[Advaita-l] [advaitin] T&D – Avidyā

[Raja Krishnamurti]

Here is a small video of explanation on Maya and Avidya by Swami Sarvapriyananda.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D_oHbs9HJQXQ%26t%3D3&ved=2ahUKEwin1ImKu7GSAxXUhe4BHQZ0C9wQ1fkOegQIBhAF&opi=89978449&cd&psig=AOvVaw3EwxJZCw2m7GsH9U-1s4de&ust=1769800583465000 
With Om and Prem,Raja Krishnamurti


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone


On Thursday, January 29, 2026, 2:33 AM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

BrahmAshritA avidya is established by Shankara through a dialogue in the
Brihadaranyaka 1.4.10 aham brahmasmi bhashya. He raises the question: how
can Brahman have avidya? and answers 'since avidya can be there only for a
sentient entity and since there is no sentient entity other than Brahman,
we have to admit avidya to Brahman alone. The  very shruti endorses that as
it says: Even before realizing Aham brahmasmi and become sarvAtma, it was
Brahman.  Tat = napumsaka linga Brahman, AtmAnam Eva avEt aham Brahmasmi
it.. Brahman alone realized itself as I am Brahman.

The logic is clear:  Avidya obstructed Brahman's knowledge of Itself. So,
the aashraya and vishaya of avidya is Brahman alone.

regards
subbu

On Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 3:57 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 1:50 PM 'Bhaskar YR' via advaitin <
> advaitin at googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
>> Thus Shankara holds that Avarana to be the basic problem which expresses
>> as the three stated effects.
>>
>>
>>
>> praNAms
>>
>> Hare Krishna
>>
>>
>>
>> The nature of avidyA categorically explained by bhAshyakAra, so at the
>> first place it is not anirvachaneeya, if it is anirvachaneeya you
>> (mulAvidyAvAdins) cannot announce/explain that there is brahmAshrita
>> avidyA, it has AvaraNa, vikshepa shakti, capable enough to cover the brahmA
>> capable to project non-brahman, exists in sushupti without the support of
>> upAdhi etc. By holding it is anirvachaneeya you are making it more explicit
>> and clearly describable concept😊
>>
>
> It is anirvachaniya because: 1. it is experienced, and hence not asat like
> shashavishana. 2. It is bAdhita by vidya and so it is not sat like Brahman.
> Shankara himself says in that very bhashya, with anvaya vyatireka logic
> that avidya is there when the instrument manas is there and when the manas
> is not there in mukti, avidya and its products are not there.
>
> By enumerating 3 products of avidya Shankara categorically holds it to be
> bhAvarupa. By giving the cataract example, Shankara makes it even more
> emphatic: chikitsA is not done on a non-existent cataract. Similarly vidya
> will not eradicate a non-existent avidya. na hi dRShTE anupapannam nAma
> says Shankara elsewhere to say: when the effect is experienced, there is no
> way the cause is denied.
>
> regards
> subbu
>
>
>
>> BTW, brahmAshrita avidyA is an alien theory to shankara’s prasthAna traya
>> bhAshya, nowhere bhAshyakAra eulogizes the avidyA and says it has super
>> powers like AvaraNa and vikshepa.  The word avaraNatmakatvAt in geeta does
>> not warrant to introduce the special force called mUlAvidyA, shankara
>> explains this tAmasO hi pratyaya pertaining to the intellect /antaHkaraNa
>> alone, by any stretch of our grand imagination we cannot paste this AvaraNa
>> to brahman or the self (kshetrajna/vijnAnAtma).  Atleast those who are
>> giving the quotes with regard to avidyA from geeta bhAshya should know the
>> background of giving the example of cataract which hinders the eyesight and
>> not the seer.
>>
>>
>>
>> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
>>
>> bhaskar
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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>>
>
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