[Part – 1/2]

Putting together 4.1.2, BSB and 1.1.6, muNDaka bhAShya, we can draw five conclusions from bhagavatpada prasthānatraya bhAShya prakriyA as given below:

1. It is possible to get the Knowledge of the Self in just one hearing of the Vedic statement ‘That thou art’. But, to achieve this it has to be a highly eligible seeker.
2. Those who have but a vague idea of the meaning of a text on hearing it once do come to shed their various misconceptions and understand it rightly after repeated hearings.
3. There are some for whom the meanings of words ‘that’ and ‘thou’ are obscured by ignorance, doubt and misunderstanding. In their case merely hearing the text ‘That thou art’ will not yield Knowledge of its True meaning. A seeker can only understand the meaning of the sentence after understanding the meaning of the words in it. In case of such people, repeated hearing followed by reasoning upon them is needed to first get the true meaning of words.
4. The Knowledge gained by the most well-qualified in one hearing and that gained by another seeker over repeated hearings is not different; i.e. there isn’t anything more to be done by either of them. Because gaining the Knowledge itself is “gaining” the Self (unlike in karma kANDa where knowledge about a ritual which bestows heaven will not by itself take the seeker to heaven. After knowing, the seeker has to perform the ritual and body has to fall off in course of time. Only after that, s/he may be taken to heaven).
5. For most highly qualified seekers all it takes is one hearing alone. For the remaining seekers (including Svetaketu Aruni) it needs repeated attempts. But in every attempt what is needed is shravaNa+manana+nididhyAsana combined together.

Nowhere in the shruti is it mentioned that theory followed by practice will bring in the avagati. And the very process of repeated attempts of combined shravaNa-manana-nididhyAsana is what is meant everywhere in brihadaranyaka where the process of realization is touched upon. Any other process than this which enjoins additional steps is an unnecessary deviation and thus it is not a prakriyā given by bhagavatpāda.

Selected References and Notes:

1.  भवेदावृत्त्यानर्थक्यं तं प्रति, यः ‘तत्त्वमसि’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । ७) इति सकृदुक्तमेव ब्रह्मात्मत्वमनुभवितुं शक्नुयात् ; यस्तु न शक्नोति, तं प्रति उपयुज्यत एव आवृत्तिः । तथा हि च्छान्दोग्ये — ‘तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । ७) इत्युपदिश्य, ‘भूय एव मा भगवान्विज्ञापयतु’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । ७) इति पुनः पुनः परिचोद्यमानः तत्तदाशङ्काकारणं निराकृत्य, ‘तत्त्वमसि’ इत्येवासकृदुपदिशति ; तथा च ‘श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यः’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ५ । ६) इत्यादि दर्शितम् ।  — 4.1.2, brahmasUtra bhAShya

[IAST:  bhavedāvṛttyānarthakyaṃ taṃ prati, yaḥ ‘tattvamasi’ (chā. u. 6 | 8 | 7) iti sakṛduktameva brahmātmatvamanubhavituṃ śaknuyāt ; yastu na śaknoti, taṃ prati upayujyata eva āvṛttiḥ | tathā hi cchāndogye — ‘tattvamasi śvetaketo’ (chā. u. 6 | 8 | 7) ityupadiśya, ‘bhūya eva mā bhagavānvijñāpayatu’ (chā. u. 6 | 8 | 7) iti punaḥ punaḥ paricodyamānaḥ tattadāśaṅkākāraṇaṃ nirākṛtya, ‘tattvamasi’ ityevāsakṛdupadiśati ; tathā ca ‘śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyaḥ’ (bṛ. u. 4 | 5 | 6) ityādi darśitam |  ]

Meaning:  Repetition will be unnecessary for one who can realize the Self as brahman after hearing “That thou art” only once. But for one who cannot do so, repetition is a necessity. Thus it is noticed in the chAndogya Upanishad that Uddalaka teaches his son, “That thou art, O’ Svetaketu” (6.8.7, chAn. U.), and then being requested by his son again and again, “O revered Sir, explain to me again” (ibid.), he removes the respective causes of his (Svetaketu’s) misconceptions, and teaches that very fact “That thou art” repeatedly. That very process is referred to by citing the text, “It is to be heard of, reflected on, and meditated upon” (4.5.6, BU).” (Trans: Swami Gambhirananda).

येषां पुनः निपुणमतीनां न अज्ञानसंशयविपर्ययलक्षणः पदार्थविषयः प्रतिबन्धोऽस्ति, ते शक्नुवन्ति सकृदुक्तमेव तत्त्वमसिवाक्यार्थम् अनुभवितुमिति, तान्प्रति आवृत्त्यानर्थक्यमिष्टमेव ; सकृदुत्पन्नैव हि आत्मप्रतिपत्तिः अविद्यां निवर्तयतीति, नात्र कश्चिदपि क्रमोऽभ्युपगम्यते ।

[IAST:  yeṣāṃ punaḥ nipuṇamatīnāṃ na ajñānasaṃśayaviparyayalakṣaṇaḥ padārthaviṣayaḥ pratibandho’sti, te śaknuvanti sakṛduktameva tattvamasivākyārtham anubhavitumiti, tānprati āvṛttyānarthakyamiṣṭameva ; sakṛdutpannaiva hi ātmapratipattiḥ avidyāṃ nivartayatīti, nātra kaścidapi kramo’bhyupagamyate | ]

Meaning:  “Those of sharp intellect on the other hand who have no obstruction like ignorance, doubt, and confusion, with regard to the object to be known can realize the meaning of “That thou art” even from the first utterance, so that a repetition in their case is certainly useless. For the Knowledge of the Self emerging once for all is able to remove ignorance, and no progressive development is admitted here.”

