[Advaita-l] 'somaH pavate....' Rg.Veda 9.5

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

PraNAms to all
I do not understand this over emphasis in terms of Shiva or Vishnu etc in this Advaita lists. I find so many posts on this aspect while we all understand personification of Iswara in a form is meant for worship. 
Hari Om1Sadananda



      From: V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>; Advaitin <advaitin at yahoogroups.com> 
Cc: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
 Sent: Wednesday, July 5, 2017 1:43 PM
 Subject: [Advaita-l] 'somaH pavate....' Rg.Veda 9.5
   
The Rg vedic mantra: सोमः पवते जनिता मतीनां जनिता दिवो जनिता पृथिव्या:।
जनिताग्नेर्जनिता सूर्यस्य जनितेन्द्रस्य जनितोत विष्णोः 9.5  which depicts
Shiva as the progenitor of agni, surya, indra, vishnu, etc. is slightly
elaborated in the BhasmajAbAlopanishad:
:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/bhasma.html?lang=sa

स एव ब्रह्मोपदेशः । ब्रह्म सोमोऽहं पवनः सोमोऽहं पवते सोमोऽहं जनिता
मतीनां सोमोऽहं जनिता पृथिव्याः सोमोऽहं जनिताऽग्नेः सोमोऽहं जनिता
सूर्यस्य सोमोऽहं
जनितेन्द्रस्य सोमोऽहं जनितोत विष्णोः सोमोऽहमेव जनिता स यश्चन्द्रमसो
देवानां भूर्भुवस्वरादीनां सर्वेषां लोकानां च ।

The above is the declaration of Parabrahman Shiva as the cause of
everything in creation including the devas

such as vishnu. The Upanishad further says:

विश्वं भूतं भुवनं चित्रं बहुधा जातं जायमानं च यत्सर्वस्य सोमोऽहमेव
जनिता विश्वाधिको रुद्रो महर्षिः । हिरण्यगर्भादीनहं
जायमानान्पश्यामि । यो रुद्रो अग्नौ यो अप्सु य ओषधीषु यो रुद्रो विश्वा
भुवना विवेशैवमेव । अयमेवात्मान्तरात्मा
ब्रह्मज्योतिर्यस्मान्न मत्तोऽन्यः परः । अहमेव परो विश्वाधिकः ।

[The above resembles the familiar portion from the Taittiriya
Mahanarayana Upanishad.]

मामेव विदित्वामृतत्वमेति । तरति शोकम् । मामेव विदित्वा सांसृतिकीं रुजं
द्रावयति । तस्मादहं रुद्रो यः सर्वेषां
परमा गतिः । सोऽहं सर्वाकारः ।

यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । येन जातानि जीवन्ति ।
यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति । तं मामेव विदित्वोपासीत ।
भूतेभिर्देवेभिरभिष्टुतोऽहमेव । भीषास्माद्वातः
पवते । भीषोदेति सूर्यः । भीषास्मादग्निश्चेन्द्रश्च । सोमोऽत एव योऽहं
सर्वेषामधिष्ठाता सर्वेषां च भूतानां पालकः । सोऽहं पृथिवी । सोऽहमापः ।
सोऽहं तेजः । सोऽहं वायुः ।
सोऽहं कालः । सोऽहं दिशः । सोऽहमात्मा । मयि सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । ब्रह्मा शिवो मे अस्तु सदाशिवोम् ।

The above portion recalls to mind the familiar Taittiriyopanishad
teaching that the entire creation has for its source Brahman.

All the cosmic forces function under the supreme stewardship of Brahman.

तत्र पूर्वस्यं दिशि ब्रह्मा कृताञ्जलिरहर्निशं मामुपास्ते ।
दक्षिणस्यां दिशि विष्णुः कृत्वैव मूर्धाञ्जलिं मामुपास्ते ।
प्रतीच्यामिन्द्रः
सन्नताङ्ग उपास्ते । [Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, etc. are meditating upon
Shiva, with various postures signifying obeisance.]

यं ब्रह्मा नावपश्यति । यं विष्णुर्नावपश्यति । यमिन्द्राग्नौ
नावपश्येताम् । यं वरुणादयो नावपश्यन्ति ।

[Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, Agni, Varuna, are all unable to comprehend Shiva.]

That Shiva is beyond comprehension has been elaborately stated in the
form of the famous 'Lingodbhava' in various
Puranas. The Mahabharata too has stated this, in the words of Krishna
to Arjuna as:

अप्रमेयप्रभावं तं देवदेवमुमापतिम्। नमस्व देवं प्रयतो विश्वेशं हरमक्षयम् ।।

Shiva's glory is beyond comprehension, Arjuna, purifying yourself, bow
to that Devadeva, Umapati, the Lord

of the Universe, Hara, the Imperishable.

The particular episode is of Brahma and Vishnu taking the form of a
swan and a boar trying in vain to find the

origin and end of Shiva.

The Bhasmajabalopanishad has statements that is familiar to many as
found in the Taittiriya aranyaka,

Upanishads. Brahmavidya is the ultimate purport of this Upanishad
through the medium of a conversation.

The सोमः पवते mantra is annotated also in the 'sanatkumara samhita
where Vishnu instructs Prabhakara:

मतीनाञ्च दिवःपृथ्व्या वह्नेः सूर्यस्य वज्रिणः ।

साक्षादपि च विष्णोश्च सोमो जनयितेश्वरः ॥

Brahmandapurana:

द्यावाप्थिव्योरिन्द्राग्न्योर्विष्णोर्धातुर्यमस्य च ।

वरुणस्य शशांकस्य जनिता परमेश्वरः ॥

Kurmapurana also has this theme.

Vedantins do not subscribe to the unvedic concept of classification of
puranas and vedas as sattvik, etc. Shankara

has cited from the Shiva purana in the Vishnu sahasra nama bhashya to
give the meaning for the name

'Rudra' as 'Shivah parama kaaranam', Shiva is the Supreme Cause. Sri
Vishveshvara Saraswati, in his

yati dharma sangraha has cited from the Kurma purana, all for bringing
out the Supremacy of Shiva, as the

goal of sannyasins, to be meditated upon. He has also cited from the
Shiva purana. Also, like Shankara, he has

cited from the Katharudropanishad which has Shiva as the creator and
Vishnu as a superior jiva. The Bhasmajabalopanishad, like the

Atharvashira and Atharvashikha upanishads shows Shiva as the source of
the Trimurtis.


Om Tat Sat
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