MahApurvapksha- The voluminous arguments of the opponent.
The main tenet of advaita , namely 'brahma sathyam jaganmiTHyA jeevO
brahmaiva nAparah is taken up next for examination and the argument
of the opponent, that is, advaitin , is given. ' AsEsha visEsha
prathyaneeka chinmathra brahmaiva paramArThah; thadhathireki
nAnAviDHa jnAthr-jnEya-thathkrthajnAnabhEdhAdhi sarvam thasminnEva
parikalpitham miThyAbhootham,' Brahman, which is devoid of
differences and which is pure consciousness alone is real and the
diversities like knower, known and the knowledge of the known are
all superimposed on Brahman and therefore unreal. They quote the
sruthi, 'sadhEva soumya idhamagra Aseeth EkamEva advitheeyam.(chan.6-
2-1)
Asesha visesha , all differences, refer to sajAtheeya vijAtheeya
svagatha bheEdhAh. Sajaatheeya bhEdha is the difference within a
class, jAthi, of objects, like the difference between one cow and
another. VijAtheeya ,on the other hand, is the difference between
classes, like that between a cow and a horse. Svagatha bhedha is the
diifference within the object like the different limbs of the cow. As
per the text 'sadhEva---addvitheeyam, ' brahman alone existed in the
beginning one only and without a second, there could not be any
difference of the three kinds since Brahman alone existed,(hence no
vijAtheeya bhedha), one only,( so no sajAtheeya bhEdha) and
advitheeyam, without a second ,meaning one whole. (so no svagatha
bhedha.)
There are several texts like 'yaththadhrEsyam agrAhyam agothram
avarNam achakshussrothram thadhapANipAdham nithyam vibhum sarvagatham
susookshmam thadhavyayam yathbhoothayonim paripasyanthi DHeerAh,'
(Mund.1-1-5), What is invisible ungraspable unoriginated and
attributeless, what has neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet,what
is eternal,all pervading, and most subtle , that imperishable Being
is what the wise perceive as a source of creation. 'Sathyam jnAnam
anantham brahma,' (Tait. Ana,1) Brahman is existence, knowledge and
infinity, 'neha nAnasthi kimchana',(Brhd.6-4-19) there is no
diversity, etc.
Advaitin may even quote from VishNupurana to support his
view. 'ParmArthasthvamEvaiko nAnyoasthi jagathah pathE, you are the
only reality there is none else, oh Lord of the world,(VP. 1-4-38),
yathEthaddhrsyathE moortham Ethath jnAnAthmanasthava bhrAnthijnAnEna
pasyanthi jagadroopam ayOginah,(VP. 1-4-39) those who are devoid of
yoga see the illusory world which is only the form of You, who is
jnAnasvaroopa.'
To prove that only the undifferentiated Brahman is real and
everything else is unreal they may even quote smrthi like
Bhagavatgita where we find statements like 'ahamAthmAgudakesa
sarvabhoohAsayasthithah,(BG19-20) I am the Self in all beings,
and 'na thadhasthivinA yath syAth mayAbhootham charAcharam,'(BG.10-
39) there is nothing that exists without me.'
What is miThyAthvam,illusion? It is that knowledge which is sublated
later by real perception like the perception of snake in a rope due
to some fault in vision which vanishes later when the defective
vision is removed by the real knowledge of the rope. Similarly this
world of beings from devas to plants is an illusory perception which
is removed by the knowledge of Brahman .
Now what is the defect that produces this illusory perception of the
world? It is the sadhasatanirvachaneeyA anAdhi avidhyA, according to
the advaitin. The term sadasat anirvachaniyam must be understood in
order to comprehend the advaItic point of view. Sat is that which
exists, like the rope and asat is that which does not exist, like the
horn of a hare. Now if a thing is asat it would not be seen llike the
horn of the hare. The illusory perception of the snake in a rope
appears to exist and is seen by one who is under the illusion. So it
cannot be defined ,anirvachaneeyam , as either sat or asat, because
the snake exists till the knowledge of the rope dawns which sublates
the previous knowledge. So also the illusory perception of the world
of diversities persists till it is sublated by the knowledge of
Brahman. Hence it is sadasadvilakshaNa, neither sat nor asat. This is
the basis of the concept of adhyaAsa, superimposition of advaita.The
world is superimposed on Brahman by anAdhi avidhya.
How can there be an illusion when the Brahman which is self-illumined
is always present like the Sun? Advaitin contends that avidhya has
two functions, through its AvaraNashakthi and vikshepashakthi.
Avarana is concealing what is real and vikshepa is showing it as
something else. The nonapprehension of the Absolute reality, ie.
Brahman, is due to the aAvaraNashakthi and the misapprehension, the
illusion of Brahman as the world, is due to vikshepashakthi. One
sees the rope as some object, the real characterestics being obscured
due to some defect like dim light etc. and the observer, not knowing
what it is, imagines it to be a snake. Similarly the awareness of
Brahman or Athman as a permanent entity is there for everyone but it
is not known as such due to ignorance, anaAdhi avidhyA, and hence it
is wrongly perceived as the world.
There are various sruti texts quoted by the advaitin to substantiate
this like 'mAyAm thu prakrthim vidhyAth mAyinam thu
mahesvaram,'(svet.4-10), the prkrthi, primordial nature is the mAya
which is weilded by Isvara,' indro mAyAbhihi pururoopa eeyathE,' the
Lord on account of His mAyA is perceived manifold,(Brhd.4-5-
19)'anrthEna hi prathyoodaah,'(Chan.8-3-2) these are covered with
falsehood. 'JnAna svarupO bhagavAn yahO asou aseshamurthih na thu
vasthubhoothah,' Isvara is jnAnsvarupa and all beings of all forms
are He alone and not different.(VP.2-12-39), thasmAth na vijnAnmrthE
asthi kimchith kvachith kadhAchith dhvija vasthujAtham,' (VP.2-12-
43) therefore there is no entity other than the consciousness ever
auywhere.This avidhyA will become extinct only through the knowledge
of Self as Brahman, the undifferentiated consciousness.
.
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