[Advaita-l] Karmas that are useful for the rise of the knowledge of self - Dr. N. Veezhinathan

[Divya Shiva]

Karmas That are Useful for the Rise of the Knowledge of Self

By Dr. N. Veezhinathan

Part 3

Now it remains to be examined whether obligatory duties alone are the means
of the knowledge of self by purifying the mind or the optional ones also.
It is clear that only the karma that is performed without any desire for
its fruit leads to the removal of demerit and thereby to the purification
of mind. When such is the case, Amalananda thinks that obligatory duties
alone when performed without any desire for their fruit would remove the
demerit and thus become helpful in bringing about knowledge. it is because
in the ritualistic section the obligatory duties are enjoined and their
fruit is only the removal of demerit and fruits like heaven etc, ensue as a
matter of course. But optional deeds which are enjoined therein yield only
the fruits of heaven, etc. Thus removal of demerit which is required for
the rise of the knowledge of self is known to be the fruit of the
obligatory duties, although fruits like heaven, etc, follow as a matter of
course. Hence it is easier to assume that obligatory duties when they are
performed without any desire for heaven, etc, lead only to the removal of
demerit. But in the case of optional deeds it is known that only heaven
etc, are the fruits. So we have to assume anew that when they are performed
without any desire for their fruits they would remove the demerit. It
follows from this that in the Upanishadic text which speaks of the realtion
of sacrifice to the knowledge of self, the word 'sacrifice' stands for only
the obligatory duties.

There is another view according to which obligatory as well as optional
duties are useful in bringing about the knowledge of self.

The scriptural text which relates the sacrifices to the knowledge of self
does not specifically state that sacrifices should be of obligatory type.
In the absence of any such specific characterization we have to take the
expression 'sacrifice' as standing for both obligatory and optional duties
and not for obligatory duties alone as Amalananda thinks. Since the
Upanishadic text prescribes 'sacrifice' as the means of the knowledge of
self, and since we have to take the word 'sacrifice' as standing for both
obligatory and optional duties, there is nothing wrong in assuming the
result, namely, the removal of demerit which is essential for the rise of
the knowledge of self follows when obligatory and optional duties are
performed without any desire for their fruits. Moreover, in the ritualistic
section of the Veda, it is said that obligatory duties remove demerit; it
is not said therein that they remove demerit that prevents the rise of the
knowledge of self. So it should be assumed even according to Amalananda's
view that obligatory rites when performed without any desire for their
fruits remove the demerit and thereby helps the rise of the knowledge of
the self.

The view presented so far relates to the karma belonging to one's stage and
class of life. Widowers who have no karma belonging to a particular stage
of life have to perform only obligatory rites such as worship of sandhyA
and the like belonging to one's class of life and optional duties like
worshipping deities etc; and, when they are performed without any desire
for their fruit they lead to the removal of demerit and thereby helps the
rise of the knowledge of self.

It should be noted that all the karmAs whether obligatory or optional are
only distantly conducive to the rise of the knowledge of self and not
directly and finally.

//article concluded//


On Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 9:22 PM Divya Shiva <divyameedin at gmail.com> wrote:

