LaghusiddhAnthah - Answer to laghupurvapaksha.
Brahmavijnana may arise when avidhya is dispelled, 'avidhyA
nivrtthirEva mokshah sA cha brhmavijanAdhEva bhavathi,' as professed
by the advatin, but the concept of avidhya, brahman and vijnana are
different in every system of philosophy. Avidhya is bhAvarrupa or
existent independent entity in advaita and anAdhi, beginningless. In
VisishtaAdhvaita however, it is the result of karma in the form of
puNya and pApa. To the advaitin Brahman is nirguNa, without
attributes while for visishtadvaitin Brahman, synonymous with
NArAyaNa is saguna, possessing of innumerable, infinite auspicious
qualities, ananthakalyANguNa visishta. The difference in the concept
of vijAna will be examined here.
Ramanuja here questions the concept of jnAna saying, 'jnAnam
kim rupam ithi vivechaneeyam-kim vAkyAth vAkyArTHa jnaAnamAthram,
utha thanmoolamupAsanAthmakam jnAnam ithi.' Does it arises by the
mere study of vedantavakyas or through meditation on the knowledge
obtained by that study? If the knowledge of brahman can be had by the
mere study of the texts like 'thathvamasi', 'ayam AthmA brahma,'
there would be no sense in the words like 'brahma vidhyAth, know
brahman,' and 'upAseetha, meditate.' Experience also disproves this.
On the other hand as in the case Suka , Sanakaa and others it is seen
that the meditation on Brahman has given the brahmajnAna with which
the sruthivakhyas are easily comprehended.
Advaitin may contend that even after acquiring the jnAna the
bhedhavAsanA, the experience of duality due to avidhya may remain
though avidhya does not, as in the case of one who sees two moons due
to some defect in the eyes, the knowledge that there is only one
moon does not make the illusion disappear. But even if it remains it
does not cause bondage because the root cause of the illusion of
duality, namely, avdhya is removed by brahmajnAna. Sudarsana suri
gives two more examples and says that a cloth burnt, though retains
its shape, will not serve the purpose of covering and will be
destroyed in due course. Similarly the wheel of a potter may keep
revolving for some tiime even after the operation of making the pot
is over.
Ramanuja says 'sathyAmapi sAmagryAm jnAna anuthpattthi
anupapatthEh.' When there is the necessary requisites of the rise of
jnAna, the absence of it is not acceptable. Avidhya is like darkness
which should immediately vanish when the light of jnAna dawns and
when there is no avidhya, the cause, its effect, namely , the
perception of duality should also vanish.
Sudarsanasuri explains this further that the darkness of a
cave vanishes the moment a bright lamp is brought inside and when one
is frightened that there is a snake, learns from a reliable
wellwisher that there is no snake there but only a rope , the
bhramajnAna, illusory notion of a snake vanishes. Similarly if the
brahamajnAna should result from the vedavakyas about brahman being
the only reality there should be no more perception of duality. But
it is not so.
Ramanuja disagrees with the statement of the advaitin that
inspite of the knowledge that has risen from the study of the
vedantavakyas the perception of duality will remain due to the
beginningless vAsana, mental impressions, by saying 'bhedhajnAna
sAmagryA api vAsanAyAh miTHyA rupathvena jnAnothptthyA Eva
nivrtthathvAth, ' the bhedhajnAna , perception of duality itself is
miTHya, illusory according to the advaitin to whom everything other
than brahman is unreal.So being illusory the rise of brahmajnana
should remove it as otherwise there is nothing else that can cause
its destruction.If it is claimed that it vanishes by itself, it is
absurd as a thing cannot destroy itself. To say that the cause of
vAsana, that is avidhya is destroyed by jnAna and hence the illusion
will remain for sometime and then vanish is a statement of ignorance,
says Ramanuja, 'vAsanAkAryam bhedhajnAnam cchinnamoolam aTHa cha
anuvarthathE' ithi bAlisbhAshitham.
Ramanuja explains the perception of two moons which
continues even though there is the knowledge to the contrary, thus:
The illusion is due to defect in the eye which is real and not
illusory and hence will cease to exist only when the defect is
removed and not by the knowledge that there is only one moon. But in
the case of a man being frightened of the illusory snake, the fear
vanishes by the knowledge that it is only a rope.'PrabalapramANA
bhAdhithathvENA BhayAdhi kAryam thu nivarthathe.' By valid means of
cognition, namely ApthavAkyam,words of a reliable person or
prathyaksha, by own perception, the fear of snake which is the effect
of illusion is removed.
The avidhyA, nescience, being anAdhi, beginningless and powerful
according to the advaitin, the perception of duality cannot be
removed by the mere knowledge of Brahman through the vedantavAkyas.
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