[Advaita-l] [advaitin] References to drishTi-srishTi-vAda in Shruti, BhAshya and works of sampradAya-vit-AchAryAs

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Hari Om,

In continuation to the earlier citations, the following bhAshya-vAkya from
MANDUkyOpanishad may also be added to refer to drishTi-srishTi-vAda.
4.68-4.70 refer to eka-jIva-vAda aspect.

1. मायाहस्तिरज्जुसर्पमृगतृष्णिकास्वप्नादिवदुत्पद्यमानस्य वियदादिप्रपञ्चस्य
यथा मायाव्यादयः। [*1.27*]

Just like the magician and others, (Om is the) beginning (adi), middle
(madhya), and end (anta)-the origination, continuance, and dissolution;
sarvasya, of all-of the whole phenomenal universe, consisting of space and
the rest which originate like a magic elephant, a snake superimposed in a
rope, a mirage, a dream, etc. (from the magician and the rest).

2. जाग्रद्दृश्यानां भावानां वैतथ्यमिति प्रतिज्ञा । दृश्यत्वादिति हेतुः ।
स्वप्नदृश्यभाववदिति दृष्टान्तः । यथा तत्र स्वप्ने दृश्यानां भावानां
वैतथ्यम् , तथा जागरितेऽपि दृश्यत्वमविशिष्टमिति हेतूपनयः । तस्माज्जागरितेऽपि
वैतथ्यं स्मृतमिति निगमनम् । [*2.4*]

The proposition to be established is the illusoriness of the objects seen
in the waking state. 'Being perceived' is the ground of inference (hetu).
And the illustration (drishTAnta) is 'like an object seen in a dream'. And
the assertion of the presence of the hetu term in the minor term is made
thus: Tatha tatra svapne, as (objects 'perceived') there in a dream, are
illusory; so also are they illusory in the waking state; the fact of 'being
perceived' being equally present. And the concluding reiteration is: TasmAt
jAgarite smritam, therefore illusoriness is admitted of objects in the
waking state as well.

3. स्वप्नदृश्यवज्जागरितदृश्यानामप्यसत्त्वमिति …. अतो मन्यामहे
तेषामप्यसत्त्वं स्वप्नदृश्यवदनाशङ्कनीयमिति । [*2.7*]

Just as dream-seen-objects are non-existent (asat), similarly
waking-seen-objects are non-existent….. Therefore, we hold that one should
not doubt that (how can) waking-seen-objects are non-existent like
dream-seen-objects.

4. अतः कल्पिता एव जाग्रद्भावा अपि स्वप्नभाववदिति सिद्धम् ॥ [*2.15*]

Therefore, it is established that objects-in-waking-world are imaginary
just as the objects-in-dream-world.

5. स्वप्नश्च माया च स्वप्नमाये असद्वस्त्वात्मिके सत्यौ सद्वस्त्वात्मिके इव
लक्ष्येते अविवेकिभिः । यथा च
प्रसारितपण्यापणगृहप्रासादस्त्रीपुञ्जनपदव्यवहाराकीर्णमिव गन्धर्वनगरं
दृश्यमानमेव सत् अकस्मादभावतां गतं दृष्टम् , यथा च स्वप्नमाये दृष्टे
असद्रूपे, तथा विश्वमिदं द्वैतं समस्तमसद्दृष्टम् । [*2.31*]

Dream and MAyA are non-existent in their swarUpa. The are held as existent
by persons devoid of discrimination. Just as a gandharva-nagara, replete
with shops, homes, women, men, transactions is seen to suddenly vanish into
non-existence from being seen, and just as non-existent (objects of) dream
and MAyA are seen, similarly this entire world and duality is seen to be
non-existent.

6. बाह्यं पृथिव्यादि तत्त्वमाध्यात्मिकं च देहादिलक्षणं
रज्जुसर्पादिवत्स्वप्नमायादिवच्च असत् । [*2.38*]

The external elements like prithivI etc and internal elements like body etc
are non-existent like illusory-snake-in-the-rope, dream and MAyA.

7. ननु उक्तं त्वयैव स्वप्नो जागरितकार्यमिति ; तत्कथमुत्पादोऽप्रसिद्ध इति
उच्यते ? शृणु तत्र यथा कार्यकारणभावोऽस्माभिरभिप्रेत इति । असत् अविद्यमानं
रज्जुसर्पवद्विकल्पितं वस्तु जागरिते दृष्ट्वा तद्भावभावितस्तन्मयः स्वप्नेऽपि
जागरितवत् ग्राह्यग्राहकरूपेण विकल्पयन्पश्यति, तथा असत्स्वप्नेऽपि दृष्ट्वा च
प्रतिबुद्धो न पश्यति अविकल्पयन् , च - शब्दात् । तथा जागरितेऽपि दृष्ट्वा
स्वप्ने न पश्यति कदाचिदित्यर्थः । तस्माज्जागरितं स्वप्नहेतुरित्युच्यते, न
तु परमार्थसदिति कृत्वा ॥ [*4.39*]

Objection: Hasn’t it been said by you yourself that a dream is a product of
waking. How do you then say that origination is not a well-recognized fact?


