Life and Soul \ Brahman and maayaa (Con't)

[MANTRALAURA at DELPHI.COM]

sarvebhyo namaH,
  "pa~nchadashii" is a very respected prakaarana
book that teaches advaita vedaanta following the
tradition of shrii aadi shaNkaraachaarya. It
was written by shrii vidyaaraNya swaamin who
was "the Head of the shringeri Math (one of the
four principal Maths established by bhagavaan
shaNkaraacharya himself) from 1377 to 1386 A.D."
If any on the Advaita-L List has further infor-
mation on shrii vidyaaraNya, please share it
with us.

  That "something" we know of as Brahman/Atman
is "That" in the mahaavaakya "tattvamasi" (That
Thou Art).  pa~nchadashii V.5. states:

 ekamevaadvitaayaM sannaamaruupavivarjitam.h |
 sR^iShTaH puraadhunaa.apyasya taadR^iktvaM
taditiiryate ||

  "Before the creation there existed the Reality,
one only, without a second, and without name
and form. That it even now (after creation)
exists in a similar condition is indicated by
the word 'That'. ('tattvamasi' in chaandogya
upaniShad 6.8.15; in saamaveda, Vide 6.1)"

maayaa = art, wisdom, extraordinary or super-
natural power . . . illusion . . . magic . . .
regarded as the source of the visible universe.

prakR^iti = 'making or placing before or at
first,' the original or natural form or
condition of anything, original or primary
substance (opp. to vikR^iti); . . . the original
producer of (or rather passive power of creating)
the material world (consisting of 3 constituent
essences or guNas called sattva, rajas, and
tamas); Nature; . . . Spirit as maayaa . . . .

  pa~nchadashii IV.2. states:

 maayaaM tu prakR^itiM vidyaanmaayina tu
maheshvaram.h |
 sa maayii sR^ijatiityaahuH svetaasvatara-
shaakhinaH ||

  "The shvetaashvatara upaniShad says: 'know
maaya as prakR^iti and Brahman associated
with maayaa as the great Ishvara' (who imparts
existence and consciousness to it and guides
it). It is He who creates the world."

 chichchhaayaaveshataH shaktishchetaneva
vibhaati saa |
 tachchhaktyupaadhisaMyogaahuuhnaiveshvarataaM
vrajet.h || III.40 ||

  "This power appears as 'conscious' because
it is associated with the reflection of Brahman.
And because of Its association with this power,
Brahman gets Its omniscience."

  Further, in the commentary, "maayaa derives its
power from Brahman. Ishvara is called omniscient
because Brahman as pure spirit has no creation and
hence no cognition of it."

OM shaantiH, shaantiH, shaantiH

(To be continued)

dhanyavaadaH,
  Mantralaura