[Advaita-l] Question about Avaccheda vada

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Feb 10, 2018 at 7:58 AM, Aditya Kumar <kumaraditya22 at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Namaste,
>
> If we try to remain faithful to Shankara bhashyas, a lot of concepts seem
> alien to early Advaita Vedanta
>
> (1) The fact is that Avaccheda vada is the most preferred theory endorsed
> by Gaudapada Shankara and Vachaspati. The reflection theory cannot be found
> in original bhashyas "as we understand today".


There are several instances of reflection analogy used by Shankara. One
is:  BGB 15.7:

ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः ।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥ ७ ॥
 भाष्यम्
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=15&id=BG_C15_V07&hlBhashya=%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8B#bhashya-BG_C15_V07>
ममैव परमात्मनः नारायणस्य, अंशः भागः अवयवः एकदेशः इति अनर्थान्तरं जिवलोके
जीवानां लोके संसारे जीवभूतः कर्ता भोक्ता इति प्रसिद्धः सनातनः चिरन्तनः ;
यथा जलसूर्यकः सूर्यांशः जलनिमित्तापाये सूर्यमेव गत्वा न निवर्तते च तेनैव
आत्मना गच्छति, एवमेव ; यथा घटाद्युपाधिपरिच्छिन्नो घटाद्याकाशः आकाशांशः सन्
घटादिनिमित्तापाये आकाशं प्राप्य न निवर्तते । अतः उपपन्नम् उक्तम् ‘यद्गत्वा
न निवर्तन्ते’ (भ. गी. १५ । ६)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=15&id=BG_C15_V06&hl=%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87>
 इति ।
Here, in one place, Shankara gives both the pratibimba and avaccheda
examples to convey the same point.

ब्रह्मसूत्रभाष्यम्द्वितीयोऽध्यायःतृतीयः पादः सूत्रम् ५० - भाष्यम्

……… आभास एव च एष जीवः परस्यात्मनो जलसूर्यकादिवत्प्रतिपत्तव्यः, न स एव
साक्षात् , नापि वस्त्वन्तरम् । अतश्च………

BSB 3.2..

अत एव चोपमा सूर्यकादिवत् ॥ १८ ॥
 भाष्यम्
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/BS?page=3&id=BS_C03_S02_V18&hlBhashya=%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D#bhashya-BS_C03_S02_V18>
यत एव च अयमात्मा चैतन्यरूपो निर्विशेषो वाङ्मनसातीतः परप्रतिषेधोपदेश्यः, अत
एव च अस्योपाधिनिमित्तामपारमार्थिकीं विशेषवत्तामभिप्रेत्य
जलसूर्यकादिवदित्युपमा उपादीयते मोक्षशास्त्रेषु — ‘यथा ह्ययं ज्योतिरात्मा
विवस्वानपो भिन्ना बहुधैकोऽनुगच्छन् । उपाधिना क्रियते भेदरूपो देवः
क्षेत्रेष्वेवमजोऽयमात्मा’ इति, ‘एक एव हि भूतात्मा भूते भूते व्यवस्थितः ।
एकधा बहुधा चैव दृश्यते जलचन्द्रवत्’ (ब्र. बिं. १२) इति चैवमादिषु ॥ १८ ॥
In fact the reflection theory comes out as a favourite of Shankara very
often. The Upanishads too give this analogy often. See the Kathopanishat.



> Nonetheless confining to the topic, if we have explain Jiva ishwara and
> brahman from Avaccheda theory, we have few pointers :
> (a) The idea that ishwara is another ghata or mathakasha cannot be found
> in the original works of Gaudapada, Shankara and Vachaspati Misra.
>

If it is explicitly stated by someone, there is nothing wrong in having it
as the very idea of Ishwara as non-jiva and non-NB is quite happily
admitted by all Acharyas of all times.

vs



> (b) When we speak of Ishwara as the creator, the creatorship is imagined
> or superimposed or mistaken or as Subrahmanianji said, adhyaropa done by
> shastras. In any case, the delusion is that of jiva and Ishwara remains the
> same throughout as akarta, samsara guna vargita.
> (c) That Ishwara the creator has sattva guna as predominant - this idea
> cannot be found in prasthana traya bhashya. As indicated in another thread,
> Ishwara is without any guna vishesha or guna sambandha. Else it will be a
> samsari.
> (d) The idea that a predominant sattva guna does not veil the self is
> another concept alien to SD itself.
>
> Hence my understanding is that, by the potency of Ishwara, the true nature
> of Jiva is veiled. In this state there is jiva-ishwara, but on release
> there is no jiva-ishwara only brahman. So at no point does Ishwara sets out
> to create and hence justifiably there cannot be any guna karma association
> for ishwara whether in vyavaharika or paramarthika.
>