[Advaita-l] [advaitin] The Upanishad and Shankara hold 'tamas' darkness, to be a 'thing.'

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste Sudhanshu Ji,

Reg  // If you see here, tamas is presented as an object of pratyaksha like
a ghaTa //,

All it means is that cognizance of tamas comes under the category of
pratyaksha, just like with ghaTa. But nothing more need be read into the
similarity cited.

Reg  // This clearly proves that darkness is chakshu-vishaya and
consequently pramAtri-gamya and not sAkshi-bhAsya// ,

No no. In the case of rope-snake illustration, both chakshu-vishayatva
(pramAtri-gamyatva)  AND sAkshi-bhAsya are relevant. Location is
pramAtri-gamya and *object* is sAkshi-bhAsya. Same is the case with
cognition of darkness. Darkness needs chakshu sannikarsha.That is not
denied.

In all cases, what is produced by avidyA directly is sAkshi bhAsya. Be it
the object *rope-snake* or *darkness* which is produced directly by avidyA
and not through pancha bhUtAs.
Regards

On Sat, Aug 31, 2024 at 1:12 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hari Om Chandramouli ji. Subbu ji.
>
> //Because, for sense of sight to be functional, presence of light is
> compulsory.//
>
> The issue as to whether darkness is pramAtri-gamya or sAkshi-bhAsya is
> dependent on whether the rUpa-jnAna of darkness is
> indriya-sannikarsha-janya or not. If it is indriya-sannikarsha-janya, then
> darkness should be accepted to be pramAtri-gamya.
>
> I checked ChitsukhI and VivaraNa-upanyAsa.
>
> *ChitsukhI *
>
> रूपत्वे रूपवत्त्वे वा आलोकानपेक्षचक्षुजन्यज्ञानविषयत्वासंभवो वाधक इति
> चेत्, मैवम्, आलोकविरोधिनस्तमसश्चालोकाभावव्यञ्जनीयतया
> तन्निरपेक्षचक्षुर्विषयत्वोपपत्तेः
>
> Pl see at
> https://archive.org/details/chitsukhiyogindrananda/page/n93/mode/1up
>
> The opponent argues that rUpa or rUpa-vat-vastu cannot have
> chakshu-vishayavtva without prakAsha. And hence darkness cannot be stated
> to have rUpa.
>
> SiddhAnti answers that the abhivyakti of darkness, which is
> prakAsha-virodhI, is contingent on prakAsha-abhAva and hence the
> chakshu-vishayatva of darkness is not dependent on presence of prakAsha.
>
> So, the rule that chakshu-vishayatva necessarily requires prakAsha is
> accepted to be violated in case of darkness.
>
> This clearly proves that darkness is chakshu-vishaya and consequently
> pramAtri-gamya and not sAkshi-bhAsya.
>
> *VivaraNa-upanyAsa*
>
> The anumAna presented there is: तमः शब्द वाच्यो नाभावः,
> स्वमात्रवृत्तिधर्मप्रकारकप्रतियोगिज्ञानाजन्यप्रत्यक्षविषयत्वाद्, घटवत्।
>
> If you see here, tamas is presented as an object of pratyaksha like a
> ghaTa. Since ghaTa is pramAtri-vedya and not sAkshi-bhAsya, we need to
> accept darkness as pramAtri-vedya as well because only then it can be
> stated to be pratyaksha ghaTa-vat.
>
> Please present your views in this regard.
>
> Regards.
> Sudhanshu Shekhar.
>
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