[Advaita-l] Jnani is equated to Lord Krishna by Shankara

[V Subrahmanian]

Jnani is equated to Lord Krishna by Shankara

In the Bh.gita bhashya 2.10, Shankara says about the idea of non-doership
for the Jnani:
यस्य तु अज्ञानात् रागादिदोषतो वाकर्मणि प्रवृत्तस्य यज्ञेन दानेन तपसा वा
विशुद्धसत्त्वस्य ज्ञानमुत्पन्नम्परमार्थतत्त्वविषयम् ‘एकमेवेदं सर्वं ब्रह्म
अकर्तृ च’ इति, तस्य कर्मणिकर्मप्रयोजने च निवृत्तेऽपि लोकसङ्ग्रहार्थं
यत्नपूर्वं यथा प्रवृत्तिः, तथैव प्रवृत्तस्य यत्प्रवृत्तिरूपं दृश्यते न
तत्कर्म येन बुद्धेः समुच्चयः स्यात् ; यथाभगवतो वासुदेवस्य क्षत्रधर्मचेष्टितं
 न ज्ञानेन समुच्चीयते पुरुषार्थसिद्धये, तद्वत् तत्फलाभिसन्ध्यहङ्काराभावस्य
तुल्यत्वाद्विदुषः  |

Here Shankara says: For the one whose realization is in the form of 'all
this is One only, Brahman, the non-doer', there is no real doership.
Whatever he continues to do is only for the welfare of the world. And even
this action that he appears to be doing is not any conjoining of action
with the realization (jnana - karma samucchaya). Just like Bhagavan
Vasudeva's actions as per the Kshatriya dharma is not conjoined with Jnana
with a view to accomplish any purushartha...

Here we see Shankara giving a very good input for contemplation:  'all this
is verily One Brahman alone and also non-doer.'   The aspirant when in the
contemplation mode has to deeply think and feel:  All this, starting from
the pancha koshas, the entire seen world, including the avyakta, is verily
none other than One Brahman. There is no kartrtva (to me) either.    Here,
both aspects, pertaining to the 'aham' and 'idam' are considered. The
pancha koshas are what are taken to be 'aham'. Actually these are also in
the 'idam'. The entire drushya prapancha, observed world, is also idam. And
equally importantly, he is adding 'akartr cha.' Brahman is nishkriya and
the Atman is also so as there are no five koshas. Kartrutva belongs to the
koshas and the Atman is free of kartrutva too.

Shankara implies abhoktrutva abhava too. But since the context is jnana
karma samucchaya refutation, his emphasis is only on conveying 'there
cannot be kartrutva for a Jnani and how then can he engage in this
samucchaya?'

This takes us to another very important statement of Shankara, in BSB
4.1.13:

 पूर्वसिद्धकर्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वविपरीतं हि त्रिष्वपि
कालेष्वकर्तृत्वाभोक्तृत्वस्वरूपं ब्रह्माहमस्मि, नेतः पूर्वमपि कर्ता भोक्ता
वा अहमासम् , नेदानीम् , नापि भविष्यत्काले — इति ब्रह्मविदवगच्छति ; एवमेव च
मोक्ष उपपद्यते ; अन्यथा हि अनादिकालप्रवृत्तानां कर्मणां क्षयाभावे
मोक्षाभावः स्यात्

Here too the jnana prakaara is given: I am Brahman that is akarta and
abhokta.

Shankara considers Krishna to be a jivan mukta in the sense that he is a
Jnani and at the same time seen to be active in the world.  Thus, in
Krishna himself Shankara sees sthitaprajna lakshanam demonstrated.

warm regards
subbu