[Advaita-l] [advaitin] What is Samadhi?

[V Subrahmanian]

On Fri, Feb 2, 2024 at 10:11 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Venkatraghavan ji
>
> Many thanks for sharing the write-up. Very beautifully presented.
>
> My understanding of akhanDAkArA-vritti is as under:-
>
> There are two AV:-
>
> 1. prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka-vishishTa-akhanDAkArA-vritti (AV1) -- this
> is the general connotation of akhanDAkArA-vritti.
>
> Chaitanya-reflected-in-AV1 removes two out of three shakti of avidyA,
> namely shakti-which-causes-the-illusion-of-reality-in-world and
> shakti-which-enables-artha-kriyA-kAritva-in-world. However,
> chaitanya-reflected-in-AV1 is incapable of removing the third shakti of
> avidyA, which is also known as avidyA-lesha and is
>
> shakti-which-gives-birth-to-objects-which-are-cable-of-appearing-as-pratyaksha.
>
>
> 2. prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka-rahita-akhanDAkArA-vritti (AV2) is called
> charma-vritti. It is also akhanDAkArA-vritti. However, since there is no
> pratibandhaka in the form of prArabdha, the chaitanya-reflected-in-AV2
> removes even the third shakti i.e. avidyA-lesha.
>
> As per my understanding, akhanDAkArA-vritti does not have non-self as its
> vishaya. Shuddha Atman cannot be vishaya of vritti being avishaya. The fact
> of not having non-self as vishaya is itself termed as having Atman as the
> vishaya of akhanDAkArA-vritti. In simple terms, a mind without any trace of
> any thought of world is akhanDAkArA-vritti. Basically thoughtless mind.
>
> This is what is generally understood as samAdhi or nirvikalpaka samAdhi.
>
> Now, without akhanDAkArA-vritti, avidyA cannot be removed. AV1 removes the
> first two AkArAs of avidyA whereas AV2 removes even third.
>
> AV1 this leads to jIvanmukti whereas AV2 leads to videhamukti.
>

Dear Sudhanshu ji,

Has the Bhashyakara Shankara accepted or specified the requirement of  the
AV2 that you mention above as leading to videhamukti? In other words, is
there a requirement in Shankara's prasthana traya bhashyas for the AV2 to
destroy the 'avidya lesha' which Shankara has termed 'samskara' in the BSB
that sustains the post-aparokshajnana life of the Jnani?

regards
subbu

>
> Thus, it appears to me that samAdhi in the form of akhanDAkArA-vritti is a
> necessary condition for jIvanmukti.
>
> As I understand from your write-up, even after AV1 removing two AkArAs of
> avidyA, since prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka remains, it will not immediately
> lead to jIvanmukti but manonAsha and vasanakshaya will be required and
> samAdhi will be needed for that.
>
> This appears to be perfectly acceptable.
>
> However, since tattva-jnAna also required akhanDAkArA-vritti which is not
> possible without samAdhi, I think even tattva-jnAna would necessarily
> require samAdhi.
>
> Regards.
> Sudhanshu Shekhar.
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