[Advaita-l] The Treatment of Avidya in Advaita - Part 1

[V Subrahmanian]

ShrIgurubhyo namaH

The Treatment of Avidya in Advaita

Avidya is ignorance.  What does this mean?  In the adhyAsa bhashya the
Acharya has said:

1, //Tametam evam-lakshanam-adhyasam panditAH avidyeti manyante.
Tadvivekena vastu-svarUpAvadhAraNam vidyAmAhuH.//

A little later, in this document itself He says:

2. //adhyAso nAma atasminstadbuddhirityavochAma//

Now, here it appears that the Acharya has given a definition of Avidya.  In
simple terms Avidya = adhyasa.  AdhyAsa is normally translated as
‘misapprehension’, wrong cognition, viparIta pratipatti, etc.  The main idea
is that adhyasa means seeing/mistaking one thing in the place of another.
For example: Mistaking nacre to be silver.

This is not the only place the Acharya has given us what He means by
Avidya.  For example in the Bhagavadgita Bhashyam (13.2) He says:

3 (1) //tAmaso hi pratyayaH AvaraNaatmakatvAd-avidyA viparIta-graahakaH,
samshayopasthaapako vA, agrahaNAtmako vA//

 Here  itself, in a subsequent sentence He says:

3 (2)// tAmase cha AavaraNaatmake timirAdi-doShe sati
agrahaNAderavidyA-trayasya upalabdheH.//

In the Mandukya kArikaa bhashya (I.16) He says:

4. //tattva-apratibodha-rUpena bIjAtmanA, anyathAgrahaNalakshaNena cha,
anAdikAlapravRttena MAyalakshanena….//

In the Shvetashvataropanishad bnashya (Not agreed by all to be of
Bhagavatpada), in the upodghaata it is said:

5. //chitsadAnanda-advitIya-*brahmasvabhAvo’pyAtmA svAshryayA sva-vishayayA
avidyayA *svAnubhavagamyayA sAbhAsayA
pratibaddha-svAbhAvikaashesha-purushArthaH…//

6. In the Brihadaranyakopanishad bhashya (I.iv.10) He writes:

//ato brahmavidyAyAm satyAm avidyA-kArya-anupapatteH, pradIpa iva
tamaH-kAryasya. //

In the Brihadaranyakopanishad bhashya (I.iv.17) He writes:

6. //vastu-svarUpa-AvaranAtmikA hi sA (avidyA).  pravartakabIjam tu
pratipadyate andhatvamiva gartAdipravartana-hetuH.  svAbhAvikyAm avidyAyAm
vartamAnAh bAlaaH..//

A little later in this very bhashyam He says:

7. //svAbhaavikyA svAtmani
kartrAdi-kAraka-kriyA-phalaatmakataa-adhyAropaNa-lakshaNayA avidyA-vAsanayA
vAsitaH so-akAmayata kAmitavAn//**

In the Bhashyam for the Gita verse 15.3, we find a separation made by the
Acharya between avidya-effect (vikshepa shakti) and avidya-cause (avarana
shakti):  While describing the samsara tree, He says: na rUpamasya iha
…..svapna mareechyudaka-mAyA-gandharvanagara-samatvAt….[This is the standard
‘manifest’ form of avidya clearly bringing out the ‘atasmin tad buddhiH’
definition of adhyAsa.  It is this that is popularly termed as ‘vikshepa
shakti’ of avidya. ]  The Acharya concludes this bhashyam by saying ‘asanga
shastreNa chitvaa samsAravRkSham sa-beejam-uddhRtya’. [Here He says that the
samsara tree seen in all its manifest form (adhyAsa/vikshepa) is to be cut
along with its root/beejam.  Actually, the word ‘moolam’ translates to
‘root’/cause, etc. The Gita context is: ‘the samsara tree, the product of
the  primordial ignorance, moola avidya, has to be ‘uprooted’ in order to
gain liberation.’ This brings out the special significance of the bhashyam:
sa-beejam.. This beejam is the cause of the adhyasa/vikshepa and is what is
called ‘aavarana’.  The Acharya has said in the Brahmasutra bhashya:
‘avidyaiva naH shaktiH’, meaning ‘avidyA itself is the Power for us (the
Vedantins).  Thus, it is only based on the Acharya’s statements regarding
avidya, AvaraNa, adhyasa, tamas, beeja, moola, shakti, etc.,  spread across
the PrasthAna traya Bhashyas that the later Advaita Acharyas have talked
about the Avarana (concealing) shakti and the Vikshepa
(projecting/multiplicating) shakti as pertaining to ajnAna.]

In the ‘Upadesha sAhasrI’, a work agreed to be genuinely of the Acharya, we
find the use of the word ‘vikshepa’ in the verse XIII.14.  The word ‘beejam’
is used in the verses: XVII.26,27,28.

This list, which obviously shows a variety of meanings/senses for the word
‘avidyaa’, tells us that *it would be improper* to conclude that ‘the
Acharya has given a complete and comprehensive definition of avidya in the
adhyAsa Bhashya by saying that the term ‘avidya’  *connotes adhyasa alone**’
* by considering the adhyAsa Bhashya in isolation.

