[Advaita-l] Question about Sri Vidyaranya's JMV & jnani matra

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Anand Hudli prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Madhusudana points out that in the destruction of threads that make a cloth, the cloth persists for a moment before being destroyed. In this case, the destruction of threads that make the cloth is the cause of the destruction of the cloth. However, a logical principle is involved that says a cause and effect cannot be simultaneous, i.e. both existing in the same moment. So we have to say that the cloth gets destroyed a moment later after the threads get destroyed. 

>  to this dull wit, not able to understand the example itself.  If we go by our regular or routine anubhava, clothes are made of threads, threads are made of cotton (as raw material), if the cloth is already there means the threads have already been knitted.  So here, cotton is the upAdAna for thread and thread is upAdAna for cloth.  Don’t we first tear off the cloth to get the threads??  How can we maintain the cloth to first destroy the thread and claim that cloth will be there for a movement after destroying the thread!!??  Can there be a cloth (kArya) without the thread (kAraNa) when the very existence of cloth is because of thread??  And I am not able to understand negation of cause and effect simultaneous existence.  When the 'ring' is seen from its upAdhi drushti (nAma rUpa) it is a 'ring' but the same ring viewed from its upAdAna (svarUpa) drushti it Is 'gold' only.  Are we not seeing the same thing differently from two different view points??  When we dip a stick in the water, it looks like it is curved but when we touch the stick we experience its straightness.  Are we not getting the two different jnana from the same pramANa i.e. pratyaksha??  

In objection to this, it is stated (by the dvaitin) that the cloth gets destroyed just a moment later, but the body of a jIvanmukta  can persist for years before falling off. How is this possible? 

>  getting the body is karma phala, yes agreed.  And doing the karma accruing the phala is due to avidyA that is also agreed. But the continuation of the body even after complete annihilation of ajnana is due to leshAvidyA is something debatable.  Suppose  a person who has heavy smoking habit after proper counselling realizing the disastrous problems of smoking habit and completely quit the smoking habit but  due to his past smoking if he gets the cancer even after getting rid of smoking temptation (chApalya) completely, can we still  say his cancer is due to the traces of  his erstwhile chApalya??  I don’t think so. Cancer is due to smoking (karma) it is not the traces of his chApalya.   

It is in reply to this objection that Madhusudana brings out the role of prArabdha, which acts as an obstruction (pratibandha). 

>  so from this can we say prArabdha is the pratibandha to the jnAni for getting the mukti while in his shareera??  

It is only when there is no pratibandha that the destruction of the an effect (body) immediately follows the destruction of the cause (avidyA).

>  Please let me know whether we have to wait till complete exhaustion of prArabdha even after paripUrNa jnana??  Since prArabdha is the pratibandhaka to mOksha / jnana and prArabdha is in the form of continuation of jnAni's BMI jnAni cannot be assured of mOksha / jnana till the 'death' of his physical body.  From this we get the unwarranted conclusion that in Advaita absolute moksha is possible only after physical death of the jnAni because as long as his body is live jnAni's prArabdha (sUkshmAvasthAvidyA) would act as 'pratibandhaka' to the absolute mOksha / jnana.  

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar