[Advaita-l] Madhusudhana Saraswathi and Advaita.

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 2:57 AM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 5:16 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > The Shankarabhashya sentence I showed from the Kenopanishat is sufficient
> > proof for the teaching that everything 'meditatable' as Ishwara, etc.
> > (aadi) is idam and anaatmA.
> >
> >
> With due respects to you, no one contests that Brahman is beyond all names
> and forms in Advaita. However, Madhusudana elaborates on BG 4.7
> commentary of Sankara (Mayavadam Aprakrtam) to explain why Lord Krishna's
> form is not material (pancha baudhika). He explains the nature of this form
> and why it is highly illogical to assume that the Lord has a body distinct
> from the Self. It is two page too long to post here. This is the same view
> held by Sridhara Swami as well. If you think they wrote under influence,
> then you need to show at least one advaita acharya before Madhusudana, who
> says that the Lord's form is material (pancha baudhika). The implication of
> it not being pancha-baudhika is that it is beyond spacio-temporal
> limitations unlike other meditable objects which are anatma.  There is a
> clear difference between the effects of maya (created material objects) and
> maya itself, which is beyond time and space.
>


I think we have discussed this aspect before on this forum quite recently.
I shall summarize here:

Madhusudana Saraswati has explained what is meant by 'aprAkRtam' in the
Advaita siddhi and the Brahnanandi has elaborated on it.  I got this from
the authority of Dr.Mani Dravid SastrigaL.  What is aprAkrtiam is also
within prakRti alone and the difference is: the prAkRta effects go through
a paanchabhautika process for manifestation and the apraakRta effects
bypass this process and emerge straight from mAyA/prkRti.

Also to add a clarification on what I said before on the Brahma sutra
reference, the passages teaching form to Brahman are valid in the relative
realm for the purposes of upAsanA.  I had omitted this aspect in my earlier
reply.  Now, it adds to the discussion on the stated GaudapAda karikA in
question.  So, upAsanA includes not just hiranyagarbha but any other deity
for which a form is possible.

subrahmanian.v