[Advaita-l] On the nature of muula avidya

[Raghav Kumar]

Namaste

Darkness is bhAvarUpa (a positive entity) , is the view of the tradition.
But for most people, to understand this view takes time. Part of the
problem is the translation of the word "tamas" as "darkness". Since
science indicates that presence of photons is "light" and absence of
photons is "darkness". Therefore darkness is taken to be abhAva-rUpa.

Firstly, however, the *experience* of darkness, which does produce a
pramA (knowledge) of "I can't see any objects", is still a positive
entity. The shAstra way of looking at it would be that , when there
are objects in front of the functioning eyes, pramA (knowledge) has
to, by default, take place. The fact that, it (pramA) of the objects
is not taking place implies that there is an obstacle or covering (an
Avaraka) which is obstructing knowledge of specific objects from
taking place, i.e., the vRtti in the antaH-karaNam is not occurring
due to an existent obstacle. Thus darkness ( that existent obstacle)
is accounted for as a positive entity. Not only that, this positive
entity is also grasped and known as a vRtti "Darkness is; that is why
I don't see any objects", through the anupalabdhi pramANa, which is
considered a means of valid knowledge, by most vedantins.

The bRhadAraNyaka upaniShad antaryAmi brAhmaNa (3.7.4-14) also lists
various entities such as Apa (water), agni (fire), tejas (light), and
in the same vein lists tamas (darkness) too, indicating its positive
existent nature as an entity.

yo'apsu tiShThann-adbhyo' antaro yamApo na vidur-yasyApaH sharIram
yo'apAntaro yamayatyeSha ta AtmAntaryamyamRtaH
(That which dwells in water and is within water, which is not known by
water, whose body is water, and which governs water being within it,
that is Atman which is the antaryAmi, the "inner controller", that is
immortal) Br.Up.3.7.4

yastamasi tiShThan-stamaso'ntaro yam tamo na veda yasya tamaH sharIram
yastamo'antaro yamayatyeSha ta AtmAntaryAmyamRtaH
(That which dwells in tamas (darkness) and is within darkness, which
is not known by darkness, whose body is darkness, and which governs
darkness being within it, that is Atman which is the antaryAmi, the
"inner controller", that is immortal) Br.Up.3.7.13

yastejasi tiShThan-stejaso'ntaro yam tejo na veda yasya tejaH sharIram
yastejaso'antaro yamayatyeSha ta AtmAntaryAmyamRtaH
(That which dwells in light and is within light, which is not known by
light, whose body is light, and which governs light being within it,
that is Atman which is the antaryAmi, the "inner controller", that is
immortal) Br.Up.3.7.14

The idea of tamas (darkness) being an existent entity is quite
important since it is connected with the nature of avidya
(self-ignorance.) Even there the word "ignorance" conjures up the
wrong idea that it is merely the absence of knowledge.Once again, the
corrrect idea that avidya is a positive something that obstructs
knowledge which should have otherwise been there, is lost in
translation, unless we are careful, it seems....

Om
Raghav



"


On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 3:41 PM, V Subrahmanian
<v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 2:09 PM, Anand Hudli <anandhudli at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Even in darkness, there is no experience of "nothing" but an
>> experience of "something". This "something" gives rise to the notion,
>> " I do not see anything". Hence, even this Darkness is "bhAvarUpa"
>> like the mUlAvidyA that our AchAryas have described.
>>
>
> Namaste.
>
> A few years ago a scholar in Sringeri told me that a certain person (name
> withheld) has been propagating among his followers the misconceived idea
> that 'tamas' (darkness) is 'tejo'bhAvaH' *तेजोऽभावः *(absence of light) and
> that such is not the view of the traditional Acharyas.  I am reminded of
> that when I read your above clarification.
>
> Regards,
> subrahmanian.v
>
>>
>> chitsukha in his tattvapradipika shows that the ajnAna defined thus
>> has a basis in shruti:
>>
>> tama AsIt.h, mAyAM tu prakR^itiM vidyAdityAdyAgamopi tatra pramANam.h | na
>> cha tamaH shabdena jnAnAbhAvaH kathyate | nAsadAsItyabhAvaM vyAvartya tama
>> AsIditi pratipAdanAt.h |
>>
>> The shruti statements, "Darkness was" (Rig Veda nAsadIya sUkta), and "mAyA
>> is understood to be prakR^iti (nature)" (shvetAshvatara upaniShad), also
>> affirm that ajnAna (as bhAvarUpa). By the word "darkness", an absence of
>> knowledge is not stated because (the shruti) excludes (such an) absence by
>> declaring "Non-existence (asat) was not there" and "Darkness was."
>>
>> It is apt that we are discussing Darkness and Light during this
>> festive season of lights.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Anand
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