viShNu sahasranAma - 16 & 17

[Savithri Devaraj]

16.  xetraj~na : The knower of the field or body.

The Bhagavad-Gita says: " xetraj~nam.h chA.api mAm viddhi - know me to
be the knower of the xetra or the field, i.e the body". shAnti parva
(351.6) says : "These bodies are the fields, in which seeds consisting
of man's good and bad acts yield their fruits as enjoyments and
sufferings. As the dwelling spirit is the knower of all these, he is
called xetraj~na.

17: axara eva cha : He who is without destruction, i.e the Supreme
Spirit.

The word is formed by adding the suffix "shara" at the end of the root
"as". "Eva" and "cha" in the text show respectively that according to
the great dictum 'Tat tvam asi", xetraj~na and axara are identical
metaphysically and that their difference is relevant only relatively.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>From Translation and commentary of Sri SankarAcArya. Translated by
Swami Tapasyananda.

Savithri

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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Explaining the jAbalashruti in his bhAshhya to sUtra 1.2.32,
sha.nkara says:

abhivimAnashruti.h  pratyagAtmatva-abhiprAyA | pratyagAtmatayA
sarvai.h prANibhi.h abhivimIyata iti ...

Sorry for not reproducing the whole passage. Please consult a
copy if you have it. sha.nkara says the abhivimAna in the
shruti indicates pratyagAtman (Swami Gambhirananda translates
pratyagAtman as innermost self) because it is directly known
as the innermost self by all beings.

Perhaps someone can discuss the bhAshhya in detail, I am
somewhat hard-pressed for time.

So, pratyagAtman seems to mean the supreme self and not the
deluded jIva. If the word is used in the latter sense
somewhere, I'd appreciate the context. Thanks.

Rama

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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