[Advaita-l] Sankara on sannyAsa for Steadiness in GYAna (was Re: Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa pt 5)

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Karthik prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Sri K prabhuji :

It is from Sankara's Brahma sUtra bhAShya 3.4.20:

bhaskar :

Thanks for this reference prabhuji, I've gone through the complete 
adhikaraNa bhAshya yesterday night.  This adhikaraNa has three sUtra-s 
(3-4-18 to 3-4-20)and called as 'parAmarshAdhikaraNa'.  If you see the 
pUrvapaxa objection and vedAntins answer (siddhAnta) to this objection you 
will come to know the the context here is to prove saNyAsa is shruti 
siddhA vidhi (advocated by shruti as an injunction) and it is not mere 
referential quote (parAmarsha)as argued by jaimini. So, first of all, this 
adhikaraNa is not there to prove the impossibility of brahma saMsthA-s or 
jnAni-s in other Ashrama but to eulogise the saNyAsa Ashrama & should be 
considered as an apoorva vidhi.  It is in this regard shankara says 
following :

Sri K prabhuji :


  "Reply: Steadiness in Brahman (brahma-saMstha) is to be
  completely absorbed in Brahman (brahmaNi parisamAptiH),
  with no other occupation (na-anya-vyaapaara) but to be
  established in THAT (tan-nishhThatvam). THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE
  (na saMbhavati) FOR THOSE IN THE FIRST THREE ASHRAMAS
  (trayANAmAshramANAM). For by giving up one's vocation,
  one commits sin. It is possible for the SANNYASI ALONE
  (parivrAjakasya tu) to give up all karma (sarvakarmasaMnyAsAt)
  and yet commit no sin."

bhaskar :

this is the argument shankar putforward to prove that for 'Urdhva 
rEtaska-s' Ashrama is a vidhi coz. here purvapaxi is objecting that 'trayO 
dharma skandhAH' chAndOgya shruti is for only reference not a vidhi 
(infact if we see chAndOgya bhAshya, shankara argues little 
differently)...Why shankara saying here brahma saMstha status is not 
possible for other ashrami-s?? coz. as himself says : they can not give up 
their karma coz. it leads to 'pratyavAya'.  The point to be noted here 
shankara is not talking about the karma yOgi-s here, he is talking about 
the karmi-s in these respective Ashrama-s.  Because here karma yOgi does 
not give up karma, he does karma without any attachment to it & whatever 
he does he sees inaction in it.  karmaNyakarma yaH pashyet..says geeta 
chArya..so this is not giving up of karma but doing karma with ahaMkAra 
tyAga, samatva buddhi, phala tyAga & IshvarArpaNa. sarvakarmANi manasA 
saMnyasyAste sukhaM vashi, navadvAre pure dehe naiva kurvanna 
kArayan..Because his (karmayOgi-s) karma has been burnt away by the 
jnAnAgni coz. he is kAma saMkalpavarjita, nitya trupta and nirAshraya..So 
it is too much reading between the lines if one conclude that other 
Ashrami-s who are seemingly doing karma with a perfect karma yOga is not 
brahma saMstha-s !! 

Dear Karthik prabhuji, have you gone through the complete commentary of 
this sUtra??  shankara before saying the above, admits the possibility of 
brahMa saMstha in all the FOUR Ashrama-s. 

Sri K prabhuji :

It is plenty obvious that according to Sankara, STEADINESS IN BRAHMAN 
(brahma-saMstha) is possible ONLY in the sannyAsa-Ashrama, and NOT in the 
other three Ashramas!

bhaskar :

As said above, shankara himself accepts the possibility of brahma 
saMsthA-s in all the four Ashrama-s. So, this is only selective quoting 
and for which I dont have any objection coz. I am not denying the brahma 
saMsthA-s in saNyAsa Ashrama..but I am questioing the declaration such as 
"ONLY saNyAsi is brahma saMstha" and nobody else".

Sri K prabhuji :

This is exactly why svAmi VidyAraNya also says that one who has attained 
to BrahmaGYAna in the householder stage must take up vidvat-sannyAsa to 
attain steadiness in GYAna (sthita-praGYa or jIvanmukta).

bhaskar :

But as far as I remember you only argued sometime back (during the 
discussion on jeevanmukti viveka) that 'all sthitha praJna-s are NOT 
jeevan mukta-s and there is gradations in brahma jnAni-s.  BTW, I am not 
aware of the difference between the degrees of brahma jnAna & jeevan mukti 
status.  Though it is quite evident in the later Acharya-s works.  Anyway, 
this topic is altogether a different issue.

Sri K prabhuji :

I hope your "taking a look at it" will not result in disproving Sankara 
:-)

bhaskar :

See prabhuji, I am not disproving shankara but trying to say shankara 
trying to convey 'something' else also in this sUtra bhAshya itself:-))

Sri K prabhuji :

It is immensely clear to all sensible people that Sankara himself declares 
that sannyAsa is required for steadiness in GYAna in his BSB 3.4.20.

bhaskar :

Yes, it is clear for those who studied the whole adhikaraNa bhAshya that 
saNyAsa is eulogized in this context as an apUrva vidhi & at the same time 
admitting the possibility of jnAna in other Ashrama-s also.  Otherwise, we 
have to push aside vidhura, dharma vyAdha, raikva, vAchaknavi, saMvarta, 
yama dharma, indra, nachiketa, tulAdhAra who are all unfortunately 
non-sanyAsi-s and atyAshramis as ajnAni-s. 

Regards,
Kartik

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar