[Advaita-l] Iswara swaruupam - 3

[Bhaskar YR]

If you say Ishwara is unreal, why don't you
concede  that you are Nirishwara Vedantin?

praNAms Sri rAjAram prabhuji
Hare Krishna

I am sorry to say this, I think you are really fortunate that you are 
getting continuous attention of scholars in this list (especially Sri 
Vidya prabhuji, he seldom indulges himself in undeserving talks but here 
in this thread he is surprisingly showing childlike enthusiasm:-) despite 
your own (mis)understanding of advaita on Ishwara's position.

If I remember right, sometime back we had quoted shankara bhAshya on 
ArambhaNAdhikaraNa in vedAnta sUtra wherein shankara without any ambiguity 
clarifies that Iswara's existence & his omnipotence, omniscience etc. 
holds good only in vyavahAra which is avidyAtmaka.  He also further 
clarifies that the brahman conditioned by name and form set up by avidyA 
becomes Ishwara ( there is room here to think it is only hiraNyagarbha not 
saguNa brahman/Ishwara).  Do you think by saying this shankara has become 
nirirshwara vAdi??  Kindly note that there is a vital role for Ishwara / 
saguNa brahman to play in advaita vedAnta  and sAdhana.  Hence, even today 
you can see temple & deities in advaita mutts.  One of the birudAvaLi-s of 
shrungeri jagadguru is 'srimadvidyAshankara pAdapadmArAdhaka' though the 
core teaching of advaita is ahaM brahmAsmi.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar