jnAnam, moksha

July 18, 2001

namaste.

I fully to shri shankara bhagavatpAdA's sayings

that jnAnam alone leads to moksha, or cessation of the

transmigration of the subtle body. This point was brought

up by by shri Sadananda garu in his recent Notes on the BSB.

This post arises in that context.

Now, what is this jnAnam? Shri Sadanada garu says in his Notes

that jnAnam is the Knowledge that I am brahman. I also take it

that this Knowledge is not the Knowledge captured by the mind

or intellect but is Knowledge that is not different from the

knower, that is, this Knowledge is the digested integral part

of the knower.

Now, if this knowledge were not there: let me put a case history

here. I came across a person recently, a young student, whom

I had occasion to watch closely. She attends to her duties very

well; she is not tortured by any of the six great enemies (kAma,

krodha, etc). She does not know anything about them. She does not

do things with the impression that she is the doer. She does not

know the ego and the evil connotations (in the advaitic sense)

associated with the ego. She does not know what brahman is. She

helps people to the best of her ability. She does not have any

enemies and everyone has a positive feel about her. She does all

these things naturally without knowing what Atman, brahman,

ego, SELF, etc are.

So, in a sense, we can say that she does not have the jnAnam

(if jnAnam refers to Knowledge that she is brahman). Yet, she

is a perfect example of how a jIvanmukta would behave.

So, it seems to me that when shri shankara said "without jnAnam,

we cannot attain moksha", He may be referring to two scenarios:

(i) He is referring to people who are mired in avidyA and are

tormented by the ego and who are subservient to these six great

enemies of the human viz., kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada,

mAtsarya (desire, anger, miserliness, passion, pride, jealousy);

(ii) He is referring to jnAnam as the one that leads to moksha in

contrast to karma, and particularly emphasizing moksha is not a

consequence of karma.

So, essentially, my question is: does jIvanmukta have to have the

Knowledge that he is a jIvanmukta?

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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July 18, 2001

Dear Gummuluru Murthy Ji,

You wrote:

>>>>>>I fully to shri shankara bhagavatpAdA's sayings

that jnAnam alone leads to moksha, or cessation of the

transmigration of the subtle body.

I would like to point out here that it is NOT Shankaracharya, who says that

Jnanam alone leads to Moksha, but even in the most ancient times this

supreme truth was accepted. Refer to the saying of Shukla Yajurveda

Madhyandina Samhita, vedahametam purusham mahantam adityavarnam tamasah

parastaat, tameva viditva atimrityumeti nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya, i.e.

I know that Great Purusha, who is as radiant as the sun and who transcends

all the forms of darkness; only and exclusively by knowing Him one can

transcend death, there is no other way to reach that Abode.

More than this there are many Shruti's which say the same, "Jnanadeva tu

kaivalya" (Kaivalya, i.e. Moksha only accurse by Jnana); "Rite na jnanan

muktih" (without Jnana there is no Moksha).

If one would read the stories of the Upanishads, it would become explicit

that every time when a Sadhaka wanted to obtain Moksha, he was taught Brahma

Jnana, may it be Bhrigu, the son of Varuna; Shvetaketu, the son of Uddalaka;

or Narada, or Maitreyi.

Yajvalkya says so clear, "O Gargi! He who dies without knowing the

Imperishable, is the poorest". Kenopanishad says so clearly, "If one

realizes It in this life, it is good; but if not, then that is the greatest

loss".

How, after so many explicit statements, one can dare to say that this is

Shankara Bhagavatpada's saying.

NO, it is the saying of the Vedas, It is the saying of the Brahmana's and it

is the saying of the Upanishads, and Gita.

Please see what Krishna has to say, "I give to thoese (to my devotees)

Buddhi Yoga (knowledge), by which the obtain me; indeed for their grace I

destroy the darkness born from ignorance by the lamp of Knowledge" (Gita

10-10,11).

>>>>Now, what is this jnAnam?

Let me quote here Ananda Giri, the famous commentator of Shankaracharya,

sambhavitamektvam "tadeva brahma tvam" iti vakyajabuddhivrittavavishayataya

prakashate "brahmasmi" iti.

In this one sentence he has places the entire process of Self-enlightenment.

It means, "The Knowledge of Unity (of the Atman and Brahman), when

understood (by the intellect), manifests in a special modification of the

intellect, which is born out of the teaching "You are That Brahman", The

Knowledge shines in the form of the concept "I'm Brahman", but without

becoming an object (of a different modification)".

>>>>>>I also take it

that this Knowledge is not the Knowledge captured by the mind

or intellect but is Knowledge that is not different from the

knower, that is, this Knowledge is the digested integral part

of the knower.

Very well, but still let me point out something. When Vedanta talks about

Knowledge, it can have three meanings, 1. The knowledge of worldly things.

2. The Knowledge of Unity of Atman and Brahman (Brahmaatmaikya Jnana). 3.

The Knowledge which is a form of Brahman (like in Satyam Jnanam Anantam

Brahma). The first two knowledge are of the intellectual plane. Yes, even

Brahmatmaikya Jnana, see at this Shruti, "drishyate tvagryaya buddhya

sukshmaya sukshmadarshibhih", the Brahman is seen by the intellect, which

has been sharpened and is very subtle, by the seers. This means that even

this knowledge is captured by the intellect, indeed not by the mind. But by

a special sort of intellect.

However, the third sort of knowledge is not in fact a modification of

knowledge, but it is just pure knowledge, pure consciousness, pure ability

to know everything. This is above the plane of intellect, intellect is just

an instrument of It. Like the eye is an instrument to see of the mind.

>>>>>>>>I came across a person recently, a young student, whom