[Advaita-l] avidyA and mind in samAdhi

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Namaste Sudhanshuji,

On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 2:25 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

>
> There are several mentions of samAdhi in bhAshya wherein it is used as a
> drishTAnta for dvaita-adarshan. We can even leave akhanDAkAra-vritti for
> the moment and concerntrate on those samAdhi where there is
> dvaita-adarshana. It will be nirvikalpaka samAdhi. My question is about
> that only.
>

Sorry to jump in, but I just wanted to point out that dvaita-adarshana need
not necessarily mean advaita-darshana. Further, IMO, many Vedanta texts
vary in their interpretations of samAdhis and samAdhi being totally
dependent on how the the mind functions, it is more anubhava-pramANika than
anything else. I prefer to see samAdhi where vRtti is accepted as
savikalpaka samAdhi and that in NS, there is no vRtti. If it be said that
some sUkShmavRtti has to be accepted as an akhaNDAkAravRtti, I propose that
it is similar to Yogis accepting nidrAvRtti. The mind generally functions
to remain active, go to sleep or be in this antarAlAvastha, discussed by
Bhagavan Karikakara, whereafter it resolves into the viShaya of dhyAna.
That being the mahAvAkya in case of the Vedantiyogi, whose artha is
svasvarUpa, it resolves in it.

As for avidyA being there, that is only the bIjarUpa, also called as
kAraNAvidyA in Vicharasagara. The kAryAvidyA goes away during samAdhi. It
returns because bIjakAraNa remains. Based on one's jnAna, the tvampada
alone is completely clear or its clear along with the asipada and
therefore, the degrees of samAdhis that follow and impact thereof varies
subjectively. The general case, I have concluded, that the svabhAva of the
mind is to resolve, in which case, the vRtti doesn't remain, at least not
manifest. I particularly consider the unmanifest vRtti as good as not being
there. It is equivalent to saying that the mind resolves. Yes, it is there
in bIja, hence, resolves, not destroyed!

Apologies if this is tangential to your inquiry, but samAdhi is really
something that becomes anubhavasiddha. There is no other pramANa needed,
nor will they work convincingly.

gurupAdukAbhyAm,
--Praveen R. Bhat
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