God-realization - Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Shakatapuram

This Discourse was delivered by Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Shakatapuram, Sri Vidya Peetam, Sri Vidyabhinava, Sri Krishnananda Theertha Mahaswamiji. The Discourse was in Tamil and rendered into English from the audio cassette by Sri V Krishnamachari.

Vedanta talks of three inter-related concepts. They are ‘Jnaatha’, ‘Jneya’ and ‘Jnaanam’. Jnaatha is one who desires to know a thing. Jneya is the thing which the Jnaatha desires to know. Jnaanam is the means by which the Jnaatha is able to know the Jneya. The three together form what the Vedanta calls ‘Triputi’ i.e., a triad. ‘Triputi’ makes it possible for a thing to be known or perceived. ‘Triputi’ is to be seen in all matters.

Let us, for example, take the case of a person who wants to become an engineer. He becomes the ‘Jnaatha’. He has to master Engineering if he has to become an Engineer. ‘Engineering’ becomes the ‘Jneya’. The books and the other aids that help him to learn ‘Engineering’ constitute ‘Jnaanam’. This kind of ‘triputi’ is there in Vedanta also.

In Vedanta, the ‘mumukshu’ (one who has a burning desire to have God-realization,(Parabrahma Saakshaatkaaram) is the Jnaatha. Parabrahmam i.e., the Supreme Being whom he seeks to realize is ‘Jneya’. Vedanta Saastras and the Upanishads which show him the way for God-Realization constitute ‘Jnaanam’. An important difference has to be noted here. The ‘Jnaatha’, as a ‘mumukshu’ in the beginning thinks that Parabrahmam is something different from himself and seeks to realize it with the aid of Vedanta Saastras. But, the moment he gets ‘Parabrahma Saakshaatkaaram’ the different aspects of ‘triputi’ viz., Jnaatha, Jneya and Jnaanam disappear. The ‘mumukshu’ who went seeking the ‘Parabrahmam’ outside himself realizes that he is Parabrahmam himself. This is not so in any other matter. An engineer, for instance, however big he may be, will remain different from the building which he designed and constructed and the building will remain separate from him. Vedanta is very different. It deals with matters which are beyond the scope of perception by the human eye (adhirshta vishayam). In worldly life, people think of God as an entity different from themselves, think of themselves as servants of the Lord (Daasar) and seek worldly favors from Him by doing pooja, japa, tapa, dhyana etc. All this can be understood so long as the world of duality is there as a relative reality. But, there is something very different from and beyond all this which is unseen and beyond our normal perception. That is the Truth which Vedanta proclaims viz., that there is only one grand principle pervading the universe viz., the Parabrahmam and that we are all part of the same. But, due to ‘ignorance’ (ajnaanam) we are unable to realize this. It is because Vedanta proclaims this Truth, it is called ‘Adhirshta Saastram’.

© "dilip" (Jan/Mar 2003) published by Sudakshina Trust (Retd.), 126A, Dhuruwadi, AV Nagvekar Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400 025. Reprinted with permission.

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