Guest guest Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 praNAms Hare Krishna Shankara uses the word bAdha multiple times at various places...In ArambhaNAdhikaraNam (2-1-14) sUtra bhAshyaM shankara in a single para uses this word several times to say that bAdha is nothing but *sublation of wrong knowledge* (bAdhitAnuvrutti or bAdhita mithyAjnAna). It would be important here to note that shankara alternatively, at some places uses the words like nAsha, laya etc. But these words also implicitly & contextually mean bAdha only... The word bAdha can be explained with a simple example. If I see a synthetic snake, the first cognition of the *snake* causes be fear, anxiety etc...After the detailed examination of the same, I get the knowledge that the snake is not real but it is mere *synthetic snake*....But even after having the *correct* knowledge of snake, the shape of snake does not disappear from my sight...but for me ONLY *wrong knowledge* of *real* snake will get sublated....Though I could see the curved snake with its broad hood in the front, sharp tail at the end, now, I have the bAdhita jnAna of this seemingly *real* snake & with that bAdhita jnAna of that *real* snake, no more anxiety & fear trouble me. So, bAdhA or bAdha means when one knows/realizes the true nature of the object, though it appears in all its (seeming) reality, one's realization would be that it is not real, it is mere false appearance & does not have existence. Shankara applies the same logic & says though brahma jnAni, like other loukika-s, sees this world, for him the knowledge of *reality* of the world will get sublated with the real knowledge of Atman. He explains this beautifully in sUtra bhAshya: atashcha idaM shAstrIyaM brahmAtmatvaM avagamyamAnaM svAbhAvikasya shArIrAtmatvasya bAdhakaM saMpadyatE rajvAdhi buddhaya iva sarpAdi buddhInAM, bAdhitE cha shArIrAtmatvE tadAshrayaH samasthaH svAbhAvikO vyavahArO bAdhitO bhavati. From the above, it may be noted that for a brahma jnAni too, there exists the jagat & he too does the vyavahAra as others do, but the only difference for him is that the *reality* of the existence of the world has been sublated (bAdhita) by the really real, non dual nature of brahman. Hari Hari Hari Bol!!! bhaskar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 Hi Bhaskar-ji, Many thanks for this additional definition of bAdha. Could you possibly provide a translation of the 'beautiful' extract from the BSB and I will then add the definition to the other. Best wishes, Dennis advaitin [advaitin ] On Behalf Of bhaskar.yr 09 October 2007 05:43 advaitin bhAdita praNAms Hare Krishna Shankara uses the word bAdha multiple times at various places...In ArambhaNAdhikaraNam (2-1-14) sUtra bhAshyaM shankara in a single para uses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Hi Bhaskar-ji, Many thanks for this additional definition of bAdha. Could you possibly provide a translation of the 'beautiful' extract from the BSB and I will then add the definition to the other. Best wishes, praNAms Sri Dennis Waite prabhuji Hare Krishna Frankly, I donot have any English version brahmasUtra to give a good and formal translation of the bhAshya vAkya-s. Normally, I follow my parama guruji's Kannada vyAkhyAna & write my understanding of the same in my *own* English:-)) This commentary can be found in 2-1-14 of vEdAnta sUtra (In 'araMbhaNAdhikaraNaM' first sUtra tadananyatvaM AraMbhaNaSabdAdibhyaH).... Perhaps, our Sanskrit-English pundit, vEdAnta vishArada Sri Sastri prabhuji would provide the suitable translation of this sUtra vAkya. Interestingly, subsequent sentences in the bhAshya throw ample light on what would be the state of brahma jnAna. After talking about *bAdhita dvaita vyavahAra*, shankara says, brahmAtmatvadarshinaM prati samastasya kriyAkArakaphalalakShaNasya vyavahArasya abhAvaM!! na cha ayaM vyavahAra abhAvO avasThA viSEsha nibaddhO abhidhIyatE iti yuktaM vaktuM 'tattvamasi' iti brahmAtmabhAvasya anavasThA viSEsha nibaNdhanatvAt...From this it is quite evident that brahma jnAna can be experienced 'Here & Now' and it is not restricted to any particular supernatural state (avasTha viSEsha) like nirvikalpa samAdhi etc..Anyway, I hope, this would not once again open the *unsettled* issue :-)) Hari Hari Hari Bol!!! bhaskar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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