[Advaita-l] Brahmakara vritti refuted

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste Michael

On Mon, 3 Feb, 2025, 12:55 am Michael Chandra Cohen, <
michaelchandra108 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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.
>
That's exactly what is said. Removing false notions does require suitable
vRtti-s which are arrived at by shravaNam. It's anubhava-sammata and
sArvatrika lokAnubhava that when shAstra shravaNam occurs, corrrsponding
vRttis occur which removes these notions that you mentioned.

Any pramANa including the antya-pramANa produces vRttis.

I exist. I am conscious. Are self-evident. They don't need any new pramANa.
But, that "I am deshataH, kAlataH aparicchinnaH" automatically implies
certain vRttis do occur when these statements are studied.

Otherwise shAstra shravaNam becomes superfluous and useless.

If you argue that, shAstra shravaNam is indeed necessary, but *no* vRttis
are produced at all in the antaHkaraNa by Shastra shravaNam, that's
contrary to sArvatrika lokAnubhava and is not anubhava-sammata.

Om
Raghav





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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