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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00112 Jun 2006

 
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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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