[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: avidya vs maayaa - What is the difference? -

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

I have to post it again as two parts since it says it is too long.-------------------------
Namaste SadAji, One thing for you to consider is ifyou say jIva has some vikshepa shakti, what is it in the jIva that has thevikshepa shakti, is it avidyA? or is it antah karaNam?  Venkatraghavanji – PraNAms We are looking as logically aspossible how to describe the jiiva – jagat – Iswara traid – since we need –shastra, yukti and anubhava in that order for gaining moksha. Cominig from Science background, I amtrained for critical examination of any concept presented as they have to belogical and have to stand for scrutiny to the extent possible.Hence I have no problem in lookingat these issues as critically as possible until we find no scriptural/logicalabsurdities.  Here is the picture I have presented which other Acharyas might have alreadyconsidered before and many disagree also.  I am re-stating some simple factsthat we are all familiar.  1.    Jeeva has avidya – since he does notknow I am Brahman. It is evident since every jeeva is looking for happinessoutside.   . 2.    Ignorance covers the knowledge-  that is the definition of ignoranceand one has to remove the ignorance – dis-cover by a process called pramana. Mindhas to be prepared for any given pramaana to be fully operational.   Additional considerations.  3.    Ignorance itself does not projectanything. It only covers – aavarana. Hence we say ignorance is a blisssometimes. If it is completely dark - there is no rope or a snake. For projection of something we need 1. Mindand 2. Chidaabhaasa  ( in essence anactivated mind) plus partial knowledge. Mind with full knowledge need not haveto project.
4.    Additional conditions required forprojection is the mind has to be active, not folded as in  in deep sleep state. In deep sleep state whatwe have is just causal state or mind with ignorance only. When the mind isfolded, the vaasanas also are in the unmanifested state. Hence it is calledcausal state. Otherwise it is just annadamaya kosha, due to absence ofsubject-object duality. 

5.    Mind being a subtle body will alwaysbe there either in its causal state which we call it as kaarana shareera or inthe active states – waking and dream states. Mind will merge with Hiranyagarbha only during the videha mukti of jeevan mukta.  Avidya does not include vikshpa aswe know that there is no vikshepa in the deep sleep state as there is no projectionof subject-object duality and there is no space not time either- absence of allobjective dualities  A jnaani sleeps as jnaani since themind with jnanam is folded while ajnaani sleeps as ajnaani. Both do not haveobjective subjective-objective dualities or viskshepa in the deep sleep state –This is the anubhava of everybody.  Vikshepa comes with the unfolding ofthe mind and for that partial knowledge is required as discussed in adhyaasabhaashya.. This is a separate property of the mind and need not have to behooked with avidya. Nothing special is accomplished by this other than lot ofconfusion and justifications as is evident by the various interpretations bydifferent aacharyas.  Jeeva is alpa jna and alpashaktimaan in contrast to Iswara who is sarvanja and sarva shaktimaan. Hence wehave jeeva sRiShTi and Iwara sRiShTi – as separate entities.  JeevasRiShTi covers praatibhaasika errors- rope/snake – notion that I am = this andtherefore not that, etc. desha-kaala-vastu parichcchinnatvam which results inthree-fold assumptions – a) I am a mortal, b) I am ignorant and c) I amunhappy- realted to sat – chit – ananda aspects.  Venkatraghavan: If it is avidyA, then you will cometo our side with avidyA having both AvaraNa and vikshepa shakti.  Sada: Notreally avidya can only do aavarana – just like my chemistry ignorance. Jeevavikshespa is separate property of the local mind with chidabhaasa propelled byhalf knowledge.-------------
To be continued