[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Why only jagat is mithya and jeeva is brahman !!??

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Namaste all,

I couldn't resist sharing this, especially with many silent readers of the
list, hence the mail.

Coincidentally, I came across a statement by Bhashyakara in
kenopanishadbhAshya under 1.5 yadvAcA... where he clearly explains why
Shruti uses specific words and repeats the idea in the same mantra to
categorize what exactly is brahman and everything else as *not brahman*.

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि इत्युक्तेऽपि नेदं ब्रह्म इत्यनात्मनोऽब्रह्मत्वं
पुनरुच्यते नियमार्थम् अन्यब्रह्मबुद्धिपरिसंख्यानार्थं वा ॥
tadeva brahma tvam viddhi ityukte api na idam brahma iti anAtmanaH
*abrahmatvam* punaH uchyate *niyamArtham*
*anyabrahmabuddhiparisaMkhyAnArthaM* vA. Even after saying "may you know
that alone as brahman", again (by Shruti) *abrahmatvam for non-self/ jagat*
is asserted so: "not this as brahman" for the purpose of *restriction* or
for the purpose of *exclusion of brahmabuddhi in other/ jagat*.

There cannot be any clearer words than this to say that "anything other
than upAdhirahitAtma/ adjunct-free self" =jagat is mithyA, Bhashyakara says
that the intention of the Shruti is to convey anAtmanaH abrahmatvam.

gurupAdukAbhyAm,
--Praveen R. Bhat
/* Through what should one know That owing to which all this is known!
[Br.Up. 4.5.15] */