[Advaita-l] Does Brahman know?

Venkatesh Murthy vmurthy36 at gmail.com
Mon Nov 29 02:31:39 CST 2010


Namaste Sri Subrahmanian
On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 12:32 PM, V Subrahmanian
<v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 10:15 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Yes in Turiya we can say Brahman knows nothing but itself. We can say
>> also Brahman knows everything is Sarvajna because there is nothing
>> other than itself. Both can be right.
>>
>
> The word 'sarvajna' occurs only in the sixth mantra of the Mandukya
> Upanishad that describes the third pAda (suShupti).  It is only here the
> concept of Ishwara, as the cause, antaryAmi, etc. is spoken of.  However, in
> the next, seventh mantra, all this is negated and the Turiya is presented as
> transcending the cause (Ishwara/sarvajna) and the effect (manifest world of
> jagrat and svapna).  So, sarvajna is right only with reference to the three
> pAda-s; it is not valid in the Turiya state.  Turiya is valid in all the
> three states as It is the substratum on which the cause-effect
> (unmanifest-manifest) world is superimposed.
>

If Sarvajna is right only in the three Padas what does it mean in 3 36
Sakrudvibhatam Sarvajnam? Question is does Brahman know itself in
Turiya? If it does not it will not be aware of itself. It will not
have self awareness. It will not have I feeling. Kindly correct me if
wrong.

Regards

-Venkatesh



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