That the above supposed view of Bhagavatpada can be seen to be questionable
from looking at the quote no.3.  Here we find that the Acharya is mentioning
adhyAsa (viparIta-grahanam) as *only one* of the three manifestations of
avidya. Quite interestingly, the Acharya *restricts the meaning of adhyAsa
to viparIta-grahaNa* in the quote no.2 above.  This leaves us with a strict
definition for adhyAsa (= mis-apprehension) and frees the term adhyAsa from
over-pervading into the senses of –agrahanam (non-apprehension) and samshaya
(doubt).  Thus, according to the Acharya avidya can mean three things: 1.
agrahanam 2. viparitagrahanam and 3.samshaya.  All these are grouped under
‘tAmasa pratyayas’.  Generally tamas is avidya, ignorance.     The word
‘AvaraNaatmakatvAt’ is also interesting.  It says that tamas has the power
to cover. He reiterates this idea in quote 3 (2). This meaning is brought
out by Him specifically in the quote no.6 where He says that avidya has the
power to conceal the true nature of the object/vishaya under consideration. It
is only when this is present, the atasmin tad buddhirupa adhyasa takes
place.  Hence, *avidya does not mean Only adhyAsa/anyathaagrahana/aviveka*. The
quote no. 8 too conveys this very meaning.  He differentiates between avidya
and its effect and gives the analogy of tamas, darkness, the AvaranAtmaka,
and its effect namely getting into problems, in other words, atasmin tad
buddhiH (taking one thing for the other).

The quote no.4 gives another dimension to avidya.  It says it is anAdi.  It
also says that it is of the nature of a seed: bIjAtmanA.  What is the seed
He is referring to here?  A seed is something that has the potency to give
rise to some effect.  Here Maya is the seed and it works in two ways: 1.The
tattva/svarUpa (of Atman/Brahman) is concealed *resulting in agrahanam,
non-apprehension*.  2.  *This results in anyathAgrahaNam (adhyAsa)*.  The
initial agrahanam results in anyathAgrahanam and this result begets further
results of samsara continuing birth after birth.  This creates a vasana (see
quote no.7) which results in further and further samsaric experiences in
multiple births.  *In and through all this the basic agrahanam is kept
intact.*  The quote no.6 demonstrates this.  The Acharya compares avidya to
andhatva, impairment of vision, blindness.  When a person is blind, he does
not know what is in front and he is bound to fall in a pit.  The meaning is
clear: andhatva is the cause for agrahanam which is the cause for falling in
a pit which is anyathAgrahanam and its effects.  Thus there is an
avidyA-paramparA and this is anAdi.  For all that *results* in a series from
anyathAgrahanam which the Acharya specifies in the quote no. 7 as ‘svAtmani
kartrAdi-kAraka-kriyA-phalaatmakataa-adhyAropaNa-lakshaNayA avidyA-vAsanayA’
the basic andhatvam, tattva-agrahanam is the *cause.** Thus we can clearly
see a **‘**cau**sal’ Avidya and a ‘resultant’ avidya being admitted by the
Acharya.*

A reference to this is made by the Acharya in His Mandukya kArikA bhAshya
(I.2):

The discussion starts with the words of the bhashya: ‘katham
prAna-shabdatvam AtmanaH?’  He goes on to say: ‘yadyapi sadbrahma
prANashabdavAchyam tatra (in the Chandogya mantra ‘prANa-bandhanam hi somya
manaH’) tathaapi jIvaprasavabIjaAtmakatvam aprityajyaiva prAnashabdatvam
sataJ ….yadi hi nirbIjarUpam vivakshitam brahma abhavishyat ‘neti
neti’….ityavakshyat.  (pl. read the entire discussion for a clear
understanding of the Acharya’s position regarding the *persistence of Avidya
in deep sleep*.)  He says: If we do not admit the persistence of Avidya in
deep sleep, there will be the absurd consequence of those who enter
sushupti/pralaya  emerging from those states (since they are wrongly
admitted to be merged in the Sat, Brahman, the rule being: He who has merged
in the Sat does not return to samsara, ‘yad gatvaa na nivartante – Gita 15
chapter ).  And the Muktas are to face the consequence of coming out of
Brahman and entering samsara, since the absence of the avidya-bIja will be
common to the Muktas and baddhas during sleep.  He concludes the discussion
by declaring:// tasmAt sa-bIjatva-abhyupagamenaiva sataH prAnatvavyapadeshaH
sarvashrutishu cha kAraNatva-vyapadeshaH.//   Thus, the Acharya admits of a
state of avidya/maya-tainted Brahman which is the causal state.

One more thing is discernible from the above study.  The Acharya says
avidyalakshana could be (quote no.4.) / (1)tattva-apratibodha-rUpena
bIjAtmanA , AND (2) anyathAgrahaNalakshaNena  cha, anAdikAlapravRttena
MAyalakshanena….//
This gives us the conclusion that avidya is not adhyAsa ALONE  but it ALSO
is tattva agrahana.  It is clear from the above quotes that adhyAsa HAS A
CAUSE and that is tattva agrahana.  This is of the nature of concealing,
AvaraNaatmaka.  The Acharya admits an aavaranaatmaka cause that precedes
adhyAsa.  This has been pointed out by the Ratnaprabha commentary on the
Adhyasa bhashya for the quote no.1.  The commentary says that here the
Acharya is specifying ‘kArya-avidya’.  This implies that there is a ‘kArana
avidya’.  And that, we saw above, is admitted by the Acharya.

(To be continued and concluded in Part 2)