[Advaita-l] 'world' is not the mental creation of tiny soul !!

[V Subrahmanian]

Sri Shankara's commentary for the famous Br.up. 2.5.19 mantra 'indro
mAyAbhiH pururUpa Iyate...' would be a fine study for this topic:

...sa eva parameshwaro nAmarUpe vyAkurvANo rUpam rUpam pratirUpto babhUva.
...indraH parameshwaro mAyAbhiH prajnAbhiH
nAmarUpabhUtakRta-mithyAbhimAnaiH vA, na tu paramArthataH pururUpo bagurUpa
Iyate gamyate ekarUpa eva prajnAnaghanaH san avidyAprajnAbhiH.

//That same Lord, in the process of manifesting name and form, 'transformed
Himself in accordance with each form'.  .....The Lord on account of mAyA or
diverse knowledge, or (to give an alternative meaning) the false
identifications created by name, form and the elements, not in truth, is
perceived as manifold, because of these notions superimposed by ignorance,
although He is ever the same Pure Intelligence. //

Anandagiri gives the gloss: mAybhiH prajnAbhiH iti parapakShamuktvA
svapakShamAha: mithyAbhimAnaiH iti [Here this word is printed as
'mAyAbhiriti'.  I think it is a printing error.]
mithyAdhIhetubhUta-anAdyanirvAchya-daNDAyamAnAjnAnavashAdeSha bahurUo
bhAti....avidyAprajnAbhiH bahurUpo gamyate iti pUrveNa sambandhaH.

The purport is:  Shankara's preferred meaning for the mantra is: that owing
to the ignorance created mental impressions the multiplicity is perceived.

Shankara talks of the mithya abhimAna, in plural, for the causal entity of
creation.  He gives no clue to the Ishwara, saguNa brahman, as the creator
of the universe but explicitly opines, with the vA / alternative
explanation that creation is caused by erroneous identifications.  Surely
Brahman/Ishwara cannot have such wrong identifications.  These are possible
ONLY with the jIva.  Brahman, the Pure Consciousness, assumes, nay, is
perceived as (that is the meaning Shankara gives for the word 'Iyate' of
the mantra) multiplicity in Creation.

One can match this instance with the other famous instance of the Ch.Up.
6.2.3 too where Shankara uses this same method with reference to creation:

तत्सत् ऐक्षत ईक्षां दर्शनं कृतवत् । ....इदं तु चेतनं ईक्षितृत्वात् ।
तत्कथमैक्षत इत्याह - बहु प्रभूतं स्यां भवेयं प्रजायेय प्रकर्षेणोत्पद्येय ।
यथा मृद्घटाद्याकारेण यथा वा रज्ज्वादि सर्पाद्याकारेण बुद्धिपरिकल्पितेन । ..
..एवम् *ईक्षित्वा* तत्तेजोऽसृजत तेजः सृष्टवत् ।

Here too, as in the br.up. instance of Brahman assuming various forms,
through imagination, erroneously, otherwise the rope-snake analogy would be
out of place.

So, it is beyond doubt and disputation that according to Shankara creation
is a projection of the intellect which is, undoubtedly an upadhi of
Brahman.  This idea is brought out  by the 'ayamAtmA brahma' occurring in
the above cited Br.up. mantra itself for which Shankara comments:

//kim punaH tannirantaram brahma? ayamAtmA.  Ko asau? yaH pratyagAtmA
draShTA, shrotA mantA, boddhA, vijnAtA sarvAnubhUH sarvAtmanA
sarvamanubhavati iti sarvAnubhUH ityetadanushAsanam, sarvavedAntopadeshaH//

[What is that homogenous Brahman (that was described as indro
mAyAbhiH...etc.)?  This Self.  What is that? The inner Self that sees,
hears, thinks, understands, knows, the perceiver of everything, because as
the Self of all It perceives (experiences) everything.  This is the
teaching of all Vedanta texts, the gist of them.  It leads to immortality
and fearlessness.  //

So, The above is the decision in this regard.  All other
shAnkaran/upaniShadic statements elsewhere whether they give out the above
meaning explicitly or not, are subsidiary, subject to, this above statement
of Shankara, for He says that this mantra constitutes the Vedantic
Teaching.  So, Brahman, verily the Atman, is the creator of the universe,
the creation being none other than a projection out of avidyA.

