[Advaita-l] [advaitin] A talk in Sanskrit on 'Darkness is material' (bhAvarUpa)

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste Subbu ji.

The learned speaker says at the beginning:  All three schools of Vedanta
> agree upon this.  The Naiyayika does not; he has the view:  It is absence
> of light.
>

Indeed. The MAdhvAs too agree. They say - प्रकाशविनाश्यो अन्धकारः। न तु
तेजोऽभावः। चक्रादिच्छेद्यत्वात्। ब्रह्मणा
पीयमानत्वात्-आवरणत्वात्-स्वातंत्र्येण-उपलभ्यमानत्वाच्च।

Advaita agrees on आवरणत्वात् and स्वातंत्र्येण-उपलभ्यमानत्वात्.

Bhaskar ji.

//By the way just curious to know what exactly the difference between
dravyatvaM of the darkness in the room and dravyatvaM of the bench or table
in the room or dark room?? //

There is panchIkaraNa for table/bench. No such panchIkaraNa for darkness.

// Is this dravyatvaM of darkness is an epistemological concept or an
ontological entity??//

As much ontological as bench/table.

// I am sorry not clear yet to attribute material existence to the prakAsha
abhAva.//

The bhAvarUpa-tva of darkness is proved by following anumAna:

तमः शब्द वाच्यो नाभावः,
स्वमात्रवृत्तिधर्मप्रकारकप्रतियोगिज्ञानाजन्यप्रत्यक्षविषयत्वाद्, घटवत्।

Either refute the anumAna, or accept! There is no third choice.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.