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

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste,
Br Up. 3.9.14 and its bhAShya is also relevant.

तम एव यस्यायतनं हृदयं लोको मनोज्योतिर्यो वै तं पुरुषं विद्यात्सर्वस्यात्मनः
परायणं स वै वेदिता स्यात् । याज्ञवल्क्य वेद वा अहं तं पुरुषं सर्वस्यात्मनः
परायणं यमात्थ य एवायं छायामयः पुरुषः स एष वदैव शाकल्य तस्य का देवतेति
मृत्युरिति होवाच ॥ १४ ॥

bhAShya:
*तम एव यस्यायतनम् । तम इति शार्वराद्यन्धकारः परिगृह्यते ; *अध्यात्मं
छायामयः अज्ञानमयः पुरुषः ; *तस्य का देवतेति — मृत्युरिति होवाच *;
मृत्युरधिदैवतं तस्य निष्पत्तिकारणम् ॥
Surely, if 'tamah' is being described as the abode of a deity, surely the
abode has to be an existent entity?
To further clarify, the bhAShya says that by tamah, the darkness of the
night, etc. is meant.
And to make the distinction between the deity and his abode even more
explicit, the bhAShya says  - तस्य का देवतेति — मृत्युरिति होवाच - what is
its deity, Death, it is said.
Elsewhere, in the bhAShya for brihadAraNyaka mantra 6.2.11, shankarAchArya
makes an interesting comment in relation to night's darkness. He says:
रात्रिः अर्चिः, समित्सम्बन्धप्रभवसामान्यात् ; अग्नेः समित्सम्बन्धेन हि
अर्चिः सम्भवति, तथा पृथिवीसमित्सम्बन्धेन शर्वरी ; *पृथिवीछायां हि शार्वरं
तम आचक्षते *।
Night is the flame, because both originate from the contact with fuel. The
context of fire with fuel produces the flame, similarly the contact with
the earth (described as fire in this mantra) produces night. The shadow of
the earth is called the darkness of the night.
Swami Gambhirananda adds a footnote to the last line - "Which is caused by
a part of the earth blocking the sun's rays".
Again, darkness referred to as an existent entity (the earth's shadow), not
absence.
The Anandagiri TIkA to this verse quotes from the aitareya brAhmaNa एतानि
हीन्द्रं रात्रेस्तमसो मृत्योर्बिभ्यतमत्यपारयन् (Ai. Br. 4.5) and मृत्युर्वै
तमश्छाया तेनैव तज्ज्योतिषा मृत्युं तमश्छायां तरति (Ai. Br. 7.12) and says
that this is a pramANa for the darkness of the night being the earth's
shadow is known from them (रात्रेस्तमसत्वावगमात्तस्य च...भूछायात्वं
श्रुतम्).
He also quotes the following verse from the linga purANa (61.30) to say
that the abode of rAhu is darkness, and it is well known that it is the
earth's shadow  (तमो राहुस्थानं तच्च भूछायेति प्रसिद्धं)
उद्धृत्य पृथिवीछायां निर्मितं मंडलाकृतिम्।।
स्वर्भानोस्तु बृहत्स्थानं तृतीयं यत्तमोमयम्।।
The abode of rAhu is filled with darkness and is the third in size because
it evolved from the circular shadow of the earth.

Thus shruti, smriti, bhAShya and TIkA all say that darkness is a positive
entity.

Kind regards
Venkatraghavan