Vidya and Avidya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Summary: This essay explores how ancient Vedic teachings distinguished between two forms of knowledge in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It examines the traditional classification of vidya as branches of sacred learning, including both ritual practices and contemplative study. The discussion reveals how exclusive pursuit of either path was considered incomplete, and why seekers needed understanding of the Self beyond intellectual frameworks to achieve liberation.
The fourth chapter of the Brihadaranyaka contains the following verse. A similar verse is also found in the Isa Upanishad.
10. andham tamah pravisanti ye vidyam upasate tato bhuya iva te tamah ya u vidyayam ratah.
Many scholars interpret this verse to suggest that those who pursue ignorance enter into darker worlds, but those who pursue knowledge enter still darker worlds. Even I translated it before in the same manner, "Into blinding darkness enter those who worship ignorance; and into greater darkness enter those who, as it were, take delight in knowledge."
However, a close examination reveals that there is no mention of avidya (ignorance) in this sloka. Both times, the reference is to vidya (knowledge) only. It does not make sense that the pursuit of knowledge would lead to darkness, unless that knowledge tends to make us more worldly, materialistic, and induce desires and attachments.
Logically, the traditional interpretation does not make sense. It is paradoxical that knowledge and ignorance are both important or that one should pursue both ignorance and knowledge to achieve liberation. How can ignorance lead to liberation, and most importantly, how can knowledge lead anyone to a darker world? This confusion arises when we interpret knowledge and ignorance in the traditional sense. To understand, we have to go back to the two types of knowledge and two schools of Mimansa that were prevalent in the Vedic period: Karma Kanda, the ritual portions of the Vedas, and Jnana Kanda, the spiritual portions of the same Vedas. The two Schools were Purva Mimansa, which emphasized the importance of ritual practices, and Uttara Mimansa (Vedas), which emphasized the pursuit of Brahman through spiritual practices. Both Karma Kanda and Jnana Kanda are vidya only. The former constitutes mantra vidya and the latter, brahma vidya. From this perspective, the verse should read as this," Into blinding darkness enter those who worship the (mantra) vidyas. Into greater darkness enter those who take delight in the (brahma) vidyas."
What are Vidyas?
In the Vedic traditions, vidyas referred to various types or branches of knowledge. They were an important aspect of the study and pursuit of knowledge, especially the Vedas, in the ancient world. Literally speaking, vidya means a branch of Vedic study. The students had to master various Vidyas before they formally concluded their education. There were Vidyas associated with rituals, called mantra vidyas. Each mantra vidya was meant to produce a specific result or ward off a specific evil. The Brahmanas specialized in them.
Then there were several (over 40 or 50) brahma vidyas associated with the study of Brahman, which were meant to increase the students' knowledge of Brahman and gain an insight into the subject. I have dedicated an entire chapter to the subject of Brahma vidyas in my book Brahman. Both were pursued at the mental and intellectual level. Both were part of the occupational knowledge of a Brahmana.
Such studies in the specific ritual and spiritual aspects of the Vedas do not lead to self-realization, because they are worldly pursuits meant to enhance one's knowledge and stature in society rather than spirituality. Worshipping gods ritually to fulfill desires and taking delight in the intellectual knowledge arising from the study of scriptures are both detrimental to one's spiritual well-being.
Hence, the verse clearly emphasizes that one should not mistake these specific branches of Vedic study or the mantra vidyas and Brahma vidyas as the true knowledge of Brahman. True knowledge of Brahman comes from knowing the Self. This is confirmed clearly in the same chapter of the Upanishad, two verses later.