Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 54

AS
Doctrine of degrees of reality...
The pratibkasika and vyāvahāraika are relative, hence not real, ultimately, while paramarthika (the transcendental reality) is beyond all kinds of relative viewpoints. At the paromā, thika level ordinary experience is transformed into intuition.
Our entire worldy activity is on acconnt of Avid ya-igoorance. Right knowledge removes ignorance and it cannot be sublated. The falsity of the dream-object is realized when the dreams break up and we are awake. And even then when these dream objects are sublated, the consciousness that the dreamer had experienced these objects in the dream is not sublated even in the waking state. Consciousness therefore is eternal and real. 61 According to Sankara, the whole plurality of appearance is due to avidyā (ignorance).62 From the pāramārthika point of view, there is only one Absolute, Brahman, one without a second. & 3 It is unchanging and immutable, absolutely permanent, completely independent of all contingencies, ever the same and most stable. It is neither contradicted Dor contradictable. It is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss, 64 It is level of self-luminous universal Self of all.65 At the paramarthika level there is no difference between individual souls and Brahman, 66 This pluralistic vision of selves is empirical standpoint while unity of all selves is päramarthika. Just as the sun or the moon appears many on account of the reflection in different vessels of water, 67 or just as the same space appears different spaces, similarly the same self appears as so many phenomenal selves on account of adjuncts.68 He rightly states that, "as light, ether, sun and so on appear differentiated as it were, through their objects such as fingers, vessels, water and so on, which constitute the limiting adjuncts while in reality they preserve their essential non-differentiateness, so the distinction of different selves is due to limiting adjuncts only, while the unity of all selves is natural and original."69 There is only one 61. Yadyapi svapnadarśanāvastbasya sarpadamsapodakasnānādikāryam anstam; tathāpi
tada vagatih satyameva phalam, pratibuddhayāpyabādhyamanatvāt-S. B. II-I-14. 62. Ekatvamevaikam pāramārthik..m...mithyajñānavijpmbbitam ca nāgātvam--S. B.
II-1-14. 63. Eko hi pratya gātmā bhavati nadvou pratyagātmānau sambhavatah-S, B. I-II. 20. 64. Sat cit anandam Brahma. 65. Armā sarvas ya atmā. 66. Atmă ca Brahma-S. B. I-I-I. 67. Ajñānam mansopadheh karttvadini catmani. Kalpyantembugate candre calao,di
yathāmbhasah. Atmabodha-22. 68. Yathā prakaśākāśasavitsprabbrtayaḥ angulikarakodakaprabhrtişu karasu upadhi
bhûteșu sa višeşā iva avabhäsanle, na ca svābhāvikima višeşālmatām jabāti evam
upädbinimitta ovayamätmabhedah svatastu ekatmyameva-S. B. III-II-25. 69. S. B. III-II-25.