[Advaita-l] A puzzle to be solved: Jagat - jagattvam = ?

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Chandogya Bhashya, Shankara, while discussing the Upanishadic
teaching that the effect, the bhautika prapancha, is nothing other than its
constituents, the elements, and the elements themselves are nothing from
their source, the Sat, Brahman, which alone is real, makes this statement:
Just as the agnitva of agni is vAchArambhaNam, mere speech/word (therefore
mithyA), but it is real as its constituents alone: trINirUpANi ityeva
satyam, the agnitvam is dispelled, apAgAt, the jagattvam of the jagat is
also dispelled.

This vivartavAda of the Upanishad that was taught with the three analogies
of clay, gold and iron by the Upanishad itself, is culminated by Shankara
by applying that vivartavAda rule for the jagat too. In vivartavAda the
characteristic is: the cause is of a higher order of reality and the
effect, a lower level of reality. This was demonstrated by the Upanishad
itself in the case of the clay, etc. first and again multiple times in the
case of agni, etc.

So, what is the answer to the question: when the jagattvam of jagat is
gone, what is left, i.e. what is jagat now?


छान्दोग्योपनिषद्भाष्यम्षष्ठोऽध्यायःचतुर्थः खण्डःमन्त्र ४ - भाष्यम्

………यदि सर्वं जगत् त्रिवृत्कृतमिति अग्न्यादिवत् त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव
सत्यम् , *अग्नेरग्नित्ववत्
अपागाज्जगतो जगत्त्वम् । *तथा अन्नस्याप्यप्शुङ्गत्वात् आप इत्येव सत्यं
वाचारम्भणमात्रमन्नम् ।………


Om Tat Sat