[Advaita-l] Isvara is Absolute

[Rajaram Venkataramani]

Sri Devanathan, thanks for pointing out that Isvara is Absolute. I am glad
to know that this is the position of traditional advaita mutts. At the same
time, I am sad to know that Isvara is considered to be not paramartika by
some scholars even on this list. I am still to get the position on Saguna
Brahman and Savisesha Brahman from you. I know you wanted to clarify this in
a class room type environment. As that is not possible, I would like to try
to progress that on this forum. I would like to state here my understanding
of this in layman terms and am open to correction.

Suddha Caitanyam is Advaya Jnanam and beyond all conceptions as it is the
substratum. Isvara is Nirvisesha Brahman - one without a second, the
substratum of everything, sarvajna - Para Vasudeva. He is sarvajna but this
jnanam is not an attribute but jnapti, non-different from Isvara.
Trigunatmika Maya as Moola Avidya separate from Him is mithya and
anirvacaniya. It is not possible to postulate its position but if it has to
be done one has to say that it is in Him as Advaya Jnanam or non-different
from Him. It is the same as saying that there is absolutely no connection
between Brahman and Maya. Isvara when He manifests the Maya shakti and
becomes its Controller, He is Saguna Brahman. This Saguna Brahman is beyond
spacio-temporal limitations but is capable of assuming spacio-temporal
limitations through His Para Maya Shakti without losing His essential nature
as Advaya Jnanam. This Saguna Brahman when He manifests formless forms,
forms with forms, infinite forms, infinitesimal forms etc., He is Savisesha
Brahman. This Savisesha Brahman is the object of Upasana by Jivas who are
also a visesha of Vishnu brought about by Avidya aspect of Maya. This
Adikarta Narayana creates maintains and destroys this Universe made of five
elements through His apara Maya Shakti. But as that which is created and
destroyed has only empirical reality it is Unreal from a Paramartika
standpoint. All this is essentially Brahman only.

The names and forms of Isvara are products of Para Maya and aprakrta whereas
names and forms of material objects are Prakrta, made of five elements. This
Para Maya is the divine energy of Vishnu and non-different from Him because
there is no difference between Vishnu and His Shakti. But in the vyavaharika
concept, they have specificity as Krishna , Rama etc. In the paramartika,
the duality is transcendended and everything exists as Vishnu or Brahman. By
way of example, it is like white light. It is not red, not blue and not
green. But it is red, it is blue and it is green because Red is just white
light with some aspects manifest and some unmanifest. Or I think of a lotus.
The mind takes the form of lotus. Now I think of a cow. The mind takes the
form of a cow. The lotus is in reality mind only. The cow is in reality mind
only. But even before the specific manifestation as lotus and cow, they
exist in the mind as mind. Or the vaidurya gem manifests different colours
including pure white. The colours are inherent the gem but not as distinct
entities.