[Advaita-l] Re: self knowledge

[drganesh at vsnl.com]

How does 'budhi' have that independent ability to
superimpose ? Is it an independent entity to have its
way to cause superimposition ?

Om Namo Narayanaya 

Srikrishna


Who needs atma gnanam?,surely not the self or atma,it is ever free. It is only a ‘budhi’ that seeks liberation. Why does it seek? Because it ‘feels bound’ due to avidya which is the cause of adyasa. Even to come to this stage of enquiry one has to do ‘lokan parikshya’ and understand that what he seeks is ‘nasthi akrthah krthena’ and therefore ‘gurum eva abigacheth’ for gnanam as said in mundaka. This adyasa of ‘feeling bound’ goes once avidya is removed and the antidote for avidya is vidya or gnanam alone. This gnanam has to take place in the same locus where there is avidya-in the ahamkara ‘I’. Hence as Ramana says in sad-darshanam- The existence of ahamkara is nonenquiry alone. It is not there at all and this so called ahamkara runs away once you start enquiry or vichara and what remains is chaitanyam alone witout  even pramatha [knower]. FROM Sakshi’s standpoint, which you seem to raise there is neither budhi nor avidya in which case there is no gnanam also as all these a
re mitya. This is beautifully said in nirvana astakam.
I hope I have explained your doubt.

Dr S.GANESH