[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Eka-sattA-vAda vis-a-vis sattA-traividhya-vAda

[Ananta Chaitanya [Sarasvati]]

Namaste Sudhanshuji,



On Fri, Aug 9, 2024, 4:20 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Whether it is bhAshya, or texts by later AchAryAs or PurANAs or any other
> VedAntic text, we will have statements which are valid only in specific
> models such as SDV, DSV, Eka-sattA-vAda, sattA-traividhya-vAda, ajAtivAda
> etc.
>
> BhAshya statements are not in a singular model.
>
> Take for example:
> 1. वैधर्म्याच्च न स्वप्नादिवत् ॥ २९ ॥   अत्रोच्यते — न
> स्वप्नादिप्रत्ययवज्जाग्रत्प्रत्यया भवितुमर्हन्ति । कस्मात् ? वैधर्म्यात् —
> वैधर्म्यं हि भवति स्वप्नजागरितयोः ।
> 2. त्रयः स्वप्ना जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्याख्याः । ननु जागरितं
> प्रबोधरूपत्वान्न स्वप्नः । नैवम् ; स्वप्न एव ।
>
> Now, BhAshyakAra will not explicitly say that the former statement is
> valid in SDV while the latter in DSV. We are required to understand that
> these statements are valid in different model. Each model relevant for
> different adhikArI.
>

Undoubtedly so. In fact, some of the bhAShya statements work as SDV as well
as DSV. My current Acharya Swamiji talks of DSV even in Brihad where
Hiranyagarabha is mentioned as the first Jiva and the following upasAnas
talk of ahaMgraha. Your analysis here has been very pleasing to read.


> As BhAshyakAra Himself clarifies -यापि बुद्धैः अद्वैतवादिभिः जातिः देशिता
> उपदिष्टा, उपलम्भनमुपलम्भः, तस्मात् उपलब्धेरित्यर्थः । समाचारात्
> वर्णाश्रमादिधर्मसमाचरणाच्च ताभ्यां हेतुभ्याम् अस्तिवस्तुत्ववादिनाम् अस्ति
> वस्तुभाव इत्येवंवदनशीलानां *दृढाग्रहवतां श्रद्दधानां*
> *मन्दविवेकिनामर्थोपायत्वेन* सा देशिता जातिः तां गृह्णन्तु तावत् ।
> वेदान्ताभ्यासिनां तु स्वयमेव अजाद्वयात्मविषयो विवेको भविष्यतीति ;* न तु
> परमार्थबुद्ध्या* ।
>
> So, you will find that MANDUkya Upanishad will hardly talk about SDV.
> Rather it will focus on DSV and ajAtivAda.
>

The only part where i see a difference is that ajAtivAda doesn't really
contrast with DSV and SDV vAdas but with satkAryavAda (SKV), asatkAryavAda
(AKV), etc. Mandukya's prakriyA is DSV only, which refutes SKV and AKV. I'm
also convinced that using SDV, landing on brahmAtmaikya becomes very
difficult and the best of teachers have struggled to explain it, even using
kAryakAraNAnanyatva. The last step for them is only the svapna example
whereby SDV ends up as DSV! That is why some say that DSV is the view of
the jnanI, leading to saMsAramithyAtva. However, i differ that DSV is a
sAdhana and the view of the jnanI is saMsAratuchChatva.