[Advaita-l] How can prANa be Brahman?

[V Subrahmanian]

I have not followed this thread thoroughly.  Yet, going by the title of the
thread, I would like to share this:

In the Māndukya bhashya Shankara says: 1.karika 2 bhashyam:

यद्यपि प्राणाभिमाने सति व्याकृततैव प्राणस्य ; तथापि
पिण्डपरिच्छिन्नविशेषाभिमाननिरोधः प्राणे भवतीत्यव्याकृत एव प्राणः सुषुप्ते
परिच्छिन्नाभिमानवताम् । यथा प्राणलये परिच्छिन्नाभिमानिनां प्राणोऽव्याकृतः,
तथा प्राणाभिमानिनोऽप्यविशेषापत्तावव्याकृतता समाना, प्रसवबीजात्मकत्वं च ।
तदध्यक्षश्चैकोऽव्याकृतावस्थः । परिच्छिन्नाभिमानिनामध्यक्षाणां च
तेनैकत्वमिति पूर्वोक्तं विशेषणमेकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन इत्याद्युपपन्नम् ।
तस्मिन्नेतस्मिन्नुक्तहेतुसत्त्वाच्च । कथं प्राणशब्दत्वमव्याकृतस्य ? ‘
प्राणबन्धनं हि सोम्य मनः’ (छा. उ. ६-८-२)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Chandogya&page=06&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%83%E2%80%99%20(%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%BE.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%AC-%E0%A5%AE-%E0%A5%A8)#Ch_C06_S08_V02>
इति
श्रुतेः । ननु, तत्र ‘सदेव सोम्य’ (छा. उ. ६-२-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Chandogya&page=06#Ch_C06_S02_V01>
इति
प्रकृतं सद्ब्रह्म प्राणशब्दवाच्यम् ; नैष दोषः, बीजात्मकत्वाभ्युपगमात्सतः ।
यद्यपि सद्ब्रह्म प्राणशब्दवाच्यं तत्र, तथापि जीवप्रसवबीजात्मकत्वमपरित्यज्यैव
प्राणशब्दत्वं सतः सच्छब्दवाच्यता च ।

Here Shankara says that prāṇa is a term used to denote the avyākṛta (māyā).
There is a reference in the Ch..up. to show that the Brahman where the jiva
rests in deep sleep and pralya is not the Nirguna Brahman but the avyākṛta,
that is, tinged Brahman. It is from this that jivas come back from sleep
and in new srishti.

There is also the case of Brahman being referred to as Prāṇa in the
Prashnopanishat. But that will take a detailed study of all the prashnas to
appreciate this.

regards
vs

On Wed, Sep 7, 2016 at 4:06 PM, Raghav Kumar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Sri Venkatraghavan ji
>
> You had written - 'For such people, nidhidhyAsanam  (yoga-based
> vedAnta nidhidhyAsanam)  can be helpful to get rid of notions of viparIta
> bhAvana, through a process of mithyAtva nishchaya.'
>
> Just to clarify - can we say nidhidhyasana is necessarily yoga-based? ( the
> pratyaya-ekatAnatA in such yoga-based nidhidhyasana would presumably be the
> shabda-pramANa prApta jnAna vRtti without phalavyApti etc. Such a
> restriction can arguably make the practice different from manolaya or even
> the standard pAtanjala samAdhyabhyAsa in both of which there is little
> scope for vedAnta-pramANa-vyApAra. )
>
> Is there any non-yoga-based nidhidhyAsana which would be discernibly
> different from the first type mentioned in the previous para?
>
> (One could perhaps adopt a 'result-oriented' approach to what constitutes
> nidhidhyAsana and say that whatever practice weakens or removes viparItA
> bhAvanA-s is nidhidhyAsana. In such a 'liberal' definition of
> nidhidhyAsana,  other non-yoga-based practices which deliver the goods
> could also come under the ambit of nidhidhyAsana. I have not come across
> any textual references related to such a putative non-yoga based
> nidhidhyAsana. But it does sound plausible.)
>
> Om
> Raghav
>
> P.S.
> 'This is where I differ from
> the various yogic upanishads you quote that cite the requirement for jnAna
> and yoga.'
>
> On a lighter note - Given the bout of 'authenticitis' that is prevalent on
> the list can we say that the yoga upaniShads have been 'authenticated' by
> the fact the muktikopaniShad lists them. I am under the impression that the
> dakShiNAmnAya tradition accepts yoga upaniShads.
> Namaste Sri Ravi Kiran ji,
>
> In addition to the references provided by Sri Chandramouliji a description
> of a jIvan mukta's life (sthita prajna) is provided in Bhagavat Gita
> 2.55-2.57 and it's bhAshya.
>
> The reasons why the body continues to exist (conventionally) for a jIvan
> mukta are discussed in Brahma Sutra 4.1.15 and the related Chandogya
> 6.14.2.
>
> Katha 2.3.14 (अत्र ब्रहम समश्नुते) and it's bhAshya is often cited as a
> pramANa for jIvan mukti but it's only a brief reference.
>
> Regards,
> Venkatraghavan
>
> On 7 Sep 2016 6:48 a.m., "H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l" <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > Sri Ravi Kiran Ji,
> >
> >
> >
> > Reg  << Have you come across any references from bhAshya on the second
> > type..? >>,
> >
> >
> >
> > Specifically the word जीवन्मुक्त (jIvanmukta) appears in the Bhashya in
> > only one place BG 6-27 ब्रह्मभूतं जीवन्मुक्तम्, ‘ब्रह्मैव सर्वम्’ इत्येवं
> > निश्चयवन्तं ब्रह्मभूतम्
> >
> >
> >
> > (brahmabhUtaM jIvanmuktam, ‘brahmaiva sarvam’ ityevaM nishchayavantaM
> > brahmabhUtam)
> >
> >
> >
> > (brahmabhUtam, also termed jIvanmuktam,  one who has the conviction that
> > everything is Brahman only).
> >
> >
> >
> > This is in the context of the result accruing to one who has attained the
> > second type. However there are other references in the Bhashya concerning
> > the second type while referring to the sAdhanas takenup for achieving
> this
> > state. For example BU4-5-1/2,4-5-15 ( Yagnavalkya leaving for
> > sanyAsa),3-5-1(kahola brahmana). These are cited by Swami Vidyaranya. He
> > quotes extensively from the Srutis जाबालोपनिषत् (jAbAlopaniShat) and
> > परमहम्सोपनिषत्  (paramahamsopaniShat) for which as you very well know Sri
> > Bhagavatpada has not written BhAshya, as well as many Smrutis for his
> > stand.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Also Sri Bhagavatpada has dealt with the subject of जीवन्मुक्त
> (jIvanmukta)
> > extensively in Viveka Chudamani.
> >
> >
> >
> > Pranams and Regards
> >
> >
> >
> > >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
> > http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
> >
> > To unsubscribe or change your options:
> > http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
> >
> > For assistance, contact:
> > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
> http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>
> To unsubscribe or change your options:
> http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>
> For assistance, contact:
> listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
> _______________________________________________
> Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
> http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>
> To unsubscribe or change your options:
> http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>
> For assistance, contact:
> listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>