[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Shankara accepts Avidya lesha in at least two places: BSB and BGB

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste Subbu ji.

Very nice analysis.

> सर्वज्ञात्मगुरवस्तु − विरोधिसाक्षात्कारोदये
लेशतोऽप्यविद्यानुवृत्त्यसम्भवात् जीवन्मुक्तिशास्त्रं
श्रवणादिविध्यर्थवादमात्रम् , शास्त्रस्य जीवन्मुक्तिप्रतिपादने
प्रयोजनाभावात् । अतः कृतनिदिध्यासनस्य ब्रह्मसाक्षात्कारोदयमात्रेण
सविलासवासनाविद्यानिवृत्तिः – इत्यपि कञ्चित् पक्षमाहुः ।

This is the view of Samkshepa ShArIraka in Eka-jIva-vAda i.e.
drishTi-srishTi-vAda wherein jIvanmukti is considered to be arthavAda.

avidyA-lesha is admitted in srishTi-drishTi-vAda where jIvanmukti is
admitted.

avidyA-lesha is beautifully described in advaita-siddhi in 4th parichchheda
in "jIvan-mukti-upapatti":

यद्वा–अविद्यालेशानुवृत्त्या देहाद्यनुवृत्तिः .....
अनेकशक्तिमदविद्यायाः *प्रपञ्चे
पारमार्थिकत्वादिभ्रमहेतुशक्तेः,* *प्रपञ्चे
अर्थक्रियासमर्थत्वसम्पादकशक्तेश्च* प्रारब्धकर्मसमकालीनतत्त्वसाक्षात्कारेण
निवृत्तावपि *अपरोक्षप्रतिभासयोग्यार्थाभासजनिकायाः शक्तेरनुवृत्तेः* तद्वती
विद्यापि तिष्ठत्येवेति नोक्तदोषावकाशः ।

Basically, the idea is the following:

In siddhAnta, chaitanya-reflected-in-akhanDAkArA-vritti is the destroyer of
avidyA. However, this akhanDAkArA-vritti can be either coupled with
prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka or without prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka.

prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka-vishishTa-akhanDAkArA-vritti (AV1) is the
general connotation of akhanDAkArA-vritti. Chaitanya-reflected-in-AV1
removes two out of three shakti of avidyA, namely
shakti-which-causes-the-illusion-of-reality-in-world (*प्रपञ्चे
पारमार्थिकत्वादिभ्रमहेतुशक्तेः) *and
shakti-which-enables-artha-kriyA-kAritva-in-world (*प्रपञ्चे
अर्थक्रियासमर्थत्वसम्पादकशक्तेश्च)*. However, chaitanya-reflected-in-AV1 is
incapable of removing the third shakti of avidyA, *which is also known as
avidyA-lesha* and is the
shakti-which-gives-birth-to-appearance-of-objects-which-are-capable-of-appearing-as-pratyaksha.

prArabdha-rUpa-pratibandhaka-rahita-akhanDAkArA-vritti (AV2) is called
charama-vritti. It is also an akhanDAkArA-vritti. However, since there is
no pratibandhaka in the form of prArabdha, the chaitanya-reflected-in-AV2
removes even the third shakti i.e. avidyA-lesha.

Thus, avidyA-lesha is
basically अपरोक्षप्रतिभासयोग्यार्थाभासजनिकायाः अविद्यायाः शक्ति:.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.