[Advaita-l] 'Bhokta' broken up

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 10:46 AM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Hari Om V Subramanian ji,
>
> //From this scheme it is very clear that bhokta, samsari, is nothing but
> the
> group of body, organs and manas, all of which are anatma, kshetram, pancha
> kosha.//
>
> पुरुषः जीवः क्षेत्रज्ञः भोक्ता इति पर्याय: (गीता भाष्य 13.20)
>
> Bhokta and kshetrajna are synonyms. Bhokta is NEVER kshetra.
>

Here those terms indicate an entity that is not Brahman. For, Shankara has
said there itself क्षेत्रज्ञेश्वरैकत्वविषयं ज्ञानं मोक्षसाधनम् (BGB 13.26)
where the word kshetrajna means jiva but that jiva is non-different from
Ishwara, Brahman. Why? This is because in that chapter itself, what all
belongs to kshetram is taught and the bhoktrutva and kartrutva too are
implied. These two are the properties of anandamaya kosha and vijnanamaya
kosha respectively. All these koshas and their properties belong to
kshetram as per 13.5,6. Since bhoktrutva, etc. cannot happen without the
Consciousness part, the bhokta is stated to be jiva, purusha, kshetrajna,
etc. as synonyms.

Tai.Up,Bhashya 3.10:

तेनैतत्सिद्धं भवति - कार्यविषय एव भोज्यभोक्तृत्वकृतः संसारः, न
त्वात्मनीति । आत्मनि तु भ्रान्त्या उपचर्यते । नन्वात्मापि परमात्मनः कार्यम्
, ततो युक्तः तस्य संसार इति ; न, असंसारिण एव प्रवेशश्रुतेः । ‘तत्सृष्ट्वा
तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । १)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Taitiriya?page=2&id=T_C02_S06_V01&hl=%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D>
इत्याकाशादिकारणस्य
हि असंसारिण एव परमात्मनः कार्येष्वनुप्रवेशः श्रूयते ।

Shankara says, bhoktrutva is what samsara is and it does not inhere in the
Atman. Out of bhranti one thinks one is the bhokta. The upacharyate is
significant. It is by courtesy that the Atman/jiva is called bhokta.

Tai.Up.bhashya 2.5  विज्ञानं यज्ञं तनुते, विज्ञानवान्हि यज्ञं तनोति
श्रद्धापूर्वकम् ; अतो विज्ञानस्य कर्तृत्वं तनुत इति ।  This is in the
vijnanamaya kosha.

The realization of aham brahma asmi has been articulated by Shankara in the
Brahma sutra bhashya thus:

 पूर्वसिद्धकर्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वविपरीतं हि *त्रिष्वपि
कालेष्वकर्तृत्वाभोक्तृत्वस्वरू*पं *ब्रह्माहमस्मि,*नेतः पूर्वमपि कर्ता
भोक्ता वा *अहमासम्, *नेदानीम्, नापि भविष्यत्काले — इति ब्रह्मविदवगच्छति ;
एवमेव च मोक्ष उपपद्यते ; ४.१.२३. इति ।

Contrary to the previous thinking that I am doer-enjoyer, in all the three
periods of time I am Brahman that is neither doer nor enjoyer. Before I was
not doer-enjoyer, nor now, nor even in the future will I be doer-enjoyer -
such is the realization of a Knower. BSB 4.1.23.

If jiva is Brahman in truth, he can't be bhokta. And kshetrajna also is
given two levels of meaning in the BGB 13th ch.itself: 1. the jiva who is
the knower of the kshetra pancha koshas and the outside world. 2.Brahman,
the illuminer of the entire kshetram including the pancha koshas.

यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः।

क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत।।13.34।।

13.34 Yatha, as; ekam, the one; ravih, sun; prakasayati, illumines; imam,
this; krtsnam, whole; lokam, world tatha, similarly;-who?-*ksetri**, the
Knower of the field, i.e. the supreme Self,* though one; prakasayati,
illumines; krtsnam, the whole; ksetram,

Thus, the term 'kshetrajna' / bhokta used in the bhashyam as synonym, is in
the sense of jiva. When the 'bhokta' is divested of bhoga, bhogya and bhoga
saadhanam, bhoktrtvam  which is all kshetram and kshetra dharmas,  he is
Brahman, Kshetrajna.

