Where does jnaanam occur?

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PraNAms to all.

 

The question of where does the jnaanam occur?

 

There are only two things in the world. One is atmaa the real one and the other

the anaatma (whatever that is not aatma) the false or mithyaa, by definition.

 

With in vyavahaara aatma is not perceived or should I say cannot be perceived

and anaatma is perceived or should I say it can only be perceived.

 

BMI and the world therefore come under anaatma. Anaatma being jadam or inert can

be known; but cannot be the subject knower.

 

The ever existing consciousness-existence, the only reality is never perceived

or can never be 'known' or even can ever be a 'knower' since it does not have

knower-known distinctions of any kind.

 

Then where does the knowledge or jnaanam takes place.

 

First, any knowledge can only takes place in the intellect - There is no other

instrument available for knowledge to take place.

 

But intellect is jadam - how can inert thing can know?

 

But it seems to know somehow- as knowledge seems to takes place in the intellect

– all the knowledge of chemistry seem to takes place with the intellect only.

 

The only correct answer is I, the conscious entity, enlivens the inert intellect

to make it dynamic in my presence and that activated intellect can gain the

knowledge, if pramaaNa or proper means of knowledge is available. But I am all

pervading existence-consciousness - that should be enlivening all the BMI

simultaneously - That is exactly what Krishna said -kshetrajnam ca api maam

viddhi sarva kshetreshu bhaarata - know ME as the knower of all fields that

includes all BMI's. Knower (Kshetrajna) is there only with reference to Known

(kshetra). Otherwise I am pure immaculate knowing principle, or conscious

principle, one without any knower-known duality. But then if there is only one

knower..?

 

Then If Tom (or Devadatta) realizes Dick (yagnadatta) also should realize, is it

not - since there is only one knower in all fields? How do we unravel that

puzzle?

 

In a way that is true - of course from Tom point- since when Tom realizes then

there is no Dick left to realize since He has realized that there is nothing

other than him, the Brahman.

 

If we go by that argument there is no one left for the discussions to take

place. Let us assume that at least one must have realized since beginning of the

universe and if so then we should not have the world of jadam as well are Dicks

and rest of Toms left in the world - even to have this internet discussion.

 

Since we are all discussing about jnaanis and ajnaanis - there must have been

some jnaani hopefully realized, leaving the world behind for others to realize,

if they are interested. Or 'enjoy' the world forgetting any realization - who

needs realization when there is nothing to enjoy!

 

Unfortunately jnaanis’ have left behind the world without destroying the world

by their realization.

 

Coming back to our realization then - what exactly happens or should happen,

since aatma need not realize and anaatma cannot realize?

 

Realization is therefore I, the conscious entity, reflected in the medium of the

Intellect and from intellect through the mind and body - enlivens the BMI as

dynamic jiiva. The reflection occurs as long as BMI is there and quality of

reflection depends on the purity of the instrument of reflection. Reflection of

consciousness is the knowledge - and thus reflection of a VRitti or a thought is

the knowledge of the thought. Here we have two reflections - as discussed in the

knowledge series.

1. The general reflection of the Intellect - called chidaabhaasa happens in the

waking and dream states.

2. Specific reflection of the vRitti's (thoughts) that is taking place where the

thought content is the attributive contents of the objects perceived through the

senses. That is how each thought rising in the intellect is known as idam, idam.

 

Thus these two reflections give rise to what Bhagavaan Ramana calls as 'aham

vRitti' and 'idam vRitti' or 'I-thought' and 'this thought' since in the

knowledge of any object there are two thoughts that arise - one is 'This is a

pot' and 'I know this is a pot'. The first reflection is by the vRitti and the

second reflection is the background intellect itself as the knowing locus. One

can call the second - aham vRitti' is also some kind of vRitti or 'knower'

thought but it is not exactly like idam vRitti- that comes and goes.

 

So what happens when I reject 'idam' as neti or not this - when the idam vRitti

arises I am not paying my attention to the reflective thought of the idam but to

the back ground 'aham vRitti' that also arises in the knowledge of idam. Idam

vRitti has akaaram or form and depends on the qualities of the object that idam

refers to.

 

aham vRitti is no akaara or form since it is general reflection of the intellect

where 'I know' arises. First, if intellect is not there, there is no reflection

either. Second the reflection in each intellect is specific to that intellect

and depends on the purity of that intellect. Hence Shankara says in aatmabhoda:

sadaa sarvagataH aaatma, na sarvatraavabhaasate|

budhyevaavabhaaseta svaccheshu pratibimbavat|| - all though aatmaa is all

pervading it does not shine everywhere - It shines only in the intellect

depending on its purity just the light reflecting on a mirror.

 

Now we know what is akhandaakaara vRitti means - right? akaara means form -

since we are taking about 'I know' and not the 'I know this' - The akhanda means

unbroken - that is whether this is this vRitti or not - that means the general

reflection of the consciousness in the intellect which is there as long as

intellect is awake. That is what is implied as akhadaakaaravRitti – It is

unbroken reflecting consciousness in the pool of intellect.

 

The facts to be known:

1. without intellect - there is no reflection – no realization.

2. Yet it is not the reflection of idam since idam keeps coming and going -

idam involves object and idam vRitti involves objective knowledge.

3. Knowledge can only take place in the locas of the intellect.

4. All pervading aatma need not have to realize since it is

pure-existence-consciousness limitless Brahman.

5. anaatma or intellect by itself cannot realize since it is jadam - it has no

light of its own.

6. Hence the all pervading consciousness gets reflected in the intellect as

general - chidaabhaasa and also gets reflected in the vRitti of the object

thoughts.

7. ajnaani is one who focuses his attention on the idam vRitti and takes idam as

aham.

8. jnaani is one who shifts his attention by rejecting idam as not this but to

the general reflecting consciousness as I am - When that shift occurs he

realizes that reflection is only from the pure I am that is all pervading self-

it is like pot-space when it realizes that I am space in the pot (or reflected

on conditioned space in the pot) also realizes that conditioning is only because

of upaadhiis but as space I am the pure infinite space - akhandam or unbroken

space. Or it is like the light can be realized only by the reflections.

 

Hence akhandaakaara vRitti involves a general reflecting consciousness in the

pool of intellect due to the presence of ever effulgent consciousness I am.

Since the reflection is localized and since intellect is required for both

reflection and for realization of that reflection - Tom realizes using his

intellect only - that does not eliminate Dick. Poor Dick he has to realize on

his own.

 

Hence who realizes? aatma not need to have to realize. anaatma cannot realize.

 

Realization is only realizing of I, the jiiva, who is the reflected

consciousness in the pool of the intellect recognize that I am not idam (that is

dropping all the notions about myself as I am this) but I am the general

unbroken reflection in the pool of the intellect. Hence without intellect no

realization, since we have only aatma that does not have to realize.

Hence amRitabindhu sloka – mana evam manushyaanam .. mind alone is responsible

for both bondage as well as realization. Here mind implies the intellect.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda