[Advaita-l] The concept of "bhAvarUpa" in shAnkara bhAShyam

[Bhaskar YR]

Followers of the vivaraṇam  tradition often quote texts like GK 1.2 
bhāshyam  as a basis for their view that the only way to explain the 
memory "I did not know anything in deep sleep", is recourse to this 
bhāva-rūpa avidyā [eg vivaraṇam  p74-76 pratyaksham tāvat 
"ahamajñah...etc, Citsukha in TP p99 "Further, experience in dreamless 
sleep attested by the reflection afterwards "I knew nothing", is another 
proof of positive ignorance"].  However, Suresvara declares clearly that 
"I do not know" is not a real cognition of a memory but is just a false 
notion [ na suṣuptigavijñānam nājñāsiṣam iti smritih BUBV 1.4.300].
Further, the word bījam is taken in the vivaraṇam  tradition as a basis 
for postulating such a bhāva-rūpa avidyā. However the simple false notion 
of not knowing atman is what is defined as this bījam  in Shankara's 
tradition as explained by Suresvara [ajñātāmaika-samsiddha bījāvastham 
idam jagat BUBV 1.4.191], ajñātam brahma khalu sabījam brahmocyate [MRV 
Sanskrit commentary on GK 1.2, page 72]. 

praNAms Sri Subhanu prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Thanks again for bringing this point from vArtika prasthAna. It is in 
every one's anubhava that I had a sound sleep & I did not know 
anything...Here shankara explains, why we dont have 'vishesha darshana' in 
sushupti, it is because of 'ekeebhUtaM'.  Shankara further explains the 
absence of karaNa-s is the reason for not seeing the 'vishesha' and 
whatever is there in sushupti is 'ekaM'.  sushupti kAle cha pareNa 
brahmaNA jeevaH ekatAM gacchati, tattra sati sampannastAvat  tat ekatvAt 
na vijAnAteeti yuktaM clarifies shankara in sUtra bhAshya.  Sri SSS in his 
independent grantha 'avasthAtraya chandrikA' explains this beautifully. 
Further in bruhadAraNyaka shankara without any ambiguity explains why we 
dont have vishesha darshana in sushupti :  tena na pruthaktvena 
vyavasthitAni karaNAni vishayAscha, tadabhAvAt vishesha darshanaM nAsti. 
Now, the objector may ask the question, it is OK, we agree that there is 
no 'vishesha' jnAna in sushupti due to absence of 'karaNa' and jeeva is 
ekeebhUta with brahma, but why we dont have 'svarUpa' jnAna in sushupti?? 
since you are arguing that in sushupti jeeva becomes brahman, atleast 
jeeva should have his/her 'svarUpa' jnAna if not , vishesha jnAna.  For 
this answer that shankara gives in chAdOgya is : jeeva is one with brahma 
not like 'water in drenched cloth' jeeva has become one with brahma like 
essence of flower in honey...shankara jokingly says one cannot sit on his 
own shoulder, to know the one's own svarUpa in sushpti.  There is an 
absence of the kriya i.e. knowing but there is no absence of the jnAtru 
there, in this state 'the knower'  does not have anything to 'know' since 
he is 'ekaM' there.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar