Means one whose asraya is Isvara. ‘Asraya’ implies ground of reality as opposed to movement; the whole basis; lodgement; point of resort of the consciousness and action. It also means shelter. ‘Asrayatva’ means respective correspondence or an alignment in a relationship. ‘Mayi asakta manah’ is a person whose mind is committed. In bhakti, ones resorts to Isvara for some purpose or end whereas in the jnana path, in the end an aspirant is committed to is Isvara Himself.
So this is the purport of mayyasaktamanahi in which the Isvarasraya seeks Isvara. The implication is to be free from being jiva which is the inner purport of moksha. Therefore Paramesvara becomes the very end and also the means to jnana. Stretching this, the end and the means are one and the same thing – ‘I am the means; I am also the end.’
Srnu means ‘try to listen? What is to be listened? One takes refuge in the Lord: ‘mad asrayah’ which means being in my Consciousness or the one whose asrayah, the basis is Me, Paramesvara. He is the one for whom Paramesvara is the only asraya. ‘Asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi taccrnu:’ Having committed in Paramesvara; yatha-in which way; jnasyasi – will know; mam – Me, Isvara; samagram – in totality; asamsayam – without any doubt as a whole; tat – about the way in which you will know; srnu – please try to listen.
Idam savijnanam jnanam: In this phrase, vijnanam is immediate knowledge; the direct grasp of reality which comes about through self-discipline and jnanam is indirect knowledge. The one is derived through sight and the other through insight. Tuition is needed for jnana and intuition is needed for vijnana. ‘Aparoksha’ means immediate; direct; direct experience (as opposed to sensory experience). Thus Aadi Shankaracharya’s treatise the ‘Aparoksha anubhuti’ is the direct, immediate, intuitive experience or perception of realization of Brahman. ‘Paroksha’ means indirect knowledge (of that which is remote from and beyond our vision. It also means hearsay.
However Sri Krishna says Isvarajnanam need not be paroksam, indirect. It can be aparoksam. Only aparoksajnanam of Isvara is moksha. Paroksajnanam is useful for offering prayers etc but the final result of the prayer is this aparoksajnanam, the immediate knowledge of Paramesvara. Gita 7.1-2.
Hara Hara Mahadeva.
(draft Gitayamutham essays)
by Yogi Ananda Saraswathi