[Advaita-l] Ishwara Turiya?

[V Subrahmanian]

2012/3/12 Antharyami <sathvatha at gmail.com>

> Hari OM~
>
> nama sabhAye,
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> Isvaro nAma mAyA shabalitaM brahma pAramArtikaM iti asmAkaM pakSaM
> tattvashuddhikArairapi (Jnanottama) upanyasyati. yathA idaM rajataM iti
> bhrama sthale vastutaH shuktikoTi-antargato’pi idaM amshaH pratibhAsato
> rajata-koTI; tathA sAkSi-caitanyaM brahma-koTi paramArtaM bhavati
> prAtibhAsike apare tu vyAvahArike iti samarthitaH.  rajatavat bAdhAbhAvAt.
> tathA’pi avasthAtraya vilIne’pi sAkSi-caitanyaM bAdhAbhAvAt.  prakRte tu
> sarvaj~natvAdi sarveshvaratva jagatkAraNatvAdi vishiSTaM guNajAtaM
> anupapannaM iti cet; na iti sAmpradAyikaiH. sarvaj~natvAdi
> sarvajagatkAraNatvAdi vacanasya Ishvara-svarUpaM iti bhAvaH.  nATaka dIpa
> samdarbhe, dRSTAnte atra nRtya-shAlA suSupti sAdhAraNaM ityabhimataM.
> suSuptyavasthAyAM prAj~na IshvaraM iti prasiddhaM. sa eva prabhuH iti
> vidyAraNya swAminaH varNayanti. tasya prabhavaH, mANDUkye’pi prAj~naH iti
> abhidhIyate.  shruti vAkyeSu praj~nAna eva ityatra eva padokteh jAtyantaraM
> praj~nAna-vyatiriktAbhAvaH iti AcArya sammataM. tatraiva ca  mangala
> shloke, AcAryaiH yo vishvAtmA ityupakramArabhya ‘nasturIyaH’
> ityupasaMharanti. Upakrama-upasaMhArayoH parAmarshaM lingam IshvaraM
> turIyaM iti bADhaM siddhaM. Atha Ishvarasya brahma-koTitvaM advaita mate
> suspaSTaM. suSupti sthale so’yaM IshvaraH paramArthAparamArthArUpadvayena
> prakAshayati. jAgrat svapna saMyukta sabIja apamArtharUpaM avidyA kRtaM.
> tat hiraNyagarbhAkhyAM kArya brahameva. tadeva pratibimbita-caitanyaM.
>

अत्र माण्डूक्यभाष्यारम्भे भगवत्पादीयप्रथममङ्गलश्लोकव्याख्यानावसरे आनदगिरयः
एवं लिख्युः -

यदद्वितीयं स्वतोऽसंसारि ब्रह्म वेदान्तप्रमाणकं तर्हि कथमवस्थात्रयविशिष्टा
जीवा भोक्तारोऽनुभूयन्ते, भोजयिता च ईश्वरः श्रूयते, भुज्यं च विषयजातं
पृतगुपल्भयते । तदेतद्वैते विरुध्यते इत्याशंक्य - *ब्रह्मण्येव जीवा, जगत्,
ईश्वरश्चेते सर्वं काल्पनिकं सम्भवतीत्यभिप्रेत्याह *- प्रज्ञानेति ।
प्रकृष्टं जन्मादिविक्रियाविरहितं कूटस्थं ज्ञानं ज्ञप्तिरूपं वस्तु
प्रज्ञानम् । इति ।

While glossing the first invocatory verse of Shankara for the Mandukya
upanishad bhashyam, Anandagiri raises an objection:  If Brahman the
secondless is by itself free of samsara how is it that we find the jiva-s
endowed with the triad of states, the Veda informing us that Ishwara feeds
the jiva-s with the objects of experiences, and the presence of the various
objects of experience.  This multitude/variety is not conducive to Advaita.

And in reply to the above objection says:  *This is no harm since it is
amply possible that the jiva-s, jagat and Ishwara are all imagined in
Brahman itself. *With this reply in mind Shankara uses the word
'prajnAna...' in that verse.  The word prajnAnam is explained by Anandagiri
as: The very special jnAnam that is free of all modifications and which is
of unchanging consciousness and pure knowledge alone is prajnAnam.

