pratibimba-vAda and avaccheda-vAda

[Guest guest]

pratibimba-vAda and

avaccheda-vAda

 

There are two main theories in

advaita vedAnta for explaining the nature of the jIva, namely, pratibimba-vAda

and avaccheda-vAda.

 

According to

pratibimba-vAda or reflection theory, the jIva is the reflection of pure

consciousness in avidya, like the reflection of the sun in a vessel of water.

This is the theory accepted by the author of vivaraNa and his followers.

According to avaccheda-vAda or

limitation theory, the jIva is pure consciousness limited by avidya, like space

limited by a pot, etc. This is the theory accepted by the author of BhAmatI and

his followers.

 

 Interestingly, both the theories are used by Shri Shankara in his

bhAShya on one and the same shloka in the gItA. This is shloka 7 of chapter 15.

The shloka says:

 

“It is verily a part of Mine

which, becoming the eternal individual soul (jIva) in the region of living

beings, draws (to itself) the organs which have the mind as their sixth, and

which abide in prakRRiti”.

 

In the bhAShya on this shloka

Shri Shankara says:

 

As the sun

(reflected) in water is a part of the (actual) sun, and goes to the sun itself

and does not return when the water, the cause of the reflection, is removed, so

also even this part becomes similarly united with that very Self; or, as space

enclosed in a pot, etc., delimited by such adjuncts as the pot, etc., being a

part of space does not return after being united with space when the cause (of

limitation), namely, pot, etc., is destroyed.

 

It is thus seen that both these

theories are acceptable to Shri Shankara.

 

Best wishes,

S.N.Sastri 

[Guest guest]

It is thus seen that both these theories are acceptable

to Shri Shankara.

praNAms

Hare Krishna

But it is a matter of fact that avaccheda

vAdins tried to belittle the theory of pratibimba vAdins & vice versa...shankara

himself somewhere in the sUtra bhAshya says pratibimba vAda is avidyA..mamaivAmsho

jeeva lOke krishna's words in geeta too supports avaccheda vAda & not

pratibimba vAda is the argument of avaccheda vAdins :-)) However,

shankara apart from the above, draws a clear demarkation line between

jeeva & Ishwara & says jeeva's existence restricted only to body

(shareera - jeevastu sharIre 'eva' bhavati.) hence he is shAreera

but Ishwara is not only in shAreera's shareera but he is :AkAshavat sarvagatascha

nityaH and he is bigger than earth & either!! ..And here shankara also

says that there is a clear distinction between shAreera (jeeva) and paramAtma

in smruti texts and it is good to have this difference in this famous 'vyavahAra'

:-)) and shankara explicitly talks about 'avaccheda vAda' (yaThA ghatakarAdyupAdhivashAdaparicchinnamapi

nabhaH paricchinnavadavabhAsate etc. etc.) to clarify his stand point.

 

BTW, I am a promoter of neither pratibimba

vAda nor avaccheda vAda.. I am the one who wants to understand these analogies'

utilization & limitations contextually. So, I dont have any 'pUrvAgraha'

on these theories:-))

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

advaitin , "S.N. Sastri" <sn.sastri wrote:>> pratibimba-vAda and avaccheda-vAda> > > > There are two main theories in advaita vedAnta for explaining the nature of> the jIva, namely, pratibimba-vAda and avaccheda-vAda.Dear Sri Sastriji, sAShTAMganamaskarams to you. A question arose in my mind as I was going through your post.Is it possible to realize one's TRUE SVAROOPA without getting intoall these mind-bogling theories and speculations ? Has Sri Shankara shown simple and direct method of Atmajnana in his commentaries? If so, what is it? Excerpts from the commentaries may please be given for which the undersigned owes a deep debt of gratitude. I request you kindly to help me , a common mumukshu who cannot understand any one of these scholarly postings made by some of the leading members of this august group and which could only be understood by highly intellectuals and Pandits. I and others like me will be ever grateful to you for this immense help. I may please be pardoned for this posting of mine.With respectful regards,Sreenivasa Murthy.>

[Guest guest]

Has Sri Shankara shown simple and direct method of Atmajnana

in his commentaries? If so, what is it? Excerpts from the commentaries

may please be given for which the undersigned owes a deep debt of gratitude.

 

I request you kindly to help me , a common mumukshu who

cannot understand any one of these scholarly postings made by some of the

leading members of this august group and which could only be understood

by highly intellectuals and Pandits.

prNAms Sri Srinivasmurthy prabhuji

Hare Krishna

Kindly pardon me if I am hardnosed here..My

question is for a sincere & common mumukshu, who does not want to get

into word jugglery, why even excerpts from shankara bhAshya is required

that too in electronic media ?? Dont you think, for the mumukshu

(without any jignAsa instinct) his or her own chosen guru's upadesha

is more than enough to persue the path of realization...IMHO, he (sAdhaka)

does not have to search for the 'direct means' elsewhere when he is taken

'gurUpadesha' from his guru on one to one basis. Because that

guru exactly knows what is the 'need' of his shishya.

OTOH, ofcourse, I agree with you prabhuji

that these hair splitting discussions on shankara vedAnta is of no use

to a 'common' mumukshu...But it is also to be noted that here in this forum

: 'discussion' on shankara vedAnta' is one of the goals, and mere shushka

vedAntins like me will always be there in this forum to split the hair

in the form of discussion without any aim for mOksha...Kindly bear with

me prabhuji.

Onceagain, my apologies if my comments

are harsh.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

Dear Murthy-ji,

I am a struggling aspirant, nowhere near realization. I am doing shravaNam,

etc., in the hope that in some future birth God will be kind enough to bless me

with realization. What I am writing is what I have learnt from my teachers and

books. I do not know of any simple and direct method of AtmajnAna. If my posts

do not appeal to you, I would humbly request you to ignore them. Let those who

are interested in my postings read them.

Best wishes,

S.N.Sastri

 

advaitin , " narayana145 " <narayana145 wrote:

>

>

> advaitin , " S.N. Sastri " <sn.sastri@> wrote:

> >

> > pratibimba-vAda and avaccheda-vAda

> >

> >

> >

> > There are two main theories in advaita vedAnta for explaining the

> nature of

> > the jIva, namely, pratibimba-vAda and avaccheda-vAda.

>

> Dear Sri Sastriji,

> sAShTAMganamaskarams to you.

>

> A question arose in my mind as I was going through your post.

> Is it possible to realize one's TRUE SVAROOPA without getting into

> all these mind-bogling theories and speculations ? Has Sri Shankara

> shown simple and direct method of Atmajnana in his commentaries? If so,

> what is it? Excerpts from the commentaries may please be given for which

> the undersigned owes a deep debt of gratitude.

>

> I request you kindly to help me , a common mumukshu who cannot

> understand any one of these scholarly postings made by some of the

> leading members of this august group and which could only be understood

> by highly intellectuals and Pandits. I and others like me will be ever

> grateful to you for this immense help.

>

> I may please be pardoned for this posting of mine.

>

> With respectful regards,

> Sreenivasa Murthy.

>

>

> >

>

[Guest guest]

From :H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy

Pranams to all.

 

advaitin , Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr wrote:

 

Dear Sri Bhaskar Prabhuji,

 

I thank you for your observations and I completely agree with what you have

stated. The widom contained in Sri Shankara's writings cater to the needs and

requirements of the whole humanity ranging from a panditha to an ordinary common

person who is a mumukshu and each one partakes of the teaching according to his

temperement and requirement.

Once again I thank you.

 

With warm and respectful regards,

Sreenivasa Murthy