[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva as the son of Brahma

[Srinath Vedagarbha]

2016-08-14 7:50 GMT-04:00 D Gayatri via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

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> [These two, viz., Brahma and Rudra, are the foremost of all the
> deities, having sprung respectively from the Propitiousness and the
> Wrath (of Aniruddha). Acting according to Aniruddha's direction, these
> two deities create and destroy. Although capable of granting boons
> unto all creatures, they are, however, in the matter of the concerns
> to which they attend (viz., Creation and Destruction), merely
> instruments in the hands of Aniruddha.]
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This stand is also quite correct.

We have sAkshAt Shiva's own words which excludes Himself from granting
'highest'  purushArtha --

In skanda purANa, Shiva tells Markandeya “ ahaM bhogaprado vatsA,
mokShadastu janArdanaH “  -- “O dear child, I am only a giver of prosperity
and worldly bhoga, but the giver of  mokSha is Janardana.”

Why?

The same purANa has the answer -- aj~nAnAM j~nAnado vishhNoH j~nAninAM
moxadashcha saH  |
Ana.ndadashcha muktAnAM sa evaiko janArdanaH

(To the un-knowing, Vishnu gives knowledge; to the knowing, He gives
moksha; To the liberated, He gives joy, and He alone is fit for all to
worship.)

/sv