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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00151 Jun 2006

 
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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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