[Advaita-l] A causal avidya as distinct from adhyasa is accepted by Sureshwaracharya

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Brihadaranyaka Vartikam, for the Aham Brahmasmi 1.4.10 bhashyam, Sri
Sureshwaracharya,  while explaining, says there are three types of
ignorance: Ajnanam (ignorance), samshaya (doubt) and mithyajnanam (error).
He explains: Ajnanam is the cause and the other two are its effects.  Thus
Sureshwaracharya accepts a kāraṇa ajnānam and kārya ajnanam. This is quite
in tune with what Shankara has stated in the Bhagavadgita Bhashya
13.2: अविद्यायाः
तामसत्वात् । तामसो हि प्रत्ययः आवरणात्मकत्वात् अविद्या विपरीतग्राहकः,
संशयोपस्थापको वा, अग्रहणात्मको वा  |  Avidya is of the nature of tamas,
enveloping. This takes three forms: erroneous perception, doubtful
perception and non-cognition. It can be seen that the third mentioned here
is the *causal and the other two are the effect of the cause: *

बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद्भाष्यवार्तिकम्

*अज्ञानं संशयज्ञानं मिथ्याज्ञानमिति त्रिकम् *।।
अज्ञानं कारणं तत्र कार्यत्वं परिशिष्टयोः ।। १३६८ ।।

We can also see the above verse of Sureshwaracharya an explanation to the
Adhyasa bhashya statement:

तमेतमेवंलक्षणमध्यासं पण्डिता अविद्येति मन्यन्ते । तद्विवेकेन च
वस्तुस्वरूपावधारणं विद्यामाहुः ।

The adhyasa (erroneous perception) of the nature explained before (in the
adhyasa bhashya with the analogies of shell-silver, two-moon and
superimposing dirt, etc. in ether) is called avidya by the knowers. The
determining the true nature of the thing there by discrimination is called
vidya.

From the verse of Sureshwaracharya we can decidedly say that by the term
'avidya' Shankara is meaning the kārya (effect) avidyā and not the kāraṇa
avidyā.  Thus, on Sureshwara's pramāṇa, the adhyāsa bhashya term avidya
(adhyasa) is an effect of the causal ajnana/avidya/ignorance. This means
that *Shankara and Sureshwara accept a prior cause for adhyasa.  In other
words, there is an avidya that results in adhyasa. The other effect of
avidya is samshaya, doubt.  *

Om Tat Sat.
subbu