[Advaita-l] 'Difference/multiplicity' is an illusion - Srimad Bhagavatam

V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Mon Apr 15 07:45:28 EDT 2024


Shri Krishna, while preaching the spiritual philosophy to Uddhava, says,
'Variety is an illusion, from which the aparokshajnani comes out':
श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः ११/अध्यायः ११
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वैशारद्येक्षयासङ्ग शितया छिन्नसंशयः।
प्रतिबुद्ध इव स्वप्नान्नानात्वाद्विनिवर्तते १२।
Just as the one who wakes up from a dream realizes that the objects of his
dream are not true, the Self-realized man is freed from the illusion of
multiplicity, difference, by Aparokshajnana.
एवं जिज्ञासयापोह्य नानात्वभ्रममात्मनि।
उपारमेत विरजं मनो मय्यर्प्य सर्वगे २१।
Diversity is a self-conceived illusion. Sridhara Swamy's commentary says
that the bodies and the outer world are all adhyasa, a superimposition.
The verses also are a paraphrasing of the famous Upanishadic statement:
neha nAnAsti kinchana.. नेह नानास्ति किंचन॥ मृत्योः स मृत्युमाप्नोति य इह
नानेव पश्यति॥ ..( Brihadaranyaka and kaThopanishad), nAtra kAchana bhidA
asti नात्र काचन भिदाऽस्ति नैवात्र काचन भिदाऽस्त्यत्र भिदामिव मन्यमानः.....
(Nrsimha tapaniya upanishad).

Om Tat Sat


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