Knowledge and Ignorance .........

[Guest guest]

Respected Advaitins :

 

Wishing you all a very Happy and Auspicious 2008!

 

Today , it is my pleasure to bring to you a very important verse

From Isha upanishad .

 

Verse number 11 , it goes like this :

 

 

vidyâñcâvidyâñca yastadvedobhayaM saha,

 

avidyayâ mRityuM tîrtvâ vidyayâmRitamasHnute.

 

He who knows That as both in one, the Knowledge and the Ignorance,

by the Ignorance crosses beyond death and by the Knowledge enjoys

Immortality.

 

now , read this verse from Srimad BHAGVAD GITA

 

ya nisa sarva-bhutanam

tasyam jagarti samyami

yasyam jagrati bhutani

sa nisa pasyato muneh (2 :69)

 

 

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-

controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for

the introspective sage.

 

Swami Chinmayananda explains this verse further in his own

inimitable way :

 

" Here, two points-of-view --- of the ignorant and of the wise ---

are contrasted. The ignorant person never perceives the world as it

is; he always throws his own mental colour on to the objects and

understands the imperfections in his mind to be a part and parcel of

the objects perceived. The world, viewed through a coloured glass-

pane, must look coloured. When this colouring medium is removed, the

world appears AS IT IS.

 

The Consciousness in us is today capable of recognizing the world

only through the media of the body, mind, and intellect. Naturally,

we see the world imperfect, not because the world is so, but because

of the ugliness of the media through which we perceive it.

 

A Master-mind is he who, rooted in his Wisdom, opens up the windows-

of-his-perception and looks at the world through the eye-of-Wisdom.

 

(((((snip snip snip.... )))))))))))

 

Here, we are told that the ego-centric, finite, mortal is asleep to

the World-of-Perception enjoyed and lived by the Man-of-Steady-

Wisdom; and that the Perfect One cannot see and feel the thrills and

sobs which the ego experiences in its selfish life of finite-

experience.

 

 

so folks , if you read the Rig veda , there are hymns dedicated both

to 'Usha' ( goddess - Dawn) and Ratri ( goddess- Night ). this is

because 'knowledge' and 'ignorance' are twin sisters like Day and

NIGHT! can there be 'light' without darkness ? can there be Jnana

without Ajnana ? something to think about ?

 

on another note , why would a jnani like King Janaka ( a self -

realized) man perform all the royal duties of a noble king !

 

read this :

 

karmanaiva hi samsiddhim

asthita janakadayah

loka-sangraham evapi

sampasyan kartum arhasi

 

 

Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by

performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of

educating the people in general, you should perform your work.

 

dear ones ! the jnanis have a greater responsibility towards the so

called 'ajnanis' for only a Lit lamp can 'light' another lamp ! the

blind cannot lead the blind ! more so , the spiritually blind ! only

the 'one' with the divya chakshus can open the ajna chakra of the

ajnanis!

 

Hence , the importance of a Living Teacher !

 

 

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet

samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham

[MU 1.2.12]

 

Approach a Guru who is well versed in scriptures as well as Brahma

jnani !

 

Let the 'LIGHT' dawn!

[Guest guest]

respected (advaitins / smt bhagini_nivedita)

excellent portions of the scriptures highlighted by smt. bhagini_nivedita.

given at the end of this email for reference.

 

** however, if one sees sankara bhasya on these, a lot of effort is done by

acharya to state the philosophical position that only " jnana " can give moksa and

karma is only helpful to achieve citta suddhi, (purification of our mind) which

is needed to get jnana.

 

but, note the words of sankaracharya in gita bhasya 18-65,

 

after describing details of terms mat karma krt mat paramah mad bhaktah

sangavarjitah nirvairah sarva bhuteshu.....

 

karma nistAyaH param rahasyaM Isvara saranatA.

 

" the deepest secret of devotion to works is the surrender to God.

 

in gita verses 7-11 : daivI hyesA gunamayI....

and 14-11 : mam ca yo avyabhicArena bhakti yogEna sevate...

the sankara bhasya goes:

sarva dharmaAn parityajna mAmeva mAyavinam svatmabhUtam sarvAtmanA ye

prapadyante tE mAyAm etAM sarvabhuta mohinIm taranti atikramanti. (7-11)

(i dont have an english version of sankara bhasya handy..... i request someone

to post that..here. I am sure some one here... may be sri sadanandaji will have

the right version of english translation. )

 

 

further, in 14-26 sankara bhasya states:

mAm ca Isvaram nArayanam sarvabhuta hridayAsritam yo yatiH karmI vA

avyabhicArena bhaktiyOgEna sevate sa gunAn samatItya etAn yathoktAn brahma

bhavanAya moksAya samartho bhavati -

in short, the meaning is " surrender to the lord, who is known by the term

nArayana here in Sankarabhasya is the hight of karmayoga, which gives ability

for one to get realization. "

 

*** sometimes the later, english simple explanations in several books, which are

not real translations of bhasyas but free form explanations, though are easier

to understand, may not high light these aspects of sankara bhasya. Hence a deep

reliance on original bhasyas is important in my view.

here are:

 

**** quotes from smt. bhagini_nivedita's email **********

 

vidyâñcâvidyâñca yastadvedobhayaM saha,

 

 

 

avidyayâ mRityuM tîrtvâ vidyayâmRitamasHnute .

 

 

 

He who knows That as both in one, the Knowledge and the Ignorance,

 

by the Ignorance crosses beyond death and by the Knowledge enjoys

 

Immortality.

 

 

 

now , read this verse from Srimad BHAGVAD GITA

 

 

 

ya nisa sarva-bhutanam

 

tasyam jagarti samyami

 

yasyam jagrati bhutani

 

sa nisa pasyato muneh (2 :69)

 

 

 

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-

 

controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for

 

the introspective sage.

 

 

 

 

read this :

 

 

 

karmanaiva hi samsiddhim

 

asthita janakadayah

 

loka-sangraham evapi

 

sampasyan kartum arhasi

*************** end quotes

 

namaskarams,

Krishna Kashyap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_********************_._,_.___

 

 

 

 

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