[Advaita-l] Bhakti, Bhagavata Purana & Sankara

[Nagarjuna Siddhartha]

>i am again sorry if this begins a lugubrious lucubration....

>the Great Bhashyakara mentions Narayana, Vishnu, Vasudeva..etc. everywhere for >Brahman.  many hold that he was a very great Narayana Bhakta.  where is then Siva >Panchayatana 

>could anyone explain pl.
Let us not assume that just because the name of Vishnu alone is extolled as brahman, Sankara did not advocate Siva Panchayatana. It must not be forgotten that the Svetasvatara upanishad talks of Rudra as Ishwara.
 
The reason why Sankara extolled Vishnu alone is probably because of the influence of the Bhagavad Gita and (more generally) the Mahabharata which unanimously identify Vishnu as the supreme. Considering that the gita is very influential as it is one of the prasthana traya and the high place of the Mahabharata which no reputed vedantin can ignore, this can be easily explained. The epic Mahabharata must have obviously commanded a much higher place than any purANa-s.


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