[Advaita-l] brahmavidAmapi na sarvEshAm samA brahma pratipattiH

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

> From: srikrishna_ghadiyaram at yahoo.com
> 
> Adhyatma Patala Bhashya 
> 
> Sutra 11: dhOshhAnAm tu nirghAtO ...
> Bhashya :
> 
> paragraph starting as follows:
> 
> manda-madhyamOttama vidyApEkshatvAcca |
> brahmavidAmapi na sarvEshAm samA brahma pratipattiH 
> vivEkAtiShaya darshanAt kasyacit 'Eha brahmavidAm varishhthaH' iti shrutEH |
> 
> 'samyagdarshana sampanaH' iti ca smritEH |
> 
> Is this idea available and supported in Brahma Sutra Bhashya?

Now, this is a tricky question. The answer you will get from one group will say,
quite categorically, that this is not supported in the brahmasUtra bhAshya and
that therefore the adhyAtma paTala bhAshya is not authentic. The answer you
will get from another group of people will point to numerous references in the
bhAshya that imply or from which you can infer this, in terms of what it says
on the topic of prArabdha karmA, brahmavedana along with deha-dhAraNa etc. 
 
Rather, I would suggest to cast your attention to the muNDaka bhAshya on the 
quotation of brahmavidAM varishThaH, to the gItAbhAshya on the sthitaprajna
verses (for example) and the bRhadAraNyaka bhAshya on AtmetyevopAsIta.
 
One way to achieve a samAdhAna for this is to consider that the brahmavit-s
mentioned in the adhyAtma paTala bhAshya include saguNa-brahmopAsaka-s
and those who have had some measure of vedAnta vijnAna, along with those
who are described as vedAnta vijnAna suniScitArtha. The last alone is capable
of being described as brahmavidAM varishThaH, as in the muNDaka text.
 
Regards,
Vidyasankar