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Dear Swamin:
I hereby request Sri Sadagopan Iyengar Swamin, the author of the article to 
reply to your query.
Moderator
===================================================================== 


Dear Swamin,

Please clarify at your convenience:

Is Dharma Bhootha Gnanam(DBG) same as Viveka.  Why can't it be active in the
state of asleep, to warn/caution us on bad dreams so that we are saved from
ignonimy of acquiring sins while  sleeping.

Which drives this DBG to act? is it our prarabdha or God or both?     Where
at which point God enters to guide DBG?  Because everything is as per His
will, but we do acquire luggage in our life due to our own activities. Then
at some point of our life, due to maya or whatever, we are disconnected with
the God and engage/drive away our indriyas  from God.  How long this
effort(error) does God tolerate in human being?

I am very ignorant and have only gone through 5 pages of Sri Bhashyam, which
is ofcourse very difficult to understand the way it is being taught by
Srimadaacharya.  Please pardon me for wasting your time.


Sukumar




-----Original Message-----
From: ramanbil [mailto:Ramanbil@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 4:08 AM
To: SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [SriRangaSri] SRS Vol.5.28 d/0915/04

3. DESIKAMRUTAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
BY SRI SADAGOPAN IYENGAR SWAMIN, SRIKARYAM OF
BOARD OF ADVISORY CONSULTANTS OF SDDS/ SRS
THE THREE TENETS-7
-------------------------------------------------
Swami Desikan continues with his exposition of the various
components of Sri Ramanuja's Gadya phrase, "SvAdhIna trividha
chEtana achEtana svarUpa sthithi pravritti bhEdam", ascribing to
Emperuman the overlordship of the three classes of sentient souls
and non-sentient objects, in all their states of existence and
activity, as also of their essential nature. Thus far, the nature of
the three types of souls, viz., the BaddhAs, the MuktAs and the
NityAs, the three types of objects, viz., Prakriti, KAlam and
Shuddha Sattvam, in their three facets, viz.essential nature,
existence and activity, have been considered.

Let us recap what Swami Desikan told us about the support for the
bound soul's body, in the waking state:-

When we come to "Pravritti" or activity engaged in by the human
body, we are told that the same is due to the support provided by
the Attributive Knowledge or Dharma Bhoota GnAnam, which is one of
the principal characteristics of the Atma (as distinct from its
essential nature or Svarupam). Thus when we walk, when we talk, when
we engage in innumerable endeavours to achieve various goals
in life, when we adopt appropriate strategies to ensure such
achievement, etc.,it is Dharma Bhoota GnAnam or Attributive
Knowledge, which supports us in all this. When we perform Bhakti or
Prapatti for reaching the Lord, it is this Attributive Knowledge
that makes this possible.

We thus see that while the essential nature of the Atma ("SvarUpam")
supports the body during sleep and similar states, in the waking
state, it is the Dharma Bhoota GnAnam, which extends such support to
the body.

Thus, similar to "SvarUpam" or essential nature, "Dharma BhUta
GnAnam" or Attributive Knowledge too is also a substance, as far as
individual souls are concerned. This being so, why doesn't Sri
Ramanuja mention this separately in the aforesaid phrase from the
Gadya? Swami Desikan tells us that since Attributive Knowledge has
been included as an attribute of the Soul, no separate mention has
been made of it.

What are the distinguishing traits of this Dharma BhUta GnAnam?

The first and foremost is that it is luminous by itself to the soul,
which possesses it, while revealing objects. For instance, when the
soul perceives a pen, it is this GnAnam which reveals the object to
the soul as a pen. Simultaneously, Dharma BhUta GnAnam reveals
itself too to the soul.

As far as the Lord and the NityAs are concerned, this Attributive
Knowledge is all pervasive (nitya vibhu) and eternal.

For the Bound Souls, as long as they are in the grip of SamsAra,
this Knowledge expands and contracts variously, depending upon their
Karma. Once they are liberated from their mortal coils, this
Attributive Knowledge reverts to its original nature of being
pervasive and serves them thus, thenceforth.

So far we have seen the differences in the nature of Dharma BhUta
GnAnam, depending on whether it belongs to a Bound Soul, Mukta,
Nitya or the Isvara.

Dealing next with the Pravritti or activity of this GnAnam, Swami
Desikan lists its functions thus-

1.      It illuminates objects and makes them amenable to perception
by individual souls.

2.      When the body makes an effort, Attributive knowledge directs
the body and the senses therein.

3.      When the soul is in a state of bondage, Attributive
Knowledge undergoes expansion and contraction, as already pointed
out, due to Karma.

4.      It undergoes experiences, which reveal objects as favourable
or unfavourable.

What exactly is the nature of Experience? It is the process of
feeling a particular object as agreeable or disagreeable,
pleasurable or otherwise. All objects, which form the bounties of
the Lord, are totally pleasurable and favourable to Him, to the
Nityas and the Muktas. However, to the BaddhAs or Bound souls
suffering in Samsara, objects afford pleasurable, painful or
indifferent experiences.

The type of experience derived from an object again depends upon the
person, the time of experience and the place. Thus, the same object
may afford pleasure to one person, while being extremely
disagreeable with another. While Sugar is extremely sweet and brings
a smile to a healthy child's face, to a diabetic, it is nothing less
than poison. The same object may afford pleasure to one at a
particular time and pain at another. Similarly, depending upon the
place too, objects may turn out to be agreeable or disagreeable.

A question arises here-how can the same object offer different
experiences to different people and to the same person at different
times and places? After all, the object is the same and does not
change from person to person or from place to place or from time to
time!

Swami Desikan clarifies that the essential nature of the object
doesn't change. All objects are inherently favourable only. It is
the Karma of the Bound Souls that makes the object agreeable or
disagreeable to the experiencing soul, as reward or retribution for
its good or bad deeds, as ordained by the Lord. It is due to the
Lord's ever-true will, that objects acquire agreeability or
disagreeability, depending upon the soul's baggage of Karma.

What are the qualifications that are present only in Bound Souls,
that make them eligible for and subject to experiencing the sweet
and bitter fruits of Karma?
These are two-fold-

1.      The essential nature of the JIvAs, as being subject to the
will of another, Supreme Person.

2.      Another and subsidiary reason is their engaging in sinful
activities, resulting in offences against the Lord.

Though the MuktAs and the NityAs too are subordinate souls, subject
to IsvarA's will, they do not have the second qualification of
sinning, making them ineligible for experiencing the fruits of
Karma. The Lord too, being the Supreme Ruler of all, is neither
subservient to another person, nor has any reason or occasion to
transgress the commands of a suprerior, and is totally ineligible to
be tainted by the stigma of Karma.
-------------------------------------------------------

To Continue
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