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Rāmānujadāsa alias Mahācārya
373
Mahācārya enters into a series of further criticisms of the definition of avidya which are more or less of a scholastic nature and may therefore be omitted here.
In the fifth chapter Mahācārya disputes the possibility that the avidya is illuminated or manifested. If avidya was self-manifesting, then it would be real and spiritual like the Brahman. If the manifestation of Brahman were the manifestation of the manifestation of the avidya, then the former being eternal the manifestation of the avidya would also be eternal; yet avidya is always regarded as existing only so long as it shines, and therefore as false (mithyarthasya pratibhasa-samāna-kālīnatva-niyamāt). If the manifestation (prakāśa) of avidya be regarded as its non-distinguishingness (abheda) with the manifestation of Brahman, then so long as the manifestation of Brahman remains, the avidya would also remain and hence avidya itself would be eternal. Again, if it is urged that, when the avidyă ceases, its non-distinguishingness with the Brahmamanifestation would also cease, and hence Brahman would be eternal and avidya would be destructible, a further difficulty may be pointed out to this contention, namely, that if the avidya be indistinguishable from the Brahma-manifestation, then either the latter would be false or the former real. It would be absurd to suggest in reply that, though different, they have an identical being (bhinnatve saty abhinnas-attākatvam). The criticisms suggested herein will apply to the doctrine if the illumination of avidya be explained as the manifestation of Brahman, as limited by avidyā (avidya-vacchinnam brahma-svarūpam avidyā-prakāśaḥ) or as conditioned by it or reflected through it.
In the next chapter Mahācārya tries to show the incompatibility of the conception that avidyā may be brought to an end. He says that pure consciousness cannot be supposed to destroy avidyā. Then avidya can never exist, for the pure consciousness is eternally existing and as such by itself destroys avidya and no other effort is necessary. If pure consciousness cannot destroy avidya, it cannot do so when reflected through a mental state (vrtti-prativimbitam), for it is not more than the unlimited consciousness (caitanyad adhika-viṣayatvā-bhāve tadvad eva nivarttakatva-sambhavat). If the pure consciousness reflected through a vṛtti cannot remove avidyā, then it cannot do so when limited by a vṛtti or conditioned by it. The vṛtti itself also cannot remove it, for it is itself material. If it
