[Advaita-l] Whether darkness is bhava - Vivarana Prameya Samgraha of Shri Vidyaranya

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, May 8, 2019 at 3:36 PM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Sudhanshu ji
> The earlier mantras from antaryAmi brAhmaNam suffice as pramANam, i
> understand, viz.,
> B.U.3.7.13
>
> यस्तमसि तिष्ठंस्तमसोऽन्तरो यं तमो न वेद यस्य तमः शरीरं यस्तमोऽन्तरो
> यमयत्येष त आत्मान्तर्याम्यमृतः ॥ १३ ॥
>
> Notice the very next mantra is about tejas (luminosity/radiance) which is
> the counterpart of tamas (darkness).
>
> यस्तेजसि तिष्ठंस्तेजसोऽन्तरो यं तेजो न वेद यस्य तेजः शरीरं यस्तेजोऽन्तरो
> यमयत्येष त आत्मान्तर्याम्यमृत इत्यधिदैवतमथाधिभूतम् ॥ १४ ॥
>
> There seems to be no BhAshya parsing the word tamas.
>
> Does the varttika or Teekaa say anything different about tamas other than
> that it's the counterpart of Tejas which is referenced in the very next
> mantra? I have not seen them.
>

Here is Shankara's commentary summing up the adhidaivam part:

अग्नौ, अन्तरिक्षे, वायौ, दिवि, आदित्ये, दिक्षु, चन्द्रतारके, आकाशे,
यस्तमस्यावरणात्मके बाह्ये तमसि, तेजसि तद्विपरीते प्रकाशसामान्ये —
इत्येवमधिदैवतम् अन्तर्यामिविषयं दर्शनं देवतासु ।………   Shankara clearly says
that tamas, included in the list and tejas as well...constitute the
adhidaivatam and that they are all devatas.

In the scheme of Vedanta, a devata is assigned to a physical, cosmic
being.  Even in the case of adhyaatmam, that exists in the body, like sense
organs, a devataa is assigned as well. Bhagavatpada in the bhashya for the
first instance of prithvii devataa has made it clear that the antaryaami
impels the 'kaaryakarana sanghata', the inert organs, etc. of the devataa.
I think the Bhashya and the Upanishadic passages are enough pramana for the
bhaavarupatva of tamas, etc.

regards
subbu

>
> You suggested tamas here is not the devatA of darkness but the devatA of
> mRtyu. Can you please quote the reference for that?
> Om
> Raghav
>
> On Wed 8 May, 2019, 1:41 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l, <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > Hari Om Raghava ji,
> >
> > as far as vacuum is concerned, I think its depiction as 16-component
> tensor
> > is being discussed in Science also. However, darkness is different.
> > Thinking of vacuum or space as fluctuations of quantum field is not
> > challenged here. On darkness, I am not sure at all if science is even
> > discussing it. Emergence of quark and electrons from quantum field
> > fluctuations is indeed the dominant theory today.
> >
> > //we can still reasonably hold that an adhidevatA is revealed
> > by the upaniSad only for some existent entity, energy or law etc. // Any
> > pramana for this statement. That will be wonderful. If we can prove this,
> > then I think the discussion will end and I will be greatly benefited.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Sudhanshu.
> >
> > On Wed, May 8, 2019 at 7:32 AM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
> > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> >
> > > We are so accustomed to the photon (particle) model that we assume
> there
> > is
> > > nothing but emptiness or absence of matter and energy in the darkness
> and
> > > vacuum in space. These older scientific models are themselves
> challenged
> > > and contradicted by the observation of 'quantum fluctuations' -
> > > "A quantum fluctuation is the temporary appearance of energetic
> particles
> > > out of empty space, as allowed by the uncertainty principle
> > > <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle>."
> > > Even the vacuum of outer space is inherently an existent entity which
> can
> > > spontaneously create particles literally out of 'thin vacuum.'
> > >
> > > Even vacuum is thus not the mere 'absence' of matter and energy.
> > >
> > > So far it's just science. Now taking care not to arbitrarily mix
> science
> > > with Vedanta, we can still reasonably hold that an adhidevatA is
> revealed
> > > by the upaniSad only for some existent entity, energy or law etc. While
> > the
> > > different indriyas etc have devatAs who govern them there is no devatA
> > for
> > > an atyanta-abhAva entity like a shasha-shRnga.
> > >
> > > The above idea may have some relevance to the verse in brihadAraNyaka
> > where
> > > there is mention of the tama abhimAnI devatA.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue 7 May, 2019, 10:07 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l, <
> > > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > > But here tamas refers to Mrityu devata just as prithivi does not
> refer
> > to
> > > > astronomical body prithivi but to prithivi devata. Moreover, this is
> > > > adhidaivata-prakarana, then how can by the word tamas is taken the
> > > > darkness? If you take here literal meaning then you will have to take
> > > even
> > > > direction as some bhava padarth like chair and table because even
> that
> > is
> > > > enlisted. By the word dik, Ashvini Kumaras are meant and so on.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Sudhanshu.
> > > >
> > > > On Tue 7 May, 2019, 21:06 V Subrahmanian, <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Tue, May 7, 2019 at 9:03 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
> > > > > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> In the above, especially the 'outside' tamas, we have the shruti
> > > pramana
> > > > >> for 'tamas' being a bhaava padaartha like sun, moon, etc.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Hari Om V Subrahmanian ji,
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Which one exactly is Shruti Pramana for 'tamas' being a bhava
> > padarth
> > > > like
> > > > >> sun, moon?
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > > This passage of the Upanishad:
> > > > >
> > > > > …यस्तमसि तिष्ठंस्तमसोऽन्तरो यं तमो न वेद यस्य तमः शरीरं
> यस्तमोऽन्तरो
> > > > > > यमयत्येष त आत्मान्तर्याम्यमृतः ॥ १३ ॥ ………
> > > > > >
> > > > > This passage occurs amidst so many other cosmic entities in that
> > > > > braahmaNam.
> > > > >
> > > > > regards
> > > > > subbu
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Regards,
> > > > >> Sudhanshu.
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
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