90. Knowing and Knowledge

Knowing and Virtual Knowledge

ज्ञानवृत्ति और वृत्तिज्ञान 

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श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता अध्याय ५, श्लोक १५ - १६

नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः।।

अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः।।१५।।

ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितं आत्मनः।।

तेषां आदित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत् परम्।। १६।।

This point is already and very beautifully elucidated in the book :

"Sat-Darshana bhAShya" 

- A Commentary on :

"Sat-Darshanam" of -

Sri Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni,

By His Disciple and the great scholar :

Bharadwaja kapAli Sastri (K).

In the introductory pages :

The Initial Doubts

Of this book.

This reference just came to my mind when I started writing this post here. 

Though the above commentary is quite appropriate, excellent and relevant too, prompted by the above two stanza of the Gita I felt to write down in addition a post with the focus on the same, based on the two stanzas.

Still more, there is yet another aspect of the topic in the Light of  :

Patanjala YogaSutra,

Where वृत्ति / vRtti is explained by means of its five major kinds, so that it could be so easily understood by a layman also. 

समाधिपाद 

अथ योगानुशासनम्।।१।।

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः।।२।।

तदा दृष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम्।।३।।

वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र।।४।।

वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः।।५।।

प्रमाणविपर्ययविकल्पनिद्रास्मृतयः।।६।।

प्रत्यक्षानुमानागमाः प्रमाणानि।।७।।

विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूपप्रतिष्ठम्।।८।।

शब्दज्ञानानुपाती वस्तुशून्यो विकल्पः।।९।।

अभाव-प्रत्यययालम्बना वृत्तिः निद्रा।।१०।।

अनुभूतविषयासम्प्रमोषः स्मृतिः।।११।।

Again referring to

उपदेश सार / Upadesha-SaraH

of Bhagawan Shri Ramana Maharshi :

मानसं तु किं मार्गणे कृते।।

नैव मानसं मार्ग आर्जवात्।।१७।।

वृत्तयस्त्वहंवृत्तिमाश्रिताः।। 

वृत्तयो मनः विद्ध्यहं मनः।।१८।।

लयविनाशने उभयरोधने।। 

लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम्।।

Please check details in the following link of my another blog in the e-blogger :

https://ramanavinay.blogspot.com/2011/02/upadesha-saarah_08.html

वृत्ति / vRtti therefore is very clearly the mind.

There is a stage in practicing the Yoga, where mind goes into लय / dissolution like as in sleep or swoon, or samAdhi,

But on the other hand, when the enquiry about "what is mind", is done, the mind goes through  विनाश  or the extinction.

PatanjalaYogaSutra is a treatise about Yoga where mainly samAdhi is explained and practiced and the  वृत्ति / vRtti (or the flow of mind) is arrested. This kind of practicing Yoga is helpful for an aspirant who is unable and not mature enough to contemplate upon the Enquiry :

"What is Mind".

 Knowing (ज्ञानवृत्ति) and Knowledge (वृत्तिज्ञान) differ in that Knowing is pure awareness while Knowledge is consciousness with the division of the knower, known and the tendency of the knowing.

The stanzas 15 and 16 from Gita given in the beginning point out to the two kinds of understanding one of them is through the mind and in the mind in the form of   वृत्ति / vRtti, while there is yet another in the form transcending and beyond mind.

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