Avidya Part 2

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Pranams.

 

In the previous series we examined the bhashya on the Mundaka Upanishad with a

view to ascertaining how Bhagwan Shankara elucidates the idea of avidya in his

writings.

Now we examine a very important text of the Acharya - the Upadesha Sahasri. The

Englis translation of Swami Jagadananda has been used in this essay.

 

Shankara issues a narrative to set-in place the context to the teaching.

A student approaches the Guru in the prescribed manner and asks " How can I be

liberated of this transmigratory existence? Is this my own nature or is it

Causal? " The teacher says to him " It is not your own nature, but is causal " . The

student now poses a direct question - " What is the Cause? " to which the Guru

answers: The cause nimittam is avidya, Knowledge vidya brings it to an end tasya

nivartika. WHen Ignorance the Cause is removed - avidyayam nivrttaayaam tan

nimitta-abhavaat you will be liberated mokshyase janmamaranalakshanat.

Now Shankara has the student pose these questions - What is that Avidya? What is

its seat?

The teachers says - You are the Supreme Self tvam ParamAtmanam but you wrongly

think vipareetam pratipadyase but mistake yourself to be samsari samsariaham

asmi iti - this is avidyA.

 

Here we see Shankara indicating initially to the student what is avidyA by its

effect - i.e. mutual superimposition of the Atma on the anatma and the anatma on

the atma - itaretara adhyasa. After all this is the very introduction to the

teaching - what the student knows at this stage is duality - ideas of Maya,

anirvachaneeya, etc are still alien to him. So at the very outset the teacher is

explaining to the student in terms he can readily understand that a. he is

limitless. b. he consideres himself to be limited c. this is because of avidya.

 

Further, Shankara characterizes this as the seed Ignorance that is responsible

for this adhyasa subsequently in the same text:

 

It is these wrong notions (viz. adhyasa) that are the causes of delusion vimoha

buddher grhaeva karanam. These notions, bereft of their cause grha-pyahetu( viz.

Avidya) come to an absolute end, like fire bererft of fuel.

 

Here we find the Acharya indicating an unmistakable sequence of cause and

effect. There is a Cause which gives rise to the wrong notions and these wrong

notions alone are the cause of the delusion of duality. When knowledge

extinguishes the root cause it renders the continuation of this wrong notion

impossible.

 

And hence the Acharya again asserts:

How can one be born again who has known the oneness of the Self and Brahman and

is sure of the non-existence of the seed called Ignorance stated before?

 

There are multiple instances where-in the Acharya also talks about the

inscrutable power of Maya as the Causal potency behind creation, the Causal seed

that sprouts forth the variegated samsara, and talks about it interchangably

with avidyA.

 

The Brahman that is immediate and direct, the innermost Self (ya atma

sarvantarah) ...is by virtue of Its inscrutable power the cause of the

manifestation of unmanifested name and form which abide in the Self through its

very presence, but are different from It, which are the SEED of the universe

(jagadbeeja), are describable neither as identical with It nor different from It

(anirvachaneeyayoh) and are cognized by It alone.

 

Here-in we find the Acharya precisely defining Maya as a.anirvachaneeya and

inscrutable b.the Seed c. Brahman's intrinsic power

 

Elsewhere we find:

Unperceived in deep sleep but perceived (in waking) by only those who are

ignorant, the entire universe is an outcome of Avidya and therefore unreal.

What is called Deep Sleep? Tamas or Ajnana is the seed of the waking and dream

states. It gets perfectly burnt by the fire of the Self knowledge and it no more

produces effects, like a burnt seed that does not germinate.

 

Here we find the very same seed that is responsible for the variegated duality

is being termed Avidya. And what is made clear is that self-knowledge alone

burns this seed avidya or root cause, so that it is rendered incapable of

germination.

 

Again we find the same idea being emphasized further in the Up Sah:

 

That one seed called Maya is evolved into three states which come one after

another again and again. The Self the substratum of Maya though only one and

immitable appears to be many like reflections of sun in water.

 

In this particular sentence, the substratum of avidya is unmistakably mentioned

as to be the Self alone. And the analogy of the One sun appearing as different

due to its reflections in water is provided for enabling an easy understanding

of this concept. This point is reiterated for emphasis by the Acharya once

again:

 

Just as the one SEED called Maya is regarded according to the different states

such as the Undifferentiated, etc so the Self appears to be different in waking

and dream bodies like reflections of the moon in water

 

Thus we find in numerous instances in his seminal work the Upadesha Sahasri,

that Adi Shankara has provided a working definition of adhyasa, precisely

assigned its Cause, has illustratively elucidated its substratum, nature and

effects, has interchangably used the terms avidya and Maya, and has of course

asserted all along that with self-knowledge to which it is opposed this Seed of

Ignorance can be rendered sterile and incapable of germinating samsara.

 

We will examine some more of Shankara's writings on avidya in the next.

 

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

advaitin , " shyam_md " <shyam_md wrote:

>

I would hence like to focus my thoughts on some of Acharya Shankara's writings

about Avyakta Maya Avidya etc in an attempt to examine the Acharya's views -

primarily because these relevant passages are of tremendous value to me, and

perhaps to other seekers as aids in mananam.

>

> First let us examine some passages from the Mundaka bhashya.