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

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 10:06 AM Akilesh Ayyar <ayyar at akilesh.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 11:23 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> And yet there is the desire in this statement to indicate that the jnani
> does not see a cow, but also does not merely see an absence of a cow, nor
> does he see some common quality to cows, brahmanas, etc. The jnani sees
> beyond the duality of cow and no-cow, beyond the duality of difference and
> non-difference.
>
> And what Bhagavan said in the original statement we were discussing is of
> course nothing other than what is said in Gita 2:69
>
> "What is like night to all ignorant beings, to that Atman-consciousness
> the self-controlled sage is awake; and the sensate life to which all
> ignorant beings are awake, that is like night to this illumined sage."
>

At the beginning of the discourse on sthitaprajna lakshana, Shankara makes
this statement:

सर्वत्रैव हि अध्यात्मशास्त्रे कृतार्थलक्षणानि यानि तान्येव साधनानि
उपदिश्यन्ते, यत्नसाध्यत्वात् । यानि यत्नसाध्यानि साधनानि लक्षणानि चभवन्ति च
भवन्ति तानि श्रीभगवानुवाच — ...In all the spiritual literature, the traits
of a jnani are taught to be the very means (to attain/nurture) those
traits, since they are attainable by effort. These attainable traits which
are verily the means thereof are being taught in the sequel.

Thus Shankara says the traits of the siddha are themselves to be learnt and
practiced as the means to those traits. Thereby the gap between the sadhana
state and the siddha state is sought to be obviated. Seen thus, the BG 5.18
is the trait of the jnani which the aspirant has to practice.

>
>
>