[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Bhavarupa Ajnana Tamas (Ignorance) - Nrsimha Tapini Upanishad and Gita Bhashya

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste.

A corresponding statement is available in BUB 3-3-1, भुज्यु ब्राह्मणम्
(bhujyu brAhmaNam), as well which is copied below

//   यदि ज्ञानाभावः, यदि संशयज्ञानम् , यदि विपरीतज्ञानं वा उच्यते अज्ञानमिति,
सर्वं हि तत् ज्ञानेनैव निवर्त्यते ; न तु कर्मणा अन्यतमेनापि विरोधाभावात् ।
//,

//  yadi j~nAnAbhAvaH, yadi saMshayaj~nAnam , yadi viparItaj~nAnaM vA
uchyate aj~nAnamiti, sarvaM hi tat j~nAnenaiva nivartyate ; na tu karmaNA
anyatamenApi virodhAbhAvAt | //.

As per this, all three namely j~nAnAbhAva, saMshayaj~nAna , viparItaj~nAna,
are addressed by the word aj~nAnam.

The same idea is elaborated in the vArtika of Swami Sureswaracharya also.

BUBV  1-4-440  //  अज्ञानं संशयत्वान्नो मिथ्याज्ञानात्तथैव च ।
तयोस्तत्त्वविवक्षायामज्ञानं तत्त्वमुच्यते ॥ ४४० ॥ //

//  aj~nAnaM saMshayatvAnno mithyAj~nAnAttathaiva cha |
tayostattvavivakShAyAmaj~nAnaM tattvamuchyate || 440 || //

Translation (Hino and Jog) //  Ignorance does not arise from being a doubt,
so also (not) from being false knowledge; since, while ascertaining the
true nature of the two, their true nature is called ignorance. [440] //.

Same sentiment is expressed in Tai Up Bhashya Vartika of Swami
Sureswaracharya as well while using the term अविद्या (avidyA) for अज्ञानम्
(aj~nAnam).

TUBV 2-176 to 179.

//  न जानामीत्यविद्याऽनित्या तत्कारणं मता ! स्वप्रसिद्धयैव सा
सिद्धयेन्निशौलूकीव वासरे ॥ [176] //

//  //  na jAnAmItyavidyA.anityA tatkAraNaM matA ! svaprasiddhayaiva sA
siddhayennishaulUkIva vAsare || [176] //

Translation by Sri Balasubrahmanian  //  Avidya in the form "I do not
know", which is impermanent, is considered to be the only cause of the
limitations (mentioned above). It is established by the selfluminous
consciousness itself, just as (the darkness of) the night is established in
the daytime by the consciousness of the owl // .

Notes by Balasubrahmanian ;; It is avidya that makes the all pervasive Self
appear as the limited kşetrajna in the body, just as the same avidya makes
the cosmic being appear in the individual forms limited by gross and subtle
bodies.

Avidya is known to us in our experience (prasiddha), for everyone says: "I
am ignorant" (aham ajñaḥ). It is "beginningless" (anAdi). But it can be
terminated by the knowledge obtained through a pramANa. Since it is
removable by the knowledge obtained through a pramAṇa, it is not
pramaņa-siddha (pramANa-nivartyatvAt avidyayaḥ na pramanataḥ siddhiḥ). It
is revealed by the self-luminous Witness- consciousness (sākṣibhāsya). Our
consciousness is the sole evidence for the existence of avidya in the same
way as the consciousness of the owl is the evidence for the existence of
darkness which it experiences during the daytime //.

//  अनात्मेती यद्भाति तदविद्याविजृम्भितम् । तस्मादविद्या सांप्युक्ता विद्या
त्वात्मैकरूपिणी ॥  [178] //

//  anAtmetI yadbhAti tadavidyAvijRRimbhitam | tasmAdavidyA sAMpyuktA vidyA
tvAtmaikarUpiNI ||  [178] //,

Translation by Sri Balasubrahmanian  //  That which is known here as the
not-Self is the result of avidya. Hence it can be said that it is also
avidya. But knowledge is identical with the Self  (178) // .

