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

[Michael Chandra Cohen]

Namaste Sudhanshuji,  I much appreciate your efforts in responding to my
request. I will get back to you. 🙏🙏🙏

On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 6:23 AM Sudhanshu Shekhar <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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.
>
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