[Advaita-l] Dvaita Vaada - Vadiraja Teertha's Nyayaratnavali Slokas 408 - 414 Nishkriya

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

Commentary -  Vaadiraaja and Captain Madhvacharya are unhappy with the
results as expected. They have decided to go for one more bouncer to
prevent more runs. Vaadiraaja has planned a bouncer in line with
middle stump.

अनन्तशक्तियुक्तं तदणु चांगीकृतं मया ।
त्वया तु शक्तिविधुरमखण्डं महदेव तत् ।
अच्छेद्यं चोच्यते तस्मात्तस्य सञ्चरणं न हि ॥
किं स्याद्घटाभ्रसञ्चारो घटाद्यैरप्युपाधिभिः ।
अतः सञ्चरणार्हाणि चैतन्यानि पृथक् पृथक् ॥
हन्तः सञ्चरणानर्हजडदेहप्रवृत्तये ।
वाच्यानि नानाभोगाय भिन्नभिन्नान्यनादितः ॥
तत्सञ्चारेण सञ्चारो जडदेहस्य नान्यथा ।
अतस्तान्येव देहान्तः क्रियावन्ति ह्यणूनि च ॥
अभ्रोपाधिघटादीनां सञ्चारोऽप्यन्यचेतनैः ।
इतस्ततः स्थापने स्याद्देहे देहे न चापरः ॥
प्रवर्तकश्चेतनोऽस्ति सह तेन प्रवृत्तिमान् ।
तद्घटाकाशदृष्टान्तो दुर्घटस्ते विचारणे ॥
देहप्रवृत्तये व्याप्तब्रह्मचिद्भिन्नचिद्यतः ।
बलाद्वाच्या तेन शोच्या सर्वापि प्रक्रिया तव ॥
I have accepted the God with endless powers and the Jeeva is only atom
of Consciousness. You have accepted that Great Undivided Consciousness
without any powers. There is no activity in That. How is there
activity in the Pot-Space with a Upadhi like a Pot? Therefore in my
theory the Many Consciousnesses Jeevas are capable of activity. But
the body is Inert - a Jada vastu and not capable of activity. The Many
Jeevas have different experiences in different bodies without any
beginning. The activity of the Jada Body is because of activity in
Jeeva. Therefore the Atomic Jeevas  in bodies are the Acting Agents.
The Body with Jeeva like Pot Space Upadhi will have activity by
placing some other Consciousness in it. But there is no Other
Consciousness to make the Body active in your theory. Therefore Your
Pot Space example is impossible. You are forced to accept some other
Consciousness but not All Pervading Brahman Consciousness. Your whole
Advaita method is miserable.

Vaadiraaja is attacking the Pot Space example of the Advaitis. They
say Space is everywhere. But with a Upadhi like a Pot that Space is
limited to a Pot Space. The Jeeva is like a Pot Space. It is the Space
but with Pot Upadhi. His objection is there is no activity in Brahman
but there is activity in Jeeva. Why? Because we can see the Inert body
moving. Who is making the Inert Body to move and other actions? It is
Jeeva because the only Consciousness in the body is Jeeva.

If Brahman is like Space and Inactive and that Space is surrounded by
Pot how can that Pot Space suddenly  become Active? If some other
Consciousness outside the Pot is making it to move. But Advaitis
cannot accept some other Consciousness. They are saying Brahman is
Inactive Jeeva is Active but Brahman and Jeeva are One. Therefore this
Pot Space example is totally rubbish. The whole Advaita theory is
wrong. Therefore the Atomic Jeevas are the Actors.

Advaiti response -

People learned in Advaita say Vaadiraaja has not understood even basic
Advaita. He does not undertand Activity is only Vyavahara. It cannot
be Paramartha. In Brahman there is no activity. In Jeeva if you see
activity it is Avidyaa only. There is no activity really any where by
anyone. Maayaa is causing activity. Actor, action like going and
coming, space and time for activity all these are Maayaa only. Not
understanding this he has attacked Advaita Doctrines.

