[Advaita-l] Brahmakara vritti refuted

[Michael Chandra Cohen]

Namaste Raghav,

//The vRtti nominally called brahmAkAra vRtti entails no phala vyApti, there
is only vRtti-vyApti.//
I don't believe you can find proper reference in
Prasthanatraya Bhasa citing Brahmakara Vritti, .It, along with the notions
of vritti vyapti and phala vyapti are inventions of later Vedanta, not
Bhasyakara. The idea of separated functions relies on the false and
unnecessary assumption of an avarana shakti covering that must be removed -
thus, mulavidya. Instead, it is a matter of simply removing false, doubtful
notions about an object. Consciousness pervades the object whether it is
known or not known. As Kulkarni notes, the real nature of the Self pervades
the Vrittis ( pratyaya ), not the vrittis pervade the Self"

And we find Sankara in MaK3.33 saying, "The Knowers of Brahman describe
knowledge, *i.e.,* the mere essence of thought, which is unborn and free
from all imaginations as1 non-different from Brahman, the ultimate Reality,
which is also the object of knowledge. This is supported by such Scriptural
passages as, “Like heat from fire, knowledge (*Jñānam*) is never absent
from the knower (*Ātman*),”"

Kindly take a look at Kulkarni here - just a couple of pages:
http://www.adhyatmaprakasha.org/php/bookreader/templates/book.php?type=english&book_id=048&pagenum=0000d#page/37/mode/1up

Regards, Michael



On Sun, Feb 2, 2025 at 10:14 AM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Michael ji
> It is well-known in vedAnta sAmpradAya that Brahman is never objectified by
> a vRtti, being the svarUpa of the subject, the viShayin himself.
>
> The vRtti nominally called brahmAkAra vRtti entails no phala vyApti, there
> is only vRtti-vyApti.
>
> I request you to kindly refer this key fact of absence (or superfluity) of
> phala vyApti,  due to which, although there is vRtti required for jnAna,
> still it does not amount to any objectification of Brahman.
>
> So, I am afraid,  SSSS ideas on brahmAkAra vRtti don't have any relevance
> to the way brahmAkAra vRtti is understood in the tradition.
>
> However his refutation may perhaps apply to other mImAmsakas who believe in
> an upAsanA type of a repeated creative visualization, a type of adhyAsa
> upAsanA,  " I am Brahman."
>
> Vedanta knows better. brahmAkAra-vRtti is pramANa-prAptA and that too
> without phala vyApti.
>
> I am Brahman. Not "I know Brahman". SSSS does not seem to understand the
> absence of phala vyApti idea.
>
> Om
>
>
> On Sun, 2 Feb, 2025, 4:30 pm Michael Chandra Cohen via Advaita-l, <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > "Therefore, having known this (tasmād evaṁ viditvā), one should direct
> > memory (smṛtim yojayet) towards the non-dual (advaita)." Mandukya Karika
> > 2.39
> >
> > HH SSS Vivrti:
> > There is no need for acquiring an awareness-modification (vṛtti-lābhaḥ)
> of
> > the Self (ātman) for its knowledge (vedanam). For, in the case of the
> Self
> > (ātman), which is already self-evident (sva-yam-prasiddhaḥ), knowledge
> > (vedanam) does not require the generation of an awareness-modification
> > (vṛtti-sampādana) related to its object (viṣaya). Even though the Self
> > (ātman) is directly present, immediately evident (avyavahitaḥ), and the
> > very essence of the inquirer (jijñāsuḥ-svarūpa-bhūtaḥ), yet, due to the
> > superimposition of name and form (nāma-rūpa-viśeṣa) imagined by ignorance
> > (avidyā-kalpitaḥ):
> > (1) To those whose intellect is deluded (hṛta-buddhi), it appears as if
> > unknown.
> > (2) It seems as if separated from itself due to the obstruction caused by
> > duality (dvaita-bhāva-vyavahita-iva).
> > (3) It appears as if something distinct from oneself (sva-smāt anya iva).
> > Thus, the false cognition of the reality of duality
> > (dvaita-bhāva-satyatva-buddhiḥ) alone is what must be eliminated
> > (nivartayitavyā), not an effort made towards the cognition of the Self
> > (ātma-vedane
> > yatnaḥ kartavyaḥ).
> >
> > from HH SSS, Mandukya Rahasya Vivṛtti (MRV2-38), Pages 390-258 Chatgpt
> > Translation
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