What is Avidya?
Avidya is our working capital at birth. It is beginning-less (अनादि) though it is beginning-less, it is not end-less as knowledge ends it. Once avidya goes it does not make a come back.
Why so? It is like any other ignorance we have. Let us say we do not know a word called "ushNisha" and I say that word to you.. your "ushNisha" (उष्णीष)word ignorance goes away. Yet, its meaning may elude you then if I tell you it is the sanskrit word for a turban, then even the meaning ignorance goes for good. Even if you forget it you have known it once and that is good forever..
This avidya hides the truth about our nature that is the only reason we say, "I AM", then end it by saying "Our name" or friend or a lover or a sweetheart or an uncle or a father or a mother or a nephew or a niece or a worker or an employer or a priest or a s/w engineer, etc. Then creation (सृष्टि) teaches us the truth about ourselves. This alone needs to be worked on as the entire शास्त्र प्रवृत्ति is this avidya removal alone.
Moreover, this avidya is the only reason why we commit the mistake ourselves, taking ourself to be what we are not and more importantly not taking ourselves to be what we really are. In that process we miss our a golden opportunity as a human being to end this cycle of birth and death.
avidya at jeeva's level hides and projects, this is the adjunct through which a jeeva takes himself to be what he is not, that is the hiding power of avidya and where there is no duality, it makes us appreciate duality only that is its projection power.
Our entire gnyAna(ज्ञान (knowledge)) pursuit is this avidya removal only. It can cause havoc, So "let us not treat avidhyA lightly."
What is nescience? IT IS SAME AS AVIDYA
What is ignorance? It is commonly used word for avidya in English. However with one slight difference. Ignorance can be of anything in creation.. but the shruti (श्रुति/vedic) term avidya refers to the self-ignorance.
Why so? It is like any other ignorance we have. Let us say we do not know a word called "ushNisha" and I say that word to you.. your "ushNisha" (उष्णीष)word ignorance goes away. Yet, its meaning may elude you then if I tell you it is the sanskrit word for a turban, then even the meaning ignorance goes for good. Even if you forget it you have known it once and that is good forever..
This avidya hides the truth about our nature that is the only reason we say, "I AM", then end it by saying "Our name" or friend or a lover or a sweetheart or an uncle or a father or a mother or a nephew or a niece or a worker or an employer or a priest or a s/w engineer, etc. Then creation (सृष्टि) teaches us the truth about ourselves. This alone needs to be worked on as the entire शास्त्र प्रवृत्ति is this avidya removal alone.
Moreover, this avidya is the only reason why we commit the mistake ourselves, taking ourself to be what we are not and more importantly not taking ourselves to be what we really are. In that process we miss our a golden opportunity as a human being to end this cycle of birth and death.
avidya at jeeva's level hides and projects, this is the adjunct through which a jeeva takes himself to be what he is not, that is the hiding power of avidya and where there is no duality, it makes us appreciate duality only that is its projection power.
Our entire gnyAna(ज्ञान (knowledge)) pursuit is this avidya removal only. It can cause havoc, So "let us not treat avidhyA lightly."
What is nescience? IT IS SAME AS AVIDYA
What is ignorance? It is commonly used word for avidya in English. However with one slight difference. Ignorance can be of anything in creation.. but the shruti (श्रुति/vedic) term avidya refers to the self-ignorance.
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