[Advaita-l] Definition of Jnani

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste Rajaramji,
 
/// In BG 7.17, the lord defines a jnani as nitya yukta eka bhakti (always
engaged or steadfast in one pointed devotion). Explaining this bhakti,
Sankara says the jnani "adores" and  Madhusudana says the jnani "loves"
Vasudeva. Is this bhakti with respect to saguna brahman or nirguna brahman
or both? Are there other definitions of jnani in advaita tradition.
 
//
 
There is no yardstick to measure jnanis.  
 
"vAsudevaH sarvaM iti" says Sankara Bhagavatpada.  So, jnAnIs love themselves which is atmakrida.  But still, to our limited intelligence, they seem to enact the drama of lover and the object that is being loved.  Even though Madhusudana Saraswati wrote the work "Advaita Siddhi" & commentary on Bhagavat Gita, He seemed to take delight in worshipping Bhagavan Krishna's saguna form.  
 
I would like to mention a real incident which happened in Sringeri at the time of Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal.  All of us know that His Holiness was a great jivanmukta and avadhuta who used to be in antarmukha avastha most of his time.  
One day when the father of Shri Narahari Bhatt (currently worshipping the Chandramoulshwara and Sphatika Sriyantra) was worshipping Mother Sarada in the temple and as a part of a friday ritual changed the silk sari of Mother Sarada and tied the sari very tightly and retired to home.  That night Mother Sarada appeared to Shri Chandrasekhara Bharati in a dream.  In the vision, Swamigal saw Mother Sarada gasping for breath and complained of suffocation owing to the tightly tied sari.  
 
Swamigal summoned Shri Bhatt and scolded him not to repeat the mistake again which was done out of utter carelessness of the ritual.  
 
So, how do we relate this incident regarding Shri Chandrasekhara Bharati and His outlook towards the bhakti, a great advaitin & avadhuta who wrote marvellous commentary on Vivekachudamani.
 
regs,
sriram