[Advaita-l] Intellectual knowledge is a fraught word

Raghav Kumar Dwivedula raghavkumar00 at gmail.com
Fri Dec 18 00:17:14 EST 2020


*"*All forms of knowledge happen in the intellect. There is no such thing
as intellectual knowledge." - Swami Dayananda

Extract -
What is the difference between self-knowledge and self-realization?
According to modern Vedanta, self-knowledge is intellectual whilst
self-realisation is experiential, and because of this difference the study
of the shastra is meant for self-knowledge whilst something else will
become the means for self-realisation. When the shruti is the means of
knowledge to recognize the self which is always present (nitya-aparoksha)
how can there be an indirect knowledge of atma which has to be converted
into direct realization by some unique method? Shravanam, mananam and
nididhyasanam are prescribed in the shruti only for self-knowledge.

The confusion of making a distinction between knowledge and realization is
caused by not recognising the invariable presence (aparokshatvam) of atma
in all situations and by not understanding the shruti as the means of
knowledge to recognize the svarupa of atma. That is the reason why we often
hear that what we gather from the shruti is only intellectual knowledge.
The adjective �intellectual� describing knowledge will be a necessity only
when there is a nasal or dental knowledge. All forms of knowledge happen in
the intellect. There is no such thing as intellectual knowledge. There can
be two types of knowledge: one is direct and the other indirect. When the
atma is invariably present, the knowledge of atma can only be direct.

*Teaching Tradition of Advaita Vedanta* p9, Swami Dayananda


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