[Advaita-l] Gaudapada and Shankara hold the waking objects to be mithya

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste V Subramanian ji.

How do you explain this shloka:

तुच्छानिर्वचनीया च वास्तवी चेत्यसौ त्रिधा।
ज्ञेया माया त्रिभिर्बोधैः श्रौतयौक्तिकलौकिकैः॥

It says that as per Shruti, MAyA is tuchchA i.e. क्वचिदप्युपाधौ सत्त्वेन
प्रतीयमानत्वानधिकरणत्वम्. It is only as per logic that MAyA is stated to be
anirvachanIya i.e. mithyA i.e. something different from asat and sat i.e.
non-existent in all three period of time in the locus where it appears to
exist.

As per Shruti, MAyA is tuchchA i.e. ineligible to even appear as existing
in any locus.

I think if Brahman is the sole reality, there is no option but to hold
MAyA/avidyA as tuchchA. If mithyAtva of avidyA does not violate advaita,
then what is the need to posit its tuchchatva?

Or should we say: tuchchatva of avidyA is from the frame of reference of
Brahman AND mithyAtva of avidyA is from the frame of reference of avidyA.
And mithyAtva of avidyA is not contradictory to advaita as tuchchatva and
mithyAtva have non-existence in common?

Regards.



On Thu, Jul 27, 2023 at 9:46 AM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, Jul 27, 2023 at 7:47 AM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Namaste.
>>
>> The problem is - how can a completely non-existent thing appear to exist
>> even in the middle.
>>
>> Tuchchha and mithyA are both non-existent. While the former does not even
>> appear to exist, the latter appears to exist.
>>
>> But how can something which is non-existent in past, present and future
>> can
>> even appear to exist?
>>
>
> Namaste
>
> न हि दृष्टे अनुपपन्नं नाम |  When something is so glaringly experienced,
> there is nothing unreasonable about it.
>
> The stock example is: the experiencing of the unreal snake during a
> bhrama.  The snake there is not in that locus rope during all three periods
> of time.  Yet it is experienced by the one who is under the
> spell/delusion.  Shankara says in the opening lines of the Sridakshinamurti
> stotram:  पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया:  a person
> perceives/experiences the world within him just like one would experience a
> dream. In a dream one experiences all as though it is 'outside' him, the
> waking. Yet upon waking one would realize that they were never 'outside',
> were inside alone but gave the feeling of outside.   The dream
> objects/events are not there, they did no happen at all, during all three
> periods of time. Yet one experiences them.  However, upon questioning, he
> realizes their non-existence during all periods of time.  This is the
> vaibhava of maya/avidya: Shankara said: अघटितघटनापटीयसी माया Maya is that
> inscrutable power that is an expert in displaying something that is
> impossible.
>
> regards
> subbu
>
>>
>>
>>

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