[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: Unambiguous statement of Akhandakara vritti in the Gita Bhashyam

[Michael Chandra Cohen]

Namaste All,
Last week, Subbuji presented several vakhyanana citations on AAV. I added
two or three more, compared them with one or two of HH SSS's reflections on
the term/s through a Chatgpt analysis and posted them here. No one here
responded until Subbu ji cited Gita 2.21.

Here is a re-cap of my post summarizing conclusions specific to
post-Sankara citations. Citations and a version of the original post is
linked below.

--AAV is unnecessary because:
Brahman is ever self-evident (svataḥ-siddha), and ignorance is not an
entity needing an external instrument for destruction.
Misidentification is removed by discernment, not by a new mental construct.
This is why he (HH SSS) rejects AAV as a valid pramāṇa (means of knowledge).

--HH SSS does not equate realization with any samādhi-based cognition but
rather with direct, effortless abidance in the ever-known Self.
In Vedanta Sara, realization follows from AAV transitioning into non-dual
absorption; HH SSS sees this as unnecessary.

--Vyākhyānakāras: GK 3.46 suggests the need for AAV through relentless
meditation.
HH SSS: AAV is not required; abidance (ātmaniṣṭhā) comes by negating
adhyāsa.

--HH SSS denies that ignorance needs an active destroyer (vṛtti).
He holds that ignorance is dispelled simply by seeing it as false, like
mist dissolving in sunlight.

--AAV arises upon the understanding of mahāvākyas and negates ignorance.
HH SSS disagrees, arguing that mahāvākyas reveal the ever-known Self, and
no new vṛtti is required.

--AAV is the final cognition that negates ignorance, but ultimately it too
disappears.
HH SSS rejects this: He sees realization as ignorance simply vanishing
without requiring a special vṛtti.

--AAV is equated with "neti neti" (not this, not this).
HH SSS accepts neti neti but denies AAV as a necessary cognition.

--AAV alone removes conditioning factors and reveals Brahman.
HH SSS denies this: He argues that conditioning is removed by recognizing
its falsity, not by an active vṛtti.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQtqr3bgWMttDcButUPIqFw6Oj-hNSbsga8hhv-jsY0/edit?usp=sharing




On Mon, Feb 10, 2025 at 9:12 AM 'Kuntimaddi Sadananda' via advaitin <
advaitin at googlegroups.com> wrote:

> Subbuji – PraNAms
>
>
>
> Requesting some clarification:
>
>
>
> Discriminative knowledge involves nitya anitya vastu viveka – When a
> thought arises in the mind, it is illumined by the light of consciousness
> for me to have the knowledge of the thought. Hence, discriminative involves
> leaving the thought (while the thought is there), shifting the mind’s
> attention to that light of consciousness and claiming that I am that.
> Hence, Kena says ‘pratibodha viditam matam’ – it is revealed in every
> thought.
>
>
>
> One cannot perceive a thoughtless mind – as Swami Satprakashanandaji says
> in his Methods of Knowledge (P.94) –‘mind (without vrutti) is
> imperceivable.’
>
>
>
> Hence, we need a perceptual thought to use Viveka to keep the mind
> shifting from the anitya to nitya -That constant shift – do you call this
> akhandaakaara vritti? – I give an example  -  one cannot recognize the
> presence of sunlight where the moon is if the moon is not there. We need
> the moon to reflect the sunlight. Discriminative intellect then involves
> shifting mental attention to moonlight, which is nothing but sunlight,
> leaving the mind's attention from the moon.
>
>
>
> Meditation is then leaving the perceived objects and shifting the mind’s
> attention to the light of consciousness because of which every perception
> is known. Is that ‘akhanda aakaara vritti’? Would like to hear your
> clarification.
>
>
>
> Hari Om!
>
> Sada
>
>
>
> On Monday, February 10, 2025 at 04:28:04 PM GMT+5:30, V Subrahmanian via
> Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> …
>
>
>
> अविक्रिय एव सन् बुद्धिवृत्त्यविवेकविज्ञानेन अविद्यया उपलब्धा आत्मा
>
> कल्प्यते, *एवमेव आत्मानात्मविवेकज्ञानेन बुद्धिवृत्त्या विद्यया *
>
> * असत्यरूपयैव* परमार्थतः अविक्रिय एव आत्मा विद्वानुच्यते । विदुषः………
>
>
>
> Shankara says that this vRtti is not absolutely real, but unreal: asatyA.
>
> This is no doubt vidyA, right / samyag jnanam.
>
>
>
> Translation by Swami Gambhirananda: What is highlighted is the translation
>
> of the Bhashya for the component 'vRtti' that has for its content the
>
> Discriminative knowledge:
>
>
>
> As on account of the lack of knowledge of the distinction between the Self
>
> and the modifications of the intellect, the Self, though verily immutable,
>
> is imagined through ignorance to be the perceiver of objects like sound
>
> etc. presented by the intellect etc., in this very way,* the Self, which in
>
> reality is immutable, is said to be the 'knower' because of Its association
>
> with the knowledge of the distinction between the Self and non-Self, which
>
> (knowledge) is a modification of the intellect.*
>
>
>
> Anandagiri says: The Atman itself, in association with the Discriminative
>
> knowledge-bearing vRtti, is called the 'Jnani'. (In contrast, the Atman
>
> itself, in association with the ignorance-propelled illusory connection
>
> with objects is known as the knower of objects.
>
>
>
> तेनात्मोपलब्धा कल्प्यते। तच्चाविद्याप्रयुक्तमिथ्यासंबन्धनिबन्धनं
>
> तथैवाध्यासिकसंबन्धेन* ब्रह्मात्मैक्याभिव्यञ्जकवाक्योत्थबुद्धिवृत्तिद्वारा
>
> विद्वानात्मा व्यपदिश्यते* नच मिथ्यासंबन्धेन
>
> पारमार्थिकाविक्रियत्वविहतिरस्तीत्यर्थः।
>
>
>
> Thus, we have in the Bhashyam an irrefutable instance of akhaNDAkAra vRtti
>
> stated.
>
>
>
> warm regards
>
>
>
> --
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