[Advaita-l] 'world' is not the mental creation of tiny soul !!

[Bhaskar YR]

I am really not keen on a response to this. It is only to express my views
on the observation " frustratingly evasive " .

praNAms
Hare Krishna

I am also bit surprised after reading this 'visheshaNa'  frustratingly 
evasive in Sri subhAnu prabhuji's clarification.  Why at all bhagavatpAda 
should be 'evasive' that too frustratingly ??  Is the question on 'avidyA' 
is so frustrating for the Acharya who has exclusively & elaborately dealt 
with this very subject in the preamble of sUtra bhAshya??  It is a normal 
and general question that every pUrvapaxi asks when he hears from advaitin 
that  jeeva is nothing but brahma and all the duality is due to 'avidyA'. 
So, IMHO, shankara's clarification with regard to locus of avidyA at 
places like, 4th adhyAya in sUtra bhAshya,  taitireeya bhAshya, geetA bh
Ashya etc. is not frustratingly evasive, it is categorically conclusive. 

To the  arjuna's query aparaM bhavatO janma, paraM janma vivasvataH, 
kathametadvijAneeyAm tvamAdau prOktavAniti??  in geeta lord says : bahUni 
me vyateetAni, janmAni tava cha arjuna, 'tAnyahaM veda sarvANi' etc. who 
he knows this and arjuna does not??  shankara clarifies in the bhAshya : 
tAni ahaM veda jAne sarvANi na tvaM vettha jAneeshe na 
dharmAdharmAdipratibaddha jnAnashaktitvAt.  ahaM punaH 'nitya shuddha 
buddha mukta svabhAvatvAt anAvaraNa jnAna shaktihi....it is clear in this 
bhAshya that since arjuna being a jeeva cannot remember all his pUrva 
janmA-s whereas the lord who is brahma svarUpa is always (nitya) shuddha, 
buddha, mukta svArUpa could remember all these things since he has the 
complete control of his mAya (please note the word avidyA cannot be used 
here).  It is clear here Ishwara is never ever entangled in avidyA it is 
only jeeva that is endowed with avidyA.  This has been elsewhere (sUtra 
bhAshya) very clearly clarified my bhAshyakAra by asserting : Ishwarasya 
..nityanivruttAvidyatvAt.  The br.up. 1.4.10 should be understood in this 
light of shankara's clarification.  Because before saying there is no 
other chaitanya other than brahman who has avidyA shankara clarifies na 
avidyA kartru bhrAntancha brahma.  So, it is again from jeeva drushti, who 
is asking question about avidyA shankara says avidyA pertains to brahma 
svarUpi jeeva. jeeva svarUpa is brahma but we should not forget that 
brahma svarUpa is NOT jeeva, we should not use this interchangeably and 
say brahma has the avidyA...ring, bangle etc. is gold only but gold is NOT 
ring, bangle etc. And since jeeva is in his svarUpa is nothing but brahman 
shankara says avidyA/adhyAsa is karaNa dOsha of that jeeva.  Shankara in 
geeta bhAshya gives the cataract example to drive home the point that 
avidyA does not pertains to the cognizer. 

Anyway, all the above has been discussed comprehensively in this list 
itself, I think there is no need to re-kindle these issues once again for 
the fresh debate :-))

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar