[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: A unique analogy by Shankara

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Namaste Subbuji,

The reference to the bhashya is 1.4.1 and not as stated.
>
> On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 1:36 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.3 bhashya Shankaracharya gives an
>> unusual analogy to stress the qualification the aspirant after Brahma Vidya
>> has to have:
>>
>> Only he who is tormented by thirst will be the candidate for seeking
>> water. So too only he who has strong dispassion towards the means and ends
>> to all worldly  attainments, that are by default in the domain of
>> difference, can attempt to secure the non-dual liberating knowledge.
>>
>> न हि संसारविषयात्साध्यसाधनादि -
>> भेदलक्षणादविरक्तस्यात्मैकत्वज्ञानविषयेऽधिकारः, *अतृषितस्येव पाने ।*
>>
>
>
Thanks for quoting this beautiful use of analogy to show that anyone may
drink water but there is nothing to quench if there is no thirst.  It
reminds me of the statement by one of the earlier Mahaswamijis of Sringeri
as to an anadhikArI doing shravaNa may at most get puNya!

W.r.t. karma also, I heard Kailashashrama Mahamandaleshvara say recently
that just because one can do some karma or upAsana well doesn't mean one is
eligible to do it. I recall using a similar example to tell someone that if
one can sing well, one may pick up vedasvaras soon and chant well, but it
doesn't give adhikAra in vedapaThana.

gurupAdukAbhyAm,
--Praveen R. Bhat
/* येनेदं सर्वं विजानाति, तं केन विजानीयात्। Through what should one know
That, owing to which all this is known! [Br.Up. 4.5.15] */