[Advaita-l] The Foundations of Adhyāsa - 8 (The Three States)

[V Subrahmanian]

We do have in Advaita literature very convincing answers to the questions
being discussed.

What Shankara says in His commentary  on the Brahma sutra 4.1.15 is worth
quoting here:
‘’The knowledge of the Self being essentially non-active destroys all works
by sublating wrong knowledge; but wrong knowledge – comparable to the
appearance of a double moon – lasts for some time even after it has been
sublated, owing to the impression it has made.  Moreover, it is not a
matter for dispute at all whether the body of the Knower of Brahman
continues to exist for sometime or not. For how can one contest the fact of
another possessing the knowledge of Brahman – vouched for by his heart’s
conviction – and at the same time continuing with the body?’’

The verse (4.61) of Naishkarmya siddhi is:

//Just as the destruction of an uprooted tree takes place only through the
process of withering away, even so the destruction of the body of the one
who has known the Self takes place only through the removal (of prarabdha
karma).//

In the Panchadashi, Vidyaranya is very emphatic:

सदा विचारयेत्तस्माज्जगत्ज्जीवपरात्मनः |
 जीवभावजगद्भावबाधे स्वात्मैव शिष्यते ||6.12||


नाप्रतीतिस्तयोर्बाधः किन्तु मिथ्यात्वनिश्चयः |
नो चेत्सुषुप्तिमूर्च्छादौ मुच्येता यत्नतो जनः ||6.13||

परमात्मावशेषोऽपि तत्सत्यत्वविनिश्चयः |*न जगद्विस्मृतिर्नो
चेज्जीवन्मुक्तिर्न सम्भवेत् *||6.14||


12. Therefore one should always enquire into the nature of the world, the
individual Self and the supreme Self. When the ideas of Jiva and Jagat
(world) are negated, the pure Atman alone remains.

13. By 'negation' it does not mean that the world and Jiva cease to be
perceptible to the senses, it means the conviction of their illusory
character. Otherwise people would be automatically liberated in deep sleep
or in a faint.

14. ‘The supreme Self alone remains’ also means a conviction about Its
reality and *not non-perceiving  or forgetting of the world.* Otherwise the
(scripture-proved) state of jIvanmukti itself will not be possible.

regards

subrahmanian.v

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