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advaitin , Venkata Subramanian <venkat_advaita wrote:

>

> Interestingly I read that " Ajnana " is JnanAbhava for the Naiyakikas -

especially the Navya Nyayikas.Â

>

> Thanks & Regards,

> Venkat.

>

> Sadgurubhyo Namah.

 

Namaste.

 

While I have not studied the nyAya shAstra, I have a question on what you have

said:

 

'ajnAna' is said to cause samsara. samsaara is a bhAva vastu.

Shankaracharya is quite emphatic about this. His bhashya on the Bhagavadgita

2.16 is a proof of this. All objects have 'sat' for their basis and even when

the objects are destroyed the 'sat' is not. When they exist they are experienced

as 'ghaTaH san', etc.

 

The Bhagavadgita is full of verses proving this.

 

If ajnAna is abhAvarupa, of the nature of non-existence, how can it be the

'cause' of anything? Is there any example to show this?

 

Can a vandhyAputra sire any progeny?

 

Shankaracharya, in His Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya for the ShIkShAvalli makes a

very significant statement:

 

//anyathA hi abhAvAd bhAvotpattiH iti sarvapramANa-vyAkopaH ....//

 

The meaning is: '...otherwise, if it is suggested that an existent thing

originates from non-existence, this would be against ALL pramana-s.

 

Sureshwaracharya in his vartika for this sentence of the bhashyam writes four

verses explaining the meaning and confirming the bhashya purport.

 

How would one account for an ajnAna that is abhAvarUpa to produce a samsara,

adhyAsa, samshaya, etc. all of which are experienced by all of us as 'existent'?

 

SAyanAcharya, while introducing the Taittiriya Aranyakam, writes:

 

//na hi bhrama-hetau avidyaayAm nivRttAyAm nirhetuko bhramah sambhavati.//

 

Meaning: When avidyA, ignorance, the CAUSE of bhrama, adhyAsa, error, is

dispelled, there will be no longer any error, since there is no longer any

cause.

 

The question is: How can avidya, if it is abhAvarUpa, be the CAUSE of bhrama?

Most importantly how can anyone destroy avidya if it is abhAvarUpa? Can anyone

destroy a hare's horn? It will not,cannot, be a candidate for any vyavahara.

It would be like saying: 'A vandhyaaputra is causing immense trouble. Pl. send

your army to tackle him.'

 

Regards,

subbu

 

 

>

>

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avidyA is not abAvarUpA but mithyAjnAnarUpa. What causes saMsAra is the mistaken

notion of the Atman as something else. As Shankara says, atasmin tadbuddhiH.

Further, avidyA is not in the same category as hare's horn, which is said to be

alIka or fictitious. avidyA is sadasadvilakShaNa, different from both sat and

asat. That is why it is called anirvachanIyA, ie. cannot be described as sat or

asat. A hare's horn is asat, whereas Brahman is sat.

 

The confusion between alIka and anirvchanIya concepts is at the root of many

objections raised by opponents of advaita.

 

My advaitasiddhi website discusses this in detail. (www.advaitasiddhi.org). This

is addressed in the very first definition of unreality.

 

Anand

 

 

advaitin , " subrahmanian_v " <subrahmanian_v wrote:

>

> advaitin , Venkata Subramanian <venkat_advaita@> wrote:

> >

> > Interestingly I read that " Ajnana " is JnanAbhava for the Naiyakikas -

especially the Navya Nyayikas.Â

> >

> > Thanks & Regards,

> > Venkat.

> >

> > Sadgurubhyo Namah.

>

> Namaste.

>

> While I have not studied the nyAya shAstra, I have a question on what you have

said:

>

> 'ajnAna' is said to cause samsara. samsaara is a bhAva vastu.

> Shankaracharya is quite emphatic about this. His bhashya on the Bhagavadgita

2.16 is a proof of this. All objects have 'sat' for their basis and even when

the objects are destroyed the 'sat' is not. When they exist they are experienced

as 'ghaTaH san', etc.

