sribhashya-jijnasadhikarana-laghusiddhantha

[Guest guest]

LaghusiddhAnthah - Answer to laghupurvapaksha.

 

Brahmavijnana may arise when avidhya is dispelled, 'avidhyA

nivrtthirEva mokshah sA cha brhmavijanAdhEva bhavathi,' as professed

by the advatin, but the concept of avidhya, brahman and vijnana are

different in every system of philosophy. Avidhya is bhAvarrupa or

existent independent entity in advaita and anAdhi, beginningless. In

VisishtaAdhvaita however, it is the result of karma in the form of

puNya and pApa. To the advaitin Brahman is nirguNa, without

attributes while for visishtadvaitin Brahman, synonymous with

NArAyaNa is saguna, possessing of innumerable, infinite auspicious

qualities, ananthakalyANguNa visishta. The difference in the concept

of vijAna will be examined here.

 

Ramanuja here questions the concept of jnAna saying, 'jnAnam

kim rupam ithi vivechaneeyam-kim vAkyAth vAkyArTHa jnaAnamAthram,

utha thanmoolamupAsanAthmakam jnAnam ithi.' Does it arises by the

mere study of vedantavakyas or through meditation on the knowledge

obtained by that study? If the knowledge of brahman can be had by the

mere study of the texts like 'thathvamasi', 'ayam AthmA brahma,'

there would be no sense in the words like 'brahma vidhyAth, know

brahman,' and 'upAseetha, meditate.' Experience also disproves this.

On the other hand as in the case Suka , Sanakaa and others it is seen

that the meditation on Brahman has given the brahmajnAna with which

the sruthivakhyas are easily comprehended.

 

Advaitin may contend that even after acquiring the jnAna the

bhedhavAsanA, the experience of duality due to avidhya may remain

though avidhya does not, as in the case of one who sees two moons due

to some defect in the eyes, the knowledge that there is only one

moon does not make the illusion disappear. But even if it remains it

does not cause bondage because the root cause of the illusion of

duality, namely, avdhya is removed by brahmajnAna. Sudarsana suri

gives two more examples and says that a cloth burnt, though retains

its shape, will not serve the purpose of covering and will be

destroyed in due course. Similarly the wheel of a potter may keep

revolving for some tiime even after the operation of making the pot

is over.

 

Ramanuja says 'sathyAmapi sAmagryAm jnAna anuthpattthi

anupapatthEh.' When there is the necessary requisites of the rise of

jnAna, the absence of it is not acceptable. Avidhya is like darkness

which should immediately vanish when the light of jnAna dawns and

when there is no avidhya, the cause, its effect, namely , the

perception of duality should also vanish.

 

Sudarsanasuri explains this further that the darkness of a

cave vanishes the moment a bright lamp is brought inside and when one

is frightened that there is a snake, learns from a reliable

wellwisher that there is no snake there but only a rope , the

bhramajnAna, illusory notion of a snake vanishes. Similarly if the

brahamajnAna should result from the vedavakyas about brahman being

the only reality there should be no more perception of duality. But

it is not so.

 

Ramanuja disagrees with the statement of the advaitin that

inspite of the knowledge that has risen from the study of the

vedantavakyas the perception of duality will remain due to the

beginningless vAsana, mental impressions, by saying 'bhedhajnAna

sAmagryA api vAsanAyAh miTHyA rupathvena jnAnothptthyA Eva

nivrtthathvAth, ' the bhedhajnAna , perception of duality itself is

miTHya, illusory according to the advaitin to whom everything other

than brahman is unreal.So being illusory the rise of brahmajnana

should remove it as otherwise there is nothing else that can cause

its destruction.If it is claimed that it vanishes by itself, it is

absurd as a thing cannot destroy itself. To say that the cause of

vAsana, that is avidhya is destroyed by jnAna and hence the illusion

will remain for sometime and then vanish is a statement of ignorance,

says Ramanuja, 'vAsanAkAryam bhedhajnAnam cchinnamoolam aTHa cha

anuvarthathE' ithi bAlisbhAshitham.

 

Ramanuja explains the perception of two moons which

continues even though there is the knowledge to the contrary, thus:

The illusion is due to defect in the eye which is real and not

illusory and hence will cease to exist only when the defect is

removed and not by the knowledge that there is only one moon. But in

the case of a man being frightened of the illusory snake, the fear

vanishes by the knowledge that it is only a rope.'PrabalapramANA

bhAdhithathvENA BhayAdhi kAryam thu nivarthathe.' By valid means of

cognition, namely ApthavAkyam,words of a reliable person or

prathyaksha, by own perception, the fear of snake which is the effect

of illusion is removed.

The avidhyA, nescience, being anAdhi, beginningless and powerful

according to the advaitin, the perception of duality cannot be

removed by the mere knowledge of Brahman through the vedantavAkyas.