[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: pratiyogI-jnAna being mandatory for abhAva-jnAna

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

>
> Namaste Raghav ji

avidyA is bhAvarUpa while avidyAkArya and Brahman are bhAva ?
>
> Kindly clarify since the kArya is being clubbed with Brahman while kAraNa
> is sadasadvilaxaNa?
>

Even the four abhAvAs are avidyA-kArya. So, avidyA-kArya are bhAva as well
as abhAva. All vyAvhArika and prAtibhAsika vastu is bhAvAtmaka-avidyA-kArya
and is within the ambit of "bhAva" in bhAva-abhAva-vilakshaNa. The four
abhAva are abhAvAtnaka-avidyA-kArya and are within the ambit of "abhAva" in
bhAva-abhAva-vilakshaNa.

avidyA is not avidyA-kArya. It is the upAdAna thereof. Hence, it is
different from both bhAva and abhAva.

Further, Brahman is taken within the ambit of bhAva and asat, within the
ambit of abhAva. This is not stated in so many words in Advaita Siddhi.
There, it focuses on difference of avidyA from bhAvAtmaka-avidyA-kArya and
abhAvAtnaka-avidyA-kArya and hence bhAva-abhAva-vilakshaNa. However, on
closer scrutiny, as we have discussed earlier in this forum, we have found
that asat is included within abhAva. And Brahman is the ultimate bhAva. So,
it has to be within the ambit of bhAva.

This is discussed in avidyA-lakshaNa-vichArah.

Some excerpt:
न च – अभावविलक्षणाविद्यादौ भावविलक्षणत्वमसम्भवि, परस्परविरोधादिति – वाच्यम्
; भावत्वाभावत्वयोर्बाधकसत्त्वेन तृतीयप्रकारत्वसिद्धौ
परस्परविरहव्यापकत्वरूपविरोधासिद्धेः, परस्परविरहव्याप्यत्वरूपस्तु विरोधो
नैकविरहेणापरमाक्षिपति ।

Objection: BhAva and abhAva are mutually contradictory. They have
mutual-virodha. Therefore, it is not possible that avidyA which is
abhAva-vilakshaNa has also bhAva-vilakshaNatA.

Answer: No. There is presence of bAdhaka in case avidyA is accepted as
having either bhAvatva or abhAvatva.

bAdhaka for bhAvatva: avidyA is stated by Shruti to be jnAna-nivartya and
vinAshI. If it were to be bhAva, then anything which is bhAva and vinAshI
has to have sAditva. [विनाशिभावः सादि:, घटवत्] However, Shruti says avidyA
to be anAdi. Hence, the rule – that vinAshI bhAva is with beginning – is
the bAdhaka for bhAvatva of avidyA.

bAdhaka for abhAvatva of avidyA: avidyA is the upAdAna of the world. abhAva
can never be upAdAna of anything. Hence, upAdAnatva is the bAdhaka for
abhAvatva of avidyA.

Therefore, avidyA is accepted to be bhAva-abhAva-vilakshaNA.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.