[Advaita-l] brahmavidAmapi na sarvEshAm samA brahma pratipattiH

[V Subrahmanian]

2012/3/5 Srikrishna Ghadiyaram <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?
>


The view held by Vedantins who accept the
'brahmavid-brahmavidvaraH-brahmavidvarIyAn-brahmavidvariShThaH' distinction
is that this four-fold categorisation is only indicative of the differences
in the  jIvanmukti sukha/Ananda the JnAnin experiences as long as the
bodily life continues.  This is owing to differences in the
grades/intensity of viveka/vairAgya each Jnani has developed, again owing
to a host of variable circumstances in each one's life.  However, all these
four are undoubtedly mukta-s, and will be candidates for videha mukti (upon
the fall of the body).

Apart from being merely academic this classification may have a practical
utility in the jivanmukti viveka.  That is, a jnanin, in order to improve
his condition (of being unaffected by the various types of ups and downs
that his prArabdha brings) can set benchmarks and aim to reach higher and
higher states.  The famous work of Swami Vidyaranya therefore is not just
for the aspirant of brahmavidyA but also to a Jnanin who cares about the
mind and its responses to the vagaries of the world.  For he takes up the
cases of Jnanins too for analysis and shows the variations.

The Yoga vAsiShTha has a detailed classification based on samAdhi involving
the four types mentioned above.  There is another view that holds that the
first type is only a parokSha jnAni and the real Jnanis are only from the
second type onwards.

subrahmanian.v

>
>