// यद्रूपेण यन्निश्चितं तद्रूपं न व्यभिचरति, तत् सत्यम् । यद्रूपेण यन्निश्चितं तद्रूपं व्यभिचरति, तदनृतमित्युच्यते । अतो विकारोऽनृतम्, ’वाचारंभणं विकारो नामधेयं मृत्तिकेत्येव सत्यम्’, एवं सदेव सत्यम् इत्यवधारणात् ।
//As for satyam, a thing is said to be satyam, Real, when it does not change the nature that is ascertained to be its own; and a thing is said to be unreal when it changes the nature that is ascertained to be its own. Hence a mutable thing is unreal, for in the text, ‘All transformation has speech as its basis, and it is name only. Clay as such is the reality.’ (Chandogya Up. 6.1.4), it has been emphasized that, that alone is true that Exists (Ch.Up. 6.2.1) //
Shankara states what is Absolutely real, Pāramārthika, and contrasts it with the vyāvaharika/prātibhasika.
In the Chandogya Upanishad, while delineating the clay-pot analogy, Shankara mentions the rope-snake analogy. Both for the Upanishad and Shankara, the creation by Brahman with sankalpa, etc. is no more than the creation of the snake in the rope substratum by the individual.
In the very Adhyāsa bhashya Shankara, after stating the Atma-Anātma adhyāsa, gives the shell-silver analogy to demonstrate it:
आह — कोऽयमध्यासो नामेति । उच्यते — स्मृतिरूपः परत्र पूर्वदृष्टावभासः । तं केचित् अन्यत्रान्यधर्माध्यास इति वदन्ति । केचित्तु यत्र यदध्यासः तद्विवेकाग्रहनिबन्धनो भ्रम इति । अन्ये तु यत्र यदध्यासः तस्यैव विपरीतधर्मत्वकल्पनामाचक्षते । सर्वथापि तु अन्यस्यान्यधर्मावभासतां न व्यभिचरति । तथा च लोकेऽनुभवः — शुक्तिका हि रजतवदवभासते, एकश्चन्द्रः सद्वितीयवदिति ॥
Translation by Swami Gambhirananda:
If it be asked, “What is it that is called superimposition?"— the answer is: It is an awareness, similar in nature to memory, that arises on a different (foreign) basis as a result of some past experience. With regard to this, some say that it consists in the superimposition of the attributes of one thing on another. But others assert that wherever a superimposition on anything occurs, there is in evidence only a confusion arising from the absence of discrimination between them. Others say that the superimposition of anything on any other substratum consists in fancying some opposite attributes on that very basis. From every point of view, however, there is no difference as regards the appearance of one thing as something else. And in accord with this, we find in common experience that the nacre appears as silver, and a single moon appears as two.
In the above, Shankara equates the vyavaharika life experience to the pratibhasika shell-silver illusion. Shankara draws the similarity: अध्यासो नाम अतस्मिंस्तद्बुद्धिरित्यवोचाम । Adhyāsa is perceiving one as the other. And goes on to demonstrate how one takes the ups and downs of one's kith and kin as one's own and suffers the consequences.
A feature that is outstanding in Shankara's Bhashya-s is: He gives prātibhāsika analogies to impress upon the unreality of the vyāvahārika. So, that way he makes a comparison of the two, thereby making them identical. Yet, he also brings out the fundamental difference between the two too, as for example:
In BSB 3.2.4, the section that discusses dream, Shankara makes a phenomenal statement:
पारमार्थिकस्तु नायं सन्ध्याश्रयः सर्गः वियदादिसर्गवत् — इत्येतावत्प्रतिपाद्यते । न च वियदादिसर्गस्याप्यात्यन्तिकं सत्यत्वमस्ति । प्रतिपादितं हि ‘तदनन्यत्वमारम्भणशब्दादिभ्यः’ (ब्र. सू. २ । १ । १४) इत्यत्र समस्तस्य प्रपञ्चस्य मायामात्रत्वम् । प्राक् तु ब्रह्मात्मत्वदर्शनात् वियदादिप्रपञ्चो व्यवस्थितरूपो भवति । सन्ध्याश्रयस्तु प्रपञ्चः प्रतिदिनं बाध्यते — इत्यतो वैशेषिकमिदं सन्ध्यस्य मायामात्रत्वमुदितम् ॥ ४ ॥
Translation:
But what we want to show is only this much that in truth, this creation in dream is not of the same order of reality as the creation of the world with the elements ether, etc.. And yet the creation of space etc. also has no absolute reality; for under the aphorism, "The effect is non-different from the cause since terms like 'origin' etc. are met with" (II. i. 14), we showed that the whole creation is but Maya. But before the realization of the identity of the Self with Brahman, creation counting from space etc., continues just as it is, whereas the creation within dream is abrogated every day. Hence the statement that dream is merely Maya has a special significance.
Noteworthy features: Contrary to the misunderstanding of scholars such as Alston, Shankara does dwell on the 'orders or reality.' In the above sample bhashya, Shankara compares the dream world reality with the waking world reality. He says that the former is 'abrogated every day' while the latter is abrogated upon the Brahman realization. Naturally, the former is of a lower order than the latter and Brahman is of the highest order.
Thus the rule that we see in the PSA - the prātibhāsika' rope-snake, dream type illusions, do not require Brahman realization for their annulment while the 'vyavahārika' illusion does require Brahma-knowledge - has extremely strong basis in the Shankara Bhashya.
In conclusion of the study of the above sample instances we say that none can prove that the PSA (Post-Shankara Advaitins) have said anything that is not explicitly said or implied by Shankara/Gaudapada/Sureshwaracharya. Everything that the PSA have said has a grounding in the Prasthana Traya Bhashya. Even the apparently contradicting Bhāmati-Vivarana concepts have their moorings in the Shankara bhashya. It's only those who have not recognized this that have deviated from Shankara.
We can find many such instances where Shankara asserts the 'degrees of reality'. We don't require Chat GPT to tell us that 'it's only pedagogical and not absolute' since it is well known that it's the given. Shankara himself has said the ultimate: The very Veda, the Supreme Pedagogue, the means to the higher quality enjoyments and even liberation, is operating in the realm of avidya. Gaudapada too has said this.
warm regards
subbu



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Anything experienced in the state of nescienceis a superimposition on the Absolute and has no reality whatever
except as the Absolute.
This holds equally true of waking exper¬
ience, dream and sense-illusion. For there can be no perception
without a perceiver, and the perceiver himself, as we have seen,63 is
the result ofan erroneous mutual superimposition of the Self and the
not-self. Alston Sourcebooks v.1p105
s
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This initial distinction between the pre- and the post-gnosis ‘states’—is similar to—not the same as—the PSA’s definition of vyāvahārika as that which is sublated (only) by brahmajñāna (vyāvahārika-tvam ca brahmajñānetarabādhyatvam na tv abādhyatvam) (Advaitasiddhi [AS] p. 433) and pāramārthika as that which is [absolutely] un-sublatable (abādhyatvarūpapāramārthikatvasya) (AS p. 116). Of importance here is the fact that SSS does not concede to the PSA’s conception of different ‘degrees’ of reality (Alston 2004a, p. 105; Barua 2015; Hacker 1995; Saraswati 1996b, p. 23). According to the PSA, the vyāvahārika is an illusory change (vivarta) of brahman, [and] an effective change (pariṇāma) of māyā/avidyā (tatra brahma vivartamānatayā upādānam avidyā pariṇāmamānatayā) (Siddhāntaleśasaṅgraha [SLS] p. 74). Because pariṇāma is [understood to be] the emergence of an effect with the same level of reality as its material cause (pariṇāmo nāma upādānasamasattākāryāpattiḥ), and vivarta is [understood to be] the emergence of an effect with a different level of reality from its material cause (vivarto nāma upādānaviṣamasattākāryāpattiḥ) (Vedāntaparibhāṣā [VP] pp. 85–86), the vyāvahārika is accorded a ‘lesser degree’ of reality than brahman: it is characterised as sadasadbhyām anirvacanīya (indeterminable as real or unreal) (na bhidyante na cābhinnaḥ na vā bhinnābhinnaḥ kintv anirvacanīya eva) (Bhāmatī 1.4.27). "
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Hegde's further distinction from the same source:
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It is not true that I have not studied PSA - I have not studied like you have no doubt but that is hardly the point.
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I don't believe Dr. Hedge denies the standpoints presented in your citations (though I could not access SLS reference). Rather, she is pointing elsewhere:
By redefining vyāvahārika and pāramārthika not merely as standpoint-relative conditions of cognition but as effects standing in different relations of sameness or difference of reality to their causes (sama-sattā / viṣama-sattā), the PSA converts an epistemic distinction into an ontological hierarchy.
Once that move is made, the world can no longer coherently be described as anirvacanīya, since it has already been assigned a determinate, though lower, degree of reality.
Thus the three-sattā scheme ceases to be merely methodological and becomes a graded metaphysics, introducing precisely the “degrees of reality” that SSS rejects.🙏
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It is a waste of time trying to convince someone at age 60 or 70. Vedanta, whether Advaitha or whatever. It. That is why it is said Shravanam, mananam and niddidyasam. While it is nice to discuss, now is the time to buy the book or listen to the knowledge of great Rishi’s and dwell on it and the realization comes automatically. Only needed as per my Guru is always faith always.Vedanta has to be practiced not just talked about. If any of you have something related to Vedanta, just put the link so we can do mananam and shravanam and niddhayasam. No one need to be convincing as everyone in this group is mature to do the right thing, I believe. With Om and Prem, Raja Krishnamurti
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