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

[savithri devaraj]

> >  I dont think sAvitri mAtAji talking about the
> importance of shAstra 
> here to make you to show her the importance of shAstra!!
> ...As per my 
> understanding (sAvitri mAtAji, correct me if I am wrong)
> she is trying to 
> show you that shankara in adhyAsa bhAshya saying mutual
> superimposition is 
> the anarthahetu and Atmaikatva jnAna (self knowledge) would
> remove this!! 
> See, once again here her intention is to show you how
> adhyAsa is NOTHING 
> but avidyA..this is not an effort to belittle the
> importance of shAstra 
> nor a talk about means for liberation...It is onceagain
> quite obvious that 
> you have completely misunderstood her intention in quoting
> that bhAshya 
> vAkya & you have comfortably quoted totally irrelevant
> mAndUkya quote.
> 

Thank you Bhaskar. It is plenty clear what I meant. It is not mis-understood, it is mis-represented to dodge the specific issue....

When the original post speculated on what avidya could mean in the different upanishads and in brahmasUtra bhAshya, and when the meaning of avidya was incorrectly concluded to be much more than adhyAsa, I 
quoted shankara's writings in the end of adhyasa bhAshya to show why adhyAsa = avidya in all upanishads according to shankara. Yes, brahmasUtra is where contentious meanings are resolved, and rightly so, Shankara has written the adhyAsa bhAshya there to resolve the meaning of avidya. How could that ever convey an idea that shAstra is or isn't important?  

No matter how many people procalim the fire is cold any number of times, the fire isn't cold! Let's stop this madness, and if people like to delude themselves, so be it. It isn't a popularity contest, nor does it have to be a 'i-had-the-last-say-so-i-win-the-debate' syndrome. It is for each one of us to evaluate it against our experience and intellect and determine for ourselves what the masters are saying, not to prove our scholarship to others. 

Sorry, I don't have the energy or the urge to continue these endless debates...

Regards,
Savithri