[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** The other side of the story of avidyA AND mAya

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Sep 25, 2023 at 4:18 PM Bhaskar YR via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> praNAms
> Hare Krishna
>
>
>
> mAya = prakruti, mAyin =parameshwara
> mAya=avidyA, mAyin=avidyAvanta=parameshwara, so parameshwara is
> avidyAvanta as per the mAya=avidyA vAdins and as per them parabrahman is
> avidyAvanta or avidyA has the direct Ashraya in parabrahman itself 😊
>

Shankara has exactly stated that: Brahman is AvidyAvanta:  Brihadaranyaka
bhashya 1.4.10:

Shankara establishes with logic and with a host of shruti-smriti pramanas
that it is Brahman alone that is avidyAvanta, appearing as jiva:

 भवत्येवं नाविद्याकर्तृ भ्रान्तं च ब्रह्म । किन्तु नैव अब्रह्म अविद्यकर्ता
चेतनो भ्रान्तोऽन्य इष्यते — ‘नान्योऽतोऽस्ति विज्ञाता’ (बृ. उ. ३ । ७ । २३)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=3&id=BR_C03_S07_V23&hl=%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%BD%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%BD%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE>
 ‘नान्यदतोऽस्ति विज्ञातृ’ (बृ. उ. ३ । ८ । ११)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=3&id=BR_C03_S08_V11&hl=%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%BD%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%83>
 ‘तत्त्वमसि’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । ७)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Chandogya?page=6&id=Ch_C06_S08_V07&hl=%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF>
 ‘आत्मानमेवावेत् अहं ब्रह्मास्मि’ (बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १०)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=1&id=BR_C01_S04_V10&hl=%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF>
 ‘अन्योऽसावन्योऽहमस्मीति, न स वेद’ (बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १०)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=1&id=BR_C01_S04_V10&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%BD%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%BD%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF,%20%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%B8%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A6>
इत्यादिश्रुतिभ्यः
; स्मृतिभ्यश्च — ‘समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु’ (भ. गी. १३ । २७)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=13&id=BG_C13_V27&hl=%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%81%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%81>
 ‘अहमात्मा गुडाकेश’ (भ. गी. १० । २०)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=10&id=BG_C10_V20&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B6>
 ‘शुनि चैव श्वपाके च’ (भ. गी. ५ । १८)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita?page=5&id=BG_C05_V18&hl=%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9A%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%9A>
 ; ‘यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि’ (ई. उ. ६)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Isha?page=NaN&id=IS_V06&hl=%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%81%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF>
 ‘यस्मिन्सर्वाणि भूतानि’ (ई. उ. ७)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Isha?page=NaN&id=IS_V07&hl=%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF>
इति
च मन्त्रवर्णात् ।


And that even at the Saguna Ishwara level, Shankara asserts that the
Prakruti/Maya shakti is avidyAlakshana in multiple places: One example:

BGB 9.8: Here Shankara introduces the 8th verse which has Prakriti which is
evidently Ishwara's Mayashakti, as the first word:  For Shankara it is
Avidya:

एवम् अविद्यालक्षणाम् —

प्रकृतिं स्वामवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः ।
भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात् ॥ ८ ॥
प्रकृतिं स्वां स्वीयाम् अवष्टभ्य वशीकृत्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः प्रकृतितो जातं
भूतग्रामं भूतसमुदायम् इमं वर्तमानं कृत्स्नं समग्रम् अवशम् अस्वतन्त्रम् ,
अविद्यादिदोषैः परवशीकृतम् , प्रकृतेः वशात् स्वभाववशात् ॥ ८ ॥
It reminds us of the other famous instance of Bhagavan saying: prakritam
svAmadhiShThAya sambhavaami Atmamaayayaa.

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा
भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् ।
प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय
सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया ॥ ६ ॥

अजोऽपि जन्मरहितोऽपि सन् , तथा अव्ययात्मा अक्षीणज्ञानशक्तिस्वभावोऽपि सन् ,
तथा भूतानां ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तानाम् ईश्वरः ईशनशीलोऽपि सन् , *प्रकृतिं
स्वां मम वैष्णवीं मायां त्रिगुणात्मिकाम् , यस्या वशे सर्वं जगत् वर्तते, यया
मोहितं सत् स्वमात्मानं वासुदेवं न जानाति, *तां प्रकृतिं स्वाम् अधिष्ठाय
वशीकृत्य सम्भवामि देहवानिव भवामि जात इव आत्ममायया आत्मनः मायया, न परमार्थतो
लोकवत् ॥ ६ ॥

There can't be a stronger proof than the above: That Prakriti which is in
the control of Ishwara, is the same that deludes Brahman into thinking to
be a jiva: Vasudeva is what every jiva is in truth. But here Shankara says:
Vasudeva is deluded by his own Prakriti/Maya and does not know himself to
be Vasudeva. So, Prakriti in the hands of Ishwara is his shakti but it is
the same as avidyA that deludes that very Vasudeva into thinking one is a
jiva. Thus Maya = Prakriti = AvidyA.

Om tat sat




>
>
> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
> bhaskar
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