[Advaita-l] Binary nature of Jnana

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste Chandramouli ji,

Thank you. That makes sense - essentially the force of the meaning of
samsthA / samApti can either be in implying the cessation of everything
else and the constant invocation of brahmajnAna or for the cessation of
everything else in order for brahmajnAna to arise. In the former it is
vidvat sannyAsa and the latter vividiShA sannyAsa.

In fact the ratnaprabhA vyAkhyA of this section also comments on the
meaning of the shruti nyAsa iti brahmA and the bhagavatgItA verse that the
bhAShyakAra had quoted, in a manner which lends support to the view of
brahmasamsthA being taken up *for* jnAna:

BhAshya:
तथा च ‘न्यास इति ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मा हि परः परो हि ब्रह्मा तानि वा एतान्यवराणि
तपाꣳसि न्यास एवात्यरेचयत्’ (ना. उ. ७८) ‘वेदान्तविज्ञानसुनिश्चितार्थाः
संन्यासयोगाद्यतयः शुद्धसत्त्वाः’ (मु. उ. ३ । २ । ६)(ना. उ. १२ । ३)(कै. उ.
३) इत्याद्याः श्रुतयः, स्मृतयश्च
‘तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः’ (भ. गी. ५ । १७) इत्याद्याः —
ब्रह्मसंस्थस्य कर्माभावं दर्शयन्ति ।

ratnaprabhA:
हिरण्यगर्भो हि पर इति प्रसिद्धः अतो ब्रह्मत्वेन स्तुतः संन्यासः पर एवेति
स्तुत्वा कर्माणि निन्दति तानीति । ततो न्यास एव *ज्ञानद्वारा मोचकत्वादधिक
इत्यर्थः* । *तद्बुद्धये ब्रह्मचित्तास्तदात्मानो ब्रह्मस्वरूपास्तन्निष्ठाः
श्रवणादिपरास्तत्परायणाः ब्रह्मप्रेप्सवः निष्कामा इति यावत् ।* *एवं
ब्रह्मसंस्थशब्दस्य
ज्ञानप्रधानाश्रमवाचित्वादमृतत्वकामस्त्वमुमाश्रममनुतिष्ठेदिति विधिः
परिणम्यते ।*

Essentially it is said that sannyAsa is supreme because it serves as a
means to liberation through knowledge. The reference to shravaNAdiparAh
when commenting on the gItA verse also lends credence to the view that the
brahmasamstha can also refer to the Ashrama entered into for engaging in
shravaNa manana nididhyAsana, for the purpose of getting jnAna. Therefore,
the stuti brahmasamsthah amRtatvam eti is said to be a vidhi (amRtatvakAmah
brahmasamstham anutiShThet) - the one desirous of liberation should be a
brahmasamsthah - take up sannyAsa which is an Ashrama where knowledge is
the sole engagement.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan

On Tue, 5 Jul 2022, 07:09 H S Chandramouli, <hschandramouli at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Namaste Venkat Ji,
>
> Because the culmination is jnAna. BrahmasaMsthA in this context means a
> sAdhaka whose only duty is to be a brahmaniShTha till the sAdhana
> culminates in jnAna.
>
> Regards
>
>
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> On Tue, Jul 5, 2022 at 11:33 AM Venkatraghavan S <agnimile at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Namaste Chandramouli ji,
>>
>> Thank you. Why in your view does the below bhAShya imply that the person
>> referred to is a sAdhaka?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Venkatraghavan
>>
>> On Tue, 5 Jul 2022, 06:51 H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l, <
>> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> <<  ब्रह्मनिष्ठत्वमेव हि तस्य शमदमाद्युपबृंहितं स्वाश्रमविहितं कर्म ;
>>> यज्ञादीनि च इतरेषाम् ; तद्व्यतिक्रमे च तस्य प्रत्यवायः । >>
>>>
>>> <<  brahmaniShThatvameva hi tasya shamadamAdyupabRRiMhitaM
>>> svAshramavihitaM
>>> karma ; yaj~nAdIni cha itareShAm ; tadvyatikrame cha tasya pratyavAyaH
>>> |  >>
>>>
>>> Translation  << The duty of his order of life consists of steadfastness
>>> itself in Brahman, supported by selfcontrol etc., whereas sacrifices
>>> etc.,
>>> are the duties for  others; the monk incurs sin by transgressing his own
>>> duties, (as much as others do by transgressing theirs) >>,
>>>
>>> The Bhashya observes here that brahmaniShThatvam is the only duty for
>>> this
>>> sAdhaka, who is not a jnAni  yet. Hence the conclusion.
>>> Regards
>>
>>