[Advaita-l] Avidya as part of Sukshma Sharira: Sutra Bhashya and its glosses and Vivekachudamani

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste V Subramanian ji,

very nice write-up. Thanks.

Actually, the combination avidyA-kAma-karma is used by AchArya at several
places indicating the same as upAdhi of jIva. Following are some of the
instances:

1. अविद्याकामकर्मविशिष्टकार्यकरणोपाधिरात्मा संसारी जीव उच्यते
(BrihadAraNyak 3.8.12)
2. अयमेवाविद्याकामकर्माभिमानवान् यज्ञादिकर्म कृत्वा
अस्माल्लोकाद्धूमादिक्रमेण... (Aitareya 2.4.1)
3. स मनआख्योपाधिः जीवः अविद्याकामकर्मोपदिष्टां दिशं दिशं सुखदुःखादिलक्षणां
जाग्रत्स्वप्नयोः पतित्वा गत्वा अनुभूयेत्यर्थः... (ChhAndogya 6.8.2)

Thus, avidyA-kAma-karma are upAdhi for jIva is well-accepted in bhAshya.

However, Anandagiri mentions in ChhAndogya -- सुषुप्ते स्वरूपावस्थस्य कथं
प्रच्यवनमित्याशङ्क्याऽऽह – स्वरूपेति । *अविद्याकामकर्मणां बीजमनाद्यज्ञानं*
तस्य ब्रह्मविद्याख्येनाग्नीना न स्वापे दाहस्तन्निमित्तं सुषुप्तस्य पुनः
स्वरूपप्रच्यवनमिति सम्बन्धः ।

Here, he posits ajnAna as the bIja for avidyA-kAma-karma. So, it needs to
be ascertained as to whether the avidyA, the constituent of linga-sharIra,
is same as the ajnAna of kAraNa-sharIra, which is also known as mUlAvidyA.

Further, bhAshya does use vidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA as a set at many places.
1. यथाक्रमो भवति यादृशेन परलोकप्रतिपत्तिसाधनेन
विद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञालक्षणेन युक्तो भवतीत्यर्थः
2. तस्मात् एतत् त्रयं शाकटिकसम्भारस्थानीयं परलोकपथ्यदनं
विद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञाख्यम्
3. संसारहेतुश्च विद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञा वर्णिता
4. विद्याकर्मणी — विद्या च कर्म च विद्याकर्मणी विद्या सर्वप्रकारा विहिता
प्रतिषिद्धा च अविहिता अप्रतिषिद्धा च, तथा कर्म विहितं प्रतिषिद्धं च
अविहितमप्रतिषिद्धं च, समन्वारभेते सम्यगन्वारभेते अन्वालभेते अनुगच्छतः ;
पूर्वप्रज्ञा च — पूर्वानुभूतविषया प्रज्ञा पूर्वप्रज्ञा
अतीतकर्मफलानुभववासनेत्यर्थः

Thus, the usage of vidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA as the cause of samsAra and as
an enjoyable to jIva is accepted in bhAshya.

However, bhAshya uses avidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA as the upAdhi of jIva.

1. जीवो मुख्यप्राणसचिवः सेन्द्रियः समनस्कोऽविद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञापरिग्रहः
पूर्वदेहं विहाय देहान्तरं प्रतिपद्यत इत्येतदवगतम्
2. स प्रकृतः प्राणः, अध्यक्षे अविद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञोपाधिके विज्ञानात्मनि
अवतिष्ठते;

Thus, we may note the following:
1. avidyA-kAma-karma is undisputedly accepted by bhAshya as the upAdhi for
jIva.
2. avidyA-karma-pUrvapajnA is accepted by AchArya as the upAdhi of jIva.
3. VidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA is accepted by AchArya as samsAra-hetu, means to
attain other lokAs, enjoyables of jIva.

One cannot argue that there is error in the reading "जीवो मुख्यप्राणसचिवः
सेन्द्रियः समनस्कोऽविद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञापरिग्रहः पूर्वदेहं विहाय देहान्तरं
प्रतिपद्यत इत्येतदवगतम्" and avagraha sign should be ignored. This is so
because AchArya has clearly accepted avidyA-kAma-karma as the upAdhi for
jIva. And स प्रकृतः प्राणः, अध्यक्षे अविद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञोपाधिके
विज्ञानात्मनि अवतिष्ठते; holds avidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA as the upAdhi for
jIva. Now, both vidyA (by ignoring avagrah after अध्यक्षे)  and avidyA
cannot be upAdhi for jIva. Hence, one has to accept
avidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA as the upAdhi.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.






