[Advaita-l] Attributes and upadhis

[Br. Pranipata Chaitanya]

>Let me give a simple example.

Hari Om! Pranaams!

Since a) recognition is not a new knowledge, b) to bring the role of the instructor and c) to show the common pramANa - shabda, the example of this is that devadatta is narrated thus:

yaGYadatta and viShNumitra lived in a village. yaGYadatta who used to visit another village/town had contacts with devadatta. One day devadatta visited yaGYadatta at his(yaGYadatta's) village. viShNumitra who was also present there asked yaGYadatta who the new person is. To which yaGYadatta replied - this is that devadatta.

Owing to the contradictions of mediacy etc. between this and that, the direct meaning of the statement carried no meaning to viShNumitra. Since viShNumitra repose authority/reliability on yaGYadatta, resorting to secondary meaning by the process of partially discarding contradicting features, understood the meaning of the sentence is the oneness of devadatta.

Now, it is known from the shrutis that sat/Atman/brahman alone was there in the beginning. The GYAni has realized that there is nothing but brahman/Atman/sat even now. He instructs the fit disciple that - you are that. Since the student finds direct meaning not comprehensible owing to contradictions of mediacy etc. between you(I) and that, has shraddha in guru/shAstra's authority, resorts to secondary meaning thro bhAga-tyAga-lakShaNa. The knowledge about the unity of Atman and brahman/sat culminates in experience- I(Atman) am brahman.

Like -  I am/was that dreamer becomes a recognition later on at waking state, I was that jIva become a recognition in enlightened state. (rAhu-grasta-divAkarendu sadRRishaH . . . . prAg-asvApsaM iti prabodha samaye yaH pratyabhiGYAyate .,. .  dakShiNAmUrti ashtakam)

In Shri Guru Smriti 
Br. Pranipata Chaitanya