mOksha/ Self Realization According to Shankara Bhagavadpada

[Guest guest]

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

I am forced to write this after seeing the floating mails about

*self-realization* & its interpretation mainly quoting later commentators'

works like bhAmati/vivaraNa and sporadic & selected out of context very

few quotes from shankara's works & ofcourse with abundant sarcastic remarks

on others who dont endorse these interpretations. Kindly dont think this

is a castigatory mail against those interpretations, this is only an humble

attempt to share my part of understanding of the subject matter depending

upon works of my parama guruji Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati, who in

turn solely depended on our advaita paramAchArya Sri Shankara

bhagavadpujyapAda's commentary on prasthAna traya. It is also to be noted

that this is not an attempt to show how later vyAkhyAnakAra-s diluted the

teachings of shankara but it's been written just to show how shankara

deals with this topic in his own works.

 

First of all, we should keep in mind what our advaita AchArya ultimately

offers us with regard to self realization & socalled bondage of jIva,

spiritual practice etc.. Sri GaudapAdAchArya in his kArika (2-32)

categorically asserts :

 

//there is no dissolution, no creation either; no one in bondage and no one

who makes an effort to get free; no one longing for release and none that

has become free. This is the ultimate truth. //

 

bhagavadpAd while commenting on this kArika says when all duality is unreal

and the Atman alone is real then it has been concluded that all this human

procedure both mundane (loukika) and scriptural (vaidika) is wholly in the

sphere of avidyA. There being neither creation nor dissolution the one

truth is that there are no persons bound by saMsAra etc.

 

This being the case, how can we say, jnAnOtpatti / Atma jnAna ( dawn of

ultimate knowledge) is a time bound abrupt experience *even* for the jnAni

who has realized the above in its entirety ?? All the shruti-s employ

various means as devices and aim at conducing to the self

enlightenment/realization that to vijnAnamaya, who is seemingly a

transmigratory soul from the stand-point of the unwise (avidyaka

vyavahAra). It is improper to say in vyavahAra brahman has the avidyA, no

problem with that etc. etc. vyavahAra starts only with jIva

bhAva/pramAtrutva, dragging brahman, the ultimate reality of vEdAnta to

this region & enveloping it with avidyA is quite absurd & contrary to

shruti declaration. Because, shruti says Atman is great, unborn, free from

old age, free from death, immortal, fearless...He who knows this indeed

becomes verily this fearless brahman (bruhadAraNyaka upanishad) etc.

 

>From the above, it is quite evident that the *socalled* jIva in avidyA

vyavahAra is bound which wants *socalled* liberation from the avidyA

saMsAra...it is to be noted here that if we accept that there are two

separate entities called jIva & brahma, then only the distinction of ruler

and the ruled is true and it invariably follows that jIva who is in bondage

seeks release from this bondage etc. Shruti also endorses this empirical

view and declares "the helpless individual Atman is bound on account of

being an experiencer of fruit of action. But by knowing that ever shining

one (paramAtman) however, he will be freed from all bonds" (svetAshvara

upanishad). Shruti statements like this teach us in a clear manner that

knowledge of the true nature of Atman alone can release the soul, thereby

it is implying that it is *avidyA* only that binds the jIvAtman. prashna

upanishad further confirms this the cause of saMsAra is *avidyA* and

nothing else, once it gives way the realization automatically

happens..bharadvAja gratefully says here after worshipping pippalAda "Thou

art indeed our real father for thou hast taken us across our *ignorance*

(avidyA) to the other shore.

 

Shankara, by following these upanishadic purports, clears his stand on the

doctrine of mOksha/Atma jnAna/self realization in the long running *tattu

samanvayAt* sUtra bhAshya wherein he asserts

 

" this nature of saMsAra (mundane life) the ephemeral experience of

pleasure and pain of changing degress by assuming different bodies due to

gradation of meritorious and unmeritorious deeds of beings subject to

defects like *avidyA* is well known from shruti-s, smruti-s and reasoning.

