[Advaita-l] {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Jnani should give up karma why? from Shankara-bhashya

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste

There are several sections in the PTB where this is discussed. A selection
below, with quotations.

1) Introduction to BG verse 2.11 - two paths - sAnkhyayoga (jnAnayoga) and
buddhiyoga (karmayoga) - had been laid out by Bhagavan. JnAna is contingent
on akartRtva and ekatva buddhi, whereas karma is contingent on kartRtva and
anekatva buddhi, and cannot be undertaken by the same person at the same
time -

 ज्ञानकर्मनिष्ठयोर्विभागवचनाद्बुद्धिद्वयाश्रययोः । ...तथा च भगवता विभक्ते
द्वे बुद्धी निर्दिष्टे ‘एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्‍ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु’
(भ. गी. २ । ३९) इति । ....एवं साङ्‍ख्यबुद्धिं योगबुद्धिं च आश्रित्य द्वे
निष्ठे विभक्ते भगवतैव उक्ते *ज्ञानकर्मणोः
कर्तृत्वाकर्तृत्वैकत्वानेकत्वबुद्ध्याश्रययोः युगपदेकपुरुषाश्रयत्वासम्भवं
पश्यता । (BGB 2.11)*


2) The shruti pramANa for this - The gIta words of Bhagavan are based on
the shatapatha brAhmaNa shruti यथा एतद्विभागवचनम् , *तथैव दर्शितं शातपथीये
ब्राह्मणे — ‘एतमेव प्रव्राजिनो लोकमिच्छन्तो ब्राह्मणाः प्रव्रजन्ति’ इति
सर्वकर्मसंन्यासं विधाय तच्छेषेण ‘किं प्रजया करिष्यामो येषां नोऽयमात्मायं
लोकः’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ४ । २२) इति । (BGB 2.11)*

3) The actions of the jnAni are not karma because there is no ahamkAra
bhAva, he does not consider himself a doer, nor does he have any attachment
to their results
यस्य तु अज्ञानात् रागादिदोषतो वा कर्मणि प्रवृत्तस्य यज्ञेन दानेन तपसा वा
विशुद्धसत्त्वस्य ज्ञानमुत्पन्नम्परमार्थतत्त्वविषयम् ‘एकमेवेदं सर्वं ब्रह्म
अकर्तृ च’ इति, तस्य कर्मणि कर्मप्रयोजने च निवृत्तेऽपि लोकसङ्ग्रहार्थं
यत्नपूर्वं यथा प्रवृत्तिः, *तथैव प्रवृत्तस्य यत्प्रवृत्तिरूपं दृश्यते न
तत्कर्म येन बुद्धेः समुच्चयः स्यात्* ; यथा भगवतो वासुदेवस्य
क्षत्रधर्मचेष्टितं न ज्ञानेन समुच्चीयते पुरुषार्थसिद्धये, तद्वत्
तत्फलाभिसन्ध्यहङ्काराभावस्य तुल्यत्वाद्विदुषः । *तत्त्वविन्नाहं करोमीति
मन्यते, न च तत्फलमभिसन्धत्ते ।* यथा च स्वर्गादिकामार्थिनः
अग्निहोत्रादिकर्मलक्षणधर्मानुष्ठानाय आहिताग्नेः काम्ये एव अग्निहोत्रादौ
प्रवृत्तस्य सामि कृते विनष्टेऽपि कामे तदेव अग्निहोत्राद्यनुतिष्ठतोऽपि न
तत्काम्यमग्निहोत्रादि भवति । तथा च दर्शयति भगवान् — ‘कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते’
(भ. गी. ५ । ७) ‘न करोति न लिप्यते’ (भ. गी. १३ । ३१) इति तत्र तत्र ॥ (BGB
2.11)

4) In what sense is karma rejected as an anga for the angI, jnAna? Ref:
sarvApekshAdhikaraNam, Brahma Sutra - Here Shankaracharya clarifies that
knowledge does not require karma, or anything else, *to produce its result*,
but the *rise of knowledge* requires chittashuddhi, which is a result of
the performance of niShkAma karma. In contrast, karma-s considered angI
require the apUrva from the anga karma also *for the production of their
result*. In that sense, there is no anga angI bhAva.

उत्पन्ना हि *विद्या फलसिद्धिं प्रति न किञ्चिदन्यदपेक्षते*, उत्पत्तिं प्रति
तु अपेक्षते । कुतः ? यज्ञादिश्रुतेः । तथा हि श्रुतिः — ‘तमेतं वेदानुवचनेन
ब्राह्मणा विविदिषन्ति यज्ञेन दानेन तपसाऽनाशकेन’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ४ । २२) इति
यज्ञादीनां विद्यासाधनभावं दर्शयति । (BSB 3.4.26)

5) However that karma-s are a means for the rise of jnAna and in that
sense, are considered an anga for jnAna, has been accepted even by the
sUtrakAra himself who says in BS 3.4.27 शमदमाद्युपेतः स्यात्तथापि तु
*तद्विधेस्तदङ्गतया* तेषामवश्यानुष्ठेयत्वात् ॥ २७ ॥

Specifically shama, dama etc (and shravaNa, manana etc) are considered in
*antaranga* sAdhana for the rise of jnAna, whereas karma such as yajna,
dAna etc are considered *bahiranga* sAdhana.

