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

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste Chandramouli ji,
That is what I thought too at first, but then I went back and looked at how
Swami Vidyaranya answered the original question. He says this:

विवक्षावशेन मतद्वस्याविरोधात् । विदेहमुक्तिरित्यत्रत्यनेन देहशब्देन
कृत्स्नं देहजातं विवक्षित्वा बहुभिर्वर्णितम् । अस्माभिस्तु
भाविदेहमात्रविवक्षयोच्यते, तदनारम्भस्यैव ज्ञानसंपादनात् ।

There is no contradiction in the two views, because what is intended by the
word videhamukti is different.

When the laghuyogavAshiShTha refers to videhamukti it is referring to the
cessation of the current AND future bodies, which can only happen when the
current body has also fallen.

When the JMV-kAra is referring to videhamukti, he is talking about only the
cessation of future bodies which happens when jnAna arises, i.e. when the
individual becomes a jnAni (and is alive!) he has become a videhamukta
already, in JMV's conception.

Kind regards,
Venkatraghavan


On Sat, 3 Feb 2024, 19:56 H S Chandramouli, <hschandramouli at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Namaste Venkat Ji,
>
> Is there not a contradiction between the following  statements  as
> between  laghuyogavAshiShTha and JMV ?
>
> As per laghuyogavAshiShTha cited by you in connection with manonAsha,  //  The
> formless death of the mind which was spoken of by me oh Raghava, is for the
> videhamukta only, where no part of the mind remains //. Also  // In
> jIvanmukti, the destruction is with form, whereas it is without form in the
> bodiless mukti //.
>
> And
>
> As per JMV cited by you in connection with videhamukti, //  videhamukti
> is not the mukti that takes place at the end of the jnAni's life - rather
> it is a mukti that is contemporaneous with the rise of jnAna //.
> Regards
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 3, 2024 at 3:51 PM Venkatraghavan S <agnimile at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Namaste Sadaji,
>>
>> Before I address these questions, I want to clarify in what sense Swami
>> Vidyaranya uses the terms jIvanmukti and videhamukti.
>>
>> According to him, videhamukti is not the mukti that takes place at the
>> end of the jnAni's life - rather it is a mukti that is contemporaneous with
>> the rise of jnAna.
>>
>> In the JMV he says:
>> सेयं विदेहमुक्तिर्ज्ञानोत्पत्तिसमकालीना ज्ञेया,
>> ब्रह्मण्यविद्यारोपितानामेतेषां बन्धानां विद्यया विनाशे सति
>> पुनरुत्पत्त्यसंभवादननुभवाच्च। तदेतद्विद्यया समकालीना मुक्तिः भाष्यकारः
>> समन्वयसूत्रे प्रपंचयामासः (ब्र सू १.१.४), "तदधिगम
>> उत्तरपूर्वाघयोरश्लेशविनाशौ तद्व्यपदेशात्" (ब्र सू ४.१.१३) ,‌ इत्यत्र च।
>>
>> This videhamukti must be understood to occur contemporaneous with the
>> rise of jnAna, because when these bonds, which are sumperimposed on Brahman
>> due to ignorance, are destroyed by knowledge, their reoccurrence is
>> impossible, and goes against experience too. It is this liberation
>> contemporaneous with knowledge, that the bhAShyakAra referred to in the
>> commentary to the samanvaya sUtra and in the sUtra "When That is known, the
>> prior and future sins are destroyed and unattached, for that has been
>> declared".
>>
>> This raises a question - which is raised and answered thus.
