[Advaita-l] Body is the disease

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Subbu prabhuji
Hare Krishna

This is very well said.  All the disagreement/questioning/objecting to
relating avidyA to Brahman arises from the thinking that 'Brahman is a
person' and that, a sarvajna. 


>  infact, if someone categorically argues that brahman is the locus 
(Ashraya) for avidyA, then there would be every chance that that brahman 
who is AshrayadAta to avidyA must be a person.  This inference has a valid 
base in our day to day anubhava where jeeva's (person's) ignorance is well 
known.  And as you know, according to advaita, there is no vyavahAra 
called vidyA and avidyA in brahman and he is nitya shuddya, mukta svarUpa. 
 

>  And to coming back to brahman's sarvajna svabhAva, brahma does not need 
any karaNa (mayOpAdhi) or to be a person to have the sarvajnatva as its 
svarUpa.  shankara taking this objection and clarifies he can run without 
legs, he can handle without hands etc.  apANipAdO javanO graheeta etc. is 
the shruti.  And that which does not have anything other than itself which 
Atma eva, eka etc. has the svabhAva of sarvajna.  so, brahman need not to 
be necessarily  a person to attribute sarvajnatva. 


The very idea of (Brahman) being a person is
rooted in avidyA. 

>  Yes, that is the reason why shankara says Ishwara and his sarvajnatva 
etc. valid only in vyavahAra.

So, the thinking that Brahman is a 'person', whether alpajna or sarvajna,
itself is incorrect. 

>  thinking that brahman is paricchinna person is wrong...but brahman 
which is ekaM eva adviteeyaM has the sarvajnatva as its svabhAva is not 
wrong since it has base both in shruti and shankara bhAshya.  See 
Itareya's very first mantra Atma vA idameka evAgra Asit 'nAnyat kiMchana 
mishat'...And this Atma is shankara clarifies : Atma who is sarvajnaH, 
sarvashaktiH, ashanAyAdi 'sarva saMsAra dharma varjitO, nitya shuddha 
buddha mukta svabhAvaH, ajOjarOmarOmrutObhayOdvayaH...This Atman cannot be 
a 'person' like mayOpAdhi vishishta or sOpAdhika kArya brahma Ishwara who 
is dominant in nAma rUpa vyAkruta jagat but he is ekaM, eva, (na anyat 
kiMchana mishat shruti vAkya substantiate this)who has sarvajnatva and 
sarvashaktitva as its svabhAva.

That is the reason that even admitting of an omniscient Ishwara, a 
'person', is a concession, only to be corrected by
dropping even this admission.

>  yes, you are right prabhuji. 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar