19 Aug 2021
Prof. JSR Prasad asked: Generally, when a specific topic is dealt in the Veda in the end, a statement appears, which means that not only the performer, but also the knower of this concept attains the same result (Ya evam Veda). How is this justified?
Swāmi Replied:- It means that not only the person practicing the concept, but also the person knowing the concept gets the same fruit. Here, there are three steps:- 1. knowing the concept well (Jñānayoga), 2. getting inspiration from the concept (Bhaktiyoga) and 3. practicing the concept (Karmayoga). Śaṅkara told that the final fruit is attained by mere knowledge of the concept. Actually, these three steps form one after the other. In the first step, the knowledge of the details of Mumbai city are known. In the second step, these details (knowledge) generate inspiration to go and see Mumbai. In the third step, the practical journey is implemented to reach Mumbai.
What Śaṅkara means is that collection of the details of the Mumbai is the first step taking lot time. The second and third steps are spontaneous and no consumption of time is necessary. Let us say that the first step is A→B. All the time is consumed in this first step only in which A is totally converted into B. Once B is formed, spontaneously B is converted into C i.e., B→C. Once C is formed, the third step C→D is again spontaneous yielding the fruit D. The time consumed for the first step A→B is also the time consumed for the overall conversion A→D. Similarly, in the first step, Jñāna (knowledge) is achieved. Once knowledge is achieved, the achievement of inspiration from knowledge and the achievement of fruit from inspiration are spontaneous without any consumption of special time. The overall conversion means that once you attained the knowledge, the final fruit is spontaneously achieved. This mechanism of reaction kinetics is applied by Śaṅkara in saying that the attainment of knowledge means the attainment of final fruit of salvation (Jñānādeva tu kaivalyam).
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