[Advaita-l] GunAtIta and jIvanmukta

[Kripa Shankar]

Namaste 

The khandana of Yoga is only on one or two points. Vedanta does not discard nirvikalpa samadhi. Upasana, nidhidhyasa, dhyana are more or less the same. 

Shankara talks about Nirvikalpa samadhi and also kevala kumbhaka. Krishna uses the word samyami in the Gita. In the commentary on Dakshinamurty stotra, Sureshvaracharya talks about siddhis. 
‎
Samadhi means no distinction between seer and seen. If this is not the goal of Vedanta then what is? 

Regards 
Kripa ‎

Vyasaya Vishnu roopaya Vyasa roopaya Vishnave 
Namo vai Brahma nidhaye Vasishtaya namo namaha 
  Original Message  
From: Sujal Upadhyay via Advaita-l
Sent: Thursday 29 September 2016 11:11 PM
To: Ravi Kiran; A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
Reply To: Sujal Upadhyay
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] GunAtIta and jIvanmukta

praNAms,

I have not followed the thread, but this just caught my attention. Just
wish to offer my two cents.

*Samādhi*—This state of complete identity with non-dual Brahman, arrived at
as a result of discrimination and negation of phenomena, is the Vedāntic
conception of *Samādhi. *(which is quite different from any mystical or
mechanical state described as *Samādhi* in the *Yoga* system).


This is quite true. In yoga texts, the word samAdhi is used when one
becomes in total sync with what one is doing i.e. the engagement is so
intense that nothing except the process is experienced. In Patanjali Yoga
sUtra-s, vyAsa bhAshya, many types of samAdhi-s are pointed out like
savitarka, nirvitarka, savichAra, nirvichAra, etc later better than former
(in this case). SrI madhusUdana sarasvatI in his gItA bhAshya says that all
these types of samAdhi-s imply abhyAsa only. Hence in this case, samAdhi
would mean mastery over thoughts, etc.

Whereas, in vedAnta, samAdhi i.e. nirvikalpa samAdhi is only one.

Also note that the thoughtless state does not mean one is in samAdhi. Sri
Ramana Maharshi says that thoughtlessness would mean arresting thoughts for
a definite period and gives example of pakshi jAlavat i.e. just like a bird
trapped in net cannot move so by controlling prANa, thoughts can be
arrested. This is not samAdhi. Hence samAdhi can only be achieved by GYAna
i.e. realised only in Atma-GYAna and not as a result of any kriyA like
controlling prANa, etc. There is nothing that needs to be controlled in
order to know one's true nature. However, at times, a yogI is always
habituated of processes, it s/he finds hard to transcend it. This is
because of years of practice of awakening kuNDalini and getting in tune
with prANa and various chakra-s that even when the boat (of yogic kriyA-s)
has reached the other side of shore, it is not quit. This is the problem
with yoga. Hence when a person, with the help of boat, reaches river bank
and wants to reach the destination, which is away from river bank, steps
one leg outside boat on river bank, but is not ready to renounce other leg,
ans keeps it inside boat.

In such case, guru has to do the khaNDan of yoga and it's kriyA-s for the
good of disciple. It is possible that same guru must have extolled various
yogic processes in the beginning of sAdhanA.

If one, by any means, destroys aGYAna, then only non-duality remains, as
GYAna cannot be different.

Hari OM
Sujal


On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 10:47 PM, Ravi Kiran via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Sri Raghav Ji,
>
> Thanks for this sharing...yes, it is helpful.
>
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 9:03 PM, Raghav Kumar Dwivedula <
> raghavkumar00 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > You may find this of interest. Commenting on advaita prakaraNa verse 37,
> a
> > prakaraNa having many references to the sitting-still type of
> nidhidhyAsana,
> > We have
> > सर्वाभिलापविगतः सर्वचिन्तासमुत्थितः ।
> > सुप्रशान्तः सकृज्ज्योतिः समाधिरचलोऽभयः ॥ ३७ ॥
> >
> > The word samadhi is parsed as समाधिः *समाधिनिमित्तप्रज्ञावगम्यत्वात् *
> ;
> > समाधीयते अस्मिन्निति वा समाधिः ।
> >
> > The first meaning viz., samAdhipraGYA avagamyatvAt implies 'known through
> > the 'experience' or state of consciousness brought about by samAdhi.'
> > (Generally the second meaning is the preferred meaning. But the first
> does
> > not have to be wrong.)
> >
> Yes..interesting to note, arising of Atma GYAnam is admitted by such
> practices ( in bhAshya ).
>
> Also, the below note from Anandagiri's tIkA ..
>
> *Samādhi*—This state of complete identity with non-dual Brahman, arrived at
> as a result of discrimination and negation of phenomena, is the Vedāntic
> conception of *Samādhi. *(which is quite different from any mystical or
> mechanical state described as *Samādhi* in the *Yoga* system).
>
> > When sufficient prior shravanam is already there, there is no reason to
> > deny the possibility that certain other obstacles, which are preventing
> the
> > arising of apratibandhaka GYanam, get removed by samadhi-born praGYA.
> >
>
> Yes..as a path is admitted from GYAna utpatti (from shravaNa) to GYAna
> nishTa ( saMyak GYAna)
>
> (Technically though, it will be said NS does not permit pramANa prameya
> > vyApAra so GYAnam is not possible in that particular state. It has to be
> > either before or after. But we can get around that technical objection by
> > saying that like a flickering tubelight which comes on sometime later
> after
> > flipping the switch of shravaNam. The samadhi born praGYA
> > (RtambharApraGYA?) serves the purpose of removing other lingering
> obstacles
> > (viparita bhavana-s?) to the arising of GYAnam.)
> >
> Yes..noted this term RtambharApraGYA in JMV.
>
> One small addendum - the word samAdhi in the verse is treated as a synonym
> > for brahman. And we say
> > samAdhiH nAma brahma, samAdhi-nimitta-praGYAvagamyatvAt.
> >
> The implication is - GYAna is synonym for samAdhi as it is ananya (and
> nirvikalpaka, since अन्तःकरण is void of all other vikAras or vishayas to
> the exception of Brahma AkAra).
>
>
> Dont know if your line of enquiry is related to what i wrote. Hope it
> helps.
> >
> > Om
> > Raghav
> >
> >
> > Thanks
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