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

[Shyam]

Thank you Shri Kartik-ji for a very precise and accurate summary. 
Hari Om
Shyam 

--- On Thu, 10/22/09, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Sankara on sannyAsa for Steadiness in GYAna (was Re: Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa pt 5)
> To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
> Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 1:06 AM
> What is generally taught by advaitins
> is:
> "For one who has attained GYAna in the householder stage,
> vidvat-sannyAsa is prescribed in order to steady the GYAna
> and achieve jIvanmukti".
> 
> Unfortunately, the above has been (intentionally?)
> misinterpreted, and some myths have been propagated in this
> thread...
> 
> Myth # 1: "sannyAsa is the only way to mukti".
> Reality: One who practises karma and upAsanA may attain to
> Brahmaloka and achieve krama-mukti. One who attains GYAna in
> the householder stage may continue to live the life of a
> householder and achieve videhamukti on the dissolution of
> the body. These people attain to mukti without ever taking
> up sannyAsa.
> 
> Myth # 2: "All GYAnIs are sannyAsIs"
> Reality: It is admitted that GYAna can be obtained in the
> householder stage, but that GYAna is likely to be unsteady.
> As already mentioned, vidvat-sannyAsa is a prescription for
> **jIvanmukti**.
> 
> Myth # 3: "ALL GYAnIs without exception must take up
> sannyAsa for jIvanmukti".
> Reality: There MAY be GYAnIs whose GYAna is steady even in
> the householder stage, but such cases are so rare that
> Sankara Himself does not accept this as reasonably possible
> (BSB 3.4.20). Even if such cases do occur - exceptions prove
> the rule.
> 
> Regards,
> Kartik
> 
> --- On Wed, 10/21/09, Shyam <shyam_md at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Dear Sarma-ji and Sunil-ji
> > Pranams. Your point is well taken. However let me
> offer
> > this perspective.
> > 
> > Granted that "once upon a time" in a different yuga a
> > once-in-a-kalpa Janaka may have attained jivanmukti
> even
> > while remaining as a Kshatriya King - in fact it was
> so long
> > ago that even Shankara, in "our" times does not give
> this a
> > resounding affirmation. And granted that again "once
> upon a
> > time" there were Brahmarshis and mantradrashtas like
> > Vishwamitra, Vasishtas, who were perfected Sages,
> without
> > being "sannyasis". And "once upon a time" Lord
> Krishna, Lord
> > Rama, etc etc. Is this really meant to be of relevance
> to a
> > serious and sincere seeker? "Once upon a time"
> Bhagwan
> > Hanuman crossed over to Ceylon with one giant leap.
> Surely
> > the next time one "seeks to reach" Sri Lanka, one has
> the
> > sense to board a flight, instead of jumping into the
> Ocean
> > from Kanyakumari shouting "Jai Shri Ram".
> > 
> > The fact is perhaps one in a million like Janaka may
> have,
> > thanks to prior-birth samskaras, been blessed with
> the
> > felicity to maintain his vision on the Self even
> while
> > engrossed in the affairs of His state - or so the
> legend
> > goes. A little common sense will tell us that this
> is,
> > simply put, impossible for a seeker for "today's" (at
> least
> > for a few centuries now and more so today than ever
> before)
> > householder, mired in the din of a hundred sense
> pleasures,
> > and being riddled with a hundred different samsaric
> duties
> > and responsibilities, to maintain an unbroken stream
> of
> > thought all unceasingly centered on the Self to the
> > exclusion of ALL other thought - in the words of the
> > panchadashi 'etadekaparatvamha Brahmabhyasam' - and
> without
> > this vasana kshaya/manonasha and jnananishta is
> impossible.
> > 
> > And this is what both Shruti and Shankara never tire
> of
> > emphasizing time and again.
> > 
> > Humble pranams
> > Shri Gurubhyoh namah
> > Shyam
> > 
> > --- On Wed, 10/21/09, D.V.N. Sarma <dvnsarma at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > From: D.V.N. Sarma <dvnsarma at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Sankara on sannyAsa for
> > Steadiness in GYAna (was Re: Jivanmukti - Jnana plus
> > Sannyasa pt 5)
> > > To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta"
> <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> > > Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 8:35 PM
> > > Has anybody any information about
> > > vedic rishis like Vasishta,
> > > Vamadeva, Bhrigu, Viswamitra
> > > etc., taking sannyasa?
> > > 
> > > Yajnavalkya comes later in the upanishadic
> period.
> > > 
> > > regards,
> > > Sarma.
> 
> 
> 
>       
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