>

> The Bhagavadgita is full of verses proving this.

>

> If ajnAna is abhAvarupa, of the nature of non-existence, how can it be the

'cause' of anything? Is there any example to show this?

>

> Can a vandhyAputra sire any progeny?

>

> Shankaracharya, in His Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya for the ShIkShAvalli makes

a very significant statement:

>

> //anyathA hi abhAvAd bhAvotpattiH iti sarvapramANa-vyAkopaH ....//

>

> The meaning is: '...otherwise, if it is suggested that an existent thing

originates from non-existence, this would be against ALL pramana-s.

>

> Sureshwaracharya in his vartika for this sentence of the bhashyam writes four

verses explaining the meaning and confirming the bhashya purport.

>

> How would one account for an ajnAna that is abhAvarUpa to produce a samsara,

adhyAsa, samshaya, etc. all of which are experienced by all of us as 'existent'?

>

> SAyanAcharya, while introducing the Taittiriya Aranyakam, writes:

>

> //na hi bhrama-hetau avidyaayAm nivRttAyAm nirhetuko bhramah sambhavati.//

>

> Meaning: When avidyA, ignorance, the CAUSE of bhrama, adhyAsa, error, is

dispelled, there will be no longer any error, since there is no longer any

cause.

>

> The question is: How can avidya, if it is abhAvarUpa, be the CAUSE of bhrama?

Most importantly how can anyone destroy avidya if it is abhAvarUpa? Can anyone

destroy a hare's horn? It will not,cannot, be a candidate for any vyavahara.

It would be like saying: 'A vandhyaaputra is causing immense trouble. Pl. send

your army to tackle him.'

>

> Regards,

> subbu

>

>

> >

> >

>

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advaitin , " ahudli " <anandhudli wrote:

>

> avidyA is not abAvarUpA but mithyAjnAnarUpa. What causes saMsAra is the

mistaken notion of the Atman as something else. As Shankara says, atasmin

tadbuddhiH. Further, avidyA is not in the same category as hare's horn, which is

said to be alIka or fictitious. avidyA is sadasadvilakShaNa, different from both

sat and asat. That is why it is called anirvachanIyA, ie. cannot be described as

sat or asat. A hare's horn is asat, whereas Brahman is sat.

>

> The confusion between alIka and anirvchanIya concepts is at the root of many

objections raised by opponents of advaita.

>

> My advaitasiddhi website discusses this in detail. (www.advaitasiddhi.org).

This is addressed in the very first definition of unreality.

>

> Anand

 

 

Namaste Anand ji,

 

Thank you for that accurate, tradition-friendly explanation. My post was

directed at those who hold that 'what causes adhyAsa is an abhAvarUpa entity'.

I asked those natural questions that this view could throw up.

 

Sri Krishna says in the Gita:

 

ajnAnena aavRtam jnAnam tena muhyanti jantavaH

 

How could an abhAvarUpa ajnAna succeed in enveloping jnAna? Can a vandhyAputra

shake hands with anyone?

 

//jnAnena tu tadajnAnam yeShAm nAshitamAtmanaH//

 

How can jnAna destroy an abhAvarUpa ajnAna?

 

The Gita says: ajnAnam is tamaH kAryam, an effect of tamas, tamoguNa of prakRti.

If ajnAna is abhAvarUpa, how can it be a kArya of tamas?

Can anyone produce non-existence?

 

Shankara's definition/lakshaNa of avidyA is perfect: tAmaso hi pratyayaH avidyA

agrahaNaatmikaa, viparItagrAhako vA samshayopasthApako vaa...

 

How can agrahaNAtmaka (which word Shankara has in one place substituted by the

term 'jnAnAbhAva') ajnAna be abhAvarUpa, being a tAmasa pratyaya?

