has experienced the difficulties of staying in a gurukula, thoroughly knows the essence of literature. Many monkey-warriors might have jumped over the ocean, but the depth of ocean is known only by the mountain Mandara (used to churn the ocean), which had its gigantic form immersed upto the depths of the paataala in the ocean.



PS: For some reason this message sent a couple of days earlier is not being accepted; so I am resending it. If it appears multiple times, kindly bear with me.
>________________________________
> From: Durga Janaswamy via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
>To: advaita l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> 
>Sent: Monday, 6 July 2015 4:51 AM
>Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Please tell the meaning of this Verse
> 
>
>Hari Om,
>Pranams.
>
>You wrote:
>"In the case of a Jnaanin, the differences in the phenomenal world are not perceived." 
>"The moment this Truth is internalized, differences vanish."
>
>Question: Will a Jnaanin see difference between cooked food and cow dung?
>
>Thanks and regards
>-- durga prasad