[Advaita-l] mAya and avidyA are not synonyms

[Bhaskar YR]

अविद्यात्मिका हि सा बीजशक्तिरव्यक्तशब्दनिर्देश्या परमेश्वराश्रया मायामयी महासुषुप्तिः, यस्यां स्वरूपप्रतिबोधरहिताः शेरते संसारिणो जीवाः । तदेतदव्यक्तं क्वचिदाकाशशब्दनिर्दिष्टम् — ‘एतस्मिन्नु खल्वक्षरे गार्ग्याकाश ओतश्च प्रोतश्च’ (बृ. उ. ३-८-११)<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Brha&page=03&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%20%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B6%20%E0%A4%93%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E2%80%99%20%28%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%83.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A9-%E0%A5%AE-%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%A7%29#BR_C03_S08_V11> इति श्रुतेः ; क्वचिदक्षरशब्दोदितम् — ‘अक्षरात्परतः परः’ (मु. उ. २-१-२)<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Mundaka&page=02&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%83%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%83%E2%80%99%20%28%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A8-%E0%A5%A7-%E0%A5%A8%29#MD_C02_S01_V02> इति श्रुतेः ; क्वचिन्मायेति सूचितम् — ‘मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं तु महेश्वरम्’ (श्वे. उ. ४-१०)<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=svt&page=04&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%81%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%81%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E2%80%99%20%28%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%AA-%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%A6%29#SV_C04_V10> इति मन्त्रवर्णात् ; अव्यक्ता हि सा माया, तत्त्वान्यत्वनिरूपणस्याशक्यत्वात् । तदिदं ‘महतः परमव्यक्तम्’ इत्युक्तम् — अव्यक्तप्रभवत्वान्महतः, यदा हैरण्यगर्भी बुद्धिर्महान् । यदा तु जीवो महान् तदाप्यव्यक्ताधीनत्वाज्जीवभावस्य महतः परमव्यक्तमित्युक्तम् । अविद्या ह्यव्यक्तम् ..
sure, there could be more such usage..


praNAms Sri Ravikiran prabhuji
Hare Krishna

I have already taken this reference at the end of my mail.  Here is what I have said at the end :

//quote//

One cannot illogically compare these different aspect as one and the same just  going by eka vAkya of bhAshyakAra where he asserts : avidyAtmikA hi beeja shaktiH avyakta pada nirdeshya.

// unquote //

Before taking the literal meaning of sentences like this to announce avidyA and mAya are synonyms we have to study the same bhAshyakAra-s other vAkya-s as well where bhAshyakAra uses the ‘saMyukta’ pada between avyakta and avidyA, mAyA and avidyA.  If that is not the case and if mAyA and avidyA are one and the same, we have to avidyAm tu prakrutiM vidyAt avidyAvantaM maheshwaraM in place of mAyAm tu prakrutiM vidyAt mAyinantu maheshwaraM and instead of daivee hyeshA guNamayee mama mAyA we should read daivee hyeshA guNamayee mama avidyA…with this maheshwara geetAchArya would become avidyAvanta ☺ So what is the effective reconciliation  when bhAshyakAra effectively says avyaktA is nothing but mAyA ??  Infact, here only (1-4-3)  bhAshya kAra says avidyA hi avyaktaM, avidyAvattve naiva jeevasya sarvaH saMvyavahAraH saNtatO vartate…So what does it mean??  It means avidyA saMyukta avyakta is the kAraNa for the samsara and vyavahAra.  If someone points out their finger at metal box beside my monitor and asks me what is this??  I would say it is CPU I wont say it is metal box, I clarify him the content of that metal box without mentioning the ‘container’ though container is not content in strict sense (just like saying it is ‘cash’ looking at the cash ‘box’).  Shankara gives the example  of vishAnna which is primarily called ‘visha’ though it is ‘anna’ with ‘visha’.  And one of the vyAkhyAnakAra-s clarifies that  this type of saMyukta cannot be possible when both visha and anna are one and the same.  ahaMkAraH iti avidyA saMyuktaM avyaktaM, avidyAdi antardOshavat mAyA, prakrutyA avidyA rUpaH saMyOgaH saMsAraH etc. clearly mentions about ‘saMyukta’ between visha and anna, hence avidyA and avyakta cannot be one and the same.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
Bhaskar