[Advaita-l] A few verses from the Vishnu parva of the Harivamsha - Vedantic Turiya, etc.

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Harivamsha, Vishnu parva, there is a stuti of Kshyapa Muni addressed
to Shiva. This stuti is available here;
http://mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/vishnuparva/hv_2_072.html  Here
is a verse  यल्लिङ्गाङ्कं त्र्यम्बकः सर्वमीशो भगलिङ्गाङ्कं यद्ध्युमा
सर्वधात्री ।
नान्यत् तृतीयं जगतीहास्ति किंचिन्महादेवात् सर्वसर्वेश्वरोऽसौ ।। 2.72.६० ।।

 All bodies in the world with masculine gender are forms of three eyed lord
shiva. All bodies in the world with feminine gender are forms of universal
mother uma. There is nothing else in the world other than these two. Lord
shiva is the lord of all.

Nilakantha, the Advaitin commentator says for this verse:

   - 2-72-60 yaditi | yathA kAryaM sarvaM strIpuMsarUpaM bhagali~NgA~Ngam |
   evaM kAraNamapi tasya tadanurUpaM bhagali~NgA~NgaM
   bhagali~NgasaMyogarUpapratimAtmakam avagantavyam | tena yadidaM dR^ishyate
   loke shivaM li~NgaM tadabhimAni chetanodbhavamidaM brahmANDamityarthaH |
   ata evAsau sarvasarveshvaraH | sarvaM avisheShAtkR^itsnaH
prapa~nchaH *sarvaM
   samApnoShi tato.asi sarvaH* iti nirvachanAttadupAdAnabhUto viShNurapi
   sarvashabdArthaH tayorIshvarasturIyabrahmarUpa ityarthaH |

According to the commentary, the world is kaaryam. The entire kaarya
prapancha is 'sarvam'. The second sarvam in the compound word
'sarva-sarveshvarah' denotes the upaadaana kaaraNam. The Bh.Gi.11th chapter
verse 'sarvam samaapnoshi tato'si sarvah' is cited and Vishnu is shown as
the upadana kaaranam for the jagat. The word 'Ishvara' in the compound word
is explained as the Turiya, the one that transcends the kaarya and kaarana
prapancha.  We get to see a fine allusion to the Mandukya Upanishad.  The
mantras before the 6th denote the kaaryam. The 6th mantra the Karanam and
7th mantra the Turiya.  One gets to read a lot of Vedantic ideas in
Nilakanthas commentary, both for the Mahabharata and for the Harivamsha.

Also, in this Shiva-stuti by Kashyapa in this chapter of the Harivamsha,
there is the reference to six-fold attribute to Shiva:
 brahmAsR^ijadyo bhuvanottamottamaM
        tR^ipto vidvAnbrAhmaNaH ShaDguNasya |
    sR^iShTvA rasaM vyAhR^itisthaM samagraM
        sa mAM pAyAdiha bahurUpo.arihA~NgaiH ||2-72-43
Let the Lord protect me with many varieties of forms and his limbs, who,
being brahma created best of the best divine worlds in the entire world,
who with his knowledge of brahma, is complete with six qualities
(prosperity, knowledge, fame, wealth, non-attachment and dharma), who
pervades the world entirely by creating it.
Nilakantha, commenting on this verse cites the verse of the purana that
Vachaspati Misra has alluded in his invocation to the Bhamati:

   - 2-72-43 brahmA chaturmukhaH bhuvanottamottamaM satyalokaM asR^ijat |
   yataH brAhmaNaH brahmavit ata eva ShaDguNasya ShaDbhirguNaiH
   aishvaryaj~nAnayashaHsrIvairAgyadharmaiHstR^iptaH pUrNaH pUrNatvAdeva
   vyAhR^itisthaM rasaM praNavaM tadarthabhUtaM kR^itsnaM prapa~nchaM
   sR^iShTvA iha prapa~nche AyAtpraviShTaH | arihA kAmAdidoShaghnaH a~NgaiH :-



*sarvaj~natA tR^iptiranAdibodhaH  svatantratA nityamaluptashaktiH |
   anantashaktishcha vibhorvibhuj~nAH ShaDAhura~NgAni maheshvarasyaH *
   iti purANokterbahurUpaH ||

 anyo dhanyaH samskR^itashchottamashcha
        jagatsR^iShTva yo.atti sarvAtiguhyaH |
    sa mAM mukhapramukhe pAtu nityaM
        vichinvAnaH prathamaH ShaDguNAnAm ||2-72-56
Let me and my progeny be protected by the lord, who creates the world as
brahma, who destroys it as rudra, who is the most secretive of gods, who is
different from the stationary world, who is blessed due to the qualities
such as self control, who is the best, who assembles the fortune of the
master of sacrifices where indra and the fire god are prominent and who is
the refuge of the *six qualities.*
*Nilakantha: *

   - 2-72-56 yo jagat sR^iShTvA.ati atiguhyo gopyo brahmarUpI
   Ishvarastato.anyo viShNuH pAlanakartA sa cha dhanyaH mahAbhAgaH yataH
   saMskR^itaH shamAdisamskAyukto.ata eva uttamo yaH samaudAryaH sa mAM
   mukhaprabhavatvAt - *mukhAdindrashchAgnishcha* iti shrutau indrAgnI tau
   pramukhe Adau yasya tasmin yaj~ne nityaM chinvAn IshvaraM svAbhedena
   sarvatra pashyan nArAyaNaH sa mAM pAtuH matsantatimindraM rakShatu | yataH
   ShaDguNAnAmaishvaryAdInaM prathamo mukhya Ashraya ityarthaH | makhapramukhe
   iti pAThe.agniviShNU |


 AsannaH sannataraH sAdhanAnAM
        shraddhAvatAM shrAddhavR^ittipraNetA |
    patirgaNAnAM mahatAM satkR^itInAM
        pAyAnnmeShaH pUraNaH ShaDguNAnAm ||2-72-52
Let the Lord protect me who is near every one (because he rules everyone's
mind), who is the best of the revealed truth for those who practice
sAdhana, who is knowledge and devotion to those who have attention, who is
the great lord of the assemblies of pati and who fulfills all the *six
qualities.*

   - 2-72-52 AsannaH antaryAmitvena nikaTagaH | sAdanAnAM tadvadatAM tu
   sannataraH anAvR^itaH shrAddhavR^ittiH shraddhAgR^ihItamahAvAkyajA
   vR^ittirahaM brahmAsmIti j~nAnaM tasya pradAtA | mA mAm IShaH
   iShyamANasyArthasya pUraNaH ShaDguNAnAM cha sarvaj~natvAdinAM pUraNaH |

Om Tat Sat