Contemplative Studies and Hinduism by Rita D. Sherma;Purushottama Bilimoria;

Author:Rita D. Sherma;Purushottama Bilimoria;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Unlimited)
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

Addressing the Advaita Vedāntic renouncer community presumably under the jurisdiction of the Śṛṅgeri maṭha, Vidyāraṇya’s JMV provides an influential systematization of the dharma of paramahaṃsa saṃnyāsins. The underlying theological problem that the JMV addresses is the instability of non-dual knowing, which formalizes the problem of post-gnosis hindrances (or “forgetting”), an issue with cryptic antecedents in the works of Śaṅkara and his early successors. Indeed, in the JMV, the rationale underpinning the necessity of vidvat-saṃnyāsa, which culminates in jīvanmukti, is precisely the need to counteract post-gnosis obstacles in order to ensure the stabilization of non-dual knowing. In his explication of post-gnosis obscurations, Vidyāraṇya pays particular attention to the fructification of prārabdha karma, the inherent agency-provoking structure of the mind, as well as the stubborn persistence of latent tendencies. All of these issues can lead to mental disturbances, such as erroneous understanding and doubts, which obscure advaitic realization. Given the possibility of obscurations, Vidyāraṇya argues that the knower of brahman must carry out disciplines, such as samādhi, in order to prevent or neutralize obstacles that trigger re-identification with an enworlded self. While Vidyāraṇya’s articulation of the saṃnyāsic path to liberation coheres and builds on earlier positions evident in his sampradāya, it also elevates the role of yoga in Advaita Vedānta, an intervention that would have important reverberations in the development of the Advaita Vedāntic tradition into the early modern and colonial periods.

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