[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: Does the mukta/jnani see the world?

[V Subrahmanian]

The question: 'Does a Jnani see the world' has no meaning at all.  This is
because once one accepts the concept of a Jnani, then all that is behind it
has to be accepted:

The world, bound jivas, aspiring for release, practice for release and
release and the released jiva, a Jnani. Since the Jnani is in this package,
the world cannot be stated to be out of the range of the Jnani.

One can say there is no Jnani at all on the lines of the Gaudapada Karika:

न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।
न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥ ३२ ॥ 2.32

Here Gaudapada says: There is no creation, no dissolution, none bound, no
aspirant, none seeking release, no released. This is the Supreme Advaita.
This cannot be articulated and hence alone Shankara cites an Upanishadic
dialogue in the BSB: 3.2.17:

बाष्कलिना च बाध्वः पृष्टः सन् अवचनेनैव ब्रह्म प्रोवाचेति श्रूयते — ‘स
होवाचाधीहि भो इति स तूष्णीं बभूव तं ह द्वितीये तृतीये वा वचन उवाच ब्रूमः
खलु त्वं तु न विजानासि । उपशान्तोऽयमात्मा’ इति ।

The aspirant approaches the Guru and seeks self-knowledge. The Guru remains
silent. The aspirant asks again and again and the Guru opens up: 'I have
been replying but you do not comprehend it. The Atman is quiescence.'

It is only in this scenario there can be neither a Jnani nor a world that
is objectified.

Contrasted to the above, in the scenario of Bhruguvalli, Shvetaketu -
Uddalaka, Nachiketa - Yama, etc. there is a Jnani and he is in the world.


So, if we accept a Jnani, we have to, by default, accept that he is living
in the world and interacting with it. There is no way we can deny his
contacting the world and still accept him as an entity.  Similarly, the
talk of 'no prarabdha for a Jnani' also is valid only and only in the
Gaudapada verse scenario and not in any other.

Om Tat Sat
subbu










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