Mulāvidya
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Sometimes transliterated as: Mulavidya, MulAvidya, Mulaavidya
Mulāvidya literally means ‘universal or primeval ignorance or nescience’.
Some of the schools of Advaita Vedānta categorize avidyā or nescience into two types:
- Mula-avidyā - universal or primeval nescience. It is the material cause of the world.
- Tula-avidyā - individual nescience. It is the avidyā that covers consciousness circumscribed by particular objects, like the body.
Whether mulāvidyā is located in Brahman or in the jīva has been a moot point. The Vivaraṇa school of Pañcapādikā holds the former view whereas the Bhāmatī school sticks to the latter.
References
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
