[Advaita-l] Holenarsipur Swamiji's remarks and why even Avidya is not necessary for Advaita

[V Subrahmanian]

On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:18 PM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Namaste
>
> There is a third way also. Adi Sankara has sanctioned Sagunopasana in
> some places. We can start with Sagunopasana and move to Nirgunopasana
> keeping Mayavada away.
>

The above has no basis in the shAstram.  'Moving' to Nirgunopasana is
impossible without negating the guNas earlier meditated upon.  This
negation is not achieved without resorting to mAyA/mithyAtva.  Adi
Shankara's recommending saguNopasana is not at the cost of jettisoning
mithyAtvanishchayaH of the guNa-s/saguNabrahman.

>
>
> Mayavada is like playing in dirty water and afterwards washing feet
> with clean water. Only children and immature people will like to have fun
> playing like this. Mature people can meditate on Brahman.
>
> People become 'mature' only after passing through saguNa bhakti through
karma yoga/upasana.  About the mAyic nature of saguNa braman the Lord has
Himself said this:

Shankara quotes in the sutra bhashya  a verse of Vyasa from the
Vishnupuranam (?) or Mahabharatha :

माया ह्येषा मया सृष्टा यन्मां पश्यसि नारद ।
सर्वभूतगुणैर्युक्तं मैवं मां ज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥

[Showing His vishwarupa to Narada He says:  This is My form created by Me
out of Maya.  You aught not to know Me as endowed with all this.]  The
message is:  In My absolute Nature I am devoid of any of these forms.  And
these forms include all the forms of gods, humans, etc. None of these is
Brahman.

subrahmanian.v