BAD JNANI? - Grok conversation

 Me - Is it possible for a jnani to engage in bad activities, like drug use, intoxication?

Grok - The Jnani’s State: No Doer, No Desire

 

A jnani is someone whose ego-mind has permanently dissolved into the Self. With the ego gone, there’s no sense of personal identity, no “I” to desire, plan, or act with intention. Sri Ramana emphasized that the jnani doesn’t act as a doer—actions happen through the body-mind due to prarabdha karma (the momentum of past actions destined to play out), but there’s no volition behind them. The jnani abides as the Self, untouched by the world, free of attachment or aversion.

Given this, the idea of a jnani “engaging in bad activities” like drug use or intoxication hinges on motive and identification—both of which are absent in the jnani. Activities like drug use typically stem from desire (for pleasure, escape, or altered states), but the jnani has no desires. The Self is complete, needing nothing, so the impulse to seek intoxication wouldn’t arise naturally.

Could the Body-Mind of a Jnani Do It?

Theoretically, the jnani’s body could still perform actions that, to an outsider, might look “bad” or unconventional, because the body operates under prarabdha karma. Sri Ramana explained that while sanchita (accumulated karma) and agami (future karma) are destroyed upon realization, prarabdha—the portion of karma allotted for this life—runs its course. It’s like an arrow already shot from a bow; it keeps flying until it hits the target, even if the archer (ego) is no longer there.

So, could a jnani’s body use drugs or appear intoxicated? It’s possible in rare, hypothetical cases where past tendencies (vasanas) tied to the body-mind play out. For example:

• If someone had a history of substance use before realization, residual habits might linger briefly in the body’s behavior, though without attachment.

However, Sri Ramana and most Advaita teachings suggest that prarabdha in a jnani typically aligns with a sattvic (pure, harmonious) life, not destructive or indulgent acts. The body-mind, free of ego, tends to act in ways that reflect the Self’s peace—simple, natural, untainted by craving or vice.

Why “Bad Activities” Don’t Fit

• No Motivation: Drug use or intoxication often implies seeking—an escape, a high, or relief from suffering. The jnani, abiding as the Self, has no suffering to flee, no lack to fill. Sri Ramana lived simply—eating little, sleeping minimally—showing no pull toward excess.
• No Identification: Even if the body consumed a substance (say, medicinal herbs or something forced upon it), the jnani wouldn’t identify with the effects. Intoxication alters the mind, but the jnani has no mind to alter—only the Self remains, unaffected.
• Harmony with Being: The jnani’s actions (or apparent actions) flow spontaneously, often radiating clarity and compassion. “Bad” activities like addiction or harm clash with this, as they stem from ignorance, which the jnani has transcended.

Historical Examples and Exceptions

Sri Ramana himself avoided intoxicants and lived ascetically, but other traditions offer contrasts. In some Tantric or Zen contexts, realized beings might drink or act wildly to break conventions, showing freedom from rules. Yet, these are exceptions, and even then, it’s not indulgence—it’s a teaching tool, not a personal craving. Sri Ramana’s path, though, is direct: self-inquiry leads to dissolution of desire, not its redirection.

Sri Ramana’s example suggests the jnani’s life leans toward purity, not because of morality, but because the ego’s turbulence is gone.

The Outsider’s View

To others, a jnani might seem to “engage” in something odd if prarabdha dictates it. Imagine a jnani given alcohol unknowingly—the body might slur or stumble, but the jnani wouldn’t care or cling to the state. Observers might judge it “bad,” but the jnani sees no good or bad—only the Self. Sri Ramana said, “The sage has no sankalpa (will or intention),” so even if the body acted, it wouldn’t be “engagement” in the personal sense.

Conclusion: Possible, but Unlikely

Is it possible? Yes, in the abstract—prarabdha could make a jnani’s body mimic “bad” activities like drug use, though it’s unlikely given the Self’s nature. But “engage” implies choice and attachment, which don’t apply. The jnani doesn’t seek intoxication, and even if the body encountered it, the Self would remain untouched, the act meaningless to them. Sri Ramana’s life—calm, clear, ego-free—suggests such behaviors rarely surface in a true jnani.