Locus and Object of Ajnana, Aha@mkara, and Anta@hkara@na.

This ajnana rests on the pure cit or intelligence.  This cit or Brahman is of the nature of pure illumination, but yet it is not opposed to the ajnana or the indefinite.  The cit becomes opposed to the ajnana and destroys it only when it is reflected through the mental states (v@rtti).  The ajnana thus rests on the pure cit and not on the cit as associated with such illusory impositions as go to produce the notion of ego “aham” or the individual soul.  Vacaspati Mis’ra however holds that the ajnana does not rest on the pure cit but on the jiva (individual soul).  Madhava reconciles this view of Vacaspati with the above view, and says that the ajnana may be regarded as resting on the jiva or individual soul from this point of view that the obstruction of the pure cit is with reference to the jiva (Cinmatras’ritam ajnanam jivapak@sapatitvat jivas’ritam ucyate Vivara@naprameya, p. 48).  The feeling “I do not know” seems however to indicate that the ajnana is with reference to the perceiving self in association with its feeling as ego or “I”; but this is not so; such an appearance however is caused on account of the close association of ajnana with anta@hkara@na (mind) both of which are in essence the same (see Vivara@naprarneyasa@mgraha, p. 48).

The ajnana however does not only rest on the cit, but it has the cit as its visaya or object too, i.e. its manifestations are with reference to the self-luminous cit.  The self-luminous cit is thus the entity on which the veiling action of the ajnana is noticed; the veiling action is manifested not by destroying the self-luminous character, nor by stopping a future course of luminous career on the part of the cit, nor by stopping its relations with the vi@saya,

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but by causing such an appearance that the self-luminous cit seems so to behave that we seem to think that it is not or it does not shine (nasti na prakas’ate iti vyavahara@h) or rather there is no appearance of its shining or luminosity.  To say that Brahman is hidden by the ajnana means nothing more than this, that it is such {_tadyogyata_) that the ajnana can so relate itself with it that it appears to be hidden as in the state of deep sleep and other states of ajnana-consciousness in experience.  Ajnana is thus considered to have both its locus and object in the pure cit.  It is opposed to the states of consciousness, for these at once dispel it.  The action of this ajn@ana is thus on the light of the reality which it obstructs for us, so long as the obstruction is not dissolved by the states of consciousness.  This obstruction of the cit is not only with regard to its character as pure limitless consciousness but also with regard to its character as pure and infinite bliss; so it is that though we do not experience the indefinite in our pleasurable feelings, yet its presence as obstructing the pure