[Advaita-l] I am Alone in the Universe?

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 9:22 AM, kuntimaddi sadananda <
kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com> wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Anand Hudli anandhudli at hotmail.com
>
> > It is not possible to logically refute the eka-jIva-vAda. However, I
> would
> > like to point out that even a dream object, be it a person or an inert
> > thing, must have as its substratum (adhiShThAna) Brahman Itself.
>
> PraNAms
>
> Simply stated any experience of an object implies its existence; otherwise
> mind cannot experience. This is true in vyaavahaarika or in praatibhaasika.
>
> The very existence of an object is supported by Brahman, the pure
> unqualified existence. Object existence is only qualified existence with
> attributive content that differentiates one object from the other.
>

Very nicely said, Sadaji.  The existence of anything that is an object in
the world is dependent, paratantra, on the Existence that is Brahman, the
swatantra, the sattAprada, for the objects which is also the
seer-consciousness. For, without the seer consciousness no seeing
experience is possible; hence the depender and depended-upon relationship.
So, all those non-advaitic systems that say the world is paratantra satya /
shesha - sheshi bhava are only admitting that the world has no existence of
its own but has only a borrowed existence from Brahman.  The satyatva they
attribute to the world is really no absolute satyatva, but only vyavaharika
or qualified satyatva/existence. The only analogy for such a phenomenon is
the rajju-sarpa, shukti-rajata types or, by extension, the dream example.
No one can succeed in giving an apt analogy for the paratantra satyatvam
other than the above stated analogies.


> Any object experience therefore involves the unqualified Brahman as
> adhiShThaanam and the qualified attributes of an object, plus the subject,
> the reflected consciousness. Hence knowledge of any object whether in dream
> or in waking state involves the consciousness of the subject joining as
> though the existence in the form (attribute) of an object of one to be
> conscious of the existence of an object. The manudukya Up defines both
> waking and deam states in parallel as- ekona vimshati mukhaH.
>
> There cannot be anything other than Brahman, by definiton. Hence Brahman
> has to be adhishTaanam for everything or anything that exsits. Only thing
> that cannot exist are those with logical contradictions like vandhaaputraH.
>
> eka jiiva vaada pertains to understanding that I am a saaskhii. aneka
> jiiva vaada pertains to misunderstanding that I am ahankaara indentifying
> with BMI. Mithyaama jnaanam involves while perceiving the apparent
> plurality, recognizing the eka jiiva that I am; and that is
> self-realization. The rest is confusion.
>

Yes. That is the reason Eka jiva prakriyA is admitted as the preeminent one
in Vedanta.  The siddhAntaleshasangraha, the vedantasiddhAntamuktavaLi, the
Mandukya kArikA and bhAShya, the kaivalyopanishat and the sUtasamhitA that
comments on it are valuable sources for the study of Ekajiva vAda
prakriyA.  A fine account of this prakriyA is given in the English book:
sridakshinAmurtistotram Vol.I in pages 217 to 268 with copious
notes/citations from the aforesaid vedantic works.


regards
subrahmanian.v

>
> Hari Om!
> Sadananda
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