Class 108, vivekacūḍāmaṇi

In this elegantly logical and deeply illuminating class on the nature of avidyā, Acharya Tadany built on the previous discussion of māyā by unpacking Śaṅkarācārya’s precise definition of avidyā — the fourth name of kāraṇa śarīram (causal body) — as having two complementary meanings: 

(1) that which lacks independent existence (svayaṁ na vidyatē iti avidyā), 

and (2) that which is negated (bādhitam) by knowledge (vidyā). 

Using the desk-wood example as the core teaching, Acharya Tadany demonstrated the “separation test”: if the desk truly existed independently, one could keep the desk and give away the wood — impossible, proving the desk is only a name and form (nāma-rūpa) superimposed on wood, with no substance of its own; all properties (height, weight, color) belong to the wood alone. 

Acharya Tadany extended this to jewelry (bracelet/ring negated in knowledge of gold), houses (negated in bricks), clothes (negated in threads), waves (negated in water), and ultimately the entire universe (prapañca) — all are avidyā because they lack independent existence and are sublated upon realizing their true substance (Brahman). 

Acharya Tadany quoted Chandogya Upanishad (vācārambhaṇaṁ vikāro nāmadheyam): all modifications/effects are mere names arising from speech, with no real substance apart from the cause. The class concluded with the profound connection: the essence of the world is māyā, and māyā is avidyā — because it has no independent existence and is negated in the wake of Self-knowledge (vidyā reveals Brahman as the sole reality). Tadany’s method — everyday objects, logical “separation test,” progressive examples, humorous stories (e.g., mahātmā choosing “gold only”), and Hindi expressions (“namke waste” — just for the name) — made this subtle truth concrete, relatable, and memorable.

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