Missing 10th man

[Guest guest]

Just some clarification based on my understanding.

 

Vedanta is pram Ana- that is it is a means of knowledge - Pramaana also means

without it one cannot know - like eyes are pramaana for seeing.

 

Knowledge of the self or knowledge of Brahman cannot be objective knowledge for

other pramaanas such as pratyaksha, anumaana etc to operate.

 

That which is infinite cannot be pointed out.

 

Words that are finite cannot be pointers to that which is infinite.

 

Yet Vedanta is pramaaNa. How? It uses several methods starting from language of

contradictions to take the mind beyond the contradictions - like it is smaller

than the smallest and bigger than the biggest etc. 13th ch. we will see full of

contradictions. This is one of the reasons why a teacher is recommended for

unraveling the knowledge locked in Vedanta.

 

It operates like the missing 10th man story - to point out the seeker itself is

the sought. I am sure everybody is familiar with the story - That which is

direct-immediate can be pointed by a teacher to the student provided the student

is open-minded to open his eyes to see in the direction being pointed.

 

Hence it is not something to know as an object but something to realize the true

identity of oneself - Hence Vedanta operates like a mirror to show what I am in

contrast to what I think I am. Hence it is called darshana or mirror.

 

If the student has full faith in the teacher and the teaching - tat tvam asi is

sufficient like you are the missing 10th man. But since we are extroverts

looking out for solutions, it is impossible to look at ourselves discarding all

the objective attributive knowledge to the subject that I am which is

attributeless.

 

Vedanta also points out the nature of I am which cannot be otherwise found. It

shows the I am that I am looking at is not only myself but the self in all - the

essence in all - Ch.UP. statement - tat tvam asi - before that even more

important advaitic statement is - aitadaatmya idam sarvam, tat satyam sa aatmaa

- then follows tat tvam asi. The essence of all this - all the world of

plurality that you see or you transact with - the essence of substantive of all

that is the sat - the aatma - that aatma you are.

 

Thus Vedanta teaches through a qualified teacher provided the student is

qualified to learn.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda