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

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste Sudhanshu Ji,

Re:


> //  आत्माग्रहातिरेकेण तस्या रूपं न विद्यते ।
>
> अमित्रवदविद्येति सत्येवं घटते सदा ॥ १७९ ॥ //
>
> //  AtmAgrahAtirekeNa tasyA rUpaM na vidyate |
>
> amitravadavidyeti satyevaM ghaTate sadA || 179 || //,
>
> Translation Sri Balasubrahmanian //  Its nature does not consist in
> anything other than the non-perception of the Self. Only if it is said that
> the term avidya is like the term amitra, it is always tenable //
>
>
Anandagiri explains the expression आत्माग्रह (AtmAgraha) which means non-
> perception of the Self as the concealment of the Self
>  **आत्मनोऽग्रहो नामाऽऽवरणमाच्छादनं ** (Atmano.agraho
> nAmA.a.avaraNamAchChAdanaM)  //.
>
>
> This seems to suggest that agrahaNa = avidyA and it is same as AvaraNa
> (आत्मनोऽग्रहो नामाऽऽवरणमाच्छादनं). That it is not nirvishesha abhAva like
> horns of hare is quite clear.
>
> However, the bhAshya-vAkya, uses agrahaNa, viparIta-grahaNa and
> samshaya-jnAna as a product of their nimitta (timira-dosha/avidyA). And
> thus makes a distinction. This nimitta is stated as avidyA and is
> AvaraNa-Atmaka i.e. its very swarUpa is AvaraNa. (तामसे च आवरणात्मके
> तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः ॥ Once AvaraNa-Atmaka
> is there, there is perception of agrahaNa etc.)
> (अग्रहणविपरीतसंशयप्रत्ययास्तन्निमित्ताः - please note the word
> #tat-nimitta. The story does not stop at avidyA-traya namely agrahaNa etc.
> We need to account for their nimitta also.)
>
One way of understanding this is as follows:

1) the svarUpa of avidyA as revealed in the Taittiriya vArttika is as
Atamanah agraha - a covering over the self. This corresponds to the
reference of avidyA as AvaraNAtmakah in the gItA bhAShya. The Anandagiri
TIkA here also explains it in the same sense, आत्मनोऽग्रहो
नामाऽऽवरणमाच्छादनं.

2) The agraha here and the tattva-agrahaNam of the mANDukya kArikA is
different from the agrahaNa of the gItA bhAShya referred to in the sentence
तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य उपलब्धेः.

3) The gItA bhAShya sentences तिमिरादिदोषे सति अग्रहणादेः अविद्यात्रयस्य
उपलब्धेः and अग्रहणविपरीतसंशयप्रत्ययास्तन्निमित्ताः refer to avidyA as the
nimitta, cause of the agrahaNa.

4) While the word agraha in the vArttika and the agrahaNa of the mANDukya
kArika refer to the veil, in the gItA bhAShya, the word agrahaNa refers to
the obfuscation - the act of covering - by said veil.

The meaning is that the agrahaNa pratyaya - the thought of not knowing - is
because of the veil.

Simply put, when the veil of ignorance is present, the self is obfuscated /
not known.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan




> The concept is further analysed in Advaita Siddhi where avidyA, AvaraNa
> and AvaraNa-kritya are distinguished.
>
> So, AvaraNa = avidyA-chit-sambandha
>
> AvaraNa-kritya = agrahaNa, viparIta-grahaNa and samshaya-jnAna.
>
> Both AvaraNa and AvaraNa-kritya are avidyA-prayukta and hence they can be
> referred by the word avidyA.
>
> None of these are nirvishesha abhAva like horns of hare.
>
> Regards.
>
>
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