The point

[Gummuluru Murthy]

On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, Prashant Sharma wrote:

> On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, Gummuluru Murthy wrote:
>
> >
> > Shri Nanda Kumar says "When one understands oneself or true nature, one
> > will attain jnanihood.". But, how to understand one's true nature ? We
> > need a pure mind, divine grace, sAdhana chatushhthaya and much more. If
> > there is Self-enquiry without proper mental readiness, roaming of the
> > mind cannot be controlled and the enquiry will lead to nothing. There are
> > many, many instances of aborted enquiries. Further, as Katha upanishhad
> > says, the Self has to reveal itself to Itself. However much human effort
> > with an impure and unready mind will not lead to anything. While the
> > general statement by Shri Nanda Kumar that we need to understand our true
> > nature to attain jnanihood is correct, still the path is unknown.
>
>
>         Is there a path at all?  One would assume (from a neti-neti
> approach) that attainment of *jnaana* is an acausal event in the sense
> that no single thing can cause it. Or more precisely:
> At time "t" : a man efforting to be a jnani (or ajnani :)
> At time "t+0" : the man is  jnaani but now doesnot relate to the previous
> state (except through memory...).  So the event is acausal for him.  There
> is no center left to which he can relate his being. Unlike his previous
> state in which there was the assumed jnani state which served as a center
> with respect to which he measured events in his life (as useful or
> useless).
> I feel that this is probably the sense in which one speaks of the state
> of a *jnani* being unrelated to efforts to attain it.  This is also why
> people invoke the idea of Grace being a "cause" that can lead to this
> state of being.
> I hope that the learned list members would point out the flaws in this
> analysis.
> Regards.
> Prashant.
>

Although I am not a learned member, let me venture into this analysis.
Yes, there is no path at all, because we are not going anywhere. We are
what we were. No change. It is only the perception by the others (ajnanis)
that changed. As Shri Shankara says in Viveka ChuDamaNi (verses 242,244,
248) it is the same Devadatta. Also, whether we put a soldier garb or a king
garb, the I behind is the same. Thus we are not attaining anything new
in becoming a jnani. It is the same I which is always there. It is the
same jnani.

"At time "t", a man efforting to become a jnani (ajnani:)".  This is in
the intellectual frame of reference attached to this ajnani or another
ajnani.

"At time "t+0", the man is jnani ...".   This is again in the intellectual
frame of reference attached to another ajnani.

In the frame of reference attached to a jnani, there is no ajnani.
Everything is only one thing jnanam.


Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
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Yadaa sarve pramucyante kaamaa ye'sya hr^di shritaah
atha martyo'mr^to bhavatyatra brahma samashnute   Katha Upanishhad II.3.14

When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal
becomes immortal, and attains Brahman even here.
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