[Advaita-l] How jnAnAbhAva can cause adhyAsa !!??

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms
Hare Krishna

Problem with the subject query is : we have preconceived notion that adhyAsa is an effect, it has a beginning started at some point of time and there must be a cause for it.  But Sri SSS says when kArya-kAraNa itself is within the purview of adhyAsa how can the question about cause for adhyAsa be entertained !!?? adhyAsa is not kriya which can find its starting time.  It is there as beginningless (anAdi) no need for finding the cause for it.  Yes AtmAnAtma adhyAsa is not logically possible as both have mutually very contradictory in nature.  That is reason even bhAshyakAra in adhyAsa bhAshya admits : adhyAsO mithyA iti bhavitum yuktaM.  But as a matter of fact the adhyAsa is there and experienced in our day to day transaction so it cannot be argued that it is not there.

Now the question :  what is the cause for this adhyAsa??  If I am right nowhere bhAshyakAra raised this question and answered it. For the queries like: why do the common man commits or entertain adhyAsa?? Why does he / she wrongly reckon Atman and anatman each for the other?? he categorically answers adhyAsa is quite natural in workaday transactions (satyAnrutena mithuneekrutya ahamidaM mamedamiti 'naisaigikOyaM lOkavyavahAraH).  What we can conclude from this is that the inability to distinguish between Atman and anatman is itself the cause for adhyAsa.  Due to this reason that this inability to distinguish and discern is verily avidyA of the nature of agrahaNa (non-comprehension / jnAnAbhAva), it can be further amounts to saying that the avidyA of the nature of jnAnAbhAva is responsible for wrong knowledge (adhyAsa).  In the geeta bhAshya when discussing the kshetra-kshetrajna vichAra bhAshyakAra clarifies this beyond any doubt :  kshetra (anatman) and kshetrajna (Atman) although both theses are of entirely having different nature having misconceived (vipareeta grahaNa / adhyAsa) each for the other (saMyOga).  For this saMyOga the ABSENCE OR LACK OF NOT DISTINGUISHING between kshetra svarUpa and kshetrajnasvarUpa IS ITSELF THE CAUSE.  So it is quite evident that as per bhAshyAkAra for the adhyAsa, agrahaNa is the cause and here agrahaNa is absence or lack of knowledge.  And this agrahaNa itself called as 'nimitta, hetu, kAraNa, beeja for the adhyAsa.  And it has been admitted and explained here agrahaNa being the cause for adhyAsa but not in the sense of kAraNa-kArya process to argue that there was kAraNa at one point of time and it produced the kArya at another point of time.  And in the bhAshya avidyA of the nature of jnAnAbhAva is also called ajnAna, apratibOdha, anishchaya, anavagama, anavabOdha, tamas etc.  Sri SSS clarifies that : because of the reason that agrahaNa and anyathAgrahaNa both have been called as avidyA alone in bhAshya, if there is this word 'avidyA' used in a particular place, then we will have to discern as to what exactly is its meaning according to the context and circumstances.

Now, again, the query about : how this abhAva can cause adhyAsa??  As said above abhAva is not the cause in the sense it is material cause for adhyAsa like clay for the pot.  I think I have explained this in one of my previous mails :  am empty vessel can give room for anything / everything in its available space, it does not mean emptiness of the vessel is the direct material cause for the things in the vessel.  If I am not there at home, my kids would involve in all types of mischievous activities but when I come back home they sit quite.  Here my absence at home cannot be the material cause it is just nimitta (nepa mAtra says Sri SSS in Kannada).  Likewise when I do not have the knowledge that I am brahman (abhAva), all types of sundry thoughts occupy my mind (adhyAsa) and causing me to suffer from rAga and dvesha.  But when I realized my sva-svarUpa automatically these misconceptions go away.  This explanation is quite in line with our lOkAnubhava and no need for any dry logical explanations to prove or refute abhAva cannot be the cause for adhyAsa.  In short kAraNAvidyA is nothing but non-perception (agrahaNa) and kAryAvidyA is anyathAgrahaNa and saMshaya.  Hence the agrahaNa (jnAnAbhAva) regarding the real nature of the self is the causal ignorance and mithyAjnAna / adhyAsa and saMshaya are effective ignorance.  There is no place for fourth type of avidyA in this scheme of explanation.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar