[Advaita-l] FW: Avidya, Jnanis and SSS' views

[Antharyami]

Hari OM~

Sri Bhaskar ji,

 Ref to your post: Message 8 / Thursday 29th April you have related
Vacaspati’s view to Mandana in the context of Avidya Lesa to Brahma Jnani
(if I read your post correct). I would want to clarify this – atleast for
the readers, if not you. Mandana Misra in his Brahma Siddhi categorically
rejects the concept of Avidya Lesa and hence Jivanmukti while Bhamati takes
an opposite position here and Sankara’s view being abstract. In the Tarka
Kanda, second Pada of Brahma Siddhi makes the Mundaka Sruti ‘Bhidyate Hrdaya
granti’ [II.ii.8] which clearly implies no possibility of Prarabdha karma
after Brahma Jnana as the prima facie to the Chandogya Sruti ‘tavadeva
ciram’ which ironically insists that there is delay so long the mukta is
with a body. Mandana allows the Purva paksin to raise the question on the
contradiction apparent here. Mandana reconciles Mundaka with that of the
Chandogya. In Mandana’s opinion refers to the desctruction of the
accumulated Karma of the past that has not yet been fructified and prevents
further accumulation of future karma. Mandana makes a compelling argument
with regard to the Prarabdha that according to him Chandogya only insists
that once the Brahma jnana is accomplished, the Prabdha gets ‘quickly’
fructified and that after the fall of body the mukta attains absolute
oneness with Brahman. The longitivity of the term ‘ciram’ as Mandana
interprets the term to be ‘Ksiprata’ which indicates quickness. ‘tavadeva’
as Mandanacharya points out is ‘avadhivisesam’ equivalent to the magnitude
of expression ‘only as long as’ clearly refers to ‘Ksiprata’ and would
justify immediacy in terms of ‘sadyomukti’ rather than Jivanmukti [§266,
R.B; 1976]. Thus on the very moment of onset of Brahman knowledge Prarabdha
gets completely exhausted and through Avidya-astamaya leads to Anubhuti.
Sankara too makes almost a similar comment in his Sutra Bhasya III.iii.32
‘pravRttaphalasya tu KarmAshayasya mukteSoH iva vegakSayAt nivRttiH’ where
Acharya’s contention seems to be in tune with Mandana’s notion of
‘avadhivisesam’. Also in IV.i.15, Sankara makes a similar expression
‘ashrite ca tasmin kulAlacakravat pravrttavegasya antarakAle
pratibandhAsambhavAt bhavati ‘vegakSaya pratipAlanaM’ iti. Thus with this
opinion Acharya’s view assumes a different perspective to an extent that
Sadyomukti takes its significant position; for the fact that the expression
‘vegaksaya’ delineates that the prarabdha which is the ‘living force’ gets
its forceful momentum and gets extinguished completely & immediately by
tattva-jnana.

 With Narayana Smrti,

Devanathan.J

JeSTam / prathama / Vikrti

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Devanathan.J
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