[Advaita-l] [advaitin] A kilogram of darkness please

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste.

//The confusion isn't inherent in Shankara's writings but rather in how his
nuanced treatment of darkness is interpreted. He uses darkness both as a
metaphor for ignorance and as an empirically perceptible phenomenon in the
world of duality, but he does not treat it as a literal physical entity in
the way we understand physical substances.//

There is no confusion. Darkness is clearly stated as bhAva in Shankara's
bhAshya.

Without prejudice to the above, whether or not Shankara treated darkness as
a literal physical entity has no bearing on the conclusion that darkness is
indeed bhAva and not abhAva. This is so because bhAvatva of darkness is
proved through pramANa and its abhAvatva is rejected through logic.

Further, even if one holds that Shankara has not stated darkness as bhAva,
he should also hold that bhAvatva of darkness is not denied by Him either.

So, when bhAvatva of darkness is proved through anumAna and abhAvatva is
negated through yukti - where is the problem in accepting bhAvatva of
darkness.

Regarding one kg of darkness -- I would give that certainly, but in lieu of
that, please, one kg of space. No? Ok. One kg of electric field please. No?
One kg of magnetic field!!!

Being bhAva does not mean measurability in kgs.

Regards.

Sudhanshu Shekhar.