[Advaita-l] RE: Bhagavan Ramanuja and Madhva haven't written any

[harij at excite.com]

 Dear Krishna,
I'm not aware of whether Sri RamanjujaCharya wrote BashyAs on the Upanishads or not. But your lines,
<<Krishna>>What would they make out of phrases like "aham brahmaasmi" and "tat tvamasi", exceptsome weird interpretations like "brahmanah asmi iti brahmaasmi" or "tasyatvamasi, tasmai tvamasi, tasmaat tvamasi and tasmin tvamasi". If this isthe case, their commentaries should be equally rejected.<<Krishna>>
made me quote the foll. paragraphs from http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/cgi-bin/kbase/Tat_Tvam_AsiCan you pl. clarify the advaithic position to such objections? If these objections are already answered in the list then can you pl. give me those links?. 
Also, http://www.dvaita.org/madhva/AnandaT_5.html tells us that AnandaThirTha (MadhvaCharya) wrote commentaries on the principal Upanishads. It also gives references to where we can get these BhashyAs.
>From http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/cgi-bin/kbase/Tat_Tvam_Asi:
The basic objection in the form of a question against AdhvaithA is "Why should the Brahman get obstructed/covered by AvidhyA?" 
AdhvaithA says Brahman is pure knowledge-self reality without a second entity and without any attributes. AdhvaithA says that AvidhyA cannot be explained in words but it is of the nature opposed to knowledge-self. How can the pure knowledge-self-reality Brahman be obstructed by AvidhyA which is of opposite nature to knowledge? 
If AvidhyA's nature itself is to be argued that it is of obstructing Brahman and create false illusion of universe composed of living and non-living things, then a serious controversy arises. That is, Brahman according to AdhvaithA is without a second entity. Then from where did this AvidhyA come to cover Brahman and create illusion? If AvidhyA too has to be accepted as an entity, then the basis of AdhvaithA gets shaken -"Chin MAtram Brahma" "Brahman is without a second entity" is getting contradicted. If they argue that AvidhyA is not a second entity then it should be an attribute of Brahman. If so "Nirguna" "Brahman is without any attributes" is getting contradicted. 
Readers! You may just think over this - why should the real Brahman get itself into the cover of AvidhyA and should create a mere illusion that is unreal as Jeeva and matter? Why should then after get trapped like this, attempt for liberation from this? If liberation is needed, then the entity to get liberated in AdhvaithA is the Brahman itself! Why should the Brahman suffer in illusion of Jeeva? 
AdvaithA says the universe is unreal, as it is only an illusion. So the Brahman does not suffer. This is not acceptable because the universe is the creation of the Brahman as per the Veda and the process of creation is described by it in detail. Saying that the universe in unreal is contradictory to perception through our sense organs also. The real Brahman has no necessity to create an unreal universe and then attempt to get liberated from it. Now consider logic. 
If AvidhyA covers the Brahman and creates illusion as Jeeva and matter, then is a part of Brahman covered or the entire Brahman is covered? The Brahman has no parts. If it covers the Brahman then it should block the self-illuminating knowledge-self-reality Brahman. This "self- illuminating" is not considered as an attribute of Brahman as it is told by AdhvaithA that Brahman has no qualities. That means AvidhyA obstructs the knowledge-self-reality (swaroopa) itself and creates the illusion. Therefore the entity called "Brahman" itself is lost when AvidhyA covers it and cannot be established. 
AdhvaithA now counter-argues that the same objection is possible to be raised against VisishtAdhvaithA also. In VisishtAdhvaithA, the JeevAtman is knowledge-self-reality, finite in nature. The JeevAtman gets bound in his Karma (results of his action) in the material world and forgets who he is and thinks he is the body and suffers in the material world. AdhvaithA says during this phase, the entity "JeevAtman" itself is lost and it cannot be established. 
RgdsHari

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