[Note:  I suggest please study the complete bhAShya for 4.1.2, BS and 1.1.6, muNDaka.]

2.  यथा विधिविषये कर्त्राद्यनेककारकोपसंहारद्वारेण वाक्यार्थज्ञानकालादन्यत्रानुष्ठेयोऽर्थोऽस्त्यग्निहोत्रादिलक्षणः, न तथेह परविद्याविषये वाक्यार्थज्ञानसमकाल एव तु पर्यवसितो भवति, केवलशब्दप्रकाशितार्थज्ञानमात्रनिष्ठाव्यतिरिक्ताभावात् ।  —  1.1.6, muNDaka bhAShya.

[IAST:  yathā vidhiviṣaye kartrādyanekakārakopasaṃhāradvāreṇa vākyārthajñānakālādanyatrānuṣṭheyo’rtho’styagnihotrādilakṣaṇaḥ, na tatheha paravidyāviṣaye vākyārthajñānasamakāla eva tu paryavasito bhavati, kevalaśabdaprakāśitārthajñānamātraniṣṭhāvyatiriktābhāvāt |  ]

Meaning:  “In connection with the subject-matter of injunctions are to be found certain acts which are like the agnihotra (sacrifice) to be performed subsequent to the understanding of the text, through a combination of numerous accessories, to wit, the agent etc. Unlike this, nothing remains to be performed here within the domain of the higher Knowledge; but all actions cease simultaneously with the comprehension of the meaning of the sentences, inasmuch as nothing remains to be done apart from continuance in the mere Knowledge revealed by the words.”

The following is the summary of the teaching by bhagavatpāda from prasthānatraya bhAShya and upadesha saAashrI. prasthānatraya and upadesha sAhashrI are undoubtedly consistent on the following points:

1. shavaNa alone is the sole cause for liberation.
2. There is no injunction for ‘repeated hearing’ as a mandatory process – this confirms that the avagati can very well take place in just one hearing.
3. There is no injunction for repetition of what was heard and already firmly grasped (no injunction for prasankhyAnam) – this confirms that once the meaning of words is properly grasped and the vAkyArtha (meaning of the sentence) culminates into avagati (which is immediate and simultaneous to vAkyArtha jnAna), there is no injunction to keep repeating it.
4. When the avagati “I am brahman” doesn’t raise up on hearing “That Thou Art” then it is because the meanings of the word(s) ‘Thou’ etc are not properly understood. It is here that manana is helpful to remove the doubts and/or misapprehensions. The guru presents the disciple with all shruti aviruddha tarka (logic unopposed to shruti) and help him/her overcome doubts and misapprehensions. It is only here that repeated attempts of hearing along with simultaneous manana and nididhyAsana are needed and allowed (to overcome doubts etc).
5. Once all doubts & misapprehensions are removed, Self shines forth by Itself. shruti is the only means for such thorough removal of ignorance.
6. The process of removal of ignorance consists of identifying the wrong notions about the Self (that people carry by default) and overcome them by presenting arguments against those wrong notions by pointing to the scripture, logic and universal experience. This is not possible without help from the shruti. For example, by default everyone accepts the notion that self is that which is a doer-knower-enjoyer (experiencer). shruti says that the Self is not a doer, not a knower, not an enjoyer. If it is not for shruti, there is no way to give up these default wrong notions.
7. As a part of the removal of ignorance, certain meditation (upAsana) techniques are recommended to help improve antahkaraNa shuddhi. samAdhi practices are given only as possible ‘closest illustrations’ to help grasp the true nature of the Self. But they are all puruSha tantra (based on human effort) and hence by themselves they last only for a short period of time.  Therefore, on their own, they will not make one attain the eternal Self. Those meditation and samAdhi practices (including emptying thoughts, stilling the mind etc) are also not injunctions and mandatory steps for liberation. shravaNa alone is the sole cause and sufficient enough for liberation.
8. Where shruti is uniquely capable of is, not in bestowing a ‘real attainment’ of the Self; its capability lies in its unique, exclusive, thorough and irreversible removal of ignorance. shruti along with its bhAShya is the method perfected to achieve this. There is no alternative.
9. Self is siddham not sAdhyam (Self is that which is already attained but not that which is attainable by any means). But we need a perfect means to remove the error/adhyAsa which exists as it were and which obscures as it were the eternal-pure-ever liberated-nondual Self.