July 2024 Nesletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Vidya of Avidya

[Srivatsa Ramaswami]

July 2024 Newsletter from Srivats Ramaswami–Vidya of Avidya

My book on Samkhya Karika of Iswarakrishana, a Sanskrit classic, is due to be published by early 2025. It is published by Inner Traditions in the USA. This book is written specifically for yoga students and practitioners.They had earlier published my book “Yoga for Three stages of Life” in 2000 and is still available

Vidya of Avidya

Of all the bodies of knowledge (vidyas), according to Bhagavatgita, the most important is the study of the individual Self (atma vidya). Samkhya discusses the individual in its entirety including and especially the Self. Samkhya is not a mere  book reading, armchair philosophy. It is considered a truth based ancient darsana deriving inspiration from the ancient Indian scriptures the vedas.  The samkhyas along with the yogis and vedantins are a sensitive lot. Vyasa compares them to the sensitive sclera of the eye in contrast to the less sensitive or thickskin of other parts of the body say the diabetic foot. These thinkers step back to look at the enormous pain experienced by the multitudes of creatures especially human beings all through life. They rise with the tide and roll with the punches looking for a few moments of happiness and enduring long periods of pain. The drudgery of working to just make both ends meet, the need to take care of the multi parts body from malfunctioning all lead to laments from samkhyas as “ duhkham svabhavikam” or sorrow or pain is inherent in life. The yogis concur with this view by the statement “parinama tapa samskara duhkhaih” the three forms of pain causing aspects of life–changes , lack of achievement despite best efforts, sorrow also becoming a habit or samskara. Vedantins chime in and talk about the struggle of  many people to make a living. The difficulty of earning adequately, the care in protecting one’s savings, unexpected large expenses loss due to theft etc is one small aspect of duhkha one experiences. These sorrows perpetuate in future births which are endless,unless unless one takes remedial measures in this human life itself.

They all come out with a sterling revelation that the real Self does not suffer pain, it is pure unvarying awareness. An unmistakable recognition of this enormous truth will relieve the suffering of  human beings  definitely and permanently. The lack of such understanding of the essential nature of what constitutes theSelf is called Avidya by all of the three philosophies. What is Avidya/ How do they describe it/

Samkhyas describe avidya as considering the 24 tatva physical or prakritic body as my body or mine (mey, mamata), I am not this person (aham  ahanta) I am not  this body (asmi asmita). Thus with the correct understanding and conviction or vidya about the true nature of the SELF as pure unwavering consciousness his attitude towards the physical person changes to 1. This physical person in not me (na me), This physical person is not I (na aham) and I do not exist in this body (na asmi).

How do the yogis explain the state of avidya?

The human body is not permanent, it is anitya. However we go about our lives most of the time as if one will live forever. To consider the impermanent person as nitya or immortal is avidya. The body is as such or unclean .In fact it is a manufacturer of waste products like taking fresh air, clean water, wholesome food and converts them into waste products  Further it is made of the ever changing three gunas. To consider the unclean human body as clean is another aspect of Avidya. It is also full of duhkha as the samkhyas yogis point out. To consider the body as a giver of happiness whereas  as vivekis point out it is predominantly a giver of pain and sorrow is another aspect of avidya. The body mind complex has not consciousness. It is made of food matter taken from outside. To consider the prakritic individual as having consciousness is another aspect of avidya. Patanjali succinctly puts avidya as

“Anitya asuchi duhkha anatmasu, nitya suchi sukha atma khyatiravidya.”

Let us get to how the vedantins describe this avidya or wrong understanding. 

When you and I sit across the table I am the subject and you are the object. All through life I am the subject, the whole outside world is the object. The subject  “I” is completely different from you, the object. None can mistake you, the object for me, the subject. What makes the subject? The essential nature of the subject is to be aware of the object. So anything that I am aware of will become part of the object world leaving “I” the pure awareness as the subject. What is it I am aware of now? Not only the outside world bur me the physical person, including my thoughts and emotions.  So considering the thoughts and emotions, the physical person to be me is not correct. The non changing awareness which is the subject should be called as”I” and everything else  the emotions, the thoughts, the physical body and the outside world should be considered as the object and not the Self or “I”.

So some vedantins would say that considering the body mind complex which is a matter of experience to the subject or “I” as I is avidya or wrong understanding.That is to erroneously superimpose (adhyasa) of the body mind complex person on the pure awareness/subject “I” is avidya or wrong conception of what constitutes the “Self. Further the objective or the entity experienced the physical self to have consciousness is also a super imposition. That is superimposing consciousness on entity that has no consciousness is also Avidya