Answer: Listen as to how the kArya-kAraNa-bHava is intended there.
Non-existent objects, like an illusory snake in a rope, are seen in waking.
Having seen them, and becoming mentally involved with them, one imagines
objects in dream also like in waking segregated as perceiver and perceived.
Similarly, unless resorting to imagination, one does not see the
non-existent objects in dream after waking up. From the word “cha”, it
follows that sometimes similarly even seeing an object in waking, one does
not see it in dream. Therefore, waking is stated to be the cause of dream,
but thereby it is not implies that the waking is real.

8. स्वप्नदृशश्चित्तं स्वप्नदृक्चित्तम् , तेन दृश्याः ते जीवाः ; ततः तस्मात्
स्वप्नदृक्चित्तात् पृथक् न विद्यन्ते न सन्तीत्यर्थः । चित्तमेव
ह्यनेकजीवादिभेदाकारेण विकल्प्यते । तथा तदपि स्वप्नदृक्चित्तमिदं
तद्दृश्यमेव, तेन स्वप्नदृशा दृश्यं तद्दृश्यम् । अतः स्वप्नदृग्व्यतिरेकेण
चित्तं नाम नास्तीत्यर्थः ॥ [*4.64*]

9. जाग्रतो दृश्या जीवाः तच्चित्ताव्यतिरिक्ताः, चित्तेक्षणीयत्वात् ,
स्वप्नदृक्चित्तेक्षणीयजीववत् । तच्च जीवेक्षणात्मकं चित्तं
द्रष्टुरव्यतिरिक्तं द्रष्टृदृश्यत्वात् स्वप्नचित्तवत् । [*4.66*]

The jIvAs of dream are the drishya of the chitta of swapna-drik
(seer-of-dream). Therefore, those jIvAs are not separate from the chitta of
swapna-drik. The chitta-of-swapna-drik itself is imagined in the form of
several jIvAs etc. Similarly, the chitta-of-chitta-drik is drishya of
swapna-drik since the chitta-of-swapna-drik is seen by swapna-drik.
Therefore, there is no object named as chitta-of-swapna-drik other than
swapna-drik.

The jIvAs seen in waking are non-different from chitta, on account of being
seen by chitta, like the jIvAs seen by chitta-of-swapna-drik. That chitta
(of waking) is not different from drashTA, on account of being drishya of
drashTA, like the swapna-chitta.

10. न हि स्वप्ने हस्ती हस्तिचित्तं वा विद्यते ; तथा इहापि
विवेकिनामित्यभिप्रायः। [*4.67*]

In a dream, there exists neither the elephant nor the chitta-of-elephant.
Similarly, here also is the case for people with discrimination. This is
the purport.

11. यथा स्वप्नमयो जीवो जायते म्रियतेऽपि च ।तथा जीवा अमी सर्वे भवन्ति न
भवन्ति च ॥ [*4.68*]

Just as jIvAs in a dream take birth and also die, similarly all these jIvAs
(in waking) appear and disappear.

12. यथा मायामयो जीवो जायते म्रियतेऽपि च । तथा जीवा अमी सर्वे भवन्ति न
भवन्ति च ॥ [*4.69*]

Just as jIvAs conjured by magic take birth and also die, similarly all
these jIvAs (in waking) appear and disappear.

13. यथा निर्मितको जीवो जायते म्रियतेऽपि च । तथा जीवा अमी सर्वे भवन्ति न
भवन्ति च ॥ [*4.70*]

Just as jIvAs conjured by medicines and charms take birth and also die,
similarly all these jIvAs (in waking) appear and disappear.

14. मायामयः मायाविना यः कृतो निर्मितकः मन्त्रौषध्यादिभिर्निष्पादितः ।
*स्वप्नमायानिर्मितका
अण्डजादयो जीवा यथा जायन्ते म्रियन्ते च, तथा मनुष्यादिलक्षणा अविद्यमाना एव
चित्तविकल्पनामात्रा इत्यर्थः* ॥ [*4.70*]

MAyAmayah (of 4.69) means that which is created by a magician. Nirmitakah
(of 4.70) means that which is created by mantra and medicine. Such jIvAs
created by dream, magic, medicine or charms, born of eggs etc take birth
and die. Similarly, these jIvAs such as humans etc are non-existent and are
merely the vibrations of mind.

15. न कश्चिज्जायते जीवः सम्भवोऽस्य न विद्यते । एतत्तदुत्तमं सत्यं यत्र
किञ्चिन्न जायते ॥ [*4.71*]

No jIva whatsoever is ever born. There is no source of it. This is that
highest truth where nothing whatsoever is born.

16. व्यवहारसत्यविषये जीवानां जन्ममरणादिः स्वप्नादिजीववदित्युक्तम् । उत्तमं
तु परमार्थसत्यं न कश्चिज्जायते जीव इति । उक्तार्थमन्यत् ॥ [*4.71*]

The birth and death etc of (waking) jIvAs was stated to be like the birth
and death of jIvAs created by dream-magic-medicine. That was stated only
within the ambit of vyAvahArika-satya. The highest pAramArthika-satya is
this alone that no jIva whatsoever is born.

17. हेयानि च लौकिकादीनि त्रीणि जागरितस्वप्नसुषुप्तानि आत्मन्यसत्त्वेन
रज्ज्वां सर्पवद्धातव्यानीत्यर्थः । ज्ञेयमिह चतुष्कोटिवर्जितं
परमार्थतत्त्वम् । [*4.90*]

All these three ordinary namely waking, dream and deep sleep should be
rejected like illusory snake in the rope on account of their non-existence
in AtmA. The jneya, object to be known, is devoid of four categories and is
supreme truth.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.