[Advaita-l] Reply to Sri Vidyamanya Tirtha's observations

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Nov 28, 2013 at 10:45 AM, Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com> wrote:

> Dear Sri Bhaskarji,
>
> >  praNAms Sri Chandramouli prabhuji
> Hare Krishna
>
> frstly a sadhka who has gone through the sadhana almost to completuion but
> does not get jnana due to pratibandhakas he is not considered a patita. He
> continues from this level in his future births and when the pratibandhaka
> is overcome he automatically gets jnana. This is what is stated by Lord
> Krishna in the Geetha as well as mentioned by Bhagavatpada in Sutra
> Bhashya.
>
> >  prabhuji Kindly noted I am not talking about the sAdhaka-s who could
> not get jnAna due to pratibandhaka-s and those sAdhaka-s conducive
> subsequent janma-s.  I am talking about the sAdhaka-s who were in saNyAsa
> Ashrama as saNyAsi-s in their previous janma and gruhastha-s in
> gruhasthAshrama in current janma..For this type of descending order of
> Ashrama there is no any prayaschitta !!


Dear Bhaskar ji,

While I am not in disagreement with what you have said in this post,
regarding a jIva having been a sannyAsin in an earlier birth and a gRhastha
in a later birth, there is no shAstra-ullanghana involved.  *These happen
to different bodies, different janma-s, and not in the same body/janma of
the same jIva. * There is no guarantee as to what will be one's janma after
a particular janma.  It is the set of karmas that are ready to bear fruit
that will decide the subsequent janma.  *The shAstra niShiddha of not
coming to a lower ashrama from a higher one is for the same body/janma.*
The shastra cannot also make a prohibition of this kind since it would be
impossible for anyone to check/verify what Ashrama-s one has been in in the
previous births.

What is implied, however, in the inference that 'one has been a sannyasin
in an earlier birth' is that that samskAra required / conducive for
jnAotpatti is there in that person owing to such sannyAsa, albeit in an
earlier birth.  For, the rule: na hi kalyAnakRti kashchit durgatim tAta
gacchati' is inviolable.

regards
subrahmanian.v