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

[Venkatraghavan S]

Thank you Subbuji. In the jijnAsA-adhikaraNam (BSB 1.1.1), Shankaracharya
makes a far reaching statement about the ultimate object of enquiry. He
says:

अवगतिपर्यन्तं ज्ञानं सन्वाच्याया इच्छायाः कर्म, फलविषयत्वादिच्छायाः ।
ज्ञानेन हि प्रमाणेनावगन्तुमिष्टं ब्रह्म ।
The object of desire indicated by the suffix -san [in the word jijnA-sA
(the desire to know)], is jnAna (cognition) that ultimately culminates in
avagati, for every desire must have an object. Verily, that which is
desired to be realised is Brahman, which is known by a cognition (jnAnena)
arising from valid means of knowledge (pramANena).

The fact that Shankara distinguishes jnAna from avagati indicates that
there is a jnAna which is *different* to the avagati, and such a jnAna
which culminates in avagati is the object of an enquiry into Brahman
(brahmajijnAsA). The jnAna is born from a pramANa.

Later advaitins have termed such a jnAna as akhaNDAkArAvRtti, and have
explained avagati as the vRtti-abhivyakta-chaitanya - i.e. the
consciousness that shines self-effulgent upon the cessation of avidyA as a
result of the vRtti.

The ratnaprabhA explains the two terms (items in bold from the bhAShya):
आवरणनिवृत्तिरूपाभिव्यक्तिमच्चैतन्य*मवगतिः* *पर्यन्तो*
ऽवधिर्यस्याखण्डसाक्षात्कारवृत्ति*ज्ञान*स्य तदेव *जिज्ञासायाः कर्म,* तदेव
*फलम्* ।
*avagati* is consciousness that is manifested as a result of the
destruction of avidyA, *paryanta* means culminating, *jnAna* refers to the
vRttijnAna is the direct impartite cognition of the identity of the self as
Brahman, that alone is the object of *jijnAsA*, that is itself the result
of *jijnAsA*.

So what does the brahma-avagati accomplish, that it is so
desired? ब्रह्मावगतिर्हि पुरुषार्थः, निःशेषसंसारबीजाविद्याद्यनर्थनिबर्हणात्
।
The realisation of Brahman is verily the ultimate human aim - for it is the
cause of the destruction of the evils of samsAra that have avidyA as their
seed.

It is very clear that Shankaracharya says that the knowledge that leads to
the realisation of Brahman is born out of a pramANa (shruti, specifically
the mahAvAkya) - ie the akhaNDAkAra vRtti is born from the shruti mahAvAkya.

The purpose of the akhaNDAkAravRtti is not the revelation of Brahman - for
Brahman is self-effulgent, rather it is the removal of avidyA, which
obscures the true nature of the Atma as Brahman.

Kind regards,
Venkatraghavan



On Mon, Feb 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> In the Bhagavadgita 2nd ch. we have this verse 21:वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य
> एनमजमव्ययम् ।
> कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥ २१ ॥
>
> 2.21 O Partha, he who knows this One as indestructible, eternal, birthless
> and undecaying, how and whom does that person kill, or whom does he cause
> to be killed! [This is not a question but only an emphatic denial.-Tr.]
>
> श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताभाष्यम्द्वितीयोऽध्यायःश्लोक २१ - भाष्यम्
>
> …
>
> 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
>
> subbu
>
>
>
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