[Advaita-l] About Saguna Brahman / Ishwara

[V Subrahmanian]

Sankalpa is undoubtedly in the saguna brahman mode. NB is completely
unconnected with creation, etc. The best demonstration is in the Mandukya
Upanishad. The first six mantras are about the world. The 6th mantra: एष
सर्वेश्वर एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम्
॥ ६ ॥ With this mantra, the cause of creation, i.e., the māyaśabalita
Brahman, SB, the cause of creation and the creation itself in two stages,
the sukshma Hiranyagarbha state and the sthula virAT state, are completely
covered. This is called bīja and ankura. The next mantra 7 is:
नान्तःप्रज्ञं नबहिःप्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं नप्रज्ञानघनं नप्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् ।
अदृश्यमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं
प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥
This mantra denies/negates the whole of the creation, both in its causal
and effect forms (everything covered by the previous six mantras) and
presents NB as the one to be realized for mukti. In this bhashya Shankara
gives the rajju sarpa analogy to say that the entire creation, including
the Ishwara, as adhyasta on the NB:
तस्यापरमार्थरूपमविद्याकृतं रज्जुसर्पादिसममुक्तं पादत्रयलक्षणं
बीजाङ्कुरस्थानीयम् । (up to this is the entire creation including Ishwara
SB) From now onwards, that is the actual topic of the 7th mantra is:
अथेदानीमबीजात्मकं परमार्थस्वरूपं रज्जुस्थानीयं is shown as the
adhishthanam. This exactly negates the SB: नप्रज्ञमिति
युगपत्सर्वविषयज्ञातृत्वप्रतिषेधः | This mantra after having negated the
cause of creation, Ishwara, and the effect, the world, presents Brahman as
प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं This shuddha svarupam is to be realized as
oneself for mukti.
Elsewhere too Shankara has specified this SB in clear terms: for example in
the ubhayalingadhikranam. The sutra tadadheenatvaat arthavat is also a
place where Shankara says, without that Shakti, the Brahman of Vedanta
cannot do anything. This shakti is maayaa which has to be there for Brahman
to create. In other words, this shakti + NB is Ishwara. If this shakti is
denied, there is no SB at all.