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> ‘nAhaM prakAshaH sarvasya yogamAyAsamAvRtaH’ ityatra yogamAyA pade na asau
> yogamAyA madIyA sati mama Ishvarasya mAyAvinaH j~nAnaM pratibadhnAti yathA
> anyasyApi mAyAvinaH mAyA j~nAnaM tadvat iti bhASyakAraiH Avedayanti. tadeva
> bimba-caitanyaM nAma sAkSi-caitanyaM anavacchinna-caitanyaM iti bhAvaH.
> atra yogamAyA vishiSTopAdhiH natu avacchinnopAdhiH. tasya upAdhiH
> udAsIna-dharma-anavacchinna-sAdhya-vyApakatvAt iti. yaccoktaM ‘sa sartA
> sarvajnaH jagatkAraNatvAt iti anumAne ki~nca sRSTikAle jagatkartuH sharIraM
> asti va ? na va? ityatra, siddhAnte nAdyaH mAnAbhAvAt, saMsAritva-prasaNgAt
> ca, asaMbhavAt cApi. ashArIrasya eva ityAha. ‘yat asharIraM tat nityaM’,
> iti vyApti sthale IshvaraM nityaM iti shrutyanugrahaM.


ईश्वरस्य नित्यत्वे न कोऽपि संशयः। नित्यत्वस्य द्वैविध्यमभिहितं भाष्यकारैः -
कूटस्थपरिणामिभेदेन । तत्र आद्यं निर्गुणं ब्रह्ममात्रम् । द्वितीयं
मायादिसर्वम् । मायाशबलितस्य ईश्वरस्य द्वितीयकोटौ अन्तर्भवनं अद्वैते ।

> tasmAt asharIrasya Ishvarasya nityatva siddheH, tadeva syAt turIyam iti
> vivakSitaM.
> mAyA-shabalitvaM udAsInopAdhiH.
>

तुरीयत्वस्य नित्यत्वमात्रं न लक्षणम् । तत् सर्वप्रपञ्चसम्बन्धरहितं च भवेयम्
। उदासीनोपाधित्वमपि नालं तुरीयत्वे । सर्वोपाधिविरहत्वमपेक्षितम् ।

Anandagiri says while commenting on the bhashya for the seventh mantra of
the mandukya: तथापि समारोपितविश्वादिरूपेण प्रतिपन्नं तन्निषेधेन बोध्यते ।
What a powerful statement!!  He says:  The six mantras have presented the
three states in their samaShTi (cosmic) and vyaShTi (individual) forms.
This is explicitly stated by Shankara too in the earlier mantras'
commentaries.  That is the scheme of this upanishad.  So the three states
have in total six entities: vishva-virAT, taijasa-hiraNyagarbha,
prAjna-Ishwara.  All these entities, along with the respective bhogas and
bhogya-s are collectively, totally, negated in the seventh mantra.  This is
the method of this upanishad:  first adhyaaropa of the six entities so that
we understand what these states are in deed. And subsequently we have to be
informed what is the ultimate Reality: the Absolute Truth.  That is done in
the seventh mantra by negating, अपवादः, all that was superimposed by the
shruti in the earlier six mantras.  And to specifically address the
question: is Ishwara too negated as superimposed?  we have Shankara's
reply:  for the word 'na prajnam' of the seventh mantra Shankara says: न
प्रज्ञमिति युगपत्सर्वविषयप्रज्ञातृत्वप्रतिषेधः ।  By 'not consciousness'
(the seventh mantra) is negated the simultaneous knowledge of everything.

This is the state of Ishwara.

Then it would be beneficial to remember a thumb rule in deciding what
constitutes mithyA in Advaita.  With regard to the entity whose nature is
in question we have to ask this question: Is it connected to the jagat/jiva
in some way, even remotely?  If the answer to this question is 'yes' then
that entity is undoubtedly mithyA.  Since the jagat/jiva are both mithyA
ultimately in Advaita whatever has any connection with these two is also
mithyA.  Thus Ishwara who is jagatkAraNam, jIvakarmaphaladAtA,  etc. is
also mithyA in the final analysis for the sole reason that such Ishwaratva
is connected with jagat/jiva. So is the form of Ishwara.  Ishwara takes a
form to protect the pious and annihilate the wicked.  Since this form is
connected with the jagat/jiva, it is also mithyA.  The NirguNa Brahman, the
Turiya, which is 'sthAnatrayavilakShaNa' according to Shankara, is in no
way connected with the prapancha/jiva, is alone sathyam.

And my suggestion to Sri Rajaram is: instead of relying on others you can
directly talk to Sri Sastrigal about the aprAkRta sharIram status. You do
have access to him.

And in conclusion, since Sri Devanathan quotes the Panchadashi, I shall
cite a verse from that text:

मायाख्यायाः कामधेनोर्वत्सौ जीवेश्वरावुभौ ।
यथेच्छं पिबतां द्वैतं तत्त्वं त्वद्वैतमेव हि ।|
Iiva and Ishwara are the two calves of the cow named 'mAyA'.  Let one drink
to his full intent the dvaita brought about by this pair of calves.  The
Absolute Truth, however, is Advaitam.

subrahmanian.v



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