[Advaita-l] Words of comfort from the shruti and bhAShya

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste,
Some inspirational words from Shankaracharya in the mahAvAkya bhAShya
(1.4.10) in the brihadAraNyaka upaniShad:

shruti:
*तदिदमप्येतर्हि य एवं वेदाहं ब्रह्मास्मीति स इदं सर्वं भवति तस्य ह न
देवाश्चनाभूत्या ईशते ।*

bhAShya:
तदिदं प्रकृतं ब्रह्म यत्सर्वभूतानुप्रविष्टं दृष्टिक्रियादिलिङ्गम् , एतर्हि
*एतस्मिन्नपि वर्तमानकाले* यः कश्चित् व्यावृत्तबाह्यौत्सुक्य *आत्मानमेव एवं
वेद अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति* — अपोह्य
उपाधिजनितभ्रान्तिविज्ञानाध्यारोपितान्विशेषान्
संसारधर्मानागन्धितमनन्तरमबाह्यं ब्रह्मैवाहमस्मि केवलमिति — *सः
अविद्याकृतासर्वत्वनिवृत्तेर्ब्रह्मविज्ञानादिदं सर्वं भवति । न हि
महावीर्येषु वामदेवादिषु हीनवीर्येषु वा वार्तमानिकेषु मनुष्येषु ब्रह्मणो
विशेषः तद्विज्ञानस्य वास्ति ।*
Translation - adapted from Swami Madhavananda ji's translation:

That Brahman, which is under consideration, and has entered into all
beings,  which is indicated by functions such as seeing etc. - *whosoever
knows that Brahman, even now, that is, even in the present day,* whosoever
curbs his interest in external objects and knows that Brahman as himself in
the said manner - as untouched by the attributes of the phenomenal
universe, as without interior or exterior, as I am that Brahman verily, by
discarding the erroneous notions of differences born from the association
with limited adjuncts - *he becomes all this*, by the destruction of the
notion of limitation that is born out of ignorance.
There is no difference with respect to Brahman or its knowledge, between
the great sages such as vAmadeva and the limited humanity of today.

Sri Praveen ji mentioned that this has echoes of the bhAShya at the end of
the kaTha upaniShad (2.3.18)

shruti:
मृत्युप्रोक्तां नचिकेतोऽथ लब्ध्वा विद्यामेतां योगविधिं च कृत्स्नम् ।
ब्रह्म प्राप्तो विरजोऽभूद्विमृत्यु*रन्योऽप्येवं यो विदध्यात्ममेव* ॥ १८ ॥
bhAShya:
*न केवलं नचिकेता एव, अन्योऽपि य एवं नचिकेतोवदात्मवित्* अध्यात्ममेव
निरुपचरितं प्रत्यक्स्वरूपं प्राप्यतत्त्वमेवेत्यभिप्रायः ।
नान्यद्रूपमप्रत्यग्रूपम् । तदेवमध्यात्मम् एवम् उक्तेन प्रकारेण वेद
विजानातीति *एवंवित् , सोऽपि विरजाः सन् ब्रह्म प्राप्य विमृत्युर्भवती*ति
वाक्यशेषः ॥

Translation from Swami Gambhirananda:
"Not only Naciketa, but anyone else, too-becomes like Naciketa (a knower of
Brahman) by attaining the Self, existing in the context of the body, as
one's own innermost reality in Its absoluteness, and not in any form other
than as the indwelling Self.
He who knows, the Self that exists in the context of the body, in the
manner as described; whoever is a knower of this kind; 'he, too, having
become free from virtue and vice; becomes free from desire and ignorance by
knowing Brahman'."

Thus, both the shruti and Shankaracharya assure us that one need not
despair that one is not a great yogi like the great sages of yore and as a
consequence, moksha is unattainable. That knowledge, and sarvAtmabhAva is
attainable even now, even by the humanity of today.

Regards
Venkatraghavan