[Advaita-l] Madhusudhana Saraswathi and Advaita.

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 12:01 PM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> > Madhusudana Saraswati has explained what is meant by 'aprAkRtam' in the
> > Advaita siddhi and the Brahnanandi has elaborated on it.  I got this from
> > the authority of Dr.Mani Dravid SastrigaL.  What is aprAkrtiam is also
> > within prakRti alone and the difference is: the prAkRta effects go
> through
> > a paanchabhautika process for manifestation and the apraakRta effects
> > bypass this process and emerge straight from mAyA/prkRti.
>
>
> How can that which is called aprakrtam by Sankara be said to be within
> Prakriti by us? Does Sri  sastrigal say that His form Is created and
> destroyed, limited by space? Does he say there is a difference between Him
> and His body? Madhusudana, and so does Sridhara, in unmistakable terms say
> that His body is  not panchabautika. It is not limited by space or time.
> Madhusudana, categorically, says that it is illogical for one to argue that
> there is a difference between His body and Him.
>

'aprAkRtam' and 'prAkRtam' are both within prakRti alone:  This is the
conclusion of Advaitins. The former is a word that could confuse people who
would readily think 'aprAkRtam' is something outside prakRti and distinct
from something that is an effect of prakRti which is called by the name
'prAkRtam'.  As I had pointed out in the passing, the Dvaitins admit of two
VaikunThas: a prAkRta and another aprAkRta.  The one from which jaya-vijaya
returned is the former and from the latter there is no return.

But in Advaita wherever there is dvaitam and the possibility of dvaitam, it
is within the broad definition of prAkRtam alone, coming as it under the
prakRti, whether one chooses to term it prAkRtam or aprAkRtam.

This definition/derivation is purely mine: अन्तवत्प्रकृतिकम् प्राकृतम्,
अनन्तप्राकृतम् अप्राकृतम् .  That which has an end (and a beginning) is
prAkRtam.  That which does not have an end by perishing is aprAkRtam.  The
latter can be said/admitted by those who want it  to be so, as pariNAmi
nityam. Set against this is the kUTastha nityam, the NirguNa Brahman of the
Vedanta.

subrahmanian.v