[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Rudra as Brahman - Shvetashvatara Upanishad

[V Subrahmanian]

In the BSB 1.2.2 Shankara cites the Shvetashvataropanishad to emphasize
that Brahman is sarvātmā, to differentiate it from saguṇa brahman:

सर्वात्मत्वाद्धि ब्रह्मणो जीवसम्बन्धीनि मनोमयत्वादीनि ब्रह्मसम्बन्धीनि
भवन्ति । तथा च ब्रह्मविषये श्रुतिस्मृती भवतः — ‘त्वं स्त्री त्वं पुमानसि
त्वं कुमार उत वा कुमारी । त्वं जीर्णो दण्डेन वञ्चसि त्वं जातो भवसि
विश्वतोमुखः’ (श्वे. उ. ४-३)
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इति
; ‘सर्वतःपाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् । सर्वतःश्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य
तिष्ठति’ (भ. गी. ३-१३)
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इति
च । ‘अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रः’ इति श्रुतिः शुद्धब्रह्मविषया,
This citation is followed by the next mantra which demonstrates and
confirms it in that Upaniṣad:

नीलः पतङ्गो हरितो लोहिताक्षस्तडिद्गर्भ ऋतवः समुद्राः ।

अनादिमत्त्वं विभुत्वेन वर्तसे यतो जातानि भुवनानि विश्वा ॥ ४ ॥



4.4 Thou art the dark-blue bee; Thou art the green parrot with red eyes;
Thou art the thunder-cloud, the seasons and the seas. *Thou art without a
beginning and all-pervading. From Thee all the worlds are born. *


From the previous chapter, 3, and the continuing verses of 4.4 above, we
have Rudra alone as the subject matter of the Vedantic exposition.


Within that range are several more citations from this Upanishad by
Shankara:


BSB 1.4.9


 तथेहापि ‘ब्रह्मवादिनो वदन्ति । किङ्कारणं ब्रह्म’ (श्वे. उ. १-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=svt&page=01#SV_C01_V01>
इत्युपक्रम्य ‘ते ध्यानयोगानुगता अपश्यन्देवात्मशक्तिं स्वगुणैर्निगूढाम्’
(श्वे. उ. १-३)
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इति
पारमेश्वर्याः शक्तेः समस्तजगद्विधायिन्या वाक्योपक्रमेऽवगमात्, वाक्यशेषेऽपि
‘मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं तु महेश्वरम्’ इति ‘यो योनिं
योनिमधितिष्ठत्येकः’ (श्वे. उ. ४-११)
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इति
च तस्या एवावगमान्न स्वतन्त्रा काचित्प्रकृतिः प्रधानं नामाजामन्त्रेणाम्नायत
इति शक्यते वक्तुम् । प्रकरणात्तु सैव दैवी शक्तिरव्याकृतनामरूपा नामरूपयोः
प्रागवस्था अनेनापि मन्त्रेणाम्नायत इत्युच्यते ; तस्याश्च स्वविकारविषयेण
त्रैरूप्येण त्रैरूप्यमुक्तम् ॥ ९ ॥

All these portions have Rudra as the Parameshwara that Shankara means there
and the Shakti is of that Rudra.

Thus, the Vedantic teaching involved here is having Rudra as the Vedantic
Brahman as authenticated by Shankara. Anyone can read these verses in the
Upanishad to see how many verses from the Purusha sukta and the BG too are
involved there. No one can say these are interpolations or arthavāda.
Shankara is using these portions in the context of the Supreme Brahman and
the shakti that is māyā.

regards

subrahmanian.v