 

He also has said that ajnAna/avidyA is experienced by everyone. How can an

abhAvarUpa entity be experienced by anyone? Has anyone experienced a sky-flower

or vandhyAputra?

 

Pranams

subbu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

> advaitin , " subrahmanian_v " <subrahmanian_v@> wrote:

> >

> > advaitin , Venkata Subramanian <venkat_advaita@>

wrote:

> > >

> > > Interestingly I read that " Ajnana " is JnanAbhava for the Naiyakikas -

especially the Navya Nyayikas.Â

> > >

> > > Thanks & Regards,

> > > Venkat.

> > >

> > > Sadgurubhyo Namah.

> >

> > Namaste.

> >

> > While I have not studied the nyAya shAstra, I have a question on what you

have said:

> >

> > 'ajnAna' is said to cause samsara. samsaara is a bhAva vastu.

> > Shankaracharya is quite emphatic about this. His bhashya on the

Bhagavadgita 2.16 is a proof of this. All objects have 'sat' for their basis

and even when the objects are destroyed the 'sat' is not. When they exist they

are experienced as 'ghaTaH san', etc.

> >

> > The Bhagavadgita is full of verses proving this.

> >

> > If ajnAna is abhAvarupa, of the nature of non-existence, how can it be the

'cause' of anything? Is there any example to show this?

> >

> > Can a vandhyAputra sire any progeny?

> >

> > Shankaracharya, in His Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya for the ShIkShAvalli

makes a very significant statement:

> >

> > //anyathA hi abhAvAd bhAvotpattiH iti sarvapramANa-vyAkopaH ....//

> >

> > The meaning is: '...otherwise, if it is suggested that an existent thing

originates from non-existence, this would be against ALL pramana-s.

> >

> > Sureshwaracharya in his vartika for this sentence of the bhashyam writes

four verses explaining the meaning and confirming the bhashya purport.

> >

> > How would one account for an ajnAna that is abhAvarUpa to produce a samsara,

adhyAsa, samshaya, etc. all of which are experienced by all of us as 'existent'?

> >

> > SAyanAcharya, while introducing the Taittiriya Aranyakam, writes:

> >

> > //na hi bhrama-hetau avidyaayAm nivRttAyAm nirhetuko bhramah sambhavati.//

> >

> > Meaning: When avidyA, ignorance, the CAUSE of bhrama, adhyAsa, error, is

dispelled, there will be no longer any error, since there is no longer any

cause.

> >

> > The question is: How can avidya, if it is abhAvarUpa, be the CAUSE of

bhrama? Most importantly how can anyone destroy avidya if it is abhAvarUpa? Can

anyone destroy a hare's horn? It will not,cannot, be a candidate for any

vyavahara. It would be like saying: 'A vandhyaaputra is causing immense

trouble. Pl. send your army to tackle him.'

> >

> > Regards,

> > subbu

> >

> >

> > >

> > >

> >

>

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praNAms

Hare Krishna

avidyA is not abAvarUpA but mithyAjnAnarUpa.

> yadi jnAnAbhAvaH, yadi saMshaya jnAnaM yadi vipareetajnAnaM

vA uchyate ajnAnam iti sarvaM ..says shankara in bruhadAraNyaka. but

I dont know whether there is any difference between avidyA & ajnAna

here to say avidyA is NOT jnAnAbhAva but ajnAna IS!!!

What causes saMsAra is the mistaken notion of the Atman

as something else. As Shankara says, atasmin tadbuddhiH. Further, avidyA

is not in the same category as hare's horn, which is said to be alIka or

fictitious. avidyA is sadasadvilakShaNa, different from both sat and asat.

> As far as I know, shankara attributes tatvAnyatvAbhyAm

anirvachaneeya to the concept of mAya & not to avidyA...Anyway,

we have beaten this issue somany times earlier...no need to open it on

a fresh screen, just tempted to say something after seeing my beloved Sri

Ananda Hudli prabhuji's mail first time in this list :-))

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

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