[Advaita-l] New light from Padma Purana - Shaiva, Shakta, etc. are Brahman's manifestations

[V Subrahmanian]

The Uttara Khanda of Padma Purana has a beautiful reference to Panchayatana
puja. Bhagavan Krishna says the following to Satyabhama in the 88th Chapter
:
शैवाः सौराश्च गाणेशा वैष्णवाः शक्तिपूजकाः ।
मामेव प्राप्नुवंतीह वर्षांभः सागरं यथा ॥ ४३ ॥
एकोऽहं पंचधा जातः क्रीडयन्नामभिः किल ।
देवदत्तो यथा कश्चित्पुत्राद्याह्वाननामभिः ॥ ४४ ॥ ( 6.88.43-44)
Bhagvan says to Satyabhama , "As rain-water reaches the ocean, so also, the
worshippers of Shiva,Surya,Ganesha,Vishnu and Shakti attain me. I am one,
yet manifest in five ways. As one Devadatta is addressed in many ways, so
also, I am called variously owing to my play. "

I thank Sri Natraj Maneshinde for this excellent find.

 It now comes to my light that the first line directly and the second line
implicitly form the basis for this shloka of Sri Madhusudana Saraswati in
his Gudhartha dipika commentary to the Bh.Gita:
                       शैवाः सौराश्च गाणेशा वैष्णवाः शक्तिपूजकाः।
भवन्ति यन्मयाः सर्वे सोहमस्मि परः शिवः।।3।
I am that Supreme Consciousness that Shaivas, Sauras, Gaaneshas, Vaishnavas
and Shaakta hold to be their upasya devataa. It is well known that the
Ishta Devataa of Madhusudana Saraswati is Balakrishna. So, we have the
authority of the Padma purana that the five sects such as Shaiva, Saura,
etc. are authentic. I had once shown the Narada purana reference too to a
similar mention. But this shloka you have fished out is a very strong
pramana. Krishna says that as Para Brahman as he has included 'vaishnavas'
too in that Big Five[image: 🙂]

regards
subbu