[Advaita-l] Fwd: What is 'aprAkRta' ?

[Ramanan Subramanian]

My two cents on this issue:

//
> Jivan Muktas have a body made of
> material elements created due to prarabda karma. Their form is not eternal
> like the Lord's.
>

It would be incorrect to say that.  Just like the Ishwara's avatara has a
beginning and end on the physical plane and yet the devotee several
centuries later too can pray and be blessed by that avatara, a jivanmukta
too can be prayed to and his blessings and guidance got by devotees  long
after his physical death.
//

I would refer to Bhagavatam and Sridhara Swami's commentary on the same. It
adds credence to RV's position:

lokābhirāmāḿ sva-tanuḿ dhāraṇā-dhyāna-mańgalam
yoga-dhāraṇayāgneyyādagdhvā dhāmāviśat svakam (11.31.6)

Sridharaswami's commentary:

योगिनामिव स्वच्छन्द-मृत्यु भ्रमं वारयति -- लोकाभिरामं इति । अयम् अर्थः -
योगिनो हि स्वच्छन्द-मृत्यवः, स्वां तनुं आग्नेय्या योग-धारणया दग्ध्वा
लोकान्तरम् प्रविशन्ति । भगवांस्तु न तथा, किन्त्वदग्ध्वैव स्व-तनु-सहित एव
स्वकं धाम वैकुण्ठाख्यं अविशत् । तत्र हेतुः -- लोकाभिरामम् । लोकानां
अभिरामोऽभितो रमणं स्थितिर्यस्यां ताम् । जगदाश्रयत्वेन जगतोऽपि दाह-प्रसङ्गाद्
इत्यर्थः । किञ्च, धारणाया ध्यानस्य च मन्गलं शोभनम् । विषयं इतरथा
तयोर्निर्विषयत्वं स्यात् । दृश्यते च आद्यपि तद्-उपासकानां तथैव
तद्रूपसाक्शात्कारः फलप्राप्तिश्चेति भावः । इच्छाशरिइराभिप्रायेण वा यथाश्रुतं
एवास्तु, तत्रापि तु लोकाभिरामां इत्यादिइनां विशेषाणामानर्थक्य-प्रसन्गात्,
तदप्यदग्ध्वा तिरोधाय निर्गत इत्येव साम्प्रतम् ॥
Here is a relevant quote from Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya of Shankara

"mRutaM maraNam , tadrahitaM vapurasyeti amRutavapuH" ('amRutavapuH' is He
Whose body is free from death)

On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 3:20 PM, Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com> wrote:

> praNAms
> Hare Krishna
>
> RV prabhuji :
>
> It is vishishtopadhi as Sankara clarfies in the case of Ishvara, which
> reveals rather than cover or erroneously project.
>
> bhaskar :
>
> Kindly clarify where exactly shankara says Ishwara's is vishishtOpAdhi
> unlike jeeva's sAmAnyOpAdhi.  From the siddhAnta drushti, brahman is
> nirAkAra, nirguNa, nirvishesha and I dont think shankara compromises this
> position of shruti anywhere.  In the ArambhAdhikaraNa sUtra bhAshya
> shankara makes it very clear that the lordship of the lord, his
> sarvajnatva, sarvashaktitva etc. are only relative to the limitation
> caused by the conditioning of adjuncts of the nature of avidyA.  Atman is
> ultimately nirguNa, niravayava and in reality Atman is divested of all
> conditioning factors and on the dawn of jnAna, there cannot be any room
> for conception like the ruler and the ruled, sarvajnatva etc. However, I
> do agree that shankara while talking about upAsana, krama mukti etc. does
> agree that Ishwara has the special ability to create and jeeva in
> hiraNyagarbha lOka never matches the qualities of Ishwara in this respect.
>
> RV prabhuji :
>
> Brahman is like a featureless sleeping snake (nirguna brahman)which when
> it dances (saguna brahman or adi karta narayayna) produces ghost images
> (pancha bautika loka) through the instrument of maya.
>
> bhaskar :
>
> I think paramahaMsa rAmakrishna also gives this example to show
> shiva-shakti abedha.  I do agree that when it comes to the 'reality' of
> srushti, the srushtikarta is nothing but that omnipotent and omniscient
> Ishwara.  shankara too acknowledges this in the very second sUtra of
> brahma sUtra.  And elsewhere shankara talks about the 'exclusive
> attributes' of the brahman since mundaka shruti says this brahman is
> sarvajnaH, sarvavit etc.  But, again, all these points donot prove that
> brahman is even in the paramArthika sense vishishtOpAdhika Ishwara.
> sOpAdhika brahma is meant only for meditation and saguNOpAsana.  And for
> the enquiry & realization it would be shruti-s ultimatum i.e. nirguNa,
> nirAkAra, nirupAdhika, nirvishesha parabrahman only.
>
> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
> bhaskar
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