[Advaita-l] A 'new' analogy for bhrama

[V Subrahmanian]

A 'new' analogy for bhrama

We are familiar with rope-snake, shell-silver, pillar-man/thief analogies
for the bhrama instance. In the Vishnu Puranam we have a not very popular
one:

विद्याबुद्धिरविद्यायामज्ञानात्तात जायते  ।

बालोऽग्निं किं न खद्योतमसुरेश्वर मन्यते  ॥ १,१९.४० ॥


One thinks that which is wrong to be right owing to ignorance. It is akin
to a child taking the fire-fly to be fire itself.

The above verse occurs in a dialogue spoken by Prahlada to his father
Hiranyakashipu.

Another example of this genre is in the Panchadashi of Swami Vidyaranya -
7.258:

Seeing a bush of red gunja berries from a distance one may suppose that
there is a fire, but such as imaginary fire does not affect the bush. So
the worldly duties and qualities attributed to me by others do not affect
me.  (gunjaa = manjADi in Tamil, guraganji in Kannada)

गुञ्जापुञ्जादि दह्येत नान्यारोपितवह्निना । नान्यारोपितसंसारधर्मानेवमहं
भजे ॥ २५८॥


Om Tat Sat