[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: Does the mukta/jnani see the world?

Sudhanshu Shekhar sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com
Mon Nov 13 22:55:07 EST 2023


Namaste V Subramanian ji.

Gaudapada statement //न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।न
मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥ ३२ ॥ // is from paramArtha-drishTi
which is ajAtavAda. This statement is from the frame of reference of
Brahman. From this drishTi, there has never been any avidyA, there has
never been any appearance of avidyA either. So, obviously there has never
been any jnAnI, ajnAnI, world etc etc. That is why PanchadashI says -
अविद्यास्तीत्यविद्यायामेवासित्वा प्रकल्प्यते। ब्रह्मदृष्ट्या त्वविद्येयं न
कथञ्चन विद्यते।।

Thus the question - whether a jnAnI sees the world - is not valid in
ajAtivAda as it is meaningless in this model.

However, the question is meaningful in SDV and DSV wherein ajnAnI is
accepted who, through sAdhanA, becomes jnAnI. During ajnAna-avasthA, he
sees plurality owing to avidyA. So, whether post-jnAna, when ajnAna is
supposed to have got removed, he sees plurality is a valid question.

SDV accepts several jIvAs. DSV accepts one jIva.

SDV accepts prArabdha and avidyAlesha and continued perception of plurality
by jnAnI is well-known and accepted.

In DSV, however, prArabdha and avidyAlesha etc are not admitted. JIvanmukti
too is accepted to be arthavAda only intended for stuti of Brahma-vidyA. It
is held that there have never been any jnAnI so far as I am the only jIva.
PrArabdha is not admitted to continued after jnAna either.

//Similarly, the talk of 'no prarabdha for a Jnani' also is valid only and
only in the Gaudapada verse scenario and not in any other.//

I would disagree here as in GaudapAda verse scenario, the discussion is a
non-starter as there have never been avidyA, prArabdha, ajnAnI who has
become jnAnI etc. For ajAtivAda, there is no prArabdha at all, no jnAnI, no
ajnAnI. So, how can a selective statement "no prArabdha for jnAnI" will be
admissible in ajAti.

"No prArabdha for jnAnI" is therefore accepted in DSV. It is neither
applicable for SDV nor in ajAtivAda.

Thus, no prArabdha for jnAnI, no jIvanmukti, no avidyAlesha are accepted in
DSV.

We can check drishTi-srishti-vAda vicharah in Advaita siddhi and Vedanta
Siddhanta MuktAvalI in this regard.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.


More information about the Advaita-l mailing list