[Advaita-l] Are actions essentially meaningless?

[श्रीमल्ललितालालितः]

*श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
*www.lalitaalaalitah.com


On Wed, Dec 26, 2012 at 3:03 PM, Bhaskar YR

>
> But now, I've been told various scopes of prArabdha karma phala, i.e.
> including jnAni's
> avidyAlesha,  occasional slip, jnAni's rAga-dvesha, its superiority over
> paramArtha jnAna etc.
>

Here is gItA-TIkA of madhusUdana-sarasvatI on shloka 6-31:

*यावत्तु तस्य बाधितानुवृत्त्या शरीरादिदर्शनमनुवर्त्ते
तावत्प्रारब्धकर्म्मप्राबल्यात्सर्व्वकर्म्मत्यागेन वा याज्ञवल्क्यादिवत्
विहितेन कर्म्मणा वाजनकादिवत् प्रतिषिद्धेन कर्म्मणा वा दत्तात्रेयादिवत्
सर्व्वथा येन केनापि रूपेण वर्त्तमानोऽपि व्यवहरन्नपि स योगी ब्रह्माहमस्मि
इतिविद्वान् मयि परमात्मनि एवाभेदेन वर्त्तते ।*

Here he seems to accept that dattAtreya is a GYAnI and he is indulging in
niShiddha karma due to his prArabdha.

But, again he says:

*ब्रह्मविदो निषिद्धकर्म्मणि प्रवर्त्तकयो रागद्वेषयोरसम्भवेन
निषिद्धकर्म्मासम्भवेऽपि तदङ्गीकृत्य ज्ञानस्तुत्यर्थमिदमुक्तं सर्व्वथा
वर्त्तमानोऽपि इति हत्वापि स इमाँल्लोकान्न हन्ति न निबध्यते इतिवत् ।*

that GYAnI can't do niShiddha karma as he has no rAga-dveSha.

*Q*: Then what does he want to say ? Does he mean that dattAtreya is not a
GYAnI because he is indulging in niShiddha karma and hence he must have
rAga-dveSha ? Or he means something else ?

*A*: We have to accept that *GYAna is of two types: stable and unstable*.
See what says gItA and *shrIvidyAraNya *:

*प्रज्ञा तत्त्वज्ञानम् । तद् द्विविधं स्थितम् अस्थितं च इति ।
*
*यथा जारेऽनुरक्ताया नार्य्याः सर्व्वेष्वपि व्यवहारेषु बुद्धिर्जारमेव
ध्यायति प्रमाणप्रमितानि क्रियमाणान्यपि गृहकर्म्माणि सद्य एव विस्मर्य्यन्ते
; तथा परवैराग्योपेतस्य योगाभ्यासपाटवेनात्यन्तवशीकृतचित्तस्योत्पन्ने
तत्त्वज्ञाने बुद्धिर्जारमिव नैरन्तर्य्येण तत्त्वं ध्यायति - तदिदं स्थितं
प्रज्ञानम् ।
*
*उक्तगुणरहितस्य केनापि पुण्यविशेषेण कदाचिदुत्पन्नेऽपि तत्त्वज्ञाने
गृहकर्म्मवत् तत्रैव तत्त्वं विस्मर्य्यते - तदिदम् अस्थितं प्रज्ञानम् ।*


Again he says that those with steady GYAna have two states: samAdhi and
vyutthAna.
*स्थितप्रज्ञः कालभेदाद् द्विविधः - समाहितो व्युत्थितश्च ।*


This *sthitapraGYa *is another name of *jIvanmukta*, as is said:
*स्मृतिषु जीवन्मुक्तः
स्थितप्रज्ञभगवद्भक्तगुणातीतब्राह्मणातिवर्णाश्रम्यादिनामभिः तत्र तत्र
व्यवह्रियते ।*

This *sthitapraGYa *is talked about at many place and he has no niShiddha
AcharaNa, etc in the state of samAdhi. While not in samAdhi he may be
engaged in krama-s according to prArabdha without being affected by them.
All that you read in praise of GYAnI is actully for this type of GYAnI. All
signs(राद्वेषाभाव etc.) which we find in scriptures are dR^iShTa results,
and they need something more than GYAna, i.e stability.

