[Advaita-l] vishayananda & brahmananda

[Shrinivas Gadkari]

Namaste,

Before this thread gets further diverted just would like to remind that the 
discussion
on this started with respect to chAndogya 8.12.3. indra has spent three terms 
of 32 years each to learn about waking, dream and deep sleep states. Now after
another term of 5 years prajApati instructs him apparently about the fourth 
state.
The disturbing thing here is - why is it that the text here talks of the fourth 
state in a 

language that is normally used to describe the dream state? As mentioned in my 
previous post this becomes all the more important because of the direct 
connection 

of this part of the chAndogya with gItA 15.16-18.
If this section of the chAndogya is not understood to one's satisfaction along 
with 

the connection to gItA, one should suspect that possibly the most important part
of gItA remains unclear.

Regards,
Shrinivas
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In the case of the Soundarya Lahari, too, by extending the logic of the Gita
6th chapter verse, it is not Atma jnAnam that the particular upAsana of Devi
that is taught there. It could be some preparatory steps to it.  Even those
who perform saguNa dhyAnam and go to Brahmaloka will have these bhogas
there.  The Chandogya mantra and the bhashya and the vyAkhyAna-s hint at
this. They separate nirguNa jnAnam and saguNa jnAnam.
Regards,
subrahmanian.v