[Advaita-l] RE:self-realization/salvation

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

Badisa: Merging in paramatma is a fact whether we accept or not. Brahma
Sutra 4.3.10 clearly says this. Lord Krishna also says many times in Gita
in this regard. For example, please refer 9/28 sloka and then compare it
with sri Shankara's commentary.

praNAms Sri Ramesh Badisa prabhuji
Hare Krishna

If my memory serves me right, I think we had discussed issues like  jIva
svarUpa and salvation *after physical death* in this very list earlier.
The problem which I am facing with this  *merging process* has been already
conveyed to you at that time I believe.  I dont know whether you have
addressed those queries....Anyway, for your ready reference let me brief
the same onceagain.

By ascribing the *reality* to merging process, you are implying that there
are multiple jIva-s which one after another as an individual self identify
themselves with the absolute secondless brahman that too after the
*physical* death of these *selves*!!  But shruti asserts that  praramAtman
(real Atman / absolute) should be recognised as jIva's own self (mundaka
says brahman is yEkAtmapratyaya sAraM..and bruhadAraNyaka asserts that the
most comprehensive way of regarding oneself is to think of oneself as the
Atman and again shankara in sUtra bhAshya (4th sUtra?? not sure) ..says
that the vEda purusha parabrahman is referred to by the word Atman (the
self) and it is impossible to deny one's own self because the very denier
is himself *the Atman*)  ) Going by shruti's verdict & shankara's
declaration, it is not fair on our part to ascribe individuality to jIva &
asking it to *merge* after its physical death.  kArika clearly says that
there is no jIvatva as such apart from parabrahman citing the examples of
ghatAkAsha (pot space) & ether space (mahAkAsha).

OTOH, if we uphold the reality of jIvatva as an individual soul, its
bondage due to avidya & its subsequent release after dawn of ultimate
knowledge & finaly its identification/mergence  are all pAramArthically
real, then this process limits the parabrahma tattva itself!!...coz.till
this socalled jIva reaches/merges with parabrahman, this parabrahman or
absolute secondless reality  will be short of those jIva-s & will be
awaiting for those jIva-s to come & identify with him/itself to make
himself *pUrNa* :-)). This is not in line with advaita's yEkAtma pratyaya
sAra of shankara siddhAnta since shankara in sUtra bhAshya clearly says
there is no second chaintanya apart from parabrahman.

Kindly refer shankara commentary on AtmEti tUpa gacchanti grAhayanti
cha....where shankara refutes the transmigratory nature of jIva.  Elsewhere
in the AraMbhaNAdhikaraNa sUtra bhAshya too shankara says the same thing &
asserts that it should be understood that all this universe of manifold
things such as the experienced and the
experiencers *does not exist* apart from brahman in the same way pot ethers
and jar ethers etc. are not distinct from ether in the general. You can
also refer *vyatihArAdikaraNa* sUtra bhAshya with regard to this to know
the advaitic perspective on concepts of jIva & Ishwara.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar

PS :  With regard to salvation *after physical death*...kindly refer sri
Vidyashankar Sundaresan prabhuji's mail on sadyo mukti & jIvan mukti..