[Advaita-l] Any new posts on Sringeri Days?

[V Subrahmanian]

On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 5:59 PM, Kalyan via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

>  Sri Bhaskarji
> The issue is to reconcile Krishna's statements that -
> 1. It is very very difficult to attain him. 2. And many have attained him.
>

See the very last mantra of the Prashnopanishat (sixth chapter) and the
bhashya:  All the six disciples of Sage Pippalada became enlightened after
being taught by him and together they pay their homage to the Acharya. What
Krishna implies  in the verse you cited is:   it is extremely difficult to
gain self-knowledge and not that it is impossible for many to gain that
knowledge. In the commentary to the previous verse Shankara says:   अतो
विशिष्टफलत्वात् दुर्लभं ज्ञानम् ॥ २ ॥  ..since it is of a very special
fruit, this knowledge is very difficult to attain and therefore rare. How?
this is answered by the verse you cited.  सहस्रेषु = अनेकेषु  among
Thousands = among many.  It is also the norm, according to the Upanishads,
that a living Acharya, himself an enlightened one, teaches his pupils. Even
if a few become enlightened, we have a case where in the same time frame
there are several enlightened ones. In the Gita itself 4th chapter Krishna
says: approach the Guru and seek the knowledge and the enlightened ones, in
plural, he says, will impart the knowledge.



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