Notes ;; If the sole reality that exists is Brahman-Atman, then anything
other than Brahman is due to avidya. It is, indeed, a product of avidya.
And so the not-Self, whatever it may be, may be characterized as avidya.
But knowledge (vidya) is the Self alone //.

//  आत्माग्रहातिरेकेण तस्या रूपं न विद्यते ।
अमित्रवदविद्येति सत्येवं घटते सदा ॥ १७९ ॥ //

//  AtmAgrahAtirekeNa tasyA rUpaM na vidyate |

amitravadavidyeti satyevaM ghaTate sadA || 179 || //,

Translation Sri Balasubrahmanian //  Its nature does not consist in
anything other than the non-perception of the Self. Only if it is said that
the term avidya is like the term amitra, it is always tenable //

Notes by Sri Balasubrahmanian   //  Avidya is not negative (abhAva), but
something positive. It should not be interpreted negatively as the prior
non-existence of knowledge (jñāna-prāgabhava). It is a positive entity
which conceals the nature of the Self. Concealment (avarana) is what it
does; and it constitutes the nature of avidya. The work of concealment will
not be possible in the case of a negative entity, what is non-existent. The
Advaitin does not admit the existence of any negative entity at all.
Therefore, the term avidya does not mean the absence or non-existence of
knowledge, since the mere absence or non-existence of knowledge cannot do
the work of concealing or veiling the Self.

The word avidya must be explained in the same way as the word amitra is
explained. The negative prefix *a*  in the word amitra conveys the idea
that the person denoted by the word is other than or opposed to a friend.
In the same way, the negative prefix *a* in the word avidya conveys the
sense that the thing denoted by the word is something other than vidya  or
something opposed to vidya. It does not convey the idea of the absence of
vidya.

Anandagiri explains the expression आत्माग्रह (AtmAgraha) which means non-
perception of the Self as the concealment of the Self  **आत्मनोऽग्रहो
नामाऽऽवरणमाच्छादनं ** (Atmano.agraho nAmA.a.avaraNamAchChAdanaM)  //.

Thus, as per Bhashya as well as Vartika of Swami Sureswaracharya, ,
ज्ञानाभावः (j~nAnAbhAvaH), or equivalent terms often used like अग्रहण
(agrahaNa), तत्वाग्रहण (tatvAgrahaNa) etc,  should be understood to mean a
भावपदार्थ (bhAvapadArtha ), as ** not allowing (the true nature of the
Atman) to be revealed **, and not as an अभावपदार्थ (abhAvapadArtha ),
**absence of Knowledge**.

Regards

On Sat, Jul 20, 2024 at 12:31 PM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Continued....
>
> agrahNa, viparIta-grahaNa and samshaya-jnAna are all products of ajnAna.
> > And hence neither of the three can be equated to ajnAna. The usage of
> word
> > ajnAna for the three can be very well done as gold-ornament can as well
> be
> > referred by the word gold.
> >
>
> It may also be mentioned that agrahaNa, viparIta-grahaNa and samshaya-jnAna
> may all be termed as "AvaraNa-kritya".
>
> It should also be noted that AvaraNa per se is not avidyA rather
> avidyA-chit-sambandha and is yogyatA of AvaraNa-kritya.
>
> Advaita-siddhi states:
>
> नास्ति न प्रकाशत इति व्यवहार एवाभिज्ञादिसाधारणः; अस्ति प्रकाशत
> इत्येतद्व्यवहाराभावो वा आवरणकृत्यम्
>
> आवरणं च #तद्योग्यता #अज्ञानसंबन्धरूपा सुषुप्त्यादिसाधारणी
> आब्रह्मज्ञानमवतिष्ठते ।
>
> Regards.
>
> >
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