Accordingly the shruti reaffirms this nature of saMsAra as described above

when it says *there is indeed no freedom from the oppression of pleasure

and pain for a being so long as it is embodied* (chAndOgya shruti) and

since contact of pleasure and pain is denied for the liberated one by

shruti *pleasure and pain indeed do not touch one who is without a body*

(chAndOgya shruti) it can be inferred that unembodiedness called mOksha is

not an effect of meritorious deeds which are known through the vEdic

injuctions "

 

>From the above it is quite evident that accroding to shankara self

realization is nothing but removal of ignorance. Shankara does not say

here removal of ignorance is mere vrutti vyApti & it requires further one

step phalavyApti to attain the ultimate...neither he declares here this

*self realization * is an event and abrupt experience in a split second of

time like a shock :-))...On the other hand, in this same sUtra bhAshya he

further confirms the *immediate release* as soon as enlightenment dawns

(again dont pick me for saying *as soon as* enlightenment dawns etc...it is

language limitation that we have to say that figuratively).. He says :

 

Moreover, shrutis like these point out that mOksha accrues *immediately*

after the dawn of knowledge of brahman and thus precludes the necessity for

anything else to be done in the interval before release.

 

>From the above it is clear there is no *time gap* between two fold vrutti

vyApti and phala vyApti and gradation of knowledge is NOT shankara's baby

:-)).

 

Without giving any importance to these teachings of shankara, people often

think that final release or self realization is an effect & it is an

abrupt, peculiar, special experience of some noble souls in an exalted

state...If this realization presumed to be the disappearance or destruction

of the *actually existing* jIva nature in an abrupt flash experience, and

that nature is being an agent of action and reaping the fruit & experience

the state of non duality in a particular time frame, then it would be

against all reason to say that the *nature* is removable by the performance

of some rigorous act of religious discipline is it not?? That is why

shankara says in sUtra bhAshy " vidyA is not of a nature to be enjoined and

the result of vidyA is not the effect of anything *done*...

 

It is already getting lengthy let me conclude this. Finally, according to

shruti/shankara vEdAnta, brahman is the ultimate reality of this universe,

which can be known only through upanishads. It is the self liminous

witness (sAkshin) & it is not an adventitious thing and the very self of

all..There is no pramANa or means of right knowledge which can reveal it

through the means of *flashy time bound experiences* in an exalted state of

some individuals since no pramANa needed to prove its existence...People

unable to understand this truth have propagated the theory of Atma

sAkshAtkAra, brahmAkAra vrutti etc. etc. for which they simply imagine that

the practice of some severe meditation & flashy experience of *self* etc.

etc. required...shruti crying at the top of its voice that parabrahman is

nirvikAri (without any modification), niravayava (without any limbs),

nirAkAra (formless) nirguNa (attributeless)..despite knowing all these we

are floating theories like brahmAkAra vrutti, Atma sAkshAtkAra etc. etc.

without finding any adequate references from shankara's prasthAna trayi

bhAshya.

 

I shall stop here & I hereby confirm that this is not an attack on personal

beliefs of noble souls here in this list...this is what just I thought when

I read *bhAshya viruddha* (against bhagavadpAda's commentary on prasthAna

traya) assertions..

Kindly pardon me if at all I hurt anybody's sentiments.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

 

Reference :

 

(01) Shankara's sUtra bhAshya & bruhadAraNyaka bhAshya & mAndUkya/ kArika

bhAshya translated by my parama guruji Sri Sri Satchidaanandendra Saraswati

in Kannada

 

(02) vEdAnta darshana, shankara hrudaya ... independent works in Kannada by

my parama guruji.

 

(03) Salient features of Shankara's vEdAnta in English by my parama

guruji

 

(04) How to Recognise the Method of vEdAnta in English by my parama

guruji.

[Guest guest]

Bhaskar - and Subbu - My praNams.

 

I read subbu's mail and wondering how to present the

vision of advaita Vedanta as I understand and the

meaning of akhaDaakaara vRitti.

 

Yes the self existent self conscious entity cannot

have ignorance for it to be covered and to be unveiled

at one point in time. Self-realization in time is

self-contradictory, does not matter who says it is so.

>From the point of Brahman there is no

self-realization.

