[Advaita-l] Bhakti, Bhagavata Purana & Sankara

[S Jayanarayanan]

--- venkata subramanian <venkat_advaita at yahoo.com>
wrote:
> 
> i am again sorry if this begins a lugubrious
> lucubration....
> 
> the Great Bhashyakara mentions Narayana, Vishnu,
> Vasudeva..etc. everywhere for Brahman.  many hold
> that he was a very great Narayana Bhakta.  where is
> then Siva Panchayatana 
> 
> could anyone explain pl.
> 

The fact that Shankara equates nAyAyaNa with Brahman
does not imply that he disapproved of the worship of
Shiva as Ishvara. Can you provide a single quote from
any of Shankara's BhAshhyas to the effect Shiva cannot
be considered as saguNa Brahman, or that the worship
of Shiva as Ishvara is incorrect, or even that
Shiva-bhakti is in some sense "inferior" to
VishhNu-bhakti? If not, I fail to see your point. 

Historically, the Shankara MaThas accept that the
panchAyatana pUjA has been prescribed by Adi Shankara.
The MaThas also say that Shankara has composed several
stotras on Shiva such as the shivaananda lahari, and
has established the worship of ChandramauLIshvara
(Shiva) in Sringeri. How do you account for all of
this? 

Ramana Maharshi, esteemed as a Rishi in the advaita
tradition, has recommended the worship of Shiva.
appayya dIkshita, a famous advaitin, was a well-known
shaiva. H.H.Chandrashekhara BhArAtI has said that both
Shiva and VishhNu are the same, and that one can
worship either as the Supreme. That should be enough
proof that the worship of Shiva as Ishvara is highly
commended in the advaita tradition. 

> 
> Thanks & Regards,
> Venkat.
> 
> Sadgurubhyo Namah.

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