regards
subbu

>
> Regards,
> Sudhanshu Shekhar.
>
> On Sat 14 Mar, 2020, 06:36 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > In these two mantras/bhashya, we get an insight that is worth
> > contemplating.  In the first mantra, the word 'Aatmaanam' means the
> bhokta,
> > as per the bhashya.  In the next mantra, the bhokta is further fine tuned
> > to give the meaning: Pure Consciousness + gross body (here the word atma
> in
> > the mantra means body as per the bhashya) + sense/motor organs +
> > antahkaranam (manas).
> >
> > From this scheme it is very clear that bhokta, samsari, is nothing but
> the
> > group of body, organs and manas, all of which are anatma, kshetram,
> pancha
> > kosha. To make them sentient, the contribution of Atma, consciousness, is
> > required, going by the bhashya of the first mantra. Thus, when Atma,
> > Consciousness, Kshetrajna, is separated from the bhokta, we arrive at the
> > samsari being anatma, mithya. In advaita, the jiva, jivatvam, is mithya.
> >
> > Also, the bhashya  for the second mantra here says about the Atma bereft
> of
> > bhoktrutva as तथा च श्रुत्यन्तरं केवलस्याभोक्तृत्वमेव दर्शयति — ‘ध्यायतीव
> > लेलायतीव’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ३ । ७)
> > <
> >
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S03_V07&hl=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5
> > >
> > इत्यादि ।
> > In Br.Up.4.4.3, Shankara gives the crisp meaning of the 'Pure' Atma:
> >    ‘ध्यायतीव
> > लेलायतीव’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ३ । ७)
> > <
> >
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S03_V07&hl=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5
> > >
> > इति
> > स्वतः अविद्याकर्तृत्वस्य प्रतिषिद्धत्वात् ;  This mantra portion of
> > Br.up.4.3.7 says that the Upanishad itself is refuting the 'kartrutva'
> that
> > expresses itself as 'dhyana' and 'distraction/movement'  as only phases
> of
> > the manas and not the Atman.  Thus, the Atman is nirguna vastu that has
> > neither kartrutva nor bhoktrutva.
> >
> > Om Tat Sat
> >
> > आत्मानं रथिनं विद्धि शरीरं रथमेव तु । बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः
> > प्रग्रहमेव च ॥ ३ ॥
> > तत्र यः उपाधिकृतः संसारी विद्याविद्ययोरधिकृतो मोक्षगमनाय संसारगमनाय च,
> तस्य
> > तदुभयगमने साधनो रथः कल्प्यते — तत्रात्मानम् ऋतपं संसारिणं रथिनं
> रथस्वामिनं
> > विद्धि विजानीहि ; शरीरं रथम् एव तु
> > रथबद्धहयस्थानीयैरिन्द्रियैराकृष्यमाणत्वाच्छरीरस्य । बुद्धिं तु
> > अध्यवसायलक्षणां सारथिं विद्धि ; बुद्धिनेतृप्रधानत्वाच्छरीरस्य,
> > सारथिनेतृप्रधान इव रथः । सर्वं हि देहगतं कार्यं बुद्धिकर्तव्यमेव प्रायेण
> ।
> > मनः सङ्कल्पविकल्पादिलक्षणं प्रग्रहमेव च रशनामेव विद्धि । मनसा हि
> > प्रगृहीतानि श्रोत्रादीनि करणानि प्रवर्तन्ते रशनयेवाश्वाः ॥
> > इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुर्विषयांस्तेषु गोचरान् । आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं
> > भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ ४ ॥
> > इन्द्रियाणि चक्षुरादीनि हयानाहुः रथकल्पनाकुशलाः, शरीररथाकर्षणसामान्यात् ।
> > तेषु इन्द्रियेषु हयत्वेन परिकल्पितेषु गोचरान् मार्गान् रूपादीन्विषयान्
> > विद्धि । आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं शरीरेन्द्रियमनोभिः सहितं संयुतमात्मानं
> > भोक्तेति संसारीति आहुः मनीषिणः विवेकिनः । न हि केवलस्यात्मनो
> भोक्तृत्वमस्ति
> > ; बुद्ध्याद्युपाधिकृतमेव तस्य भोक्तृत्वम् । तथा च श्रुत्यन्तरं
> > केवलस्याभोक्तृत्वमेव दर्शयति — ‘ध्यायतीव लेलायतीव’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ३ । ७)
> > <
> >
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S03_V07&hl=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5
> > >
> > इत्यादि ।
> > एवं च सति वक्ष्यमाणरथकल्पनया *वैष्णवस्य पदस्यात्मतया
> प्रतिपत्तिरुपपद्यते*,
> > नान्यथा, स्वभावानतिक्रमात् ॥
> > _______________________________________________
> > Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
> > http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
> >
> > To unsubscribe or change your options:
> > https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
> >
> > For assistance, contact:
> > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
> http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>
> To unsubscribe or change your options:
> https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>
> For assistance, contact:
> listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>