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KathaUpanishad

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• It is beyond the smallest of atoms.<br />

ananya-prokte — a teacher who is non-different i.e. has realised his essential<br />

identity with Paramātman, having personal and immediate experience, he is lifted<br />

above sectarian disputes.<br />

There are several different readings for this rather abstruse verse:<br />

It may also simply mean; “taught by some one other than the inferior mentioned<br />

earlier, i.e. a superior person who knows the truth. Or taught by another — someone<br />

other than oneself, i.e. By some skilful teacher.'<br />

Some other rendering by Non-dual (Advaita) scholars;<br />

Advaita considers the Saul of Man as identical with the Supreme Brahman the<br />

Paramatman.<br />

(a) “When the (supreme) Self, that is non-different from, and is, one's very Self<br />

is properly taught; there is nothing else to be known. For the realisation of the unity of<br />

the Self is the culmination of all knowledge. Therefore, as there is no knowable,<br />

there remains nothing to be known here”.<br />

(b) “When the theory of the non-dual Self is taught followed by realisation, there remains<br />

no further transmigration; for liberation which is the result of that realisation,<br />

follows, immediately”.<br />

(c) “When the Self is taught by a teacher who has become identified with the Brahman<br />

that he teaches, there is no “non-realisation”. To the student, the realisation, "I am that<br />

(Self)", dawns, just as it did in the case of the teacher.”<br />

The Qualified Non-dual Visiṣṭ<br />

ṣṭadvaita interpretation is:<br />

For Ramanuja, the understanding, which a person gets about the Self when taught by<br />

one who has realised Brahman is impossible to get when taught by a person of<br />

inferior capacity who has not realised Brahman. But the realisation spoken of cannot be<br />

"identity with Brahman” as Shankara thinks, because if there is only One ātman and<br />

One Brahman which are both identical then realisation would mean the total and<br />

exclusive non-perception of difference. Therefore, who would teach and who would be<br />

the taught? It would in fact be like one teaching one's self while looking in the mirror!<br />

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