[Advaita-l] Saguna and Nirguna Sruti

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms
Hare Krishna

Too hectic work at office..but could not resist this post since I am also 
a cricket player :-))

Vedanta Desika has given an argument against Advaita treating Saguna
Srutis. 

>  what is vedAnta desika-s argument against advaita with regard to saguNa 
shruti-s pls. let us know.

The Saguna Srutis will not be inferior than Nirguna Srutis
because the Apaccheda Nyaya does not apply here. 

>  who said advaita treats saguNa shruti vAkya-s inferior to nirguNa 
shruti-s?? shankara gives 'contextual' priority to saguNa shruti vAkya-s 
as well without compromising a bit with the shruti's ultimate siddhAnta 
i.e. Atmaikatva. 

Saguna Srutis say Brahman has many qualities like power and Omniscience 
but Nirguna
Srutis say Brahman has no qualities. 

>  yes, shankara says former is upAsya brahma which is sOpAdhika & later 
is jneya brahma, which has to be realized through shravaNAdi sAdhana.

The correct way to understand these Srutis is like this. Saguna Srutis say 
Brahman has qualities.
The Nirguna Srutis are saying Brahman has no qualities other than Saguna 
Srutis are saying. This is Vihita Vyatirikta Guna Nishedhaha.

>  In that case how to understand shruti vAkya-s like :  asthUla, anaNu, 
agrAhya, apramEya, viditAvidita, he has no body and no senses, neither 
short nor long, it is not either, having no inside nor outside..and 
finally shruti expresses its inability to express braman as 'ida mittam' 
and accepts it is beyond the reach of mind and speech..If the brahman is 
ONLY shruti recommended saguNa minus other dOsha-s and gUna-s why shruti 
has to tell us 'neti neti' is the highest teaching of brahman?? 

They are not saying Brahman does not have any qualities.

>  but shruti itself saying brahman is nirvikAra, nirvishesha, nirvayava, 
nirupAdhika, it is without taste, it is without smell, no eyes, no ears, 
no life breath, having no opening etc.  Is it not??

This is a bouncer ball from fast bowler Vedanta Desika. Any Advaiti
batsman can face it? How many will simply duck and let it pass above
head? How many will try to play it and give a catch to short leg? How
many will use hook shot to hit it for a six?

>  I think advaita does not have any problem in facing this bouncer from 
v.advaitins...advaita is 'technically' well equipped to face these kind of 
bouncers and hit it out of orbit for a big six :-))  Moreover, this 
bouncer is over the head, it is a 'no ball' so, batsman can freely hit 
without any fear of getting out :-))

>  seriously, it is better to understand advaita perspective on these 
issues before throwing the objection on advaita stand...infact, I was 
doing this same mistake when I was having some prejudices against advaita. 


Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar