The concept of Jñāna and Vijñāna (Śarmā and Śarma)

Jñāna (Śarmā)

The hero has another minister Jñāna Śarmā by name who always guides him in the path of Dharma. The author presents this character through the discussion of Kāla and Karma. When the Vijñāna (Śarmā) is away from Jīva leaving him alone, Jñāna (Śarmā) visits him and advises him.

Depicted as another minister of Jīva, Jñāna (Śarmā) takes care of the inner yearnings of the soul. Just as Vijñāna (Śarmā) is allied with scientific knowledge, Jñāna (Śarmā) is related to the knowledge of the other world. When Jñāna is obtained then Jīva realises that human body is always perishable, as it is the abode of sins. It is made of flesh, bone, bone-marrow, blood, skin and hair. It is a container for stool and urine.

The wise men with an aversion, always ridicule, this body as an abode of sorrow (VI.13):

śaśvannaśvarameva viśvaviditaṃ pāpaprarohasthalaṃ
  medomajjavasāsthimāṃsarudhiratvagromarūpaṃ vapuḥ |
etasminmalamūtrabhāṇḍakuhare heye manīṣāvatāṃ
  duḥkhe nyāyavido vimohamiha ke tanvanti nanvantime ||

All movable and immovable living beings are fixed in that Ultimate Supreme like beautiful gems get strung in a thread. The ultimate Supreme Being is the Bliss unlimited. This Great Almighty is full of Sat, Cit and Sukha; Brahman is formless.

The Jīva is Brahman and the Brahman is Jīva and none other (VI.14):

jagatprotaṃ yasmin vividha iva sūtre maṇigaṇaḥ^[1]
  samastaṃ yadbhāsā tadāpi ca vibhāti sphuṭamidam |^[2]
ākhaṇḍānandaṃ yanniravadhikasaccitsukhamayaṃ
  nirākāraṃ yattattvamasi paramaṃ brahma na paraḥ ||

The “Tattvamasi” concept, which is the essence of the Advaita Vedānta, is well brought out by the author here.

Vijñāna (Śarma)

While Jñāna (Śarmā) leads the Jīva towards mokṣa, Vijñāna (Śarmā) is more worried about the health of the body. When the body is under the severe attacks of various diseases, only appropriate medical actions must be taken immediately. Every moment is very important during this critical situation.

Vijñāna (Śarmā) holds the idea that when the body is strong, as the result of Yogic practice, it would further benefit Jīva by fixing the mind strongly upon the Almighty.

The great and uninterrupted Bliss in the form of the result would then be borne out (VI.24):

purasya dārḍhye yogasya siddhiḥ sarvārthasādhinī |
ākhaṇḍānandasiddhiśca phalaṃ tenaiva jāyate ||

A doubt arises regarding why should one take so much effort when the problems of the weak body and mind get nullified on making the śarīra strong (VI.24/25):

ātaḥ svayameva tyakteṣveteṣu siddhaivātmano ḍhṛḍhayogasiddhirakhaṇḍānandatā ca | kutaḥ etāvān yatnaḥ? |–

Vijñāna (Śarmā) provides a logical answer that it is possible only to those who are free from the ties of the karma of the earlier births.

When the prarabdha karmas do not get nullified, then one has to continue with Yogic practices with steadfast mind (VI.25):

prārabdharahitasyaivaṃ bhavedeva na saṃśayaḥ | prārabdhaparatantraṃ tvāṃ te muṣcanti kathaṃ punaḥ ||

Jñāna and Vijñāna

Knowledge (dhiḥ) of Liberation and Eternal Bliss is known as Jñāna; mundane sciences like Śilpa, are known as Vijñāna (VI.29 ab):

mokṣe dhīrjṣānamanyatra vijṣānaṃ śilpaśāstrayoḥ |

There is a Vedic saying:

śrutiśca bhavati "dūramete viparīte viṣūcī āvidyā yā ca vidyeti vijṣātā"iti |

“These two are known as vidyā and avidyā which are contradictory by nature and have separate ways” (VI.29/30; p.325):

It is Jñāna (Śarmā)'s natural attitude to teach about the reality of life (IV.29/30, p.325):

vastutattvaṃ upadeṣṭavyaṃ iti tasya svabhāvaḥ |

The 'real Knowledge’ is to bring forth the doctrines of non-dualism, which should properly be understood.

Jñāna reminds Jīva of its real nature and leads it to spiritual development (VI.30):

jṣānamadvaitasanmātraṃ vipakṣastatra ko vada |
svarūpasthitiretasya smāritā pāramārthikī ||

Jñāna (Śarma) is the knowledge that destroys the misleading notion that Jīva and śarīra are one and the same. As the maxim of ‘dagdha-paṭhanyāya’, explains, when a beautiful picture is burnt, the left over ash still reflects the picture until it is disturbed. If a person still feels the picture’s presence there it is his illusion only, but not real.

So too, the notion about the Jīva and the śarīra being the same quite, is only an illusion (VI.31):

mūḍhavaddehatādātmyaṃ rājā na pratipadyatām |
bādhitaṃ taddagdhapaṭanyāyenāstviti tasya dhīḥ ||

Further, all matters visualized by man as truth, are in reality only a mirage.

When it is a fact that a live mouse can never kill a cat, how can a dead one kill that cat (VI.32):

bādhitaṃ dṛśyatāmakṣaistena bādho na śakyate |
jīvannākhurna mārjāraṃ hanti hanyāt kathaṃ mṛtaḥ ||

If a single matter is visualized as many, due to illusion, it is not the fault of non-dualism and it will not perish; the illusionary vision of seeing one as many is impossible (VI.33):

māyayā bahurūpatve sadadvaitaṃ na naśyati |
māyikānāṃ hi rūpāṇāṃ dvitīyatvamasambhavi ||

But Vijñāna (Śarmā) has practical knowledge and involves in managing mundane day to day affairs. Jīva at first has to follow the advice of Vijñāna, keep the śarīra fit (though it is transient) to achieve the everlasting Bliss of emancipation.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bh.Gītā, VII.7: mattaḥ parataraṃ nānyatkiṣcidasti dhanaṣjaya |mayi sarvamidaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇigaṇā iva ||

[2]:

Kathopaniṣad, V.15cd:
tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti |