[Advaita-l] Do not bring Sankhya into Suddha Sankara Advaita

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste
On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 11:56 AM, V Subrahmanian
<v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>wrote:

> On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 10:41 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Namaste
> >
> > Sankara Vedanta is saying Avidya is natural for men. Naisargika.
>
>
> In the Br.Up. 1.4.10 bhashya Shankara establishes avidyA for Brahman (not
> jIva).
>
>
> Avidyaa is subjective. It is there only for person having Adhyaasa.
Sankara Bhashya 4 -1 - 3 is saying Kasya Punarayam Aprabodhaha ? Iti Cet
Yastvam Prucchasi Tasya Te Iti Vadaamaha. Nanu Aham Ishwara Evoktaha
Shrutyaa. Yadyevam prati Buddho'si Naasti Kasyacid Aprabodhaha.
'Objection - To Whom does this non-waking belong?
Answer - We reply 'To You who ask this question!'
Objection -  But Sruti teaches that I am Ishwara Himself.
Answer - If you are thus awakened Then non-waking belongs to none!' SSS
Swamijis book Sankara Vedanta Meemamsa Bhashya Page 73.

This is proving Adi Sankara is thinking Avidyaa is Subjective. There is no
Avidyaa outside mind of person having Adhyaasa. The Avidyaa means
Miconception or Wrong Knowledge.Theory of Avidyaa by Post Sankara authors
is not necessary.

Page 46 Essays on Vedanta -

'That Sankara has not formulated any 'Doctrine of Avidya' to explain
something but has merely drawn our attention to the natural tendency of the
human mind has been made abundantly clear by citing his express statements.
That Gaudapada is equally innocent of any such doctrine and that he is
merely concerned with inviting the attention of the enquirers to the
undeniable Non dual Being and Consciousness or Atman of the Upanishads will
be clear from the following -

Anyathaa Grunhataha Svapno Nidraa Tattwamajaanataha |
Viparyase Tayoho Ksheene Tureeyam Padam Ashnute || GK 1 - 15

'Dream appertains to him who takes Reality to be otherwise and sleep to him
who knows not Reality; when the Misconception of both these is removed one
attains the fourth abode'.


> In the recent meet at Bangalore it was clarified that the above is the
> shAstrakRta kalpanA for adhyAropa-apavAda purpose and not jIvakRta
> kalpanaa.
>

For understanding the above statement we have to know what is Jeeva? This
Jeeva is also Avidyaa Kalpita. The person with natural Adhyaasa has
Misconception like this. I am having a body. I think I am this body. He has
imagined some other persons or some Sastra books. They will tell him No you
are not body but you are transmigrating Soul called as Jeeva. Then he will
start thinking I am Jeeva. His Jeeva-tva is also imagined by him.


> What is paratantra satya is no different from the rope-snake.  The
> superimposed snake is said to 'exist' only on the basis of the
> existence/reality of the rope.  No one can give a non rope-snake example
> for the concept of  paratantra satya.  For, just like the rope is the
> sattAprada for the superimposed snake, Brahman is the sattAprada for the
> mAyA (and through it, to the entire world/jivas) which is a dependent
> tattva.  Any paratantrasatya entity is devoid of its own
> reality/existence:  'sva sattA shUnyatve sati anyasattA-adhInasattAkatvam
> paratantra satyatvam' is the comprehensive, crisp definition for the
> paratantra satyatvam.
>
Good definition. But why this Theory? The Snake in Rope is a Misconception
of a person A. The Snake is Subjective. It is only for that person A.
Another person B can see the Rope. If person A with Misconception will
explain  Theory of Illusion to B and say the Snake is made of Avidyaa
material and the material is Not Sat Not Asat the second person B will
laugh.


>
> All systems admit only a dependent reality for the world/jivas.  It is only
> advaita that explicitly says they are mithyA.  The others do not say this
> for fear of becoming non-different from Advaita.
>
Adi Sankara and Gaudapada will say the dependent reality is a Misconception
in the mind of the Person with that Avidyaa.


>
> regards
> subrahmanian.v
>
>
> --
Regards

-Venkatesh