follow-up on "bandhus&jantus"

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

Two interesting questions on "bandhus & jantus" were posed by some members

to me privately. I have their permission to discuss it on the

"bhakti-list".

 

1) Why can't a jantu get enlightened by revelations by divine grace and

get the knowledge of his/her/it being a "cosmic orphan" and there are

instances

where great atmas are born-realised (eg. Sri Sukha Brahmam, the holy son of

Sage Vyasa, hastAmalakar, disciple of Srimad Sankaracharya). Ofcourse Swami

 

Desikan and other Acharyas also didn't preach this wisdom after getting

forsaken by their bandhus. Why should the jantu be forsaken by his bandhus

before this wisdom shines in him/her/it ?

 

2) What is exactly is meant by the phrase "transcending the limitations of

Time and Space" in the verse from the Gita you translate as:

 

(Ch.6.44): purvAbyAsEna tEnaiva hiyathE hyavashO-api sa-ha I

jijnyA-surapi yOgasya shabda-brahmAti-varta thE II

(By the power of his earlier efforts, he is carried forward relentlessly,

and even against his own will, until he reaches a state where he transcends

"sabda-brahmhan" ( "prakriti" or Matter with all its concomitant

limitations of Time and Space)

 

 

Answer to Question 1:

 

The forsaking of "bandhu-s" is not to be taken literally although in the

case of the "pUrAnic" episodes involving Gajendra, Vibeeshana or Draupadi

there was clearly a physical "un-binding" or unwinding of "bandham" between

kin. In the lives of great ones like the Buddha, Sankara and RamanujachArya

too there was a clear effort on their part to untie themselves from the

shackles of worldly kinship and "bandhus".It preceded and hastened their

date with "brahmic" destiny, isn't it?

 

I believe there is thus abundant material, evidence, "pramANam" or

"purAnic" precedent to suggest that "jantus be (and are indeed) forsaken by

bandhus before "brahmic" wisdom or the sense of Universal "bandhu-hood"

shines (forth)"!

 

"kArpannyam" --- the sense of "cosmic" desolation or helplessness ---

naturally sets in a man when he loses "herd instinct", the identification

with kin. Take away "bandhus" and Man, Animal or any "jantu" becomes

instantly an "existential cipher". I explained this at length in one of the

posts.

 

Disaffiliation from "bandhus" need not be in the literal/physical sense. I

concede the point. Draupadi after her ordeal continued to remain, after

all, the loyal spouse of the Pandavas. But it is doubtful if she ever

thought of them again as her "bandhus" in a living sense! It is highly

doubtful too, I think, if she, traumatized as she certainly was, could ever

have regarded anyone else but Lord Krishna as the true "bandhu"!

 

But the point I was trying to drive home was simply this:

>From the "purANic" episodes, from the way the "AchAryA-s" expound them and

from the way they themselves experienced it, we conclude that a "jantu"

must "disaffiliate" from "bandhus", literally or otherwise, in order to

truly experience the feeling of "kArpannyam" or "akinchinyam".

 

Question 2 is a very tough one to explain although it looks easy enough. I

will post after a few days.

 

Meanwhile if any other good member (well-versed in the GitA) would like to

handle it, he/she is most welcome.

 

adiyEn,

sudarshan