[Advaita-l] An interesting observation by a Vishishtādvaitin

[D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ]

The Acharyas of Sankara peethas always do नारायण स्मृति.

regards,
Sarma.

On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 1:12 PM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Here is a post from the archives of a Ramanuja group:
>
> http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct2002/0139.html
>
> The contents of the post is reproduced here:
>
> Respected All,
>
>  Aprops to discussion in the group between God's names
> Vishnu Vs Narayana, I wish to add  the views of Swami
> Pillai Lokachar(SPL) who explained why the the Term
> "Vishnu" is more preferred by Poorvacharyas as against
> other Names.
>
>
> In Vishnu Gayatri, we have three Vyapaka Mantras
> namely,(as pointed out by Sri Mani in the earlier
> mail)
>
> a.   Narayanan
> b.   Vasudevan
> c.   Vishnu
>
> Out of the 3 Vyapaka Mantras, the Name 'Narayana'  is
> considered supreme.
>
> The reasons attributed by SPL are:
>
>
> 1. Other Two Vyapaka Mantras(viz, vasudevan,Vishnu)
> have two drawbacks.
>
> a. Apoorthi-Incompleteness .
>
> The term Vishnu is Incomplete in one sense that it
> explains only his Vyapthi(omni presence) but not his Kalyana gunas
> Similarly, The term Vasudevan implies that everything
> in Him(Sarvam Vasathi). it however, does not describe
> his Kalyana Gunas.
>
> b. Achista Parigraham- the other two mantras are
> supported by advaitis  who have  not comprehended
> God's real nature and hence it anothor  drawback.
>
>
> As against these, Narayana saptham  brings in God's
> Svarupam, Roopam and also His Kalyana Guanas. And
> hence this name was supported by  Alwars, Acharyas and
> Rishis
>
>
> Dasan
>
> KM.Narayanan
> //
>
> Response by the Advaitin:
>
> While we have nothing to say about the Acharya's reported view as to
> whether they are
> accepted by the Ramanuja tradition without debate, the opinion he has
> expressed about
>
> the names 'Vishnu' and 'Vāsudeva' with regard to Advaita is definitely
> admissible and
>
> is quite correct. Just a few examples from Shankara's Bhashya are
> presented here:
>
> Kathopanishat 1.3.9:
>
>  तत् विष्णोः व्यापनशीलस्य ब्रह्मणः परमात्मनो वासुदेवाख्यस्य परमं
> प्रकृष्टं पदं स्थानम् , सतत्त्वमित्येतत्………
>
> Shankara is commenting on the mantra portion: तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् .
> Shankara gives the
>
> meaning for 'Vishnu' as 'vyāpanaśīla', the all-pervading one. He also
> uses in the same
>
> breath the term 'vāsudeva' which means, as per popular etymology: that
> which is the abode
>
> of everything in creation. Or that which pervades everything in
> creation. In both cases, the
>
> meaning is: the Nirguna Brahman that is the adhishthanam of the
> illusory created world.
>
> In Advaita, the idea of Brahman 'pervading' the illusory world means
> that it is the substratum of
>
> the superimposed world, just as we hold 'the rope 'pervades' the
> āropita snake'. Says Shankara in the BGB 13.15:
>
> अचरं चरमेव च, यत् चराचरं देहाभासमपि तदेव ज्ञेयं यथा रज्जुसर्पाभासः ।
> [The moving and unmoving body-appearance
>
> is also Brahman alone, just as the rope-snake appearance.] In another
> BGB 4.24 Shankara has
>
> said what it means to say: silver = shell? 'that which was wrongly
> seen as silver is
>
> actually the shell.' ब्रह्म अर्पणं येन करणेन ब्रह्मवित् हविः अग्नौ
> अर्पयति तत् ब्रह्मैव इति पश्यति, तस्य आत्मव्यतिरेकेण अभावं पश्यति, यथा
> शुक्तिकायां रजताभावं
> पश्यति ; तदुच्यते ब्रह्मैव अर्पणमिति, यथा यद्रजतं तत् शुक्तिकैवेति ।
>
> Thus, everything in creation 'rests' in Brahman or is pervaded by
> Brahman.  In the first case
>
> the term 'Vāsudeva' applies and in the second, the term 'Viṣṇu' suits
> the Advaitin.
>
> In the very introduction to the BG, Shankara says on what the BG is aiming
> at:
> परमार्थतत्त्वं च वासुदेवाख्यं परं ब्रह्माभिधेयभूतं विशेषतः
> अभिव्यञ्जयत् It especially reveals the Supreme Tattva, Param
>
> Brahma, known by the term 'vāsudeva'.
>
> It should also be noted that in advaita even though Nirguna Brahman
> has no name or form, the śāstra uses names
>
> to denote it, to enable vyavahara of bandha-moksha. We have as
> authority a verse
> from mahopanishat 4.54 / Laghu Yoga vAsiShTha utpatti prakaraNam 1.12:
>
>
> ऋतमात्मा परं ब्रह्म सत्यमित्यादिका बुधैः ।
> कल्पिता व्यवहारार्थं तस्य संज्ञा महात्मनः ॥4.54॥
>
