[Advaita-l] Bhakti in Advaita Tradition - Post - Gaudapada and Pre-Madhusudana

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 9:39 PM, Anand Hudli <anandhudli at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Therefore, the Brahman being spoken of here is not the same as ViShNu and
> must be shiva. Besides, shankara bhagavatpAda has used the word
> "Parameshvara" to refer to God in his sUtra bhAShya, for example in 1.1.17.
> The term Parameshvara generally denotes shiva more than ViShNu.
>
> Just regarding the term 'विष्णु’ -

Shankaracharya comments on the portion: तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् (KaThopaniShat
1.3.9) thus:

तद्विष्णोः *व्यापनशीलस्य* ब्रह्मणः परमात्मनो वासुदेवाख्यस्य परमं प्रकृष्टं
पदं स्थानं सतत्त्वमित्येतद्यदसौ आप्नोति विद्वान् -  (That man of knowledge
reaches the end of the road, i.e. the very supreme goal to be reached beyond
samsAra.  He becomes free from all the worldly bondages.  That is the
highest place, i.e. the very nature, of *ViShNu,* of *the all-pervading
Brahman*, of the Supreme Self, who is called Vasudeva.)

For the name 'ViShNu' of the Vishnusahasranaama too, in the Bhashya,
Shankaracharya gives a similar meaning, as one of the many.  Surely, in
Advaita the ultimate goal, as different from saguNa brahma loka, is Moksha
and that is what is meant by the above BhAshya on the term 'ViShNu'.   The
term 'VAsudeva' too has a meaning that is different from saguNa Ishwara.

In the Kenopanishat 3.4.12 Shankara comments...

उमैव हिमवतो दुहिता हैमवती नित्यमेव *सर्वज्ञेन ईश्वरेण *सह वर्तते इति...

Here He is referring to Shiva, the consort of Umaa, as 'sarvajna Ishwara'.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v