The bhAShya -
तस्माद्यज्ञादीनि शमदमादीनि च यथाश्रमं सर्वाण्येव आश्रमकर्माणि
विद्योत्पत्तावपेक्षितव्यानि । तत्रापि ‘एवंवित्’ इति विद्यासंयोगात्
प्रत्यासन्नानि विद्यासाधनानि शमादीनि, विविदिषासंयोगात्तु बाह्यतराणि
यज्ञादीनीति विवेक्तव्यम् ॥ (BSB 3.4.27)

Kind regards,
Venkatraghavan

On Thu, 12 Dec 2024, 23:36 Krishna Kashyap via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> in particular my question is here:
>
> यामिमां ब्राह्मीमुपनिषदं तवाग्रेऽब्रूमेति तस्यै तस्या उक्ताया उपनिषदः
> प्राप्त्युपायभूतानि तपआदीनि । तपः कायेन्द्रियमनसां समाधानम् । दमः उपशमः ।
> कर्म अग्निहोत्रादि । एतैर्हि संस्कृतस्य सत्त्वशुद्धिद्वारा
> तत्त्वज्ञानोत्पत्तिर्दृष्टा ।
>
> here once a person gets satva shuddhi through agnihotra, tapas, dama and so
> on, if automatically one gets tatva jnana, then why does shankaracharya
> denies that status of anga, sahakari karana and so on for the karma
> portion, which includes these agnihotra and so on?
>
> this is the question. I dont know of a clear answer here.
>
>
> *Best Regards,*
>
> *Krishna Kashyap*
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 8:09 PM Krishna Kashyap <kkashyap2011 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I am studying Kena Upanishad. at the end of 4th khanda, there is a
> > discussion about why Jnani should give up karma. the vedadhyayana and
> other
> > karmas are unnecessary for moksha. This kind of discussion occurs in all
> of
> > Prasthana scriptures commented by Shankaracharya.
> >
> > If you see kena upanishad bhashya, invariably there will be a reference
> to
> > bramhasutra bhashya or some brihadaranyaka or chandogya sentence. Has
> > anyone done a document that indicates the root of all such arguments and
> > why Shankaracharya is denying jnana-karma samucchaya or anga-angi bhava
> > between jnana and karma?. Even in Isavasya, the same concept comes up.
> > However, in every Upanishad or gita bhashya, there are a lot of
> references
> > that go back to either Brahma sutra bhashya or some brihadaranyaka or
> other
> > Upanishad bhashya.
> >
> > Obviously, if anyone quotes for example kena upanishad bhashya line to
> > justify isavasya line, and vice-versa, that becomes a game or cyclic
> > dependency issue.
> >
> > Has someone studied this issue and come up with a concept as to why
> > Shankaracharya is against karma being an anga for jnana?
> >
> > I know we can study any particular upanishad bhashya of Shankaracharya
> and
> > go on a linear line by line understanding. However, he often emphatically
> > suggests how can you mix light and darkness? tejas timira iva? and all
> such
> > powerful statements to prove this point. However, where is the root of
> such
> > arguments? This is an academic study I am thinking about where the entire
> > concept of why karma cannot be an anga for jnana. If so why karmas are
> > prescribed and to whom? how does one transcend from being a karma-doer
> to a
> > karma-ignorer?
> >
> > I am particularly looking for the concept behind it.
> > I have come across things like seeing a serpent in a dream you cannot
> take
> > a stick and chase it away. You have to get out of the dream state and
> then
> > know there is no serpent to start with and you don't need a stick or
> > action. so here the idea is ajnana is the reason for action. if one has
> > atmaikya jnana no karma is possible. the problem is in the phase of
> > sadhana, where does one give up and when should a person never give up.
> >
> > All these are stray concepts. I want the definitive concept and upanishad
> > reference proof which is the origin behind why the shastras keep on
> > insisting and prescribing so many karmas to people and at the same time a
> > jnani should stay away from karmas.
> >
> > I know that if one knows that there is one entity atman, which is nitya,
> > shuddha, buddha, mukta, nishkriya, shanta and so on, in addition to
> knowing
> > that there is nothing else other than that atman, Obviously karma becomes
> > superfluous and a jnani cannot do karma, since he is not an agent nor
> does
> > he need something to achieve to start with. Where exactly is this concept
> > first referenced in shankara bhashya so that we can avoid looking at so
> > many upanishads and jump right to the origin of that argument within
> > shankara bhashya.
> >
> > I prefer only shankara bhashya and not the later authors of advaita. Not
> > that I don't respect them. However, I want to avoid post-Shankara-advaita
> > branches and deal with the words of Shankaracharya only for now.
> >
> > sorry for the repetitive thoughts. I had to point out my question clearly
> > and I have repeated some thoughts.
> >
> > *Best Regards,*
> >
> > *Krishna Kashyap*
> >
> >
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