[Advaita-l] Fwd: Timira and kAcha of the eye - treatable - Shankara's Bh.Gita Bhashya

[V Subrahmanian]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, May 9, 2021 at 1:48 PM
Subject: Timira and kAcha of the eye - treatable - Shankara's Bh.Gita
Bhashya
To: BHARATIYA VIDVAT <bvparishat at googlegroups.com>


In the Bhagavadgita Bhashya for 13.2, Shankara gives an analogy for the
basic enveloping avidya:   तामसे च आवरणात्मके तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः
अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः ॥   When the taamasic enveloping defects such as
'timira and kaacha' are present, the effects such as completely not
perceiving (an object), doubting the identity of the object and mistaking
the object for something else.  These are respectively agrahana, samshaya
and viparita grahana.    Further, Shankara says:  न विपरीतादिग्रहणं
तन्निमित्तं वा तैमिरिकत्वादिदोषः ग्रहीतुः, चक्षुषः संस्कारेण तिमिरे अपनीते
ग्रहीतुः अदर्शनात् न ग्रहीतुर्धर्मः यथा  - neither the basic defect nor
their effects (three mentioned above) belong to the person since, when the
basic defect is remedied by appropriate treatment, it is seen that they do
not belong to the person nor is it the property/attribute of the perceiving
person. They, therefore, belong to the organ.

 What is interesting here is Shankara talking about the remedy to this
eye-defect.  The words Timira and the addition kAcha by Anandagiri, are
given almost the same meaning in the standard dictionaries:  Blindness;
तेजोमयं तिमिरदोषहतं हि चक्षुः Rāj. T.४.३१४.  (Apte).  २ Gutta serena, total
blindness from affection of the optic nerve. (Wilson). तिमिर n. darkness of
the eyes, partial blindness (a class of morbid affections of the coats
[पटल] of the eye), Suśr. i, iii, v f.; Aṣṭāṅg. vi, १३; Rājat. iv, ३१४
(Monier Williams) And KAcha: a class of diseases of the eye (especially an
affection of the optic nerve or gutta serena), Suśr. (Monier Williams).

In any case they appear to be distinct diseases of the eye and that during
Shankara's time were treatable.  This could be of interest to Ayurveda
people.  They could come up with the methods of treating these defects like
even surgery.  Will anyone give inputs from the Ayurvedic texts?

Thanks.
subrahmanian.v