[Advaita-l] Shivagita bhashyam - Who is Ishwara?

[V Subrahmanian]

While refuting certain facets of the Madhva philosophy in the Bhashya to
the Shiva Gita of the Padmapurana, the author, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava
Narasimha Bharati Mahaswaminah (the 24h Peethadhipathi  1600 - 1623 CE),
says, on the aspect of the identity of  'Ishwara':

यच्चोक्तं 'ईश्वरः शङ्खचक्रादिविशिश्टशरीरवान्, तादृशशरीराभिन्नश्च' इति,
तदप्यसत् -  एवं सति ईश्वरस्य तादृशशरीराभिन्नत्वे ' उमासहायं परमेश्वरं
प्रभुं (विभुं) त्रिलोचनं नीलकण्ठं प्रशान्तम् । ध्यात्वा मुनिर्गच्छति
भूतयोनिं समस्तसाक्षिं तमसः परस्तात्’  (कैवल्योपनिषत् 7)
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/1fh  इति |
'ते देवा रुद्रमपृच्छन्को भवानिति । सोऽब्रवीदहमेकः प्रथममासं वर्तामि च
भविष्यामि च नान्यः कश्चिन्मत्तो व्यतिरिक्त इति' ।'
https://upanishads.org.in/otherupanishads/1  इत्यादिश्रुत्या,
तादृशरूपविशिष्टस्यापीश्वरत्वप्रतिपादनात् | विनिगमनाविरहेण द्वयोरपीश्वरत्वे
शरीरभेदादीश्वरभेदापत्तेः | ....

The gist of the above is: The Madhva school holds that 'Ishvara is endowed
with a body that is attributed with conch, discus, etc., and also that he
is non-different from that body.'  If such is the case, that is, if Ishwara
is non-different from a body so described (i.e.with conch, discus, etc.),
the following vedic passages:

Uma's spouse, (Umasahāya) the supreme Lord (Parameshwara) who is powerful
(Prabhu); the three-eyed and beneficent Nilakantha; by meditation, a Muni
reaches Him who is the origin of all beings, the witness of all and passes
beyond Tamas. (Kaivalyopanishat) and

The Devas addressed Rudra thus, “who are you?”  He replied: “I alone was in
the beginning; I am now; and will be in the future. There is none but me.”
(Atharvashira Upanishad
https://shaivam.org/scripture/English-Translation/1293/atharvashira-upanishat-sastri

Ishwara has been taught as endowed with the above description as well.
Thus, with no determining factor (as to who between the two types described
- one by you, the opponent, and the one by the shruti-s presented above by
the siddhantin), if one were to conclude both are Ishwara-s, then, due to
the body being different (for these two Ishwara-s), we will end up having
two different Ishwara-s.

.....

[It may be noted that both the Kaivalyopanishat and the Atharvashira
Upanishad  have been commented upon by Sri Narayanashrama, by means of
Dipika, in the 13th Century CE.]


Om Tat Sat