[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: avidyA is adhyasta (superimposed) in AtmA

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

*Namaste Raghav ji.*

Lastly, if ajnAna is merely antaHkaraNa doSha, then karma would have been
> enough to rectify karaNa doShas. Cataract, diplopia etc are corrected by
> surgical interventions (types of karma) not by cognitive interventions (ie
> jnAna-prApti).
>

This is a valid point.


> Regarding the tai.bh. reference that vivekAvivekau antaHkaraNasthau, no
> doubt NS and later texts explain that as referring to the only to the
> manifestation or expression of ajnAna and it's knowledge/anubhava being
> mediated by the mind.
>

By the logic adduced in NS which is well-accepted in siddhAnta,
ajnAna-prasUta anAtmA can neither be Ashraya nor the vishaya of ajnAna. So,
naturally, only shuddha AtmA can be the Ashraya of ajnAna.

That means, ajnAna-Ashrayatva is a dharma of AtmA, even though it is
ajnAna-prayukta.

This dharma of AtmA, namely ajnAna-Ashrayatva appears to belong to
antah-karaNa because of tAdAtmya-adhyAsa of antah-karaNa and shuddha AtmA.
And, we feel as if ajnAna is located in antah-karaNa.

Advaita Siddhi explains - न च–अहमर्थस्याज्ञानानाश्रयत्वेन कथमयं प्रत्ययो
भावरूपाज्ञानपक्षे उपपद्यत इति वाच्यम् । *अज्ञानाश्रयीभूतचैतन्ये
अन्तःकरणतादात्म्याध्यासेन* एकाश्रयत्वसंबन्धेनोपपत्तेः ।

*Namaste Subbu ji,*

// It explicitly denies that the avidyA doSha is that present in / of the
Atman and reasons asserting that it is of the antaHkaraNam:  The reasoning
is:  It is observed/experienced (dRshya) and it is removed when vidyA
arises.  Analogy of eye defect being cured by remedial treatment of the
organ eye and not of the jiva who only uses the eye.//

Yes. However, that ajnAna appears as located in antah-karaNa (ahamartha) is
also owing to adhyAsa of antah-karaNa with AtmA. So, due to
tAdAtmya-adhyAsa of antah-karaNa with AtmA, the ajnAna-Ashrayatva appears
as a dharma of antah-karaNa.

//तथा सर्वत्रैव अग्रहणविपरीतसंशयप्रत्ययास्तन्निमित्ताः करणस्यैव कस्यचित्
भवितुमर्हन्ति, न ज्ञातुः क्षेत्रज्ञस्य ।//

Since karaNa is ajnAna-prasUta, ajnAna cannot belong to karaNa as well. Nor
it can really belong to Brahman, because from the frame of reference of
Brahman, there is no perception of ajnAna.

So, it really boils down to this -- ajnAna has Brahman as Ashraya. However,
this is from ajnAna-drishTi. And hence, ajnAna-Ashrayatva of Brahman is
ajnAna-kaklpita. And this ajnAna-kalpita-dharma namely ajnAna-Ashrayatva
appears to belong to antah-karaNa owing to tAdAtmya-adhyAsa thereof with
AtmA.

BhAshya makes this statement following the natural adhAsa.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.