[Advaita-l] Imagined Nature of Root Ignorance in Vivaranam

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Ananda Hudli prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Since scholars like your goodself showing interest in this discussion, 
neophytes like me can hope for the more meaningful & fruitful discussion 
in an amicable atmosphere.  I just wanted to share the following thoughts 
on your observation. 

In the state of dreamless sleep, there is no imagined object. 

>  no upAdhi (ashareeri as well ashareeram vAva santaM na priyApriye 
sprushataH) either in dreamless sleep, that is the reason why shruti says 
in that state even veda-s are aveda, deva-s are adeva etc. 

However, we have to accept that there is ignorance, avidyA in dreamless 
sleep too,
else, we end up with the theory that everyone gets liberated in sleep, 
only
to return to the state of bondage upon waking. 

>  Yes, shankara too says in chAndOgya if the sushupti itself is the 
liberated state then without any sAdhana saMpatti, mumukshatva, even 
jantu-s & insects too would get liberated since they too experience the 
sleep.  So we can be rest assured that those who say sushupti is the state 
of adviteeya donot saying  'go to sushupti and get liberated':-)) Their 
assertion has some other meaning and purpose. 

This theory may be acceptable to some, but it is not in line with 
Shankara's advaita. 

>  Yes, prabhuji, it is not shankara's advaita.  But as I said above, as 
far as my knowledge goes nobody saying like that. 

Now, if there is avidyA in sleep, what is its nature? How is it related, 
if at all,
with the adhyAsa in the waking state? Since there is no imagined object as
such in sleep, this avidyA in sleep must be more basic or more fundamental
than the one in the waking state. This avidyA can be said to be existing 
in
seed form. We can call this the mUlAvidyA, which is the cause of the 
avidyA
in the waking state.

>  this is what really is the bone of contention to the topic : whether 
avidyA exists in sushupti or not.  To answer to this question, we have 
discuss in detail shankara's two apparently contraditory statements, at 
one place ( bruhadAraNyaka) he says there is avidyA abhAva is sushupti, 
yathA jAgratsvapnayOH tasya AtmaivaH anyatvapratyupasthApaka hetOH avidyAH 
abhAvAt and in another place shankara hints that there exists avidyA even 
in sushupti in sUtra bhAshya : iha tu vidyate viveka kAraNaM karma cha 
avidyA cha. 

>  Sri SSS explains how this 'apparently' contradictory statements can be 
reconciled by adopting the two different approaches to the avasthAtraya 
viveka.  We shall see that in detail as the discussion moves on on 
mUlAvidyA or kAraNA vidyA in sushupti. 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar