Search:
Bhakti List Archives

gyAtRtva, kaRtRva and bhOktRtva

From the Bhakti List Archives

Malolan R Cadambi • July 31, 2002 


Sri:
Srimathe ramanujaya namaha

Dear Members,

I am posting this mail without reading the last few emails on this
topic. But Sri Ramkumar missed out another aspect which conditions
the jiiva. Namely, avidya. Sri M Ananthasayanam Iyengar explains that
while advaita says that avidya affects the paramatma (who is defined
as satyam, **jnAnam**, anantam), visisthadvaita correctly says that
avidya affects the jiivatma and not the paramatma perse.

Hope this concept should add to the disccussion of gyAtRtva, kaRtRva
and bhOktRtva.

Regards,

Malolan Cadambi

[ From Advaita's standpoint this is a rather tricky technical issue.
  Advaitins differ as to whether the locus of avidya is Brahman or
  the jIva.  The Vivarana commentary takes the locus to be Brahman
  and the Bhamati takes the locus to be the jIva. No doubt there are
  logical difficulties in either theory.  Further, in Advaita, the
  paramAtman is the non-dual Brahman with sattva guNa superimposed.
  In all cases the subject of the avidya, i.e., the individual who
  practically speaking is affected by avidya, is the jIva, since it
  is the jIva who is the subject of bheda. Since this is an idealistic
  viewpoint it is not quite correct to say that avidya "affects"
  the paramAtman since the very idea of the paramAtman is a result
  only of the jIva's affliction by bheda or difference.

  Those well-versed in Advaita like Sri Sadananda can correct me if
  I am wrong -- Moderator ]


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/