[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Atman and Witness - transcending

[V Subrahmanian]

On Fri, Mar 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hare Krishna Bhaskar prabhu ji.
>
> //All the above three statements as usual go against bhAshyavachana and
> holding ‘some’ vyAkhyAna as authority for this.//
>
> The statement was by Anandagiri Swami in Brihadaaranyak BhAshya VArtika
> 1.4.372, which reads as under:
>
> अज्ञानमात्रोपाधित्वादविद्यामुषितात्मभिः ।। कौटस्थ्यान्निर्द्वयोऽप्यात्मा
> साक्षीत्यध्यस्यते जडैः ।। ३७२ ।।
>
> The vArtika clearly says that ajnAna-upahita-chaitanya is superimposed as
> sAkshI by jaDa.
>

Namaste Sudhanshu ji,

I think these two Vartika verses too say that the sAkShi is to be known as
Brahman. That means the concept of sAkshi is not the absolute; it is the
penultimate understanding, distinguishing/discriminating oneself from the
inert body-mind complex. Once this is done, the Mahavakya is now relevant,
in that it brings about the identification of the 'finite' sakshi with
Brahman, the infinite:

साक्षिणः प्राणशब्देन विशेष्यस्याभिधेष्यते ||
ब्रह्मैवेति तु शब्देन तद्विशेषणमुच्यते || ५२३ ||
*साक्षिणः सद्वितीयत्वं ब्रह्मणश्च परोक्षताम् ||*
तद्धेतुप्रतिषेधेन वाक्यमेतन्निषेधति || ५२४ ||
सद्वितीयपरोक्षत्वे यतोऽज्ञानैकहेतुके ||
न वस्तु स्पृशतस्तस्मात्प्रमाणोत्थप्रबोधतः || ८५२ ||
When the sAkshi is first discerned from the body mind complex, there will
be the understanding that 'there are many such sAkshi-s in each body.' This
wrong understanding is corrected by the Mahavakya by teaching the
advaiteeyatvam and akhaNDatvam of the sAkshi by identifying it with the
advaiteeya akhaNDa Brahman. Therefore, sAkshi is not the ultimate tattvam.

The paricchinnatva bhrama (with regard to sAkshi) and the parokshatva
bhrama with regard to Brahman is corrected by the Mahavakya: aham Brahma.

warm regards
subbu


>