>>
>> ननु वर्तमानदेहपातानन्तरं विदेहमुक्तिः बहवो वर्णयन्ति?
>> Many hold that videhamukti only happens at the end of the current body of
>> the jnAni.
>>
>> नायं दोषः । विवक्षावशेन मतद्वस्याविरोधात् । विदेहमुक्तिरित्यत्रत्यनेन
>> देहशब्देन कृत्स्नं देहजातं विवक्षित्वा बहुभिर्वर्णितम् । अस्माभिस्तु
>> भाविदेहमात्रविवक्षयोच्यते, तदनारम्भस्यैव ज्ञानसंपादनात् । अयं तु देहः
>> पूर्वमेवारब्धः, अतो ज्ञानेनापि नास्यारम्भो वारयितुं शक्यते।
>> एतद्देहनिवृत्तिरपि न ज्ञानफलम्,‌ अज्ञिनानामप्यारब्धकर्मक्षये तन्निवृत्तेः ।
>> This is not a problem, because what is meant (by the word deha) is
>> different in the two systems. In the word videhamukti, the term 'deha'
>> refers to the entire gamut of bodies - this is the view held by many.
>> Whereas we hold that it only refers to future bodies, and their
>> non-occurrence is on account of knowledge. This body, however, has already
>> had birth, therefore its occurrence cannot be prevented even by knowledge.
>> Nor is the cessation of this body a result of knowledge, for that occurs
>> even for the ignorant when their prArabdha ends.
>>
>> The opponent then asks
>> तर्हि वर्तमानलिंगदेहनिवृत्तिर्ज्ञानफलमस्तु, ज्ञानमन्तरेण तदनिवृत्तिरिति
>> चेत् -
>> न, सत्यपि ज्ञाने जीवन्मुक्तेस्तन्निवृत्त्यभावात् ।
>> If that is the case, let the cessation of the current subtle body be the
>> result of knowledge, because without knowledge, the cessation of that is
>> impossible.
>>
>> Swami Vidyaranya says - no, because even *when knowledge has arisen, in
>> the case of the jIvanmukta, the current subtle body does not cease*.
>>
>> He later refutes the theory of a final dawn of knowledge, the
>> charamasAkshAtkAra giving rise to videhamukti. He says:
>> किंच क्षणिकत्वेन कालान्तरे स्वमविद्यमानं ज्ञानं कथं मुक्तिं दद्यात्?
>> ज्ञानान्तरं चरमसाक्षात्कारलक्षणमुत्पत्सयत इति चेन्न ; साधनाभावात् ।
>> प्रतिबन्ध प्रारब्धनिवृत्त्यैव सह
>> गुरुशास्त्रदेहेन्द्रियाद्यशेषजगत्प्रतिभासनिवृत्तेः किं तत्साधनं स्यात्? ...
>> ततो भवदभिमता वर्तमानदेहराहित्यलक्षणा विदेहमुक्तिः पश्चादस्तु
>> देहपातानन्तरम्, अस्मदभिमता तु ‌ज्ञानसमकालीनैव ।
>> Further, how can thought, which lasts for but a moment, and ceases to
>> exist at a different time, give rise to liberation (videhamukti at the time
>> of death)? If it is said that there is another thought, the final cognition
>> of Brahman, that will arise and cause that to happen - no, because no means
>> for its rise will exist at the time. When the obstacle of prArabdha has
>> ceased to be, along with the appearance of the universe consisting of the
>> guru, scripture, body and the senses, by what means will that (knowledge)
>> arise?...Therefore, your idea of  videhamukti, ie being the absence of the
>> current body, may perhaps occur after the fall of this body, but the
>> videhamukti that we speak of, is coterminous with knowledge.
>>
>> Thus, according to JMV
>> 1) videhamukti means the cessation of future bodies.
>> 2) videhamukti is coterminous with brahmajnAna .
>> 2) manonAsha does not mean the literal destruction of the mind, for
>> jIvanmukti occurs upon manonAsha, but the mind continues to exist for a
>> jIvanmukta.
>>
>> So what is this manonAsha that the scriptures speak of, where the mind
