[Advaita-l] Question on clarification on these terms

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

Dear Shri Jaldhar ji and learned members, Pranaams!

This is my humble attempt to respond to Shri Manas Bharadwaaj ji's message
seeking clarification of some terms. It is submitted for my own edification,
with a request to correct where yours truly have erred. 


 Maya: Illusion. In BS, Maya is used to characterize the dream state but not
to refer to the manifest world. Generally used to explain the multiplicity of
appearances of the One. Ya ma sa maayaa: That which is not (but appears to be
so) is called maayaa.

 

Ajana and avidya are used interchangeably. A pāribhashika shabda that means
'adyaasa' (misapprehension or incorrect apprehension). Mistaking one thing
for another.  Quite simply, it means superimposition. Essentially, it is a
prenatal disposition to err on one hand and mis/non-apprehension on the
other.  This is according to Sri Shankaracharya's view--shuddha advaita.

 

In Adhyaasa Bhashya, Sri Shankara distills the essence of adyaasa as the
tendency in the form of: aham idam, mamidam iti..."I am this"
(body/mind/senses complex) and "this is mine." This is our natural tendency,
experienced as such in our day to day interactions (naisargika
lokavayvahaara). The only way to remove this adhyaasa is to attain
Brahmajnana, the knowledge that I am the eternal, unchanging Witnessing
Consciousness (nitya-kutastha-chaitanya svarupa) and not the changing
body-mind-senses complex i take myself to be--due to the cognitive error
called advidya or adyaasa.

 

This can only be attained by self-knowledge, blessed by Ishvara-anugraha,
received by sitting at the feet of a teacher who is shrotriyam and
Brahmanishtham (BG 4.34 and Mun Up. 1.2.12--तद्विज्ञानार्थं स
गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् )

 

The idea of avidya as a cosmic force or principle that causes the phenomenal
world to appear, is most probably a post-Shankarite construct. Interestingly,
the word 'avidya' is not found in the Upanishads, BS, and BG. Nevertheless,
the idea of avidya is implicit throughout the entire parasthaana traya,
including other systems of Indian philosophy.

 

The idea of avidya (nescience) lies at the root of samsaara--the inveterate
cycle of births and deaths. It arises due to our failure to discern between
the real and the unreal, sat and asat. The word avidya or ajana is used to
refer to self-ignorance which is the cause of human bondage.

 

The supreme purpose of life is to attain Brahnajnana--that I am non-different
from the the Absolute Reality: Brahmajnana eva param purushartha praapatti.
Hence, Brahma jijnaasa kartavyam: Athao Brahma jijnaasa.

 

The only obstacle (vyavadhaana) to Brahmajnana is mithyaa-jnana: adhyaasa.
Attaining Brahmajnana is not an acquisition of something new. It is
re-cognition of an ever-existent awareness that was previously erroneously
perceived.

 

That is why attaining Brahmajnana is spoken as "iva," as though. As mother
Sruti points out in mantras such as…‘यत्र हि द्वैतमिव भवति’ (बृहदारण्यक २.४.१४,
४.५.१५). For, moksha is nityavaat, ever-existent, and is the very nature of
the spiritual aspirant (nityavaat mokshasya saadhaka svarupa vyetirekshca).

 

It is the attainment of the ever-attained: praptasya praapati. The whole
process takes place within the adhayaropa-apavaad methodology.

 

The journey is from aham-idam to aham-sarvam. From I am this (body etc.) to I
am limitless. Satyam, jnanam anantam Brahma: The satyam and jnanam part is
obvious (I exist and i know i exist). Vedanta is not needed for this common,
universal experience. We study Vedanta to realize our anantam svarupa.

 

Mithya: That which is dependently real. That which has borrowed existence.
Sat-asat vilakshanam: distinct from existence and non-existence. It is not
sat because it is dependently existent. It is not asat because it is
experienced.

 

Gaudapadacharya in MK states anityatvaat mithyaa: that which is impermanent
is mithyaa. Shankara's commentary 2.5 goes deeper: दृश्यत्वात् मिथ्या: Unreal
because it is perceived. The whole phenomenal world comes in this category.
It is experienced but not really real; it is only dependently real—dependent
upon the perception of a conscious being.

 

Srigurucharansarojarajaratah…

 

sd

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