[Advaita-l] While jiva is avidya-kruta adhyaropa, Ishwara is shaastra-kruta adhyaropa

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste Subbu ji
It's clear that only someone who has taken formal sannyasa ie the monastic
lifestyle with no pursuit of a wealth etc., is eligible for the exclusive
pursuit of jnAna yoga.

For a person engaged in jnAna yoga as pursuit (ie shravaNam, mananaM and
even nididhyAsanam llfor that matter) bhakti and upasana of Ishvara
continues and there is no conflict at all in doing japaM etc and vedAnta
sadhanas. There is no injunction to cease japaM etc upon making some
headway in vedAnta. Only kartRtva-mithyAtvaM is to be understood and
embodied in one's life.

Even for a vividiShA sannyAsI, bhakti for Ishvara and karmas like seva of
the guru continue.

It's only the pursuit of celibacy,  renunciation of wealth-seeking pursuits
and rituals for specific kAmya phalas that are meant when we talk of
"renunciation of karmas."

I do sometimes notice a funny trend of students of vedAnta drop all nitya
karmas and even japaM in a misplaced zeal for "renunciation of karma".

The conduct and attitude of Sri Shankara bhagavatpada and the later
Shankaracharyas is a resounding endorsement of Ishvara bhakti (upAdana,
japa etc) as being wholly complementary and facilitative for the pursuit of
Self-knowledge by Vedanta sadhanam.


