[Advaita-l] sushupati anubhava of jnAni and ajnAni

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Namaste Rajesh ji,


On Thu, Jan 14, 2016 at 2:57 PM, Rajesh Benjwal via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Is there a difference in sushupati of ajnAni and jnAni?
>
> An ajnAni sushupati anubhava is "I slept well, I do not know anything, I
> experienced sukham."
>
> A jnAni statement is also the same or it is different.
>

I think there is a technical issue if the jnAni's suShupti experience is
exactly the same as an ajnAni's because the only reason given for ajnAni
not knowing his being merged with brahman in suShupti is said to be avidyA.
Since the jnAni does not have avidyA, his suShupti experience cannot be
said to be exactly that of the ajnAni. OTOH, since the mind is resolved in
suShupti, it cannot be said that the jnAni knows that he is a witness to
suShupti during suShupti. However, I tend to take the latter stance that
the #jnAni's experience is different because he has no avidyA. The question
then is-- how can that be if the instrument which allow for this experience
are resolved? One way this can be reconciled is it being similar to how a
person wakes up from suShupti when called by name or touched. Even in that
case, he wakes up although the tools that connect with the gross body are
resolved.


>
> If it is same then is it possible that after some brain-injury his wrong
> conclusion, I am body, based on avidhyA could come back.
>
>
This is a different question and the answer is that the jnAni can never
forget his nature, since his knowledge is of the depth similar to the
knowledge that of his being a human being, a man, etc. One may argue that
if the injury is such that he forgets that he is a man, etc? However,
self-knowledge is not via the memory, nor does it continue via memory. So
even if he loses his memory, what the knowledge has done, stays done. It
would have already done away with his avidyA, it would have burnt away his
sanchita (and AgAmi karma), the cause for future births, etc. So he would
remain free, whether memory serves or not. The prArabdha that remains has
nothing to do with his jnAna, per se, continuing till his body drops at
videhamukti. The only possible difference, if it all there is any, would be
in his so-called enjoyment of jivanmukti Ananda.

#jnAni here is one who has complete jnAnaniShThA, not jnAnimAtra.

gurupAdukAbhyAm,
--Praveen R. Bhat
/* Through what should one know That owing to which all this is known!
[Br.Up. 4.5.15] */