49. IkShaNasR^iShTA.nDakotiH

[Ravi Mayavaram]

49. IkShaNasR^iShTA.nDakotiH

SHE whose desire created millions of universes.

"anDa" here denote Universe. "koTi" means a crore (10 millions). HER
desire created millions of Universes. The plularity here implies
universes created in the past, present and future.

"tadaikShata bahusyAM prajAyeya" [chandogya upaniShad 6-2-3]. He saw
(and desired) to become many and create. IkShAm chakre - He saw.
"AtmA vA idam eka agra eva AsIt nAnyat k.inchanamiShat sa EkSata
lokAnnu sR^ja | iti sa imAn lokA nasR^jata" [aitAreya upaniShad 1-1].
In the beginning there was only AtmA. There was no other agency. He
sa (desired) and created them.  These shR^itis indicate that brahman
being both material  and efficient cause, without an other aid,
created all this which is inseparable from Him. Just as the spider
weaves the web out of its own body. This is also stated in the
"prakR^itishcha pratij~nAdR^iShTantAnuparodhAt" [brahma sUtra 2-4-23]
For the pot, potter is the efficient cause  (nimitta) and clay is the
material cause (upadAna). But in the case of jagat, brahman is the
nimitta and upadAna kAraNa.

AUM IkShaNasR^iShTA.nDakoTyai namaH

Note: I will not be in a position to type the names during the
memorial day weekend. I will continue  from Tuesday again.
>From ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU Fri May 22 12:32:45 1998
Message-Id: <FRI.22.MAY.1998.123245.0400.ADVAITAL at TAMU.EDU>
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 12:32:45 -0400
Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: Nanda Chandran <Nanda.Chandran at NBC.COM>
Subject: Analyze the Analyst
Comments: To: advaita-l at tamu.edu

>Intellect is an instrument - jadam - it cannot do the analysis. I have
to
>illumine the intellect for the analysis to take place. In my presence
the
>intellect functions - it is part of the subtle matter. Anya adheena
>prakaashatvam tat jadam - that which depends on some thing other than
>itself for its existence or illumination is Jadam.

>yan manasaa na manute yenaahur manomatam
>tadeva brahma twam viddi nedam yadidamupaasate||

But then that which illumines the intellect cannot be the Atman. For the
Atman is the Eternal Absolute, incapable of change and thus inefficient.

>says kena. that which mind can not think but because of which the mind
has
>the capacity to think is Brahman -

It would be logically inconsistent to link the Atman to the mind and the
other faculties and still claim that it's the Changeless Eternal
Absolute. Yet there's the above statement in Kena. Vivekachoodamani says
that the mind, the intellect and the ego *seem* to function due to their
nearness to the Atman. And also the central Advaitam doctrine that the
mind itself is nothing but mAyA.

At the outset, all these statements seem contradictory, but let us
ponder about it for a while.

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