Svestasvatara Upanishad 6 - 19 is saying Para Brahman is Nishkriya
free from Action and partless.
निष्कलं निष्क्रियं शान्तं निरवद्यं निरञ्जनम् ।
अमृतस्य परं सेतुं दग्धेन्धनमिवानलम् ॥

My dear Vaadiraaja kindly study the very excellent Gita Bhashya of our
Acharya for 13 - 31 .

कः पुनः देहेषु करोति लिप्यते च? यदि तावत् अन्यः परमात्मनो देही करोति
लिप्यते च, ततः इदम् अनुपपन्नम् उक्तं क्षेत्रज्ञेश्वरैकत्वम्
‘क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि’ (भ. गी. १३-२) इत्यादि । अथ नास्ति
ईश्वरादन्यो देही, कः करोति लिप्यते च? इति वाच्यम्; परो वा नास्ति इति
सर्वथा दुर्विज्ञेयं दुर्वाच्यं च इति भगवत्प्रोक्तम् औपनिषदं दर्शनं
परित्यक्तं वैशेषिकैः सांख्यार्हतबौद्धैश्च । तत्र अयं परिहारो भगवता
स्वेनैव उक्तः ‘स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते’ (भ. गी. ५-१४) इति ।
अविद्यामात्रस्वभावो हि करोति लिप्यते इति व्यवहारो भवति, न तु परमार्थत
एकस्मिन् परमात्मनि तत् अस्ति ।

Translation by A. Mahadeva Sastri -

Objection - Who then in bodies acts and is tainted? If on the one
hand, an embodied self distinct from the Supreme Self acts and is
tainted then the identity of Kshetrajna and Isvara spoken of in such
places as xiii.2 would be inexplicable.If on the other hand, there be
no embodied self distinct from Isvara, then tell me who acts and is
tainted or say that the Isvara is not Supreme. On the ground that the
Doctrine of the Upanishads taught by the Lord is in every way
difficult to understand and difficult to explain it has been abandoned
by the Vaisesikas, as well as by the Sankhyas, the Arhatas and the
Buddhists.

Answer - As regards this objection, the following answer has been
afforded by the Lord Himself - 'It is Nature that acts' xiii.2. THE
IDEA THAT THERE IS ONE WHO ACTS AND IS TAINTED IS A MERE ILLUSION
(AVIDYA) AND NOTHING ELSE. ACTION DOES NOT REALLY EXIST IN THE SUPREME
SELF. It has for this very reason been pointed out by the Lord here
and there is no necessity of performing works (karma) for those
devotees of Wisdom, for the order of Paramahamsa-Parivrajakas who
adhere to this doctrine of Supreme Truth (Paramartha Sankhya Darsana)
and have risen above avidya and vyavahara and all experience due to
avidya.

Like the Vaisesikas, Sankhyas, Jains and Buddhists have done the
Dvaitis also have not understood the Upanishads and they have created
a theory with no base in the Upanishads.

किमिव न करोति न लिप्यते इति अत्र दृष्टान्तमाह —
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्या—
दाकाशं नोपलिप्यते ।
सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे
तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ॥ ३२ ॥
भाष्यम् - यथा सर्वगतं व्यापि अपि सत् सौक्ष्म्यात् सूक्ष्मभावात् आकाशं
खं न उपलिप्यते न संबध्यते, सर्वत्र अवस्थितः देहे तथा आत्मा न उपलिप्यते
||
Translation -
Like what does He not act, like what is He not tainted? Here follows
the illustration:

32. As the All pervading Akasa is from its subtlety not soiled so the
Self seated in the body everywhere is not soiled.

Commentary - Vaadiraaja has bowled a bouncer but the Advaiti batsman
at the last moment has guided it over and behind the wicket keeper for
one more elegant six.


-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh