Creation theories (was Re: What is the exactmeaning/significance of this?)

[kalyan chakravarthy]

Namaskaaram,

>How can jIva still carry agnAna
>(ignorance) eventhough it has attained its *own* state i.e. ekIbhUtatva or
>sarvAntaryAmItva.  What is the locus of agnAna in this state??  since there
>is no jIvahood as such & it is ekIbhUta should we say then brahman is the
>locus of avidya...no it doesn't make any sense ..... pls. clarify.
>

I dont know whether my understanding of advaita is the same as that of
others. I will attempt to answer your question from my understanding. If you
look at tattvamasi, the standard interpretation of Sri Adi Shankara is that
jIva is brahman ONLY(a very big "ONLY") in the state of realization(the
fourth according to mANDUkya). No equation can be done in the other states,
for that would make life purposeless or make brahman as the locus of ajnAna.
In that case, many sruti statements saying that brahman is unattached or
statements saying that liberation is a goal that must be pursued, will have
to be positively rejected. Further, if any such equation is made in any of
these states, then we can only infer one thing - avidya is being affected by
avidya!!! For if jIva is brahman in any of the other states, there would be
no other entity left for avidya to act upon.

Nor can an equation with the cosmic deities be possible in the other three
states, as that would result in confusion of the fruits of karma,
experiences etc. The very idea in the Br.U that the Lord is perceived as
manyfold due to mAyA, assumes the existence of one who is perceiving. That
the Lord can perceive Itself as manyfold is rejected by the Br.U statement
which says that "The vision of the witness can never be lost, but there is
no second thing that is to be viewed". If it is said that the Lord Itself
becomes many and then perceives, then it is equivalent to saying that mAyA
affects brahman or that brahman is divisible.

AchArya Gaudapada, in his karikas, goes against vedanta at one place where
he says that the Self Itself is deluded, thus exposing advaita to criticism
from other schools. He also says that the Self imagines Itself as manyfold
due to its own mAyA - another statement which is against vedanta.

To conclude, jIva is brahman only in the stage of moksha and not in any
other stage.

Best Regards
Kalyan

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