[Advaita-l] Question: prAgabhAva apratiyogitvam Vs pravAha anAditvam

[Anand Hudli]

The sUkShma-sharIra or liN^ga sharIra must necessarily be only one for a 
jIva until the attainment of videha mukti. Else, the saMskAras of karma done 
in one life and retained in the antaHkaraNa (component of the 
liN^gasharIra), will not be available in the next life, and hence the law of 
karma would be jeopardized. This does not mean that the sUkShma sharIra is 
anAdi as avidyA is. The sUkShma-sharIra or liN^ga-sharIra is dissolved in 
the state of deep sleep (suShupti). "suShuptau savAsanasya liN^ga-sharIrasya 
vilInatvat.h...", as the AchArya says. In this state, there are no vR^ittis 
of the mind. However, avidya functions in all the three states - waking, 
dream, and sleep. But still, the liN^ga sharIra persists as one for a jIva 
throughout all its lives right until videha mukti and therefore is anAdi in 
this sense, although it is not anAdi in the sense that avidyA is. As the 
AchArya says, "yadyapi teShAM prAgabhAvApratiyogitvarUpAnAditvam.h avidyAyA 
iva na saMbhavati, tathApi sakR^idutpannAnAm.h abhinnAnAmeva sthitiriti 
tAtparyeNa anAditvamuktam.h".

To be more formal, anAdi means that which is one and functional in all the 
three states, WAKING, DREAM, and SLEEP, for all lives j, of a jIva-

anAdi(X) <-> (U(s),U(j) : F(X,s,j), for all three states s, for all lives j)

What is true is anAdi(avidyA) because avidyA functions by one or both of its 
shaktis (AvaraNa or vikShepa) in the three states. F(avidyA,s,j) is true for 
every s,j.

What is not true is anAdi(L) (L being the liN^ga sharIra of a jIva), because 
clearly,

F(L,SLEEP,j) is not true.

sadAnanda's VedAntasAra, chapter 2, has a lucid description of the three 
sharIras and the five koshas.

Anand

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