[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Re: The universe is Śiva's Eight-fold form - Harivamśa

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 6:18 AM, sreenivasa murthy <narayana145 at yahoo.co.in>
wrote:

> From : H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy
> Pranams to all.
>
> Dear Readers,
>
>    Sri Shankara in his  Introductory commentary to Shloka 1-3-13 of
> Kathopanishad writes
>    thus :
>
>     EvaM puruShE Atmani sarvaM pravilApya nAmarUpakarmatrayaM
> yanmithyAJnAnavijRumBitaM
> kriyAkArakaPalalaKsHaNaM  svAtmayAthAtmyajnAnEna
> marIcyudakarajjusarpagaganamalAnIva
> marIcirajjusvarUpadarSanEnaiva svasthaH praSAntAtmA kRutakRutyO Bavati
> YataH ||
>
>     Readers may please refer to mantra 2-2-12 of Mundakopanishad and Sri
> Shankara's commentary upon that  mantra which has a bearing upon the above
> quoted BAShya.
>
>    Upanishads loudly proclaim : *ahamEvEdagaM sarvam* ||Chandogya 7-25-1
>                                              *AtmaivEdagaM sarvam* ||
> Chandogya 7-25-2.
>
>   WHere do the gods of theology come into the picture?
>

Dear Sir,

I agree with all that you say above by way of quotations.  However, to your
question above, I would like to respond as follows:

In the Bhagavadgita there are chapters 10 and 11 where the vibhūti and
viśvarūpa of Brahman is detailed. One might think that there is absolutely
no Advaita in these chapters.  Yet, upon close examination one would find
that there is the seminal teaching of Advaita there too.

If one would take the time to study the Vishnu Sahasranāma Bhāṣya of
Shankara, one can reap a very rich harvest of Advaita Vedanta therein.
Countless Advaitic concepts have been packed in that work by Shankara.
Especially the introduction contains a good lot of advaitic teaching. The
'nāma' portion too has here and there nuggets of Advaita buried in. It is
for the aspirant to unearth them and use them to the hilt.

Viṣṇu and Śiva are, though theological deities, yet, they, rather It, forms
the bedrock of all theology and Vedanta, being Brahman in essence.


In order to clarify to the readers at large that Viṣṇu and Śiva are verily
Brahman and not two deities opposed to each other, there is a need to bring
out aspects in the scriptural works that teach us the non-difference of
Hari and Hara.  Shankara in deed brings out these aspects to establish
Advaita, Ekatvam, in the VSN.

If you say we should adhere to 'anyā vācho vimunchata', then Shankara
should not have commented on those two chapters of the BG and the entire
VSN.

regards
subrahmanian.v

>
>       In the light of the above teaching I would like to know in what way
> the information provided in the posting is of any use to a mumkshu who is
> after Atmajnana. Will it not be more beneficial to majority of the readers
> to familarize the members with such kind of precious teachings of Sri
> Shankara as quoted above. I am of the opinion that this kind of
> highlighting of Sri Shankara's  such teachings by eminent  leaders of this
> group will be very beneficial to all.
>
>    Kindly pardon me for sharing my thoughts.
>
>   I will close this posting of mine with a quotation from Mundaka
> Upanishad : anya vAcO vimuNcatha ||
>
> With respectful namaskarams,
> Sreenivasa Murthy
>
>
>