[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva

[D Gayatri]

> Only because the implications are artificially imposed does the problem
> arise. A student of vedanta reading the bhashya will not lose anything if
> that information is not provided. That is why Shankara does not care to give
> that. For Shankara the MB is important only because Vyasa is the author and
> not because of anything else.

There is no problem arising at all. The situation is very clear.
Shankara everywhere accepts the supremacy of Narayana only. Shankara
does not need to give all the information because he assumes that his
readers have basic knowledge of shAstra-s. Only if the quotes come
from the vaidika shAstra-s will they have any value, otherwise they
will have no value. The Mahabharata is huge and we dont know what form
it had during his time, but Shankara quotes only from those portions
that are compatible with advaita-vedAnta and/or show the supremacy of
Vishnu. He does not quote anything from the Shiva supremacy verses and
we very well know that today's critical edition contains even these
verses (as your other mail shows). And anyone who reads even the Adi
parvan will know that the Mahabharata says that what is not contained
in it is not contained anywhere else.


>
> The argument that the that mantra is about the creation of Rudra is
> discredited by several shrutis including the Prashna, Shvetashvara,
> Kaivalya, Jabala, Atharva shira, etc.


The argument that the mantra is about the creation of Rudra is
validated by several shrutis like Brihadaranyaka, Satapatha brahmana,
Kausitaki brahmana, Rig Veda etc.