[Advaita-l] Fwd: Brahman is the Upadana (material) cause as well of the world - Srimad Bhagavatam

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Bhagavata Brahmaa replies to Narada's question:

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः २/अध्यायः ६
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स एष आद्यः पुरुषः कल्पे कल्पे सृजत्यजः ।
आत्मा आत्मनि आत्मनाऽऽत्मानं, स संयच्छति पाति च ॥ ३८ ॥

In every Kalpa (creation cycle), the Supreme Being creates Himself and
sustains Himself, within Himself.

From this we know that Brahman is the upadana cause and the instrumental
(nimitta) cause of the world.

The Vishnu Purana also says this:

स्त्रष्टा सृजति चात्मानं विष्णुः पाल्यं च पाति च ।
उपसंह्रियते चान्ते संहर्ता च स्वयं प्रभुः ॥ 1.2.67॥
पृथिव्यापस्तथा तेजो वायुराकाश एव च ।
सर्वेन्द्रियान्तःकरणं पुरुषाख्यं हि यज्जगत् ॥ 1.2.68 ॥
स एव सर्वभूतात्मा विश्वरूपो यतोऽव्ययः ।
सर्गादिकं तु तस्यैव भूतस्थमुपकारकम् ॥ 1.2.69॥
स एव सृज्यः स च सर्गकर्ता स एव पात्यत्ति च पाल्यते च ।
ब्रह्माद्यवस्थाभिरशेषमूर्तिर्विष्णुर्वरिष्ठो वरदो वरेण्यः ॥ 1.2.70 ॥

Vishnu creates himself, sustains himself. He withdraws the creation,
himself, in the end. In the world, all the five elements become physical
objects, that are Vishnu in truth. It is correct that the vishwarupa should
be Himself. This Vishnu is called Advaya here. It is clear from these
verses that he is without anything as the second to Himself.

The Bhagavata, before saying the above, says:

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः २/अध्यायः ५
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द्रव्यं कर्म च कालश्च स्वभावो जीव एव च ।
वासुदेवात्परो ब्रह्मन् न चान्योऽर्थोऽस्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ १४ ॥
नारायणपरा वेदा देवा नारायणाङ्गजाः ।
नारायणपरा लोका नारायणपरा मखाः ॥ १५ ॥
नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तपः ।
नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गतिः ॥ १६ ॥

What we see in creation as Karma (action), Kaala (Time), Svbhava (the
nature of anything), Jiva  are actually none other than Vasudeva.

So Vasudeva is indeed Nirguna Parabrahman. The Bhagavata also says this:

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति निर्गुणस्य गुणास्त्रयः ।
स्थितिसर्गनिरोधेषु गृहीता मायया विभोः ॥ १८ ॥ 2.5.18
गृहीतमाया उरुगुणः सर्गादौ अगुणः स्वतः ॥ ३० ॥ 2.6.30

Nirguna Brahman relies on these three qualities (sattva, rajas and tamas)
for creation.

From the above it is clear that in -

वासुदेवात्परो ब्रह्मन् न चान्योऽर्थोऽस्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ १४ ॥
नारायणपरा वेदा देवा नारायणाङ्गजाः ।
नारायणपरा लोका नारायणपरा मखाः ॥ १५ ॥
नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तपः ।
नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गतिः ॥ १६ ॥

Narayana Vasudeva mentioned here is Nirguna Brahman. Brahman himself in the
form of the Trimurti, performs creation, etc.

If this Vasudeva Narayana Brahman is different from any other, then it is
subject to the defect of 'limitation by object' (vastu-pariccheda) and does
not deserve to be called Parabrahman. Because the absence of Brahman is in
the other and the absence of the other is in Brahman (anyonyaabhava),
Brahman remains limited, a-purna.

Thus the Bhagavata, says that the transcendental, paramarthika Nirguna
paratattva of Vedanta gets connected to the world only in the vyavaharika,
through acquiring the three guna-s.

Om