[Advaita-l] knowledge of one's own liberation

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste.

There are indeed many instances in the scripture and in the contemporary
world where one Jnani acknowledges the enlightenment of another.  For
example in the Br.Up. Yajnavalkya addresses Janaka and declares: 'abhayam
vai Janaka prApto'si' [O Janaka, You have attained the Fearless'.

There is also an episode in the Mahabharata where a King was pursuing
Vedanta sadhana and concluded that he had indeed become enlightened.  A
woman (a female spirit ?) confronted him and engaged him in a dialogue and
showed to him that he had not indeed become enlightened and that it would be
a great folly for him to have that thinking as he would be forsaking his
dharma on that pretext and only incur sin.

The Jagadguru Sri Abhinava VidyAteertha SwaminaH of Sringeri, while writing
a srImukham for the English book Sridakshinamurtistotram authored by Sri
D.S.Subbaramaiya, said:

//....Fortunate indeed are you who have rendered yourself worthy of the
benign grace of our AcharyapAda (Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati SwaminaH),
studied, in obedience to His command, the Vedantasastras according to
sampradaya under eminent vidwans and have secured the plenary experience as
well.  You have authored a magnum opus after a deep study of a large number
of texts....//

The relevant words of the original sanskrit version are:

अस्मदाचार्यपादानां कृपापात्रतां प्रपद्य तेषामादेशानुसारं विद्वद्वरेभ्यः
सम्प्रदायानुसारं वेदान्तशास्त्रमधीत्य अनुभूतिं च सम्पाद्य आत्मानं धन्यं
विततवन्तो भवन्तः...

In the book Crest Jewel of Yogis is reported by the author Sri R.M.Umesh an
incident when the Jagadguru Sri Abhinava VidyAteertha SwaminaH addressed the
author and said: 'I am pleased with your complete surrender.  This will be
your last birth.'

On another occasion, while addressing an audience at the Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan (His last address in Bangalore before He left His body in 1989), in
Bangalore, the Acharya, referring to the same disciple, without naming him,
said:

//There is a disciple of mine.  Owing to the special merit acquired by him
in his earlier birth, on his sitting in Samadhi, the acme of Yoga, he does
not get up even when three days have passed.  One may ask, 'Has Sandhya
vandanam not got omitted?' He is doing something that is far superior to
Sandhya Vandanam.

लीनः परे ब्रह्मणि
(He is absorbed in the Supreme Brahman)

I (Acharyal) :   What was it like when you remained for three days in
Samadhi? Were you  aware of day and night?

Disciple: No, I was aware of nothing external.  I just abided in that state.

Acharyal: How did you know that three days had passed?

Disciple: I had kept a watch with me.  When I got up, I learnt from it that
three days had lapsed.

Acharyal  continues: When he has attained a high state, is it necessary for
him to perform  Sandhya Vandanam or to perform abhisheka to a Shiva Lingam?
No.  On the other hand, suppose there is a person who desires to eat tiffin,
drink coffee and go out and wander in the streets, and also does all this
but remains without performing worship of God...On the other hand, it must
be said about this disciple of Mine that he is the ultimate Astika.  Why?
Because, in Samadhi, he does nothing.  If he were to engage in activities
then it might be suggested to him to do  Sandhya Vandanam too.  But he does
nothing whatsoever, even food is not needed by him.  There do exist such
persons.

What I am saying is what I have seen in My disciple.  His achievement is
because of the special merit acquired by him in his previous birth.  He told
Me, 'I wish to go to a forest and sit in penance.'

I: For how many days?

He: One month.

I: What will you eat?

He: I shall keep with me a little Aval (flattened rice).

I: What will you do if a tiger comes?

He: 'OH, am I not there as food for that tiger? If it feels like eating, let
it do so.'

That is the extent of his firmness of mind.  One day, when he was seated, a
tiger actually came there.  He saw it and felt, 'God has come to me in the
form of this tiger.  He is revealing Himself like this.' He just remained
seated. The tiger observed him and saw whether he was moving his hands, or
legs or head.  He did not move at all.  What did the tiger think? Perhaps,
it concluded that this person must actually be some stone.  It went away.
If we get that kind of capacity, need we do worship of God? No, for God
would be experienced by us right where we are.  After all, 'अन्तर्बहिश्च
तत्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः [Narayana pervades the interior and exterior
of everything perceived or heard in this world.]

(Excerpted from the book 'Divine Discourses' - Chapter 'The Goal and the
Means'. Published by Sri Vidyatirtha Foundation, Chennai.)

What is pertinent to note here is that while the first named Jnani who
authored the book on Sridakshinamurti attained aparoksha jnanam through the
vichAra marga and the second named Jnani is a Yogi.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v

On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 11:11 AM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Obviously, mahaperiyava did not announce it to everyone to become popular.
> I
> guess he did it because the concerned interviewer was sincere in his
> enquiry
> to understand the process and experience.
>
> There are also references to upanishads where one is certified as jnani by
> another, which is illustrated by him.  The value for a practitioner is that
> mukti is not a matter of once imagination but a reality verifiable by other
> jnanis. One can proceed with certainity that if one is deluded one will be
> told so and there will be no doubt if one is beyond delusion.
>
>