[Advaita-l] Functions of the mind

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

On Wed, 29 Jun 2022, KAMESWARARAO MULA wrote:

> Cooming the stanza : ज गोविन्दं भज गोविन्दं, गोविन्दं भज मूढ़मते।
> संप्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले, न हि न हि रक्षति डुकृञ् करणे ॥१॥
> 
> "na hi na hi rakshati dukrnkarane"
> 
> Dukrnakarane – In Sanskrit, the verbal root kr, in the sense of karane,
> means to do. It is symbolic of all the aphorisms of grammar in the pursuit
> of the knowledge of grammar. Here, the knowledge of grammar stands for any
> intellectual pursuit. Thus, “Dukrnakarane” represents the various
> intellectual pursuits in life.
> 
> nahi nahi rakshati – does not protect. The accomplishments in various
> intellectual fields do not serve to protect you. When?amprapte sannihite
> kale – samprapte means very well obtained. kala means time or death.
> Samprapte sannihite kale is when the appointed time draws near, or when
> death arrives. At that time, none of these intellectual accomplishments will
> protect you or save you.

This is the kind of invalid interpretation I was talking about.  I think a 
much more plausible view is:

On Thu, 30 Jun 2022, Praveen R. Bhat via Advaita-l wrote:

> Further, an argument can be made here that Bhagavatpadacharya chose that
> very particular dhAtu DukR~n karaNe, to show that karaNa = karma won't lead
> to mukti (directly).

If you wait till the last days of your life and begin analyzing karma 
(which you have been practising since you were born even if you do not 
understand it) then it is too little too late.  It will not protect you. 
But that does not mean you should give up learning altogether.  The texts 
of Vedanta are in Sanskrit.  The puranas and akhyanas about Govinda are in 
Sanskrit.  (Mohamudgara says geyam gitam nama sahasrama.  Which language 
are Bhagavadgita and Vishnu Sahasranama in?)

Where we part company with the rationalists is that we believe the 
ultimate knowledge of Brahman is beyond words and concepts.  But up till 
then, let us not throw out the baby with the bathwater and deny the 
important tool of intellect.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>