>> continues to exist? Swami Vidyaranya quotes from the laghuyogavAshiShTha to
>> explain:
>>
>> न च मनोनाशेन विदेहमुक्तिरेव न तु जीवन्मुक्तिरिति शंकनीयम्
>> प्रश्नोत्तराभ्याम् तन्निर्णयात् -
>> One cannot allege that the destruction of the mind must lead to
>> videhamukti alone, and not jIvanmukti, for the following questions and
>> answers explain what is meant. (This was your actual question, Sadaji).
>>
>> श्रीरामः -
>> विवेकाभ्युदयाच्चित्तस्वरूपेऽन्तर्हिते मुने।
>> मैत्र्यादयो गुणाः कुत्र जायन्ते योगिनां वद॥
>> Lord Rama - oh sage, please tell me where do good qualities such as
>> friendliness etc arise in, when the minds of yogis disappear with the rise
>> of discrimination?
>>
>> वसिष्ठः -
>> द्विविधाः चित्तनाशोऽस्ति सरूपोऽरूप एव च।
>> जीवन्मुक्तौ सरूपः स्यादरूपोऽदेहमुक्तिगः॥
>>
>> VasiShTha - There are two types of destruction of mind, the destruction
>> with form remaining and formless destruction. In jIvanmukti, the
>> destruction is with form, whereas it is without form in the bodiless mukti.
>>
>> प्राकृतं गुणसंभारं ममेति बहुमन्यते।
>> सुखदुःखाद्यवष्टभ्य विद्यमानं मनो विदुः॥
>>
>> The mind thinks of the qualities of the nature as 'mine' - hence, the
>> wise ones consider being possessed of pleasure and pain to be the existence
>> of the mind.
>>
>> चेतसः कथिता सत्ता‌ मया रघुकुलोद्वह।
>> अस्य नाशमिदानीं त्वं श्रुणु प्रश्नविदां वर॥
>> The existence of the mind has been explained by me, o scion of Raghu
>> clan! Now, listen to what its destruction means, o best amongst the
>> enquirers.
>>
>> सुखदुःखदशा धीरं साम्यान्न प्रोद्धरन्ति यम्।
>> निःश्वासा इव शैलेन्द्रं तस्य चित्तं मृतं विदुः॥
>> The wise call the mind of the intelligent one - which is unmoved in
>> pleasure or pain from its state of equanimity like the Himalayas, which is
>> unmoved by the flow of breath - as dead.
>>
>> आपत्कार्पण्यमुत्साहो मदो मान्द्यं महोत्सवः।
>> यं नयन्ति न वैरूप्यं तस्य नष्टं मनो विदुः॥
>> The wise know that the one whose mind stays unchanged when faced with
>> adversity, pitiful circumstances, zeal, pride, dullness or a great
>> festival, his mind is considered destroyed.
>>
>> चित्तमाशानिधानं हि यदा नश्यति राघव।
>> मैत्र्यादिभिर्गुणैर्युक्तं तदा सत्त्वमुदेत्यलम्॥
>> When the mind which is the house of desires is destroyed, Oh Raghava, the
>> sattva endowed with good qualities such as friendliness etc., arises.
>>
>> भूयोजन्मविनिर्मुक्तं जीवन्मुक्तस्य तन्मनः।
>> सरूपोऽसौ मनोनाशो जीवन्मुक्तस्य विद्यते ॥
>> The jIvanmukta's mind which is free from birth, the mind that undergoes
>> death with form, is the jIvanmukta's.
>>
>> अरूपस्तु मनोनाशो यो मयोक्तो रघूद्वह।
>> विदेहमुक्तावेवासौ विद्यते निष्कलात्मकः॥
>> The formless death of the mind which was spoken of by me oh Raghava, is
>> for the videhamukta only, where no part of the mind remains.
>>
>> समग्राग्र्यगुणाधारमपि सत्त्वं प्रलीयते ।
>> विदेहमुक्तावमले पदे पावने ॥
>> The mind as the sattva, the locus of all auspicious qualities, completely
>> dissolves in the holy state of videhamukti.
>>
>> Thus the manonAsha which is the means to jIvanmukti, is not the literal
>> death of the mind, rather it is the immovability of the mind in the face of
>> pleasure and pain.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>> Venkatraghavan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>