AtmavidyAvilAsa: A reference

[Ravisankar Mayavaram]

AUTHOR:
    Ramapandita, 18th cent.
UNIFORM TITLE:
    Selections. 1983
TITLE:
    Sriramadasi Sriramapanditance krtitraya / sampadaka Ti. Ara.
Bhimarava.
EDITION:
    Prathamavrtti.
PUBLISHED:
    Tanjavara : Tanjavara Maharaja Sarabhoji Sarasvatimahala Granthalaya,
1983.
DESCRIPTION:
    12, 12, 94 p., (1) leaf of plates : ill. ; 23 cm.
SERIES:
    Tanjapuri Sarasvatimahalaya granthamala puspam 171.
NOTES:
    In Marathi; prefatory matter in English, Marathi, and Tamil.
    Title on added t.p.: Sri Ramapanditha's krtitraya.
    Includes Sanskrit text of Daksinamurtistotra by Sankaracarya and
Atmavidyavilasa by Sadasivendra Sarasvati.
    Bibliography: p. 94.
    Summary: Commentaries on Daksinamurtistotra, hymn to Siva, Hindu
deity, by Sankaracarya, and Atmavidyavilasa by Sadasivendra Sarasvati,
    18th cent., and transcreation of Nitisataka by Bhartrhari.
    Contents: Sridakshinamurtistotra tika -- Sriatmavidyavilasa tika --
Ekasatanitisudharasacesloka.
SUBJECTS:
    Sankaracarya. Daksinamurtistotra
    Sadasivendra Sarasvati, 18th cent. Atmavilasa.
    Bhartrhari Nitisataka.
    Vedanta
OTHER AUTHORS:
    Bhimarava, Ti. Ara., 1933-
OCLC NUMBER:

=====
--
Ravi <miinalochanii at yahoo.com>
miinalochanii paashamochanii shive paahi shive paahi
http://www.geocities.com/miinalochanii/meenakshi/
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

Archives : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l.html
Help     : Email to listmaster at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Options  : To leave the list send a mail to
           listserv at lists.advaita-vedanta.org with
           SIGNOFF ADVAITA-L in the body.
>From ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG Tue Mar  7 20:36:33 2000
Message-Id: <TUE.7.MAR.2000.203633.EST.ADVAITAL at LISTS.ADVAITAVEDANTA.ORG>
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 20:36:33 EST
Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: Ashish Chandra <ramkisno at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Selections from the advaita-siddhi - 1
Comments: To: ADVAITA-L at braincells.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Namaste All,

Anand, I am sure all of us feel this way, and I hope you understand how much
we all enjoy your presence on this list and how much we enjoy all your
posts.

It was only after that little admonition that I decided to seriously study
and, as far as possible, understand the purport of Advaita Siddhi by
Madusudana Sarasvati. It is indeed like a full time course with my having to
sit down with a pad for notes and an English dictionary nearby (MS Word
cannot pick up "polemical" :-( )

I also apologize for this late question about the very first post in this
thread but I hope members wouldn't mind.

In the first post, Anand had written, quoting Vitthalesh Upadhyaya, author
of Vitthalopadhyayi

----begin quote-----

viTThaleshopAdhyAya explains the whole process described in the
first verse of the advaita-siddhi as follows:

vishhNuH (jIvaH) vastutaH satyaGYAnasukhAtmako .pi san.h,
mAyAkalpitamAtR^itAmukhamR^ishhA-dvaitaprapaJNchAshrayo jAtaH,
mukto .api san.h aGYAnena baddhatvena bhrAnta ityarthaH |
tatashcha vastuto baddhasya tattvena bhrAntasya mumuxAsaMbhavAt.h
sa mumuxu san.h gurumanusR^itaH tataH tadupadishhTa-shruti-shikho-
ttha-akhaNDadhIgocharo .abhUt.h |  nishhkAmakarmopAsanAnushhThAn-
ena shraddhaikAgrachittaH san.h AtmAnaM satyaGYAnasukharUpabrahm-
atvena sAxAtkR^itavAn.h | tatashcha mithyAbandhavidhUnanena
vikalpojjhitaH mithyAbandhApagamAt.h tatprayuktavikalpena duHkhena
rahitaH san.h paramAnandaikatAnAtmakamoxaM prApta iva |
avAstavasaMbandhabhramasyaiva satvAt.h moxarUpasya tatsaMbandha-
abhAvAchcha iva ityuktam.h | IdR^ishaH san.h vijayate svaprakAsha-
rUpotkarshhavAn.h ityarthaH |

