[Advaita-l] Discussion on Shankara Vedanta,

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

praNAms Sri Srikanta prabhuji
Hare Krishna

In his discussion on the Shankara Vedanta,Bhaskerji writes that "No need
to mention this strange avidya is quite contradictory to 'Lokanubhava"and
alien to Shankara siddhanta.I would like to know whether "avidya" is
discernible as to say that it is contradictory to "Lokanubhava"?

>  Yes, mUlAvidyA (a type of avidyA which is strange in nature)  as
propagated by vyAkhyAnakAra-s is quite contradictory to
lOkAnubhava...Shankara heavily relied on *lOkAnubhava* while explaining
*nature* of avidyA in his adhyAsa bhAshya...He never ever tried to explain
*material* cause for adhyAsa which is quite natural in our
transactions...Sri SSS is not discerning this *avidyA* which is
*naisargika* in his works...But he is up against the theories such is there
is a potent bhAvarUpa avidyA which has the locus (ashraya) in brahman &
that which is the material cause for the universe, antaHkaraNa & also for
the three types of avidyA...

what led the later advaitins particularly Padmapada,Sureshwara to different
blatantly
in the interpretation of the Shankara vedanta by thrusting a new
word"Mulavidya"etc.into the siddhanta? It is historically known and also
from the Vyakyanas that Padmapada,Sureshwara lived with Shankara
Bhagawatpada.In the Panchapadika,Padmapada pays obeisance to Shankara by
calling Shankara as the "Bhasyavittaka Guru"what was the position of
Shankara Vedanta after Shankara to make these Vyakyanakaras to differ in
such an extent as to introduce new terminologies which are not found in
Shankara Bhasyas

>  By the way, Sri SSS on most of the occasions, agrees with Sri
SureshwarAchArya & argues that he has represented the true tradition of
advaita after GaudapAda & Shankara...With regard to the issues pertaining
to padmapAda & his interpretation of sUtra bhAshya, whether the author of
paNchapAdika is the *direct* disciple of Adi shankara etc. etc. Kindly
refer Sri SSS's work *paNchapAdika prasthAnaM* or *vEdAnta prakriya
pratyabhigna*  in Sanskrit or *vEdAnta vichArada itihAsa* in Kannada.
Swamiji poses very valid objections about these issues & shows how he feels
these things are still open & not conclusive.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar