Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)
by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words
This page relates ‘Cid-Acid Khyati’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.
7.1. Cid-Acid Khyāti
In erroneous cognition, the Svāminārāyaṇa School believes in cid-acid khyāti. It’s a novel contribution to the great Vedanta tradition.
The Bhāṣyakāra confirms:
bhrāntau khyātistu vijñeyā cidacitkhyātisaṃjñakā |
pravṛttirdvividhā bhrāntestasmādekāntiko na hi || Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 276 ||“We accept cid-acid khyāti in erroneous knowledge. Generally, every Vedic school accepts one khyāti, but the Bhāṣyakāra reminds us that in Svāminārāyaṇa Darśana we accept both chit and acid-khyāti.”
However, in the Vacanāmṛta Svāminārāyaṇa did not label its name. But he accepts the erroneous knowledge regarding cid -sentient and acid-māyā and its products. All cognitions are not right knowledge. All knowledge is not self-valid in as much as it apprehends and reveals its corresponding object as it is, and it is conducive to life. This failure in it is due to cid-acid khyāti that includes two factors. 1. Opposite knowledge and 2. Imperfect knowledge.
1. Opposite knowledge: Svāminārāyaṇa describes:
“The jivātman has a delusion in that it does not believe itself to be the jivātman.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/44, p.111)
Moreover,
“Brahma-jñāna’ can also give an expansion to the incorrect understanding that Brahman itself assumes the form of prakṛti-puruṣa.”(Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/3, p.389).
In fact, as far as opposite knowledge is concerned, it is not the jīva’s permanent nature; however, not a single one of these vicious natures lies within the jīva; the jīva has merely believed itself to possess them out of its own foolishness.[1]
2. Imperfect knowledge: Now, Svāminārāyaṇa describes imperfect knowledge:
“If the jivātman engrosses in the pleasures of the external viṣaya within that waking state inappropriately due to some misconception, then that is known as the dream state within the waking state.” (Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 6, p.217)
During the state of rajoguṇa and tamoguṇa, complete knowledge is not possible. That incomplete explanation, thus creating confusion, of entities and viṣaya is known as ‘mādhyama vāni’.[2]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/12
[2]:
Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 8, Sar. 6