[Advaita-l] Significance of Mula Avidya

[Aditya Kumar]

  Namaste Praveenji,
It is also that which makes the difference betweenthe adhiShThAna in Vedanta and atyantAbhAva shUnya in Buddhism.
A : Exactly what I was thinking. Mula Avidya takes the bullet and safeguards Brahman from becoming Shunya or similar concept. Some contemporary Buddhists say that Shunya does not mean nihilism. But the true difference between the two is not how we interpret Shunya but the absence of this concept of Mula Avidya. 
If mulAvidyA itself is not considered then brahman will not remainvivartopAdAnakAraNa, but will become pariNAmI. However, the point you aremaking is also right that if this avidyA is not considered as ayatkinchidbhAvarUpA, then we will not have any logical refutation ofshUnyavAdins in which we state that existent something cannot come fromnothing.
A : Great. One the one extreme, Vedantic Brahman will become Parinami/real and on the other extreme, it will become shunya OR subjective-idealism. 
The implication is as above; ​if from absence of vidyA can cause thisentire jagat and bondage, why not shUnya? Both are equally illogical.
A : Interesting. Will give it some thought before.
My question to both you and Venkateshji and all others : Does Mantra 16 of Vaitathya prakarana indicate Mula Avidya? Thanks