[Advaita-l] Shankara and Sureshwara accept Ajnana to be located and presided over by a deity

[V Subrahmanian]

In Br.Up. Bhashyam 2.1.12 yet another interesting observation:

Mantra:   स होवाच गार्ग्यो य एवायं छायामयः पुरुष एतमेवाहं ब्रह्मोपास इति स
होवाचाजातशत्रुर्मा मैतस्मिन्संवदिष्ठा मृत्युरिति वा अहमेतमुपास इति स य
एतमेवमुपास्ते सर्वं हैवास्मिंल्लोक आयुरेति नैनं पुरा कालान्मृत्युरागच्छति ॥
१२ ॥

Translation:    12.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who consists of
shadow, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do
not talk about him. I meditate upon him as death."  Whosoever thus
meditates upon him reaches his full age on this  earth and death does not
overtake him before the completion of  that time.

In the Bhashyam Shankara says:
छायायां बाह्ये तमसि *अध्यात्मं च आवरणात्मकेऽज्ञाने हृदि च एका देवता*, तस्या
विशेषणम् — मृत्युः ; फलं सर्वं पूर्ववत् , मृत्योरनागमनेन रोगादिपीडाभावो
विशेषः ॥
Baahya tamas (extermal tamas)  is darkness.  *And in the Ajnana, that is
deluding/enveloping, located in the mind, there is one Devataa.   Shankara
is accepting Ajnana too to be a physical entity that has the mind for its
locus.  *
What is notable is that even though the mantra does not speak of the Ajnana
of a person, Shankara deems it fit to mention that and as having a
presiding deity.  This is yet another very strong evidence for the
bhaavarUpatva of ajnana as per Shankara.
Sureshwaracharya too, endorses the above in the Vartika 2.1.79:

छायामये तथाऽज्ञाने बुद्धौ चैकैव देवता ।।
मृत्युकालात्पुरा नास्य व्याधिरप्युपसर्पति ।। ७९ ।।
In the Ajnana that resides in the intellect, there is One Deity that
presides over (antaryami)
That proves beyond doubt that the Shruti, Shankara and Sureshwara - all
hold Ajnana to be a material, bhAvarUpa entity.  If such were not the case
there would not be the mention of an Antaryami and a locus for Ajnana.
Om Tat Sat





The Bh.Gita 13th chapter holds iccha, dvesha, sukham, duhkham, etc. to be
kshetram, prakriti.  Thus the contents of the mind, though not contactable
by the organs, but admitted to be sakshi vedyam, are also treated as
kshetram, product of prakriti.  The antahkaranam is admitted to be a
product of the pancha bhutas, apanchikrita, sattvamsha samashthi.  There is
the famous Br.Up. 1.5.3 mantra: कामः सङ्कल्पो विचिकित्सा श्रद्धाश्रद्धा
धृतिरधृतिर्ह्रीर्धीर्भीरित्येतत्सर्वं मन एव - all contents of the mind are
grouped as manas itself.  Vritti-Vrittimatorabhedah.