> Karmas That are Useful for the Rise of the Knowledge of Self
>
> By Dr. N. Veezhinathan
>
> Part 2
>
> (2) Karma relating to one's class of life also is useful for the rise of
> the knowledge of the self:
> This view is advocated by Amalananda in his work Kalpataru and also in his
> other work Sastra darpana. He holds that the expression asrama karma in the
> Brahma sutra, vihitatvacca asramakarmapi referred to above stands for varna
> dharmas also. And this view is based upon another Brahmasutra antarA cApi
> tu taddrstEh. This aphorism refutes the prima facie view that those like
> widowers who do not belong to any asrama are not competent to pursue karma
> - the remote means of knowledge and to pursue sravana manana nididhyasana -
> the proximate means of knowledge. Since only asrama karma is prescribed as
> the means of knowledge in the aphorism vihitatvAcca ASramakarmapi and since
> widowers are outside any stage of life, they do not have any asramakarma as
> such. So they could not pursue karma which is the remote means of
> knowledge. They could not pursue SravaNa etc also. It is because he alone
> who possesses the four qualities of nityAnityavastuvivEka etc could pursue
> SravaNa etc. The four qualities among other things consists of sannyAsA.
> Widowers are not sannyAsins and so they could not pursue SravaNa etc. So
> far the prima facie view.
>
> The prima facie view is refuted on the ground that karma performed by
> those who are outside any stage of life is useful in bringing about the
> knowledge of self. Persons like Raikva, Vacaknavi, and others who are
> outside any Asrama are said to possess the knowledge of self which would be
> impossible without pursuing karma and SravaNa etc.
>
> It may be objected that this aphorism is mainly intended to prove that
> those who are outside any AsramA and have the desire to know the self owing
> to karma performed in earlier births are competent to pursue SravaNA etc
> and it is not intended to convey that karma performed by them now is useful
> in giving rise to the knowledge of self. This objection does not hold good.
> For in another aphorism it is said that karmas such as uttering prayers etc
> which belong to caste (varna) as such and not restricted to a particular
> stage of life are useful in giving rise to the knowledge of self through
> the purification of the mind. This view is based upon the following smriti
> text of Manu: 'There is no doubt that a brahmin becomes competent to attain
> the knowledge of the self by mere prayers'. The author of the Brahmasutra,
> therefore, explicitly admits that karma, not restricted to a particular
> stage of life, that is, varna dharma also is useful for the rise of the
> knowledge of self. And so the expression asrama karma in the aphorism
> vihitattvacca asramakarmapi stands for karma belonging to classes of life
> (varnadharma) also.
>
> To sum up this discussion: Karma according to Amalananda relating to one's
> stage and to one's class of life either severally or jointly is the means
> of the knowledge of self through purification of the mind.
>
> To be continued...
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 8:56 PM Divya Shiva <divyameedin at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Karmas That are Useful for the Rise of the Knowledge of Self
>>
>> By Dr. N. Veezhinathan
>>
>> Part 1
>>
>> The self which is non-dual, bliss, and consciousness is liberation when
>> it is free from avidyA; it becomes free from avidyA when the latter is
>> removed by the direct knowledge of the self. Knowledge thus is the sole
>> means of liberation.
>>
>> The knowledge of the self would arise from the great sayings of the
>> Upanishads only when one pursues Sravana, manana, and nididhyasana preceded
>> by the possession of qualities like sama, dama, etc. The latter for their
>> rise depend upon purity of heart which could not be achieved by anything
>> other than the performance of karmas without any attachment toward their
>> fruits. Thus performance of karma helps the rise of the knowledge of self
>> indirectly.
>>
>> We shall now examine the nature of karmas that are useful for the rise of
>> the knowledge of self. Two views are advocated by the advaitins; and they
>> are: (i) the karma belonging to the various stages of life (asrama karma or
>> asrama dharma) alone is useful for the rise of the knowledge of the self;
>> (ii) the karmas relating to the several classes of life (varna dharma) also
>> is useful for the rise of the knowledge of the self. The distinction
>> between the views lies in this that according to the former asrama dharma
>> alone is useful, while according to the latter asrama dharmas and
>> varnadharmas either severally or jointly become useful,
>>
>> (1) Karma relating to the stages of life alone is helpful for the rise of
>> the knowledge of self: The Upanishadic text "The brahmins seek to realize
>> the self through the study of the Vedas, through sacrifices and gifts
>> through austerity and fasting" (brhadaranyakopanishad) prescribes the
>> performance of karmas such as the study of the Vedas and the like with
>> reference to the knowledge of self. The expression 'the study of the Vedas'
>> stands for the karma of the celibate (brahmachari dharma). Similarly the
>> expressions 'sacrifice and gifts', and 'austerity and fasting' respectively
>> stand for the karmas of the householder, (grhasta dharma) and for the karma
>> of the forest dweller (vanaprastha dharma). Hence Upanishadic text cited
>> above prescribes only the karma relating to the several stages of life with
>> reference to the rise of the knowledge of self. This view has the sanction
>> of the author of the Brahmasutra. The latter in the aphorism vihitatvacca
>> asramakarmApi (Brahmasutra III, iv, 32), discusses the question whether
>> karma which relates to one's stage of life and which is prescribed as the
>> means for the rise of the knowledge of self, should be performed by one who
>> does not desire the knowledge of self. The author of the Brahmasutra
>> affirms that karma relating to one's stage of life must be performed even
>> by one who does not desire the knowledge of self. It is because such karmas
>> are prescribed by the scriptural passages such as 'One should perform the
>> agnihotra as long as one lives' and the like; and, so their non-performance
>> would lead to the sin of omission which in turn, will give rise to
>> unwelcome fruits. The point that is of importance here is that author of
>> the Brahmasutra who uses the word asrama karma in the aphorism referred to
>> above must be taken to have this view, namely, that karma relating to one's
>> stage of life alone is helpful for the rise of the knowledge of self
>> (Siddhanta lesa sangraha, chowkhamba sanskrit series, 1916, p 409).
>>
>>
>> To be continued...
>>
>