[Advaita-l] What is 'aprAkRta' ?

[V Subrahmanian]

On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 3:49 PM, Rajaram Venkataramani <rajaramvenk at gmail.com
> wrote:

> On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 10:34 AM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> >
> > One logical flaw I can point out in the above is that if by 'Lord' we
> mean
> > Satchitanandaghana, Brahman, then it cannot be/have a body.  Everyone was
> > witness to the baby krishna growing up to an adult and an aged one.
> >  Brahman
> > has no vikAra-s.  The body has.  Only that which is in some way or the
> > other
> > connected with prakriti can have modifications of whatever type.
> >
> > RV: Please re-read Madhusudana's bhashya. There is NO CREATION of the
> body.
> > Madhusudana has already answered your question in his bhashya that I
> posted
> > ascribing the doubt to Arjuna. Arjuna's doubt: In that case, since there
> is
> > no body made of elements, therefore how can there be the apprehension of
> > Your being a man etc., which are its characteristics? As to that, He
> says:
> > Atma mayaya, by means of My own Maya. It is verily through My own Maya
> that
> > the cognition of My being a man etc. occurs for the benefit of humanity;
> but
> > it is not so in reality. This is the idea.
>
> I would like to add that there is the other option of meaning
'mAyA-shabalitam Brahma' for the word
the 'Lord'.  This is in perfect synchronization with the Mandukya 6th mantra
on Ishwara and the bhashya.
Since such a Brahman, in association with maya, is called Ishwara, his
'body' that we referred to earlier and
the 'body' as an avatara are definitely inseparable from maya/prakrti.  That
is what is meant by 'My own maya' which
Shankara has explained very well.  That explains the statement 'The Lord and
His body are non-different' (both being maayic). There is no ambiguity here.
 He 'comes into being' 'sambhavAmi' by controlling His maya/prakriti.
'ajAyamAno bahudhA vijAyate' says the purusha suktam.  The birthless one
takes birth in so many ways/forms. All this will be impossible
unless maya/prakriti is brought in in some form or the other.  That is the
final word in Advaita on this matter.

>
> Krishna does not become aged - nava yauvanam ca (though He can manifest
> whatever IS part of His infinite glories).


It is quite well known through the sources such as the Mahabharata that
Krishna was over 120 years old at the
time of the avatara-ending.  Yudhishtira was a little older than Him.
 Arjuna was younger and so on.  There was certainly a modification
in His bodily appearance.  He no longer could be carried by Devaki and
cuddled by Nandagopa.  He had married and given birth to sons and grand
sons.  All these are pointers to vikara.

I think we are not adding anything new to this discussion.  The scriptural
position has been well stated long ago and needs no reiteration.


> Jivan Muktas have a body made of
> material elements created due to prarabda karma. Their form is not eternal
> like the Lord's.
>

It would be incorrect to say that.  Just like the Ishwara's avatara has a
beginning and end on the physical plane and yet the devotee several
centuries later too can pray and be blessed by that avatara, a jivanmukta
too can be prayed to and his blessings and guidance got by devotees  long
after his physical death.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v