[Advaita-l] Eternal Loka

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 2:47 PM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:

> >
> >
> >
> > If it is urged that all the beings are chitsvarUpa in vaikuntha and
> brahman
> > too is so, then the difference is only aupachArika, by courtesy, like
> > having several gold ornaments which notionally inhere in gold.  The names
> > and forms of the ornaments are only in name, and not real.  It will be
> like
> > gold, brahman,  itself assuming several names and forms and playing out a
> > mAyik drama.
>
> RV: let it be unreal and will come to that later but do you agree that the
> lord / vaikuntha are eternal? they exist as long as vyavahara does.
>

What is the point in answering the above question?  'Eternal' and fixing a
limit to it are contradictory.

In the Taittiriya up. bhAShyam for the mantra 'asad vA idam agra AsIt'
[2.7.1] Shankara comments:

//By 'asat' avyAkRtam (undifferentiated) brahman which is distinct from the
differentiated distinct names and forms is meant.'  This is not absolutely
non-existence, since there can be no effect issuing forth from
non-existence.  By the word 'idam' the distinctly experiencable world of
names and forms is meant.  Prior to the creation of the distinctly
available world, brahman alone, denoted by the word 'asat' existed.//

>From this it is known that during pralaya avasthA the qualified brahman,
the seed of the yet-to-manifest creation, existed.  This is Ishwara.  We do
not specify a loka, abode, for this Ishwara, for there is no need for such
a specification.  All the potential creation is 'in' this Ishwara (which is
itself a mAyA-tinged sentient entity).  If it is insisted that an abode  be
specified, we can say: it is the nirguNa brahman that is the substratum on
which this Ishwara containing the creation in potential form before
creation, and in manifest form after creation, rests.  It should be
remembered that Ishwara is not a person with a definite unchanging form.
It is a concept.

As I have said before, Appayya dikshitar has said that the very same brahma
loka (which too goes into pralaya) appears as shiva loka for shiva upasakas
and vishnu loka for vishnu upasakas.   Still it is not 'