[Advaita-l] SSS and bhAmatI

[Annapureddy Siddhartha Reddy]

Sending this mail again as it did not show up on the list. Apologies if you
receive it twice.

praNAm.h shrI Jayanarayanan,
Let's call the following statement, A.

> It is declared
> repeatedly in the Bhamati that (even in the case of the enlightened
> person) the impression (Samskara) of Ignorance, understood as
> synonymous with Vasana, had to be suppressed by direct intuition
> obtained through repeated re-affirmation of knowledge of the truth
> (Bhamati, English translation p.61,108,127).
>

And this statement, B.

> This doctrine is
> expressly refuted by Sri Sankara in his Commentary on the
> Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.7 (translation Madhavananda, p. 131)."


Let me focus on the above portion of the quote (i.e., statements A and B).
>From your mail, it seems like you deduced that B contradicts the portion of
A that talks about continuation of vAsanas (in the sense of SV) in an
enlightened person. But the other cross-reference given for statement B,
Method of Vedanta 67.1 (which you did not quote btw), shows that the
refutation was of the "repeated re-affirmation of knowledge of the truth"
part.

Obviously, SSS denies the validity of (at least parts of) the Bhamati


There is no doubt that SSS denies the validity of parts of the bhAmatI (in
the sense that it is not in line with shaN^kara, and hence is not true
vEdAnta).

because the text propounds the doctrine that Vasanas may persist
> after the Self is known -- precisely what the Jivanmuktiviveka (as
> also the Brihadaranyaka 3.5.1) teaches.


As I mentioned above, the refutation is of the repeated re-affirmation part
(and not a sweeping refutation of A in its entirety).

There is absolutely no doubt that SSS did not comprehend the
> difference between steady and unsteady Atmagyana.


This, of course, does not follow.

praNAm.h.

A.Siddhartha.

P.S. Please note that the usage "steady and unsteady AtmaGYAna" is
thoroughly confusing as it seems to connote a gradation in the GYAna of the
brahmaGYAnis, while the gradation is wrt "establishment in AtmaGYAna". I
understand this means writing so many more words, but the clarity they bring
warrants the extra typing (IMHO).