[Advaita-l] Who is Vighneshwara?

[Venkatraghavan S]

An alternative explanation to the below that I have heard to the BG 9.25
bhAshya is that Shankara is saying that if we worship an adhishthAna devatA
in any form, then we will get only a limited result. If you worship the
pUrNa Ishvara that is manifesting in that particular form for our benefit,
we will get unlimited results. It depends on the perspective of the
worshipper.

In the same deity a limited deva can be invoked, or also the pUrNa Ishvara.
Ishvara is ready to take whatever form we like, however if we think that
what we worship only the form with limited powers, then we are limiting his
glory and consequently we only get limited results.

So the reference to Vinayaka and sapta mAtara: is said from the perspective
of the devotee, not the Ishvara that appears in the form of Ganesha or
Devi. Shankaracharya is not saying Vinayaka or sapta mAtara: are limited,
but that if they are seen as limited than that will limit the results
achieved.

That is why the GaNapati atharvashIrsha says tvameva sarvam khalvidam
brahmAsi, to inspire the devotee to see the paripUrNa Ishvara as GaNapati.

A similar point was made by HH Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahasvaminah in the
dialogues with a devotee (which I posted to this list a few days ago),
specifically in answer to the question "Who is worshipped during
sandhyAvandanam?

Regards
Venkatraghavan

On 5 Sep 2016 7:54 a.m., "V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l" <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> On Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 10:35 AM, Anand Hudli via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > >There is a separate category of 'vināyaka-s' who are evil spirits
featured
> > >in the Srimadbhāgavatam several times and in some other puraṇas. This
> > >should not be confused with the Ganapati. Shankara, the vaidika, in his
> > >Gita bhashya is referring to the above group of vinayakas only.