[Advaita-l] Is Brahman understood as vyakti by Dvaitins?

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

   On Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 9:16:49 AM GMT+5:30, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote: 

However, does the Madhva system hold these as mere metaphorical? I am
asking because, even in moksha, I have read in Vidwan Nagasampige Acharya's
book, mukta jivas will (also) reside in various parts of Vishnu (Brahman's)
body and enjoy bhoga with Him. How can a Tattvam have a paaramaarthika deha
with shoulders, stomach, etc. unless that Brahman is a vyakti? It is well
known that only when human male-female union takes place there is the human
offspring with the human head, hands, legs, stomach, etc. How can Brahma
Tattvam have such a body unless it is a vyakti?

Subbuji – PraNAms

In Vishishtaadvaita – A similar definition is provided but with some differences. Brahman is infinite and satyam jnaanm anaata swaruupm only – However Sri Ramanuja explains in sat vidya – sat eva idam agra aseet – It is infinite, and it has no vijaati and sajaati bhedas but has Swagata Bhedas or internal differences. He is virat swaruupam with body consisting of jeeva and jagat as part of his viswaruupam. He is antaryamin just as individual soul is antaryamin for the individual body. However, as Chaitanya swaruupa jiivas (they are tiny one hundredth of the one hundredth of the hair cross-section) they form visheshanas of the Virat purusha – vishishta adviata.  

Moksha involves going to Vaikunta – there you meet Lord Narayana after mother has properly dress you up with the sattvic body – eligible for Vaikunta. Vaikunta is yat gatvaa na nivartante tat dhaamam – no return back and you enjoy infinite happiness by serving the Lord, along with your (neighbors also if they made it). To get to that place you have to surrender completely to the Lord – mama maayaa duratyayaa – maam evaye prapadyante – Krishna clearly states that the only method for liberation, since one cannot cross this maaya of mine by any efforts.

In vaikunta, there will be Nithya mukta jeevas starting from Lakshmi, vishavak sena, etc.

Serving the Lord servants is considered are supreme service and more difficult than serving the Lord. Lakmana served the Lord but Shatrughna served the servant of the Lord, Bharata. Hence in Mukundamaala Kulashekara Alwar says -tat bhrutya parichaarika bhrutya bhrutyasya bhrutya .. servant of the servant of the servent..

Tat tvam asi is accounted by Ramanuja using visheshana visheshaabhyaam samanaadhikaraNam and Brahmaarpanam is explained by upasanaayam samaanaadhikaranam.

That is Advaita but vishishta with visheshanaas – The lord is ananta kalyaana guna aashraya – locus of infinite auspicious qualities – each quality is also anantam.

There are both bheda and abheda vaakaas in the Upanishad. Ramanuja intergrates them into one as per vishishta Adviata. 

In the final analysis of course – Iswaraanugrahaat eva pumsaam Advaita vaasanaa.

Hari Om!

Sadananda