[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Re: Re: [advaitin] What is the glue that binds Brahman and Maya together?

H S Chandramouli hschandramouli at gmail.com
Mon Oct 30 08:20:19 EDT 2023


Namaste.

Chaitanya, as associated with mAyA, is of three kinds ; Shuddha Chaitanya,
mAyA upahita Chaitanya and mAyA vishishta Chaitanya.

// तावानस्य महिमा ततो ज्यायंश्च पूरुषः । पादोऽस्य सर्वा भूतानि
त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवीति ॥ ६ ॥ //

//  tAvAnasya mahimA tato jyAyaMshcha pUruShaH | pAdo.asya sarvA bhUtAni
tripAdasyAmRRitaM divIti || 6 || //

Bhashya explains

//  तस्य अस्य पादः सर्वा सर्वाणि भूतानि तेजोबन्नादीनि सस्थावरजङ्गमानि,
त्रिपात् त्रयः पादा अस्य सोऽयं त्रिपात् ; त्रिपादमृतं पुरुषाख्यं समस्तस्य
गायत्र्यात्मनो दिवि द्योतनवति स्वात्मन्यवस्थितमित्यर्थ इति ॥ //

//  tasya asya pAdaH sarvA sarvANi bhUtAni tejobannAdIni
sasthAvaraja~NgamAni, tripAt trayaH pAdA asya so.ayaM tripAt ;
tripAdamRRitaM puruShAkhyaM samastasya gAyatryAtmano divi dyotanavati
svAtmanyavasthitamityartha iti || //

Translation (Swami Gambhirananda)  // of this latter all beings are the
foot, – all such beings as light, water, food and the rest, both animate
and inanimate. –He is the three-footed,-- that which has three feet, is
immortal, called Purusha, in its Heaven—resting in the Heaven of what orms
the entire GAyatri ; it is called *Heaven* *dyaus*== because it is
resplendent. The meaning is that it rests within itself // .

All the three, namely Shuddha Chaitanya, mAyA upahita Chaitanya and mAyA
vishishta Chaitanya are addressed as Brahman in the Scriptures and Bhashya.
They have to be understood contextually. Shuddha Chaitanya is NirguNa
Brahman. When mAyA upahita Chaitanya and mAyA vishishta Chaitanya are
elaborated, which of the two -  mAyA or Chaitanya – is intended also needs
to be understood contextually.

My understanding of the analogies is as follows.

*(NirguNa) Brahman (Shuddha Chaitanya)  and Brahman (mAyA upahita
Chaitanya) / Brahman (mAyA upahita Chaitanya) and sAkshi (*
*अंतह्करणावच्छिन्नचैतन्य*  *aMtahkaraNAvachChinnachaitanya)  *

Space and space inside the pot bounded by the pot

*Brahman (mAyA upahita Chaitanya) and (individual) jIva through antahkaraNa*

Reflection in a mirror or redness in a crystal

*AntahkaraNa and Reflection/Redness together as jIva*

अयःपिण्ड (ayaHpiNDa) ; Redhot Iron Ball

*Brahman (mAyA upahita Chaitanya) and (multiplicity of)  jIvAs*

Reflection of Sun or Moon in water contained in different pots OR redness
of a flower appearing in different clear crystals

*Brahman (mAyA upahita Chaitanya) and mAyA,  (Brahman as substratum of
mAyA)*

Rope-Serpent illustration

*Brahman (mAyA vishishta Chaitanya) and Jagat*

Gold-Ornament or Clay-Pot (Reference is to mAyA part only), Also Ocean and
Waves.
Regards

On Sun, Oct 29, 2023 at 8:07 PM Ram Chandran <ramvchandran at gmail.com> wrote:

> Namaskar:
>
> Subbuji thanks for sharing the scriptural references and they are profound
> and useful.
>
> Advaita Vedanta applies analogies to explain the complexities that come
> with the understanding the Nirguna and Nirupa Brahman! The additional
> complexities include making inference on the Truth at the Parmathika level
> using the Vyavaharika level experience.  We all have different levels of
> experience at the Vyavaharika level based on our beliefs and incomplete
> knowledge (with the presence of ignorance!)  The ongoing discussions
> confirm why we couldn’t agree wholeheartedly.  No one needs to feel that
> are not able to accept every details provided using the analogies.
>
> I find the analogies to be quite useful at the minimum distinguishing
> between the concepts that often use in Advaita.  I classify the analogies
> into three categories:
>
> *Brahman the infinity and Jivas the finite concept*:
>
> Ocean and Waves
>
> Space and space inside the pot bounded by the pot
>
> Sunlight and its reflections on the mirror of specific shape
>
> *Brahman the Substratum*
>
> Gold and Golden ring
>
> Clay and Clay Pot
>
> *What is Mythia?*
>
> Dream State and Waking State (Dream Analogy)
>
> Rope and Snake analogy
>
> Post and ghost analogy
>
> I find it personally very useful for me to understand the concepts of
> Advaita using the analogies.
>
> Please feel free to add and subtract what I have stated here and you are
> welcome make appropriate corrections
>
> With my warm regards,
>
> Ram Chandran
>
>
>


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