Om

Raghav


Om







On Mon, 2 Dec, 2024, 1:40 pm V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 1:17 PM Krishna Kashyap <kkashyap2011 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > namaste Subrahmanian Ji,
> > thanks for the timely email. We were discussing this same issue in my
> > class on Kena Upanishad (shankara bhashya) last week.
> >
> > Please explain some other issues that surfaced:
> >
> > 1) Karma yoga and bhakti are possible only
> > towards Ishwara. If so, a person ready for jnana yoga must not do karma
> > or bhakti yoga. Please give a clear view of what kind of person can give
> up
> > karma and bhakti yoga. Please provide some clear support using prasthana
> > traya bhashya of Shankaracharya.
> > phrasing this question with regards to any one of us: How will I know
> that
> > I am not fit to do any karma? I should focus only on Jnana yoga?
> >
>
> Namaste
>
> The one ready for Jnana yoga, on the basis of the BG 6th chapter, would
> have renounced karma.
>
> आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
> योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ॥ ३ ॥
>
> The Bhashyam gives clarification on questions that arise in us:
>
> आरुरुक्षोः आरोढुमिच्छतः, अनारूढस्य, ध्यानयोगे अवस्थातुमशक्तस्यैवेत्यर्थः ।
> कस्य तस्य आरुरुक्षोः ? मुनेः, कर्मफलसंन्यासिन इत्यर्थः । किमारुरुक्षोः ?
> योगम् । कर्म कारणं साधनम् उच्यते । योगारूढस्य पुनः तस्यैव शमः उपशमः
> सर्वकर्मभ्यो निवृत्तिः कारणं योगारूढस्य साधनम् उच्यते इत्यर्थः । यावद्यावत्
> कर्मभ्यः उपरमते, तावत्तावत् निरायासस्य जितेन्द्रियस्य चित्तं समाधीयते । तथा
> सति स झटिति योगारूढो भवति । तथा चोक्तं व्यासेन — ‘नैतादृशं ब्राह्मणस्यास्ति
> वित्तं यथैकता समता सत्यता च । शीलं स्थितिर्दण्डनिधानमार्जवं ततस्ततश्चोपरमः
> क्रियाभ्यः’ (मो. ध. १७५ । ३७) इति ॥ ३ ॥
>
> For the one intending to ascend Jnana (dhyana nididhyanasanam), karma is
> the path: produces chitta shuddhi/ekaagrataa.  For this very person who has
> ascended to Yoga, karma, action, is not there.
>
> Bhakti is not to be given up.  Only that there will be more emphasis on
> Nirguna Brahma bhakti that is dhyanam, upanishadic vichara.
>
> Ideally one is endowed with a Guru, marga darshaka.  He will advise the
> aspirant on when he is to give up karma, when he is to engage in more
> focused nirguna dhyana, vichara.
>
> Here also we get inputs from Shankara's Bh.gita 2.20 Bhashya on the above
> topic:
>
>  स च अविद्वान् , ‘उभौ तौ न विजानीतः’ (भ. गी. २ । १९)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita/devanagari?page=2&id=BG_C02_V19&hl=%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%8C%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8C%20%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%83
> >
> इति
> वचनात् , विशेषितस्य च विदुषः कर्माक्षेपवचनाच्च ‘कथं स पुरुषः’ इति । तस्मात्
> विशेषितस्य अविक्रियात्मदर्शिनः विदुषः मुमुक्षोश्च सर्वकर्मसंन्यासे एव
> अधिकारः । अत एव भगवान् नारायणः साङ्ख्यान् विदुषः अविदुषश्च कर्मिणः
> प्रविभज्य द्वे निष्ठे ग्राहयति — ‘ज्ञानयोगेन साङ्‍ख्यानां कर्मयोगेन
> योगिनाम्’ (भ. गी. ३ । ३)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita/devanagari?page=3&id=BG_C03_V03&hl=%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E2%80%8D%E0%A4%96%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D
> >
> इति ।
> तथा च पुत्राय आह भगवान् व्यासः — ‘द्वाविमावथ पन्थानौ’ (शां. २४१ । ६)
> इत्यादि । तथा च क्रियापथश्चैव पुरस्तात् पश्चात्संन्यासश्चेति । एतमेव विभागं
> पुनः पुनर्दर्शयिष्यति भगवान् — अतत्त्ववित् ‘अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति
> मन्यते’ (भ. गी. ३ । २७)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita/devanagari?page=3&id=BG_C03_V27&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87
> >,
> तत्त्ववित्तु नाहं करोमि इति । तथा च ‘सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते’ (भ.
> गी. ५ । १३)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita/devanagari?page=5&id=BG_C05_V13&hl=%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87
> >
> इत्यादि
> ॥
>
> The one who has the vision of the Atman/Brahman, there is no karma.  For
> him karma sannyasa is the way.
>
> >
> >
> > *Best Regards,*
> >
> > *Krishna Kashyap*
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 11:11 AM V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
> > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> >
> >> In Advaita, the jiva is a product of avidya and Ishwara is a product of
> >> Maya.
> >> कार्यकारणोपाधिभेदाज्जीवेश्वरभेदोऽपि दृश्यते । Tripaadvibhuti
> >> Mahanarayanopanishat.
> >> कार्योपाधिरयं जीवः कारणोपाधिरीश्वरः । Shuka rahasya upanishat.
> >>
> >> Here kaarya means the body mind complex, the effect of the Trigunatmika
> >> maayaa. And kAraNa refers to mAya/prakriti.  With body-mind complex as
> >> Upadhi, the Pure consciousness Brahman, appears as the jiva.  With Maya
> as
> >> upAdhi, the same Pure Consciousness Brahman appears as Ishwara.
> >>
> >> While both are aupadhika, it is to be noted that the body-mind complex
> >> identity is due to avidya and jivabhAva is thus a product of ignorance.
> >> However, the Ishwara part is not to be seen so.  It is the Vedanta
> shAstra
> >> that posits the concept of Ishwara with a view to help the jiva to
> evolve
> >> gradually and realize the truth of its own true nature, Brahman. By
> >> relating to that power called Ishwara, the jiva becomes pure in mind and
> >> qualifies to know the Truth. Karma yoga and bhakti are possible only
> >> towards Ishwara. All the Puranas and Itihasas and agamas talk about the
> >> glory of Ishwara.  All this is an adhyAropa, deliberate positing, by the
> >> shAstra.  The apavAda, negation, is done by the shAstra by point out
> that
> >> the created world, including the body mind complex, is a product of
> pancha
> >> bhutas, which, in turn are the products of mUla prakriti.  Thereby the
> >> shAstra posit the concept of mUla prakriti, mAyA, too. And thereby
> >> 'create'
> >> the concept of Ishwara.
> >>
> >> A careful study of the Upanishads, the Bhagavatam, etc. along with the
> >> Shankara and Sridhara Swamin's bhashya, etc. will reveal the above truth
> >> of
> >> the jiva and Ishwara being aupAdhika.
> >>
> >> warm regards
> >> subbu
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