Vivekachudamani 108 selected Verses Class 16 : video Link, Summary Slides

Contributed By Dr Thimappa Hegde

Click here for Vivekacudamani 108 selected verses. Sri Adi Sankara's popular text. Online talks by Swami Paramarthananda. Transcribed by Sri A. Venkatesan & Sri Balasubrahmanyam Pattoo available at arshaavinash.in

Vivekachudamani – Class 16 (Verses 91 to 96)

03rd May 2021

Recap of Previous Class

Dr Komal

Introduction

Contributed by Dr. Thimappa Hegde

Law of Karma – Results of action

• Every action that we do, produces a result

• All karmas accumulated in the past -Sanchita Karma

• A portion of which has matured is called Prārabdha

Sanchita and Prarabdha Karma

•Sanchitam will not affect us now

•Prārabdha is responsible for the present life/ death

Jnānam destroys all the SanchitaKarmā

•yathaidhānsi samiddho ’gnir

bhasma-sāt kurute ’rjuna jñānāgniḥsarva-karmāṇi

bhasma-sātkurutetathā 4.37

Agami Karma

•buddhi-yukto jahātīha

•ubhe sukṛita-duṣhkṛite

•tasmād yogāyayujyasva

•yogaḥ karmasu kauśhalam

Verse 91 (447)

Contributed by Dr. Suman

Verse 92 (448)

Contributed by Vinayakan

“yathkritham swapnavelayam

punyam vaa papamulbanam

supttothitasya kim tatsyath

swargaya narakaya vaa”

Yath karma swapnavelayaam kritham- Whatever karma is done during the time of dream...

Punyam vaaa Paapam- Whether it is a noble action or ignoble action

Ulbanam- intense, strong, powerful

Kim thath syaath- will those karmani remain ?

suptha uthithasya- on waking up from the sleep

swargaya narakaya vaa- will it give swarga or naraka...

“aatmajnaana mahaanidraajrmbhitesmin

jaganmaye dirghaswapne sphurantyete

svargamokshadvibhramah”

“All these confusions are caused by a long dream, caused by a long sleep”

KARMAS OF JNANI ?

v This world is like a dream, it is Mithya

v He remembers I am a superwaker

v Functions as a waker in the world

v Does Karmas as Lokasangraha

v All the punya papam will get destroyed.

“ Jnanotpatti anantaram jnani deha krtam karma”

Actions are not done with ahamkara. Neither karthruthwam nor bhokthruthwam.

Verse 93 (449)

Contributed by Smt Meenakshi

Word meaning

Swam Asangam udaaseenam parijnaaya A jnani knows clearly that he is unattached and indifferent

Yatha Nabho --- just like space

Na Shlishyati --- not tainted/affected

Bhaavi Karmabhihi --- future aagami karmas

Yathkinchit Kadaachit --- by anything, at anytime

Verse 94 (450)

Contributed by Sri BS Kulkarni

Verse 95 (451)

Contributed by Smt Lakshmi

•Jnani has Prarabdha when you look at him from Ahankara angle, already started functioning before he became Jnani

•At conception, Prarabdha begins

•Sanchita has not started / Agami not started - Prarabdha has momentum like fan – existing momentum

•Sukham/Dukham = Prarabdha Phalam

•Never ends without Phalam - Prarabdha Arrow - already released

•Unreleased arrows = Sanchita

Verse 96 (452)

Contributed by Dr. Rekha

Analysis of prārabdha

Verses 445-463

•We are discussing the unique topic of a jñāni

•Jñāni – enlightened ahankāra or sākṣi ātma

•Jñāni has prārabdha when looked at from the ahankāra angle and he has to suffer it. “Prārabdha has kept an inbuilt time bomb, that can never be defused; it can only be released gradually”. Even the jñāni cannot stop this.

•He cannot wish prārabdha away. Free will does not play any role at all here.

•

•What about the role of prāyascitta karmā?

A jñāni puruṣaḥ would have been dissuaded from doing prāyascitta karmā since he has no more puruṣārtaḥ to be accomplished; thus, this method of reducing the prārabdha karma is irrelevant in this scenario.

Disclaimer!

*Remember, this does not apply to an ajñāni, who can do prāyascitta karma and reduce the prārabdha to some extent. An ajñāni, however, cannot do away with sanchita or agami karma- only jñānaṁ/sastra can do this.

96 vyāghrabuddhyā vinirmuktaḥ, bāṇaḥ paścāttu gomatau | na tiṣṭhati cchinattyeva, lakṣyaṃ vegena nirbharam ||452|| ९७

Take home

•Prārabdha Karma is very powerful. The momentum of Prarabdha Karma continues even after a person has realized the ultimate reality. The arrow will find its mark.

•This means our freewill has no access at all.

•Prārabdha has to be suffered because it is that part of sanchita that has already fructified, leading to my present birth.

•Even if I am a (ahankara) jñāni, prārabhda will get exhausted only by going through experiences in this life in this body. It will end only with the death of the body.

None of the 3 karmas affect those who have realized Brahman and always live established in It.