[Advaita-l] Fwd: Looking for reference of a shloka

[Girish Aj]

Thanks for the speedy reply.
I noted it's contents.
Namaste
Girish

On Nov 20, 2020 11:45 AM, "Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l" <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> I would translate it like this:
>
> "The samskaras of form are the same as intelligence, as is  passion and
> disgust; and fear is founded on the basis of intelligence, therefore the
> knower is pure and unafraid."
>
>
> On Thu, 19 Nov 2020, Girish Aj via Advaita-l wrote:
>
> I could not get the full import of the shloka.
>> What does shankaracharya mean??
>> 1. What does he equate intelligence to? Samskara and roopa?
>>
>
> Intelligence (dhI) is the means by which perceptual information is known
> through the senses.  What is actually perceived is dependent on the form of
> the perceiver.  For instance a pilot may have much better vision than say
> someone who has lived in a cave all their life.  An eagle will have better
> vision than even the best human etc.  These forms are the result of the
> accumalation of samskaras over countless lifetimes.  But dhI itself is an
> instrument.  It is the Atman, the knower who is the witness who "operates"
> intelligence as it were.  Without the atman, intelligence would consist
> only of reactions to sense stimuli.
>
>
> 2. What is the reference to raha, dvesh and bhaya?
>>
>
> These varieties of rAga and dvesha are caused by sensory stimulus.  It is
> dhI which interprets the stimuli.  For instance I do not eat meat for an
> intellectual reason (i.e. dharma) but it is also gives me physical feelings
> of disgust.  An American might also become a vegetarian for ethical reasons
> but the smell, sight etc. might not give the same reaction because he is
> more used to it.  Fear is a possible reaction to these feelings caused by
> the senses.  So fear is also based on dhI only.
>
> But the Atman is beyond all this.  When one knows completely, i.e. without
> delusion or misunderstanding, there is no fear or other such mental
> perturbations.  The reason this is taught is to refute those thinkers who
> believe that Brahman itself is the locus of ignorance.
>
>
> 3. What does one hold on to intellectual wealth or atma jnana?
>>
>>
> The intellect and its fruits are necessary as the priors to Atma jnAna but
> ultimately they too must be renounced as false.
>
> --
> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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