VishhNu (as the jIva), even being actually of the nature of Reality,
Consciousness, and Bliss, is the substratum of the false world of
duality beginning with the notion of cognizer that is fabricated
by mAyA. Even though He (the jIva) is liberated, due to being bound
by ignorance, He is under delusion. (If) He is actually bound
and (really) deluded by reality, from that (it follows that)
desire for liberation is impossible. (But this is not so.) Being
desirous of liberation He follows a (worthy) Guru. From the vedAntic
teachings of that (Guru), He has comprehended the undivided Brahman.
By performing actions without desire for fruits thereof and by
performing upAsana (worship and meditation), being of one-pointed
mind and dedicated, He has directly realized the Self as the
Brahman which is essentially Reality, Consciousness, and Bliss.
Thereupon, by the removal of the false bonds (of mAyA), and being
freed from the associated sorrow, (He) has attained mokshha or
liberation which is wholly bliss. Because of the presence of the
illusion of being related (to duality in the state of bondage),
which is not real, and because of the absence of that relation
in mokshha, the (word) "iva", as it were, is stated. Being so
(liberated and in His real state), He (VishhNu) shines supreme
by His own brilliance.

---end quote -----

The question I have is the following.

Vitthalesh is quoted as saying "Even though He (the jIva) is liberated, due
to being bound  by ignorance, He is under delusion. (If) He is actually
bound and (really) deluded by reality, from that (it follows that) desire
for liberation is impossible. (But this is not so.) Being desirous of
liberation He follows a (worthy) Guru. [...]"

I understand the part where jiva is described as being liberated but under
delusion on account of ignorance (of unknown origin ?). However, the next
sentence goes on to say if jiva is *actually* bound and *really* deluded by
"reality", desire for liberation is impossible.

Questions:

1. Is the connotation to actual-boundness and apparent-boundness of the jiva
the same as that we infer for dream-state and waking state, i.e. it is not
real but appears to be real ?

2. What is the reality that I have denoted by quotes ? Is this Brahman being
referred to here ? I tried to ponder over this and my conclusion was that it
cannot be Brahman that is causing the delusion. Because then we have
Brahman, the absolute, and an absolute delusion that suppresses the desire
for liberation. So we have dualism already. In case this reality means Maya,
then what Vitthalesh is saying is that Maya(taking this to mean the
"reality" I have quoted above) does not absolutely delude but does so only
apparently, hence preserving the mumukshuta of the jiva (this mumukshutva
can only be Vyavaharika, hence in the domain of Maya, correct?). By this I
don't mean that Maya is a real principle, only that its powers over the jiva
are limited to a dream-like state which is shattered at the advent of Jnana,
and that all this time, the jiva's unity with Brahman is unaffected, even as
it(jiva) doubts its indentity. Is this a correct interpretation ?

The sentence that says that "if jiva is actually bound and really deluded by
reality, desire for liberation is impossible" means that since it is
accepted that jiva is the unborn-eternal (even though according to other
schools of Vedanta, different from Brahman), its delusion would also be
eternal and hence liberation would be impossible. Is this, again, a correct
interpretation ?

Please excuse me because my queries are too novice-like but I would
appreciate if the learned members could shed some light.

ashish
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

Archives : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l.html
Help     : Email to listmaster at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Options  : To leave the list send a mail to
           listserv at lists.advaita-vedanta.org with
           SIGNOFF ADVAITA-L in the body.