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

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste Venkatraghavan ji.

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

Indeed the phrase reads out like AvaraNa being different from avidyA-traya
on account of सति सप्तमी.

However, in MAnDUkya KArikA 1.12, agrahaNa and anyathA-grahaNa have been
postulated as kAraNa and kArya respectively. Also, agrahNa has itself been
stated to be darkness. तत्त्व-अग्रहण, तम and अन्यथाग्रहणबीज are equated in
1.12.

कथं पुनः कारणबद्धत्वं प्राज्ञस्य तुरीये वा तत्त्वाग्रहणान्यथाग्रहणलक्षणौ
बन्धौ न सिध्यत इति ? यस्मात् — आत्मानम् , विलक्षणम् , अविद्याबीजप्रसूतं
वेद्यं बाह्यं द्वैतम् — प्राज्ञो न किञ्चन संवेत्ति, यथा विश्वतैजसौ ;
ततश्चासौ #तत्त्वाग्रहणेन #तमसा #अन्यथाग्रहणबीजभूतेन बद्धो भवति ।

So, from this, can it be deduced that avidyA which is AvaraNa is itself
agrahaNa and samshaya-jnAna/viparIta-jnAna are anyathA-grahaNa? Since
agrahaNa is the seed of anyathA-grahaNa, it cannot be abhAva and has to be
bhAvarUpa. So, the bhAvarUpatva of ajnAna is admitted.

This results in AvaraNa being identical to agrahaNa on account of being its
very swarUpa and not separate therefrom. Sati saptamI can be explained in
this manner also.

Regards.