Pratyabhijna and Shankara’s Advaita (comparative study)
by Ranjni M. | 2013 | 54,094 words
This page relates ‘Three Bodies: Sthula, Sukshma and Karana� of study dealing with Pratyabhijna and Shankara’s Advaita. This thesis presents a comparative analysis of two non-dualistic philosophies, Pratyabhijna from Kashmir and Shankara’s Advaita Vedanta from Kerala, highlighting their socio-cultural backgrounds and philosophical similarities..
Go directly to: Footnotes.
5.2. Three Bodies: Sthūla, Sūkṣma and Kāraṇa
According to ʰٲⲹñ, in fact, there is no difference between the body and sentiency because of the unification of everything in ʲś.[1] In Advaita Vedānta the body is an attribute () for Āٳ, and the presence of Āٳ is the cause for the sentient nature of body. The body has six types of transformations from the birth onwards. Advaita maintains the illusoriness of the body. In ṻDZ貹Ծṣaṣy it is said that if self is taken as nothing more than body, it would mean that one knowable is known by another knowable, which implies an evident absurdity. Through this reduction Śṅk maintains the trans-bodily character of the self.[2] ʰٲⲹñ also has accepted this. In ʰٲⲹñ there are two types of bodies: subtle body (Bhogadeha) and gross body (Karmadeha). Besides these, Advaita accepts one more body, i.e. causal body (ṇaśī).
Both systems accept the technical term ʳܰⲹṣṭ첹 (Puri = body, ṣṭ첹 = a group of eight elements) for subtle body.[3] According to Abhinavagupta the eight elements of the subtle body are the fivefold vital breath, the group of cognitive sense faculties, the group of active sense faculties and the intellect.[4] ṭa and Utpala maintained a different opinion about the ʳܰⲹṣṭ첹. According to them it consists of five ղԳٰ, mind, intellect and ṅk.[5] According to Utpala, ʳܰⲹṣṭ첹 is in two forms: subtle and gross. The gross physical body is called Abhilāpātmaka and Bhogākhya. The subtle body is called Ativāhikadeha, the body which carries the individual self from one gross physical body to other.[6] It begins from the creation of the universe till the dissolution.
Śṅk hold that there exists a subtle body made up of seventeen elements: five sense organs, five motor organs, five vital breaths, mind and intellect.[7] But his concept on ʳܰⲹṣṭ첹 seems little different.
It comprises:
In Advaita this subtle body is also called as ṅgśī and Taijasa, who is active in the state of dream.[9]
The gross physical body comprised with the five gross elements earth, water, fire, wind and sky. This body exists as a result of the union of the male and female beings and it has birth and death. ʰٲⲹñ accepts these as the locus of all Sakalapramātas, who are experiencing their living and these continue till the dissolution of the universe.[10] Advaita also accept the physical body comprising of five gross elements. Among the five coverings of ī the ԲԲⲹś is the main component of the gross body. It is live only in walking state. This body experiences the world of needs, tension etc.
The ṇaśī or causal body is Samaṣṭyajñānopahitacaitanya, the collective consciousness having the totality of ignorance. It is called Īś, who is omniscient, omnipotent. Being the cause of the world, this divine totality is called as the ṇaśī.[11] ʰٲⲹñ also accept Īś as the cause for the outer shining of the world, without calling him as ṇaśī.[12]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
It is to be noted that according to ʰٲⲹñ even the mere insentient objects like stone and metals also are indifferent from the sentience. Quoting verse from 107 Utpala’s Ajaṭapramātṛsiddhi, Abhinavagupta says thus: teṣāṃ jaḍabhūtānā� cinmayatve'pi māyākhyayā īśvaraśaktyā ḍy� prāpitānā�, jīvanta� pramātāramāśritya پṣṭ ٲٱٰܰԲ ٳԲ�, tato Ჹḍ� 峾 na ṛt santi | yathokta� granthakṛtaiva evamātmanyasatkalpā� śsyaiva santyamī | Ჹḍāḥ ś evaika� svātmana� svaparātmabhi� || Īśpratyabhijñā-vimarśini, 첹ī, Part I, p. 63f.
[2]:
ٳDZ貹Ծṣaṣy, 2.1.3.
[4]:
prāṇaśca puryaṣṭakavācya�, prāṇādi貹ñka� buddhīndriyavarga� karmendriyagaṇa� niścayātmikā ca yato dhīrvyajyate | Īśpratyabhijñā-vimarśini, 첹ī, Part II, pp. 263-264.
[5]:
貹Ի岹屹ṛtپ of ṭa, 49; 貹Ի岹ī辱 of Utpala, 49.
[6]:
[7]:
貹ñprāṇamanobuddhidaśendriyasamanvitam | apañcīkṛtabhūto'ttha� sūkṣmāṅga� bhogasādhanam || Āٳǻ, 13; śrotrādi貹ñka� caiva vāgādīnāñca 貹ñkam | prāṇādi貹ñka� buddhimanasī liṅgamucyate || ԳٲԳٲṅg, 340.
[8]:
[9]:
[10]:
Sensarma, D.B., An Introduction to the Advaita Ś Philosophy of Kashmir, p. 110-115.
[11]:
anādyavidyānirvācyā kāraṇopādhirucyate | Āٳǻ, 14; idamajñāna� samaṣṭyabhiprāyeṇa�. śܻ satvapradhānā | etadupahita� ٲԲⲹ� sarvajñatvasarveśvaratvasarvaniyantṛtvādiguṇakamavyaktamantaryāmī jagatkāraṇamīśvara iti ca vyapadiśyate | �..īśvarasyeya� samaṣṭirakhilakāraṇatvāt kāraṇaśarīram�.. | ձԳٲ, Khanda 7.
[12]:
īśvaro bahirunmeṣo�. | Īśpratyabhijñā-kārikā, 3.1.3; Abhinavagupta explained this clearly: ⲹDzԳṣādܻ岹 jagata�, ityatra īśvaratatvamevonmeṣaśabdenoktam, śⲹ hi sphuṭatvabāhyatvamunmeṣaṇam | Īśpratyabhijñā-vimarśini, 첹ī, Part II, p. 221.