[Advaita-l] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 31

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
We should bear in mind that the medium in
the case of Isavara is samashTi (total) and is
vyashTi for the individual or Jiva. The samashTi
upaadhi is unsullied in nature and so Isvara
has control over mAyA . The vyashTi upaadhi
has raajasic and taamasic aspects on the sattvam
(malina sattvam) and so Jiva has no control
over mAyA. With the introduction of a
reflecting medium, it is clear that the
pratibimba caitanyam may not have all the
qualities of the bimba caitanyam since the
impurities or ignorance of the medium can not
reveal the true nature of Brahman or sarvagata
caitanyam. With the above discussion in mind,
if we look at the slokas given above,
 
 sthUlasharIrAbhimAnI jIvanAmakaM brahmapratibimbaM bhavati .
 
That is, jiva who identifies with the
sthUlaSareeram etc. is the pratibimbam or
reflection.
 
If it is the reflection, what is the medium of
reflection? It is avdyA and so we have to add,
avidyAyAM to brahmapratibimbaM bhavati .
 
 sa eva jIvaH prakR^ityA svasmAt IshvaraM bhinnatvena jAnAti .
 
That very entity is jiva, which by nature, un-
derstands Isvara as different from itself.
But really speaking, what is jiva?
 
It is AtmA eva - Atman only, but reflected in
the mirror of avidyA - avidyopAdhi.
 
Similarly,
 
 mAyopAdhiH san Ishvara ityuchyate .
 
We have to add:
 
 mAyopAdhiH san *AtmA* Ishvara ityuchyate .
 
Because of the reflecting medium of mAyA,
Atman, the pure caitayam is called Isvara.
So, the author reiterates that,
 
 evaM upAdhibhedAt jIveshvarabhedadR^iShTiH yAvatparyanta.n tiShThati
 tAvatparyanta.n janmamaraNAdirUpasa.nsAro na nivartate .
 
So long as the notion that the jiva and isvara are
different - which is due to the difference in the me-
dium - remains, until then, there is no relief from
'samsaara' which is of the form of repeated birth
and deaths etc.
 
yAvatparyanta.n , As long as,
 
jIveshvarabhedadR^iShTiH the vision of difference between
jiva and isvara.
 
Caused by what?
 
evaM upAdhibhedAt tiShThati remains, merely due to
difference in reflecting medium.
 
tAvatparyanta.n so long,
 
sa.nsAro na nivartate. Problems of samsAra will never
go away.
 
What is the nature of samsAra?
 
janmamaraNAdirUpaH births, deaths and all associated ills.
 
 tasmAtkAraNAnna jIveshvarayorbhedabuddhiH svIkAryA .
 
For that reason, the notion that jiva is different
from isvara should not be accepted.
 
tasmAtkAraNAt.h for that reason
 
jIveshvarayorbhedabuddhiH the notion of difference
between jiva and isvara
 
na svIkAryA one should not accept.
 
 
(Continued in next post)