[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Bhavarupa Ajnana Tamas (Ignorance) - Nrsimha Tapini Upanishad and Gita Bhashya

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste Subbuji,

As you say, another instance conveying the same idea of avidyA as
bhAvarUpa, occurs in another portion of gItA bhAShya 13.2, where avidyA is
being described as tamas - a darkness of the nature of a veil or covering.

See the below:

अविद्यावत्त्वात् क्षेत्रज्ञस्य संसारित्वम् इति चेत् , न ; अविद्यायाः
तामसत्वात् । तामसो हि प्रत्ययः, आवरणात्मकत्वात् अविद्या विपरीतग्राहकः,
संशयोपस्थापको वा, अग्रहणात्मको वा ; विवेकप्रकाशभावे तदभावात् , तामसे च
आवरणात्मके तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः ॥

The opponent - The kshetrajna becomes a transmigrating jIva when he is
endowed with avidyA.

The siddhAntin - No (the kshetrajna doesn't become a jIva), for avidyA is
darkness. Ignorance, which is a mode of the nature of a covering, is the
cause for a thing to be known as something other than itself, or confusion
about the nature of a thing, or the thing not being known. (It is called
darkness), because when light in the form of knowledge is present, it is
absent. And when the darkness of the nature of a covering is present, like
in the case of cataracts, the three forms of ignorance such as the absence
of knowledge, etc are experienced.

That is, ignorance causes the kshetrajna to be mistaken for the jIva,
addressing the opponent's charge that the presence of ignorance causes the
kshetrajna to become the jIva. The mistake is erroneous, not a real
transformation.

The last sentence is crucial - Shankaracharya is saying when the veil of
ignorance is present, the three effects of ignorance, being the absence of
knowledge, confusion and, misperception are experienced.

I am of the view that this is another evidence of ignorance not being of
the nature of absence of knowledge, in Shankaracharya's opinion. Why?

It is because ignorance is not of the nature of absence that it is being
spoken of as a veil, a covering - a positive entity. A covering is not the
absence of a thing, it is that which obscures the perception of the thing.
In the real world, a covering is simply not the absence of knowledge.

He gives a real world example example -a cataract - the corneal clouding
over the eye which is a cause for the absence of perception of objects. Why
would he give an example of an existent defect, the corneal clouding, if
all Shankara wanted to exemplify was the absence of perception?

Moreover, because avidyA is not the absence of knowledge, it is being
differentiated from the three forms of ignorance such as agrahaNa in that
sentence - आवरणात्मके तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः

To explain - he is saying, when the darkness which is of the nature of a
covering is present, the three forms or effects of ignorance such as the
absence of experience, etc can be experienced.

It would be incorrect to postulate that only the absence of a thing leads
to the experience of its absence. The experience of absence can also be due
to other causes - the presence of a covering or a misperception for
example.  That being the case, if the AvaraNa was the absence of knowledge,
the sentence would mean - only when knowledge is absent, the thing is not
experienced, which is patently untrue.

Thus, the phrase तामसे... आवरणात्मके सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः
is also evidence of the AvaraNa being different to agrahaNa.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan



On Wed, 17 Jul 2024, 12:10 V Subrahmanian, <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:

> In this Upanishad (for which a Shankara Bhashya is said to be there) it is
> stated that the Tamas, ajnana, ignorance, is an object, vishaya, to the
> Vishayi, the Sakshi the Atman:
>
> https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/nrisinha.html
>
> बुद्धेर्द्रष्टा प्राणस्य द्रष्टा *तमसो द्रष्टा*
>
> सर्वस्य द्रष्टा ततः सर्वस्मादन्यो विलक्षणचक्षुषः
>
> साक्षी श्रोत्रस्य साक्षी वाचः साक्षी मनसः साक्षीः
>
> बुद्धेः साक्षी प्राणस्य साक्षी *तमसः साक्षी*
>
> सर्वस्य साक्षी ततोऽविक्रियो महाचैतन्योऽस्मात्सर्वस्मात्प्रियतम...
>
> In the Bhagavadgita 13.2 Bhashya, Shankara, in a dialogue, establishes
> that the ignorance, avidya, is something witnessed by the Atman:
>
> यस्य अविद्या, सः तां परिहरिष्यति । ननु ममैव अविद्या । जानासि तर्हि
> अविद्यां तद्वन्तं च आत्मानम् ।
>
> *Opponent: Indeed, ignorance belongs to myself. Reply: In that case, you
> know ignorance as also yourself who possess it?*
>
>
> यदि पुनः अविद्या ज्ञेया, अन्यद्वा ज्ञेयं ज्ञेयमेव । तथा ज्ञातापि ज्ञातैव,
> न ज्ञेयं भवति । यदा च एवम् , अविद्यादुःखित्वाद्यैः न ज्ञातुः क्षेत्रज्ञस्य
> किञ्चित् दुष्यति ॥
>
>
> In this dialogue Shankara establishes that the Avidya/Tamas/ignorance is a
> Bhaavarupa entity.  The inviolable rule is: That which is an object is an
> existent entity.  A non-existent entity cannot be perceived/objectified.
>
> *Again, whether the knowable be ignorance or anything else, a knowable is
> verily a knowable; similarly, even a knower is surely a knower; he does not
> become a knowable. And when this is so, [Since the knower cannot be known,
> therefore his relation with ignorance also cannot be known by himself or by
> anybody else] nothing of the cognizer-the knower of the field-is tainted by
> such defects as ignorance, sorrowfulness, etc. *
>
>
> *Thus, on the basis of the Upanishad, the Gita Bhashya and logic, avidya
> is a bhaava rupa entity.*
>
> *Those who object to this have mistaken the meaning of 'Bhaava rupa' in
> the Shaastra.  They think Bhaava rupa means Brahman-Existence.  That such
> is not the sense in which Shankara uses the term 'vishaya' is well known
> for those who have studied the shaastra.  The superimposed snake is bhaava
> rupa, being experienced.  Nevertheless it is not absolutely real like the
> rope.  *
>
>
> *Om Tat Sat  *
>
>
>
>
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