[Advaita-l] How can prANa be Brahman?

[Raghav Kumar]

Namaste

> Yes Sri Venkatraghavanji (thanks for pointing out i had not sent this to
the list) i could not have put it better. Talking of 'training the mind to
respond better' i am reminded of the katha upaniShad shloka where a
well-trained mind is compared to a well-trained horse. Of course, there the
mumukShu is being considered.
>
> My earlier doubt to you was due to the idea of 'stabilizing the jnAna'
that you referred to. (Since jnAna is by definition stable)  Its as you
just elaborated, more like allowing the mind to stably reflect
svarUpAnanda. Not allowing prArabdha to rock the boat of the mind too much
even when faced with emotional challenges is a desirable accomplishment as
per JMV.
>
> And sri Ravi Kiran ji, as i understand, srI vidyAraNya holds vAsanAkShaya
and manonAsha to be for some limited time in life until 'jIvanmukti' (JMV
definition) and not indefinitely till the last days - else what you said
about the phase when the body deteriorates would be a problem.
>
> But it still begs the question - can all sorrow be truly eliminated? JMV
interestingly says that through VK and MN even the prArabdha effects like
pApaphala of sorrow can be eliminated. We hear in BS of AgAmi and sanchita
karmas not having any arising and association for the jnAnI but even
prArabdha not touching the jnAnI is possible as per JMV. And he is talking
not from the jnAnI but the empirical standpoint itself. This seems hard to
understand. Because surely the body does die. Therefore i understand JMV to
be referring to only a special mental transformation achieved through
manonAsha. If such JMV-manonAsha is not practised, the mind presumably will
be afflicted by prArabdha-caused sorrow. The body prArabdha is not
counteracted and it will undergo its share of prArabdha problems no matter
manonAsha is practised or not.
>
> JMV takes the pAtanjala yoga achievement of nirodha pariNAma quite
seriously and says one can actually permanently transform the mind (i.e.,
as long as it continues to exist and function)  in a way that it will be
totally untouched by any sorrow.
>
> The pAtanjala yogis contend that such a nirodha pariNAma is not
incompatible with transacting with the world etc. Its not a state like
nirodha samAdhi requiring closing the eyes etc.  SrI Sankara bhagavatpAda
does not explicitly deny such a possibility but only that even
chittavRttinirodha (not to speak of the transformation they term nirodha
pariNAma) is not possible without jnAnam. I think this reference is there
in advaita prakaraNam. That is why JMV bolds goes where others held back
and says that tattvajnAnam and MN and VK together are necessary for
jIvanmukti. I doubt if the author of the vaiyAsikya-nyAya-mAla would have
so heavily based the  entire manonAsha method and arguing for its
importance by quoting so many yoga sUtra-s unless he strongly felt its
complementarity with vedAnta. I am assuming VNM and JMV are authored by the
same AcArya.
>
> Most of this i think has already figured in earlier discussions. Just
sharing a few ideas....
>
> Om
>
> Raghav
>
>