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Adhyāsa Does Not Require Similarity

Adhyāsa Does Not Require Similarity

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53 views1 page

Adhyāsa Does Not Require Similarity

Adhyāsa Does Not Require Similarity

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sun140371
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Adhyāsa does not require similarity

Question: Mokṣa is possible by mere knowledge only if bandha is an adhyāsa.


However, a certain condition seems to be required for adhyāsa to occur. The
adhiṣṭhāna or locus on which the adhyāsa takes place must bear some similarity to
the object that is adhyasta or superimposed on it. For example, the adhyāsa of a
snake can occur on a rope because the rope has similar shape, length, etc. as the
snake. The adhyāsa of a snake cannot occur on a dissimilar object, like a pillar.
Without such similarity, adhyāsa seems impossible.

The entire universe is bandha. The only thing that is not bandha is brahman.
Therefore only brahman can be the adhiṣṭhāna for bandha-adhyāsa. There is
absolutely no similarity between brahman and bandha. In fact, they are entirely
opposite. Brahman is of the nature of sat, cit, and ānanda. Bandha is mithyā, jaḍa,
and the cause of duḥkha. How can the adhyāsa of bandha occur on brahman without any
similarity whatsoever between them? And if bandha is not adhyāsa, then mokṣa is not
possible by mere knowledge. (For a detailed background of this question, click
here.)

Answer 1: Although adhyāsa often involves similarity between the adhyasta and
adhiṣṭhāna, it is not absolutely required for adhyāsa to occur. There are several
examples of adhyāsa occurring on a dissimilar adhiṣṭhāna. The best example is the
adhyāsa of attributes such as colour and shape on the sky. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya cites
this example in his bhāṣya on Brahma Sūtra.

The sky is ākāśa, which has no colour or shape at all. It is not even available for
perception by any of our senses. Yet the sky is often mistaken as being blue, dome-
shaped, and so on. If similarity between the adhyasta and adhiṣṭhāna were an
absolute requirement for adhyāsa, the adhyāsa of these attributes on the sky would
not be possible. This example shows that adhyāsa can occur without such similarity,
so the adhyāsa of bandha on brahman is possible.

Answer 2: Even though similarity is not a requirement for adhyāsa, it is possible


to demonstrate that there is some similarity between seemingly opposite bandha and
brahman. This answer is offered by Sarvajñātma Muni in Saṅkṣepa-Śārīraka.

Bandha is vyāvahārika vastu, a relative reality. Brahman is pāramārthika vastu, the


absolute reality. Thus bandha and brahman are both vastu, and both have some degree
of reality. This similarity facilitates the adhyāsa of bandha on brahman.

Thus, whether or not similarity of the adhyasta and adhiṣṭhāna is required for
adhyāsa, the adhyāsa of bandha on brahman is perfectly possible. Since bandha-
adhyāsa is possible, so is mokṣa by mere knowledge.

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