[Advaita-l] The Human aspect of Jnanis - 4

[Anand Hudli]

Related to this we find some verses in the PanchadashI, for example,
11.128-11.130.

अविरोधिसुखे बुद्धि: स्वानन्दे च गमागमौ ।

कुर्वन्त्यास्ते क्रमादेषा काकाक्षिवदितस्तत: ॥ १२८ ॥

एकैव दृष्टिः काकस्य वामदक्षिणनेत्रयोः ।

यात्यायात्येवमानन्दद्वये तत्त्वविदो मतिः ॥ १२९ ॥

भुञ्जानो विषयानन्दं ब्रह्मानन्दं च तत्त्ववित् ।

द्विभाषाभिज्ञवद्विद्यादुभौ लौकिकवैदिकौ ॥ १३० ॥

Essentially, what VidyAraNya is saying here is that the tattvavit or knower
of Reality tastes the Bliss of Brahman as taught in the upanishads
(upaniShadvAkyAvagataM brahmAnandam as per the commentary of Ramakrishna)
and the pleasure derived from worldly objects, *unopposed* to the Bliss of
Brahman. The crucial word here is "avirodhi" or that which is unopposed to
BrahmAnanda. When the Jnani wants to enjoy any wordly pleasure, he might
have to spend a lot of effort in trying to acquire/accomplish the object
that gives him  pleasure. This effort takes the mind away from the Self and
makes him bahirmukha, i.e. focus on the outside world. But there could be
objects that give us worldly pleasure, requiring little or no effort,
acquired with ease, and thereby not distracting him by making him focus on
the outside (bahirmukha). This is the kind of worldly pleasure that is
meant by the word "avirodhi", as clarified by Ramakrishna
(aprayatna-saulabhyena-abahirmukhatvahetau viShaye). Such worldly pleasures
come his way by sheer chance, without the need for effort! The Jnani will
enjoy the Bliss of Brahman and such worldly pleasures that are unopposed to
it, just as the crow is said to shift its vision alternately from one eye to
the other, now seeing through the right eye, now seeing through the left. In
similar fashion, the living Jnani alternates between enjoying BrahmAnanda
and the viShayAnanda.

This is also referred to in the gItA verse beginning with
yadR^icchhA-lAbha-saMtuShTo... (4.22). The same principle is also stated in
the uddhavagItA part of the bhAgavata. One of the 24 gurus of the avadhUta
who instructs King Yadu is the python (ajagara), which eats what comes its
way by chance, without exerting much effort in acquiring its food.
(yadR^icchayaivApatitaM grasedajagaro akriyaH - bhAgavata 11.8.2).

Anand