[Advaita-l] Shankara's opinion about Sannyasa for a Kshatriya

[V Subrahmanian]

This shloka-Bhashya of the Bhagavadgita 4.20 seems to give a solution to
the apparent difficulty in understanding the various statements of Bhagavan
Bhashyakara in the prasthana traya bhashyas:

यस्तु अकर्मादिदर्शी, सः अकर्मादिदर्शनादेव निष्कर्मा संन्यासी
जीवनमात्रार्थचेष्टः सन् कर्मणि न प्रवर्तते, यद्यपि प्राक् विवेकतः
प्रवृत्तः । यस्तु प्रारब्धकर्मा सन् उत्तरकालमुत्पन्नात्मसम्यग्दर्शनः स्यात्
, *सः सर्वकर्मणि प्रयोजनमपश्यन् ससाधनं कर्म परित्यजत्येव । सः कुतश्चित्
निमित्तात् कर्मपरित्यागासम्भवे *सति कर्मणि तत्फले च सङ्गरहिततया
स्वप्रयोजनाभावात् लोकसङ्ग्रहार्थं पूर्ववत् कर्मणि प्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्
करोति, ज्ञानाग्निदग्धकर्मत्वात् तदीयं कर्म अकर्मैव सम्पद्यते इत्येतमर्थं
दर्शयिष्यन् आह —

त्यक्त्वा कर्मफलासङ्गं नित्यतृप्तो निराश्रयः ।
कर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि नैव किञ्चित्करोति सः ॥ २० ॥
 भाष्यम्
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=4&id=BG_C04_V20&hlBhashya=%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%83#bhashya-BG_C04_V20>
त्यक्त्वा कर्मसु अभिमानं फलासङ्गं च यथोक्तेन ज्ञानेन नित्यतृप्तः
निराकाङ्क्षो विषयेषु इत्यर्थः । निराश्रयः आश्रयरहितः, आश्रयो नाम यत्
आश्रित्य पुरुषार्थं सिसाधयिषति, दृष्टादृष्टेष्टफलसाधनाश्रयरहित इत्यर्थः ।
विदुषा क्रियमाणं कर्म परमार्थतोऽकर्मैव, तस्य
निष्क्रियात्मदर्शनसम्पन्नत्वात् । *तेन एवंभूतेन स्वप्रयोजनाभावात् ससाधनं
कर्म परित्यक्तव्यमेव इति प्राप्ते, ततः निर्गमासम्भवात्
लोकसङ्ग्रहचिकीर्षया *शिष्टविगर्हणापरिजिहीर्षया
वा पूर्ववत् कर्मणि अभिप्रवृत्तोऽपि निष्क्रियात्मदर्शनसम्पन्नत्वात् नैव
किञ्चित् करोति सः ॥ २० ॥
In the above bhashya we see:

   1. In the introduction to the verse Shankara says: a Jnani naturally
   becomes disinclined to action.
   2. For some reason he is not able to give up action...he will continue
   to perform them without attachment, as a model for the world, lokasangraha,
   as before.
   3. His such performance is really non-action, not binding.
   4. In the bhashya to the shloka again Shankara says 1 and 2 and 3.
   5. From the usage of the word kutashcit nimittaat karma parityaaga
   asambhave....for some reason he is unable to give up action....and nirgama
   asambhavaat,...we can conclude that Shankara has in mind (1) that grihastha
   who has become a jnani but is prohibited by the shaastra to give up karma,
   that is, take to renunciation, sannyasa. (2) There is no
   shaastra-prohibition but some other reason holds him in the same aashrama.
   6. That one cannot/should not simply remain without performing his
   aasrama-ordained duties even if he is a jnani is brought out in the above
   bhashya.
   7. Such a person, if he is a non-brahmana, will remain in the same
   aasrama and continue doing action without attachment.
   8. Even if he is a brahmana, unable to take to sannyasa due to some
   genuine reason, like, for example, health, or he has to take care of an
   ailing parent/wife, etc. he can remain at home and engage in karma without
   attachment.
   9. One another reason why he will continue to do action is: to avoid
   other sishthas who might deride him for sitting idle without doing his
   ordained duty.

From this bhashya I think that Shankara is quite clear that even in the
case of vidvat sannyasa only a Brahmana can take sannyasa aasrama. Others,
even if Jnanis, cannot; they continue in their aasrama doing their aasrama
karma. Surewshwaracharya's stated view could be aligned to this inasmuch as
for a jnani 'karma sannyasa is praapta.' OR, going by the definition of a
vaartika, he can differ from the Bhashya and have his own view. This is
hinted by Anandagiri in the vaartika teekaa as someone has already cited.
warm regards
subbu