[Advaita-l] Relationship between Brahman and avidyA

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sun, Jun 23, 2019 at 11:42 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Hari Om,
>
>
>
> //If there is nothing other than Brahman (being infiniteness) by definition
> avidya has to rest in Brahman only. If not, we have advaita haani//
>
> I am in complete agreement with you and this is the root of my problem. The
> fact that even we are even discussing something called avidya -- does it
> not ipso facto indicate -- that something has happened. Something.. no
> matter how feeble.. some vibration.. something .. otherwise what is all
> this? This is certainly not horns of hare.
>
> And if there is anything, there is contradiction with nishkriyatva of
> Brahman.
>
> The fact that there is nothing but Brahman -- and the fact that vyavaharika
> is even being discussed -- does it not indicate contradiction?
>

You have a point. But it has to be recognized that Advaita Brahman can be
taught ONLY in the background of bheda. A white dot can be recognized only
in the background of a dark surface, even though the one who has recognized
the dot discards the background. Even in the case of 'silent teaching',
there has to be a teacher and the taught. And even those who can comprehend
that silence have come to that level only from training in the ground of
dvaita. Hence alone Brahman is taught invariably as the jagatkaaraNam, only
to be later denied of kaaraNatvam. This adhyaropa-apavada is unavoidable.
Shankara, Gaudapada, et al have said that.

You can also appreciate that in the Bh.Gita, third chapter it is said: no
one remains even for a moment without doing something or the other. Yet,
the very chapter holds 'naishkarmya', non-action, to be the goal, the
svarupa of the Atman. And to bridge the gap between the two extremes, it
prescribes karma yoga. That is the only means. From apparent  dvaita to
advaita the path is only thru regulated dvaita. This can never be avoided
by anyone.

regards
subbu


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