Friday, September 13, 2019

Salt doll - brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Shankara specifies that the Jnani remains in the Body-mind complex

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.12 mantra and Bhashyam:

Mantra: स यथा सैन्धवखिल्य उदके....न प्रेत्य संज्ञास्तीत्यरे...

. As a lump of salt dropped into water dissolves with (its component) water, and no one is able to pick it up, but whencesoever one takes it, it tastes salt, even so, my dear, this great, endless, infinite Reality is but Pure Intelligence. (The self) comes out (as a separate entity) from these elements, and (this separateness) is
destroyed with them. After attaining (this oneness) it has no more consciousness. 1 This is what I say, my dear. So said Yajnavalkya.

Bhashya: 
 न तत्र प्रेत्य विशेषसंज्ञास्ति कार्यकरणसङ्घातेभ्यो विमुक्तस्य — इत्येवम् अरे मैत्रेयि ब्रवीमि — नास्ति विशेषसंज्ञेति — अहमसौ अमुष्य पुत्रः ममेदं क्षेत्रं धनम् सुखी दुःखीत्येवमादिलक्षणा, अविद्याकृतत्वात्तस्याः ; अविद्यायाश्च ब्रह्मविद्यया निरन्वयतो नाशितत्वात् कुतो विशेषसंज्ञासम्भवो ब्रह्मविदः चैतन्यस्वभावावस्थितस्य ; शरीरावस्थितस्यापि विशेषसंज्ञा नोपपद्यते किमुत कार्यकरणविमुक्तस्य सर्वतः ।   

Translation:

No more is there such particular consciousness as, 'I so and so am the son of so and so ; this is my land and wealth ; I am happy or miserable.' For it is due
to ignorance, and since ignorance is absolutely destroyed by the realisation of Brahman, how can the knower of Brahman, who is established in his nature as
Pure Intelligence, possibly have any such particular consciousness? Even when a man is in the body, particular consciousness is impossible ; so how can it
.ever exist in a man who has been absolutely freed from the body and organs? 

End of translation

In the above bhashyam Shankara's words are clear. In several other places too across the prasthana traya Shankara has made explicit statements to this effect. One example, from the Gita bhashya is: the verse: nava dvaare purey dehi...

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