 

>From the point of jiiva there appears to be a

self-realization in the sense of ajnaana nivRitti or

elimination of ignorance. Ignorance is eliminated

from the one who has the ignorance.

 

Who has the ignorance? - The question is an invalid

question - which Ramanuja asks in his Sri BhAShya.

The reason is obvious. Jiiva is the one who is

deluded even in VishishhTaadvaita doctrine and the one

who is deluded is the one who has the ignorance since

the delusion is due to ignorance.

 

But Jiiva is not different from Brahman from the

absolute sense, since there is nothing other than

Brahman and therefore it appears to be locus of

ignorance. But this kind of logic of Ramanuja

transgresses the advaitic doctrinal statement. If one

recognizes that there is nothing other than Brahman,

there can not be ignorance either since Brahman is one

without a second.

 

Then jiiva has ignorance - but that result in anyonya

ashraya dosha or defect of interdependence - that is

jiiva is a product of ignorance and therefore jiiva

cannot have ignorance for him to be a product.

 

But that does not mean Brahman has ignorance. Jiva

only has ignorance even though there is

interdependence - The proper explanation Shankara

offers is it is anirvachaniiyam - one cannot explain

which is cause and which is the effect here like

chicken and egg situation. One has to accept the

current state of affairs in order to solve the problem

at hand. Any amount of further inquiry of the cause

effect will be within the ignorance only.

 

Self-realization is only removal of ignorance - the

notional mind or the mind drops its notions where

thought identification or 'ego' drops out. Is that a

time bound - you can say if you want but correct

understanding is one transcends the time as well when

one realizes that one is Brahman - knower of Brahman

becomes brahman therefore has to transcend the notion

of time and space too which are products of the mind.

 

 

Realization is in the mind only. Therefore

akhandaarka vRitti - has to be correctly understood

too. The notional mind drops out. The objective mind

remains. The understanding is no more at the thought

level. It is not understanding as a thought that I am

brahman - I am period - I am - I am - I am intense

awareness that I am the existence-conscious principle

- I am that I am - without any qualification or

objectification. aham aham taya - sphurati hRit

swayam - says BhagavAn Ramana - spontaneously rising

understanding that I am I am I am etc which is paramam

puurNam sat swaruupam - I is of supreme nature - there

is nothing beyond - I is full and complete and it is

of the nature of existence.

 

Does this understanding occur at a point in time -

Actually it is clarity of vision. A glimpse of that

understanding beaming forth as the vial of ignorance

keeps dropping like a mist. The best way to

understand is the mist or fog in the cold morning. AS

the sun rises, the mist start slowly dissolves with

the beam of light shining more and more clearly with

the visibility increasing. It is firm abidance in the

knowledge I am - I am _ I am free from all

qualification - I am that which beyond any forms any

time concepts or spatial limitations.Here there is no

sun raise - sun of self-luminous is shining all the

time even during very misty day.

 

Is it a flash - If you think the fog of

misunderstanding is removed like a flash! then it is.

Your imagination is the limit. The sun light is all

the time there - As the mind becomes purer and purer

the shining of the light becomes clearer and clearer.

All these descriptions are only from the foggy mind or

in the vyavahaara state only. From the point of the

sun he is shining in his full glory and there is no

fog what so ever that obstructs the sun.

 

I think the best thing to do is to realize ourselves

and establish the fact, if some one is really

interested to know. The rest all hearsay!

 

This does not compromize the advaita doctrin. Brahma

satyam, jagat mithyaa, jiivo brahaiva naaparaH!

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

--- bhaskar.yr (AT) in (DOT) abb.com wrote:

 

>

> praNAms

> Hare Krishna

>

> I am forced to write this after seeing the floating

> mails about

> *self-realization* & its interpretation

[Guest guest]

H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy

Pranams to all.

advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada wrote:

> Bhaskar - and Subbu - My praNams.

 

Dear Sri Sadananda,

What a wonderful and meaningful statement is yours!

You have stated:I think the best thing to do is to realize

ourselves and establish the fact, if some one is really interested to

know. The rest all hearsay!

Please accept my heartfelt appreciation for your words of

wisdom.

With warm and respectful regards,

Sreenivasa Murthy

 

 

 

>