However, avidyA-karma-pUrvaprajnA is also used as a set. While the former
VKP is used as





On Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 10:00 AM V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Sutra bhashya2.4.6 cites a Smriti:
>
> तथा च स्मृतिः — ‘पुर्यष्टकेन लिङ्गेन प्राणाद्येन स युज्यते । तेन बद्धस्य वै
> बन्धो मोक्षो मुक्तस्य तेन च’ इति प्राङ्मोक्षात् ग्रहसंज्ञकेन बन्धनेन
> अवियोगं
>  दर्शयति ।
>
> What are the eight components of the Linga Sharira?
>
> Ratnaprabha:
>
> हस्तादिबन्धस्य प्राङ्मोक्षात्सहगतौ स्मृतिमाह -
>
>
> पुर्यष्टकेनेति ।
>
> प्राणादिपञ्चकं भूतसूक्ष्मपञ्चकं ज्ञानेन्द्रियपञ्चकं
> कर्मेन्द्रियपञ्चकमन्तःकरणचतुष्टयमविद्या कामः कर्म चेति पुर्यष्टकमात्मनो
> ज्ञापकत्वाल्लिङ्गं सति सम्भवे...
>
>
> Nyayanirnaya (Anandagiri) says:
>
>
> पुर्यष्टकं विशिनष्टि -
>
> प्राणाद्येनेति ।
>
>
> प्राणादिपञ्चकं भूतसूक्ष्मपञ्चकं कर्मेन्द्रियपञ्चकं ज्ञानेन्द्रियपञ्चकं
> मनआद्यन्तःकरणचतुष्कमविद्या कामः कर्म चेति पुर्यष्टकम् । तच्चानेनात्मा
> लिङ्ग्यते ज्ञायत इति लिङ्गम् ।
>
>
> In the Vivekachudamani we have these two verses that list what the
> components are:
>
>
> वागादिपञ्च श्रवणादिपञ्च
> प्राणादिपञ्चाभ्रमुखाणि पञ्च ।
> बुद्ध्याद्यविद्यापि च कामकर्मणी
> पुर्यष्टकं सूक्ष्मशरीरमाहुः ॥ ९८ ॥
> इदं शरीरं शृणु सूक्ष्मसंज्ञितं
> लिङ्गं त्वपञ्चीकृतभूतसम्भवम् ।
> सवासनं कर्मफलानुभावकं
>
> स्वाज्ञानतोऽनादिरुपाधिरात्मनः ॥ ९९ ॥
>
>
> The Nyayanirnaya, 13th Century, Ratnaprabha, more recent and the
> Vivekachudamani - All include Avidya too in the package of the Sukshma
> sharira.  This Avidya is the one that remains till mukti. This is what
> sustains the jivahood, bandha, and the cause for both the sthula and
> sukshma sharira and hence the kAraNa sharira.
>
>
> The Karana sharira is explained/defined in the Vivekachudamani thus:
>
>
> अव्यक्तनाम्नी परमेशशक्ति -
> रनाद्यविद्या त्रिगुणात्मिका परा ।
> कार्यानुमेया सुधियैव माया
>
> यया जगत्सर्वमिदं प्रसूयते ॥ ११० ॥
>
>
> It is called Avyakta, it is the Shakti of Brahman, it is anAdi avidya, made
> of three gunas. It has to be inferred by its effects.  It is also called
> Maya.
>
>
> Thus, we find that the Karana Sharira is also an ingredient in the Sukshma
> sharira, which alone exits the gross body when the person dies. Shankara
> has said in the above sutra bhashya that this sukshma sharira stays till
> mukti.
>
>
> It is this Avidya that Shankara accepts as part of sukshma sharira by
> citing just the smriti, is what is termed mUlAvidyA.
>
>
> In this link we have some references to the Smriti cited in the Sutra
> bhashya 2.4.6:
>
>
> https://sa.wikisource.org/s/1715
>
>
> The verse cited by Shankara is from Brahmapurana and Sananda.  BSB 3.1.1
> too says:
>
> “जीवो मुख्यप्राणसचिवः सेन्द्रियः समनस्कोऽविद्याकर्मपूर्वप्रज्ञापरिग्रहः
> पूर्वदेहं विहाय देहान्तरं प्रपद्यते.”  Here too Avidya is included by
> Shankara in the package of the sukshma sharira that exits the body.
>
>
> Sri SSS takes the reading as विद्याकर्म.... and adds a footnote saying that
> the 'avidya...' reading taken by Nyayanirnaya (Anandagiri) as basis for
> Mulaavidya is wrong as the idea is contradictory to Shankara's
> Brihadaranyaka Bhashya 4.4.1.
>
>
> However we see the Brahmapurana and other Smriti references  (Sananda cited
> by Kalluka Bhatta for the Manusmriti commentary) for the component of
> avidya being there in the sukshma sharira. Sri SSS in the footnote to BSB
> 2.4.6 says 'The source of the Smriti cited by Shankara for the eight-fold
> component of sukshma sharira is not known; it could be from Mahabharata.'
>
>
> Ratnaprabha for 3.1.1. says:
>
> अधिकरणविषयमाह -
>
> जीव इति ।
>
> अविद्या प्रसिद्धा । विद्येति पाठे उपासना ग्राह्या ।  The Avidya is well
> known. In the alternative reading 'vidya' of the Bhashya this would mean
> upasana.
>
>
> Om Tat Sat
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