[Advaita-l] [advaitin] T&D – Avidyā

[Bhaskar YR]

The defect leading to misapprehension, etc., exists in the eye, the instrument of cognition, and not in the cognizer. When the eye is cured by right treatment, the cognizer's vision ceases to be defective. Similarly non-apprehension, etc., are due to the defects of instruments of perception and not of the field-knower who perceives.

praNAms
Hare Krishna

This has been quoted umpteen times to clarify why we should not say that the ignorance pertains to the self and why should we understand that the ignorance pertains to the mind / antaHkaraNa!!  A dead man’s antaHkaraNa cannot see, so it is shAreeri who sees the dviteeya Chandra due to defect of this karaNa.  There is no discussion of how karaNa has come into picture before avidyA!!  In taittireeya bhAshya also it has been explained.  This bhAshya clearly says the defect of avidyA pertains to the instrument that shAreeri using and not to the ‘user’ of the instrument.  By this shankara clarifies and confirms that the knower who is the kshetrajna whose nature is pure consciousness, for him there is no dealing such as vidyAvidya.  He is absolute consciousness.  From the vyAvahArika drushti the ignorance pertains to the mind alone and that should be as it is without any fabricated additional avidyA in the form of brahmAshrita mUlAvidyA. evamanAdiH anantaH naisagikaH adhyAsaH ‘mithyApratyayarUpaH, kartrutva bhOktrutva pravartakaH sarvalOka pratyakshaH.  This argument presented by bhAshyakAra based on the common experience of life and shows that the knower has to ignorance.  NS 3.1 which argues Chaitanya is the Ashraya for the avidyA should be understood with this backdrop not to erroneously conclude nirvishesha, nitya Shuddha buddha mukta kUtastha parabrahman is the Ashraya for the anishta called avidyA.  And this is what Sri SSS emphasized while clarifying in his mulAvidyAnirAsa.  Noway we should understand this bhAshya vAkya like avidyA is a solid thing like cataract that literally covers the eye sight of seer and due to ‘pre-existing’ of this cataract in the form of mUlAvidyA and it is going to give birth to all other three types of avidya i.e. abhAva, saMshaya and vipareeta grahaNa…

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar