[Advaita-l] Shankara accepts BhAvarUpa ajnana BSB 4.1.15

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste V Subramanian ji,

1. This whole discussion of BSB 4.1.15 is valid only in
srishTi-drishTi-vAda. In drishTi-srishTi-vAda, which is the
mukhya-VedAnta-siddhAnta, prArabdha is not accepted to continue. There is
only one jIva and there can be no avidyA-lesha or bAdhita anuvritti post
cessation of ajnAna by jnAna.

2. Having said that, it no way contradicts bhAvarUpa-tva of ajnAna.

3. //the bAdhita or bAdhayogya mithyajnAna is not any abhAva but a bhAvarUpa
(akin to an existent).//

BhAvarUpa is not akin to an existent. It is as non-existent as horns of
hare. It merely appears to exist whereas abhAva does not appear to exist.

traikAlika-nishedha-pratiyogitvam implies utter non-existence of ajnAna.
Thus, bhAvarUpa is not akin to existent. It is non-existent.

4. The bhAvarUpatva of ajnAna is established by the fact that it is
sAkshi-bhAsya. It is neither sat nor asat.

However, existentially, it is same as asat. It is non-existent.

Regards.

On Wed, 30 Aug, 2023, 1:25 pm V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> In this Bhashya which is about the sanchita punya/paapa karmas alone being
> dispelled by Atmajnana leaving out the prarabdha karma for being worked
> out, Shankara says:
>
> The Atmajnana destroys karma by sublating/negating mithyAjnAna.  And goes
> on to demonstrate that even though the mithyAjnAna has been sublated, it
> will continue for some time akin to the perception of two-moon phenomenon,
> owing to samskara.  Also, it is beyond questioning whether the Jnani will
> continue to be in the body for some time or not.  How indeed can one
> question the experience of a Jnani who has the firm conviction that he is
> Brahman and at the same time is in the body? This (being an aparoksha jnani
> and still being alive) alone is spoken of as sthita prajna lakshana in the
> shruti and smritis. Hence the conclusion of the Shastra, Sutra, is that
> only the sanchita karma (both merit and otherwise) undergoes destruction
> due to Jnana:
>
>
> उच्यते — न तावदनाश्रित्य आरब्धकार्यं कर्माशयं ज्ञानोत्पत्तिरुपपद्यते ।
> आश्रिते च तस्मिन्कुलालचक्रवत्प्रवृत्तवेगस्य अन्तराले प्रतिबन्धासम्भवात्
> भवति वेगक्षयप्रतिपालनम् । अकर्त्रात्मबोधोऽपि हि *मिथ्याज्ञानबाधनेन*
> कर्माण्युच्छिनत्ति ।
> *बाधितमपि तु मिथ्याज्ञानं द्विचन्द्रज्ञानवत्संस्कारवशात्कंचित्कालमनुवर्तत
> एव । अपि च नैवात्र विवदितव्यम् —* ब्रह्मविदा कञ्चित्कालं शरीरं ध्रियते न वा
> ध्रियत इति । कथं हि एकस्य स्वहृदयप्रत्ययं ब्रह्मवेदनं देहधारणं च अपरेण
> प्रतिक्षेप्तुं शक्येत ? श्रुतिस्मृतिषु च स्थितप्रज्ञलक्षणनिर्देशेन एतदेव
> निरुच्यते । तस्मादनारब्धकार्ययोरेव सुकृतदुष्कृतयोर्विद्यासामर्थ्यात्क्षय
> इति निर्णयः ॥ १५ ॥
>
> From the expression 'mithyAjnAnabAdha' it is beyond dispute that Shankara
> is accepting an ajnAna that is subject to bAdha,
> negation/sublation/falsification by Jnana.  It is like the superimposed
> rope that undergoes bAdha due to the rope-knowledge.  Shankara has stated
> in many places that there is the bAdha of the adhyasta.
> It is JnAnanivartya ajnAna according to Shankara. This is further
> strengthened by his usage of the term 'samskaravashAt' to mean that the
> ajnAna, even though falsified, will continue for some time due to the
> samskAra, the pattern that has formed before (jnAna) that sustains the rest
> of the Jnani's embodied life. An abhAva cannot 'continue' for some time.
>
> It is worth noting that this term 'samskara' of Shankara alone has been
> commented as 'avidyAlesha' by the Ratnaprabha.  From this we conclude that
> the bAdhita or bAdhayogya mithyajnAna is not any abhAva but a bhAvarUpa
> (akin to an existent).
>
> It is on this basis that Advaita accepts the superimposed object to be of
> the nature of anirvachaniya, sat-asat-vilakshana.  The above mithyAjnAna is
> of this type since the usage of the term jnAna-bAdhita by Shankara.
>
> Om Tat Sat
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