> [In order to facilitate parlance, the wise employ words such as Rtam, AtmA,
> Param, Brahma, Satyam, etc., to designate that Supreme Self.]  [names such
> as vishnu, vasudeva, shiva, rudra, etc. come under the 'etc.' of the
> verse.]
>
> It is quite well known that the Advaita Paramartha Tattva, Brahman, is
> Nirgunam. Shankara specifies
>
> that this Tattvam, Brahman, is named 'Vāsudeva'. Thereby Shankara does
> not accept Vāsudeva
>
> as representing the abode of 'kalyāṇa guṇa-s'.
>
> BGB 2.61: आसीत मत्परः अहं वासुदेवः सर्वप्रत्यगात्मा परो यस्य सः
> मत्परः, ‘न अन्योऽहं तस्मात्’ इति आसीत इत्यर्थः ।
>
> Here again, the term vāsudeva is used to denote the Supreme Brahman,
> Nirgunam, with which
>
> alone the aspirant realizes his identity as 'I am no different from
> Him'. And Shankara is also
>
> explaining how Bhagavan thinks Himself in relation to the aspirant:
> 'I, Vasudeva, the innermost
>
> self of all..' This innermost self in advaita is not any saguna entity
> as in the case of
>
> non-advaitins, but is nirguna shuddha chaitanyamātram. That is
> Vāsudeva in Advaita. As is well known
>
> from the Kenopanishad 1.5 bhashya, the 'vishnu, vasudeva, etc' that
> the non-advaitins
>
> understand to be, is anātmā, abrahma, in Advaita, on the basis of this
> mantra.
>
>
> Having seen these sample passages on Vishnu and Vasudeva in Advaita,
> we add that even the
>
> name 'Narayana' is no different for the Advaitin. One example is the
> famous usage of Shankara of this
>
> name in the antaryāmi brahmanam 3,7,3 of the Brhadaranyaka:
>
>  देवताकार्यकरणस्य ईश्वरसाक्षिमात्रसान्निध्येन हि नियमेन
> प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्ती स्याताम् ; य ईदृगीश्वरो नारायणाख्यः,
>
> Narayana is shown here by Shankara as the Ishwara-sākṣimātra (shuddha
> chaitanyam) in whose
>
> proximity the mind-body-senses-prana complex performs its designated
> functions. In Advaita the antaryami
>
> is nirguna brahman who does nothing apart from being merely present.
> And this antaryami is taught
>
> by this upanishad as none other than the self of the jiva: एष त आत्मा
> अन्तर्याम्यमृतः mahāvākya. Such narayana is
>
> nirguna brahman in advaita. Shankara has used the term antaryami to
> define Ishwara and also
>
> to define the nirguna brahman in the Br.Up. bhāsyam itself. Yet, the
> usage of narayana
>
> in the context of the mahavakya is decidedly as nirguna brahman.
>
> To conclude, the Vishishtadvaitin Acharya's perception of the names
> Vishnu and Vasudeva
>
> in the context of advaita is quite in order and does not call for any
> dispute.
>
> Here are three famous verses, all from the pen of Shankara:
>
> यस्य प्रसादादहमेव विष्णुर्मय्येव सर्वं परिकल्पितं च ।
> इत्थं विजानामि सदात्मरूपं तस्यांघ्रिपद्मं प्रणतोऽस्मि नित्यम् ॥ २॥
> [Vākyavṛtti]
>
> अहमेव परं ब्रह्म वासुदेवाख्यमव्ययम् ।
>
> इति स्यान्निश्चितो मुक्तो बद्ध एवान्यथा भवेत् ॥ १ [Brahmanuchintanam]
>
> नारायणोऽहं नरकान्तोऽहं पुरान्तकोऽहं पुरूषोऽमीशः ।
> अखण्डबोधोऽहमशेषसाक्षी निरीश्वरोऽहं निरहं च निर्ममः।।494।। [Vivekachudaman]
>
> In all the three verses, the names 'vishnu, vāsudeva and narayana' are
> used in the
>
> expression of realization of one's true self, nirguna Brahman.
>
>
> 'Vākyavṛtti' is cited by Swami Vidyaranya in the Panchadashi as that
> of Acharya. * Sri V*ishveshvara Sraswati,in the Yatidharma sangraha,
> has cited
> verses from the Vakyavritti and the Brahmanuchintanam as those of
> Shankara.*]
> *
>
> Thus, we have the opinion from an early Vishishtadvaitin himself that
> the names 'vishnu' and 'vasudeva' are
>
> eminently advaita-friendly.  Hence there is absolutely no scope
> whatsoever for superimposing non-advaitic
>
> intonations on Advaita Bhashyas over the use of these and such names.
> In fact for the advaitin
>
> it is easily perceptible that Shankara sees the Vishnu Sahasra Nama as
> a text of names of
>
> Brahman rather than that of any finite deity. That is why he, at the
> outset itself, cites verses from
>
> various sources for the Hari-Hara abheda and even within the body of
> the nāma-bhāṣya cites
>
> from the Shiva Purana to hold Shiva, Rudra, as parama kāraṇam. He has
> cited the Kaivalyopanishad
>
> to establish Hari-Hara abheda and thus holds whether it is Vishnu or
> Rudra denoted by various
>
> names from the Shruti/Smriti, etc. as Brahman, they refer to Brahman
> alone and not any finite deity.
>
>
> Om Tat Sat
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