[Advaita-l] jnAna-karma samuccaya

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

> 
> The Lord says that Adhyatmavidys is the highest of all vidyas and in chapter 10 he says that Dhyana or Meditation is higher than Jnana. 
> 

This does not mean jnAna-karma-samuccaya. This has been explained clearly by
Sankara bhagavatpAda in the bhAshya. The distinction lies in the following. The
true jnAna yogin attains the state of complete rest from action (naishkarmya) and
there is no possibility of combining karmA and jnAna here. The karma yogin is one
who is not in a position to give up karmA, but detaches himself from its results and
dedicates the performance of karmA to ISvara. Here also there is no combining of
karmA and jnAna, but the karmayogin knows there is something called the state of
jnAna, aspires to it and strives to first attain the cittaSuddhi that qualifies him or
her for jnAna.
 
In particular, it can never be said that karmA cannot be renounced or should not be
renounced on the path to jnAna. Indeed, somewhere along the line, as informed by
oneself and one's guru, karmA HAS to be renounced. That is the thrust of the advaita
argument against jnAna-karma samuccaya. As long as one is not ready for this very
rigorous renunciation, one is not truly on the path of jnAna yoga.
 
Regards,
Vidyasankar