[Advaita-l] Īśvarapraṇidhānam - Devotion practice for Sannyāsin

[V Subrahmanian]

Īśvarapraṇidhānam - Devotion practice for Sannyāsin

In the Patanjali system, one of the eight limbs is niyama, of which one is
called 'Īśvarapraṇidhānam'. This word translates to 'offering everything
one does by the instrumentality of body, mind and word, to God.' This
exercise is very conducive to chitta śuddi and thereby to realizing the
Truth by making the mind attenuated and ready for deep contemplation.

In the Yatidharma sangraha, Swami Viśveśwara Saraswati, cites the following
verse from the 'Śivagītā' contained in the Kūrma purāṇam. [Tamasik Puranas:
Matsya Purana, *Kurma Purana*, Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana,
Agni Purana (Padmapurana: 236.20)]

स्तुतिस्मरणपूजाभिर्वाङ्‌मनःकायकर्मभिः ।
सुनिश्चला शिवे भक्तिरेतदीश्वरपूजनम् ।। ११.२९

[Unwavering bhakti in Śiva through all activities such as stuti (stotra
paṭhanam), smaraṇa (thinking of ...), pūjā (worship) and all worldly
activities even, of the body mind and word, is called Iśvara pūjanam
('Īśvarapraṇidhānam').]

The above verse in the Kūrma purāṇam is uttered by Śiva himself.

In the Yatidharma sangraha, the author, at another place too states the
devotional practice, as a daily routine, for the Sannyasin by citing from
several smriti texts:

Nāradavachanam: भिक्षाटनं जपो ध्यानं स्नानं शौचं सुरार्चनम्....

The term 'surārchanam' is explained by the author: the worship of Viṣnu and
Śiva since knowledge and liberation is given by them. And he cites another
famous verse: ārogyam bhāskarādicchet....jnānam maheśvarādicchet
mokṣamicchet janārdanāt. It is also of particular interest to the Advaitin
that according to the Bhāṣya of Shankara there is no distinction between
jñāna and mokṣa; attaining realization is itself attaining mokṣa; there is
 no distinction concept-wise or time/space-wise between the two. Hence that
way too there is Hari-Hara abheda for Advaitins.

In the footnote, the editor says that the term 'Śiva' means worship of Bāṇa
Lingam.

It is clear from the author's statements that the Advaitic sannyāsin is a
Hari-Hara abheda vādin.  That is why he cites extensively from the
Kūrmapurāṇam Śivagītā where this Rudra-Nārāyaṇa abheda is extremely
explicitly established.

http://tinyurl.com/zf4qwvt


 If the author had intended that the sannyasin to be a vaiṣṇava, the
prescription of Śivalinga puja would be highly inappropriate. So also the
above cited offering every act to Śiva as part of Iśvarapraṇidhānam would
be out of place, for no vaishnava, especially of the Ramanuja-following,
would think of doing these as part of his devotional practices.

There is yet another proof from the Yatidharma sangraha to
Discussing the āchamana vidhi' for sannyāsin, Sri Viśveśvara Saraswati,
among other smṛti texts, cites one 'śankha':
प्रक्षाल्य पादौ हस्तौ च संस्थाप्य चरणौ भुवि ।
संनिबद्धकच्छशिखः स्मृत्वा चैवेष्टदेवताम् ॥ etc.
The above verse says how the sannyāsin should seat himself and go about the
āchamana act by thinking of his *iṣṭa devatā*. This clearly shows that the
Vedic religion is not any abrahāmic where the worship of only one deity is
imposed on the followers. One can see Sri Viśveśvara Saraswati giving a
wide playing field to the practitioner of the Vedic religion:  a wide
choice of deities that one can choose from and be devoted to. The iśṭa
devatā concept as understood by the smārta-s is no way conducive to the
vaiṣṇavite idea of 'Viṣṇu alone is Supreme and he alone is to be devoted
to.'
The concept of offering every act to Śiva is well known to the Advaitin
from Shankara's famous verse of the 'Śivā mānasa pūjā stotram':
http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_shiva/smaanasa.html

आत्मा त्वं गिरिजा मतिः सहचराः प्राणाः शरीरं गृहं
पूजा ते विषयोपभोगरचना निद्रा समाधिस्थितिः ।
सञ्चारः पदयोः प्रदक्षिणविधिः स्तोत्राणि सर्वा गिरो
यद्यत्कर्म करोमि तत्तदखिलं शम्भो तवाराधनम् ॥ ४॥



You (tvam) *(are)* the Self (ātmā) and Girijā --an epithet of Pārvatī,
Śiva's wife, meaning "mountain-born"-- (girijā) *(is)* the intelligence
(matiḥ). The vital energies (prāṇāḥ) *(are Your)* companions (sahacarāḥ).
The body (śarīram) *(is Your)* house(gṛham). Worship (pūjā) of You (te) is
prepared (racanā) with the objects (viṣaya) *(known as sensual)* enjoyments
(upabhoga). Sleep (nidrā) *(is Your)* state (sthitiḥ) of Samādhi --i.e.
perfect concentration or absorption-- (samādhi). *(My)* wandering(sañcāraḥ)
*(is)* the ceremony (vidhiḥ) of circumambulation from left to right
(pradakṣiṇa) of *(Your)* feet (padayoḥ) --this act is generally done as a
token of respect--. All (sarvāḥ) *(my)* words (giraḥ) *(are)* hymns of
praise *(of You)* (stotrāṇi). Whatever(yad yad) action (karma) I do (karomi),
all (akhilam) that (tad tad) is adoration (ārādhanam) of You (tava), oh
Śambhu --an epithet of Śiva meaning "beneficent, benevolent"-- (śambho)||4||

Shankara has also conveyed the above idea in a fine verse of the Soundarya
lahari 27:

जपो जल्पः शिल्पं सकलमपि मुद्राविरचना
गतिः प्रादक्षिण्यक्रमणमशनाद्याहुतिवीधिः।
प्रणामस्संवेशस्सुखमखिलमात्मार्पणदृशा
सपर्यापर्यायस्तव भवतु यन्मे विलसितम्॥

“Let my speech be your japa, my movement of hands be your mudras*, my
locomotion be circumambulation for you, my eating and drinking be fire
oblations for you, my lying down be prostrations for you, all my enjoyments
be my surrender to You and let these actions of mine become the main part
of Your worship.”
And in the Śivanandalahari:

सा रसना ते नयने
तावेव करौ स एव कृतकृत्यः ।
या ये यौ यो भर्गं
वदतीक्शेते सदार्चतः स्मरति ॥ ९४॥

That which speaks of Lord Shiva , is the tongue,
That which see Him, are the eyes,
That which worship Him , are the hands,
And he who always remembers him, is the fulfilled man.

Om Tat Sat