The other type of GYAnI, the one who is not sthitapraGYa, is not practicing
anything to gain jIvanmukti(or stable GYAna or stability of GYAna), so
prArabdha will engage him in karma-s and will cause experience of pain.
*जीवतः पुरुषस्य कर्त्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वसुखदुःखादिलक्षणश्चित्तधर्म्मः
क्लेशरूपत्वाद्बन्धो भवति ।*

The word 'जीवतः पुरुषस्य' applies to all except jIvanmukta-s.

*Q*: Then what we get from unstable GYAna ?
*A*: Lack of future bodies only, i.e. videhamukti. Tranquility, etc. which
are signs of other type of mukti, i.e. jIvanmukti, need something more than
mere GYAna, i.e. stability which is result of manonAsha and vAsanAxaya.

So, if dattAtreya, etc. are GYAnI and feel affliction from whatever they
do, they are asthitapraGYA. If they experience and do whatever comes and
are not affected by them, they are sthitapraGYa or jIvanmukta. However, if
they are not GYAnI, we have no problem and we do not need to search for any
solution.
And most important, what is their state of mind is only known to them. So,
we can't decide anything sitting here. Being not omniscient, We are not
able to read their mind.


while I agree that our present body, conducive environment etc. are the
> product of our prArabdha karma phala, I don't quite understand how jnAna is
> the part of this prArabdha karma phala.  If that is the case, our jnAna is
> already 'fixed' somewhere in future (if we are already not realized :-))
> and we would attain it (or may not be attained it forever if it is not
> there in prArabdha karma phala list !!) whether we do the sAdhana or not!!
> .  Since the prAradbha karma phala is an arrow that already left the bow,
> we dont (cannot) have to do much about realizing this jnAna which is
> 'already' fixed and would happen automatically when the time is ripe, is
> it not :-))
>

If we accept that GYAna is prArabdha-phala in the way it is described by
bhAskar above, there will be no such objection as 'GYAna should rise on
it's own'.
Why ?
Actually, the logic presented to support, doesn't stand in front of *
shrIvidyAraNya*. See what he says after accepting jIvanmukti as
prArabdha-phala:

*अभिभवसाध्याया जीवन्मुक्तेरपि सुखातिशयरूपत्वेन प्रारब्धफल एवान्तर्भावात् ।
*
*तर्हि कर्म्मैव जीवन्मुक्तिं सम्पादयिष्यति मा भूत्पुरुषप्रयत्न इति चेत् ।
*
*कृषिवाणिज्यादावपि समानः पर्य्यनुयोगः ।
*
*कर्म्मणः स्वयमदृष्टरूपस्य दृष्टसाधनसम्पत्तिमन्तरेण फलजननासमर्थत्वात्
अपेक्षितः कृष्यादौ पुरुषप्रयत्न इति चेत् ।
*
*जीवन्मुक्तावपि समं समाधानम् ।
*


*A*: jIvanmukti is also prArabdha-phala as it is immense bliss only.
*Q*: Then what is the need of any effort(manonAsha, etc.) in this life.
jIvanmukti will come itself.
*A*: The above statement is valid in case of other efforts as husbandry,
commerce, etc. Why do you do them ?
*Q*: As prArabdha is unseen, it can't generate its results without help.
So, we do them.
*A*: Same applies to means of jIvanmukti.

Just remember that you can't know what your prArabdha is. So, anything may
be in your prArabdha. Do actions to gain desired things, as you are only
able to know your desires. Then if you get result, know that it was in
prArabdha-list. Otherwise it was either not in prArabdha-list or you needed
to exert more.
That's the way to think practical. Otherwise, such unclear thinking will
result in madness and infinite waiting for things to happen.

This was said accepting that GYAna is a result of prArabdha in the above
said way.
But, as prArabdha can only result in experience of pleasure and pain, and
GYAna(unlike jIvanmukti) is not one of them, it can't be accepted. So, the
above was said to refute the objection presented only.

*Q*: Then what about commerce, etc. which were presented as examples.

*A*: Actually, they were equated with means of jIvanmukti, not jIvanmukti
itself - is to be remembered. The resultant bliss there is similar to
resultant jIvanmukti, both being of nature of bliss.

*Q*: Then why do we hear that vividiShA and advaita-vAsanA is result of
karma?

*A*: To result in specific degree of pleasure prArabdha needs specific
means - is the solution.

*Q*: So, in this way GYAna is also result of prArabdha.

*A*: Yes, so it was accepted as an indirect result and supported.