regards
subrahmanian.v




On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 9:38 PM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Namaste
> Kindly give reference from SSS works where he has answered -  who has
> Avidyaa? Avidyaa is same as Adhyaasa Or Superimposition. But who has
> Adhyaasa? I could not find answer to this.
>
> But there is one statement in Conclusion part of Sankara Vedanta Mimamsa.
> 'there is superimposition in human behaviour'. If Avidyaa is in human
> behaviour and naisargika to human behaviour that Avidyaa is responsible for
> Naama Roopa and Maayaa. Because SSS has said Naama Roopa is Avidyaa
> Kalpita.
>
> If SSS has said Ishwara is cause for Creation it is direct cause. But
> Indirect Cause will be Jeeva because Avidyaa is coming from him. That
> Avidyaa Kalpita Maayaa is Creating Ishwara and Jagat also because without
> Maayaa there cannot be Ishwara.
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 8:58 PM, H S Chandramouli
> <hschandramouli at gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > Dear Sri Venkatesh Murthyji,
> >
> > I am somewhat perplexed. I have quite a few works of Sri SSS ,
> > upanishads/BS/lectures on BG/NS ( kleshapaharini ) etc. I went through
> the
> > whole collection, although cursorily , looking for references where he
> > himself in his own words ( without any inference on my part ) has stated
> > creation is by jiva. I could not find a single reference. On the other
> hand
> > there were any number pf places where he has categorically and
> > unambiguously referred to brahman/Iswara/atma as the cause for creation.
> I
> > am sure you would have also noticed the same and therefore I have not
> cited
> > any particular one here in support of my statement. May I request you to
> > cite specific quotes from Sri SSS to the effect that craetion is by
> jiva. I
> > am not looking for an inferential quote.All of us are free to understand
> > the way we like. I am looking for a citation in the words of Sri SSS
> > directly in this regard.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 11:17 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Namaste
> > > On Thu, Mar 13, 2014 at 5:58 PM, Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Anyway, as you are rightly observed yes, shankara at various places
> > says
> > > > mAya is avidyAkalpita, avidyApratyupasthApita, avidyAkruta,
> avidyAkArya
> > > > etc.  The context we need to understand here is mAya is 'false
> > > appearance'
> > > > which appears as if it is there due to ignorance of the truth.  If I
> > see
> > > a
> > > > snake in place of rope, then it is my ignorance about the true nature
> > of
> > > > rope.  Due to this ignorance of the real nature of rope, the false
> > > > appearance of snake happens on the rope.  For the person who does not
> > > know
> > > > the real nature of rope, 'the snake' appears as if it is there
> really.
> > > > This false appearance of snake is called mAya which is avidyAkruta by
> > > > jeeva.  Hence, according to shankara bhAshya, avidyA is subjective
> > defect
> > > > and mAya is an objective false appearance like snake in the place of
> > > rope.
> > > >  Meaning of this is ignorance of the real nature of rope gives the
> > > > existence for the false appearance of snake.  It is because of this
> > > reason
> > > > only it has been said that mAya is avidyA kalpita.  But as pointed
> out
> > > > before, jagat is NOT like a snake on the rope OTOH whatever is there
> in
> > > > the form of pot, jug etc. it is nothing but 'clay' only.
> > > >
> > > Both sides in this argument have accepted Maayaa is responsible for
> > > Creation. But Sri SSS has also said Maayaa is Avidyaa Kalpitaa. Other
> > > Paryaaya Padas are Avidyaa Pratyupasthaapitaa and Avidyaakrutaa. In
> > Sankara
> > > Vedanta Mimamsa page 79 SSS has said for Sutra Bhashya 1 - 4 - 3 'Atra
> > > Maayaa Shabdena Nirdishtaa Avidyaa Prtayupasthaapitaa Jagataha
> > > Praagavasthaa'.
> > >
> > > Most important SSS has accepted Maayaa, Shakti and Prakruti are
> > > Avidyaakalpita only. Sutra Bhashya 2 -1 - 14 was also referred by Swami
> > > Advayananda Saraswati explaining this when I met him. Sarvajnasya
> > > Ishwarasya Atmabhute Iva Avidyaakalpite Naama Roope
> Tattvaanyattvaabhyaam
> > > Anirvachaneeye Samsaara Prapancheebhute Sarvajnasya Ishwarasya Maayaa
> > > Shaktihi Prakrutihi
> > >
> > > Name and Form Naama Roopa is imagined because of Avidyaa. Name and Form
> > is
> > > same as Maayaa, Shakti and Prakruti. The Creation has happened because
> of
> > > the Prakruti. In the above statement Sarvajna Ishwara is not Aidyaa
> > Kalpita
> > > Ishwara but Brahman only. That Avidyaa is the subjective
> misunderstanding
> > > of Jeeva. It is Adhyaasa in the Adhyaasa Bhashya. We can now say
> Jeeva's
> > > Avidyaa has produced Maayaa or Prakruti. From Maayaa the Creation has
> > > happened. Maayaa is Direct Creator. Jeeva is Indirect Creator.
> > >
> > > Brahman is Sarvajna because he knows all as Brahman. He does not know
> > > particular details of anything.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
> > > > bhaskar
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Regards
> > >
> > > -Venkatesh
> > > _______________________________________________
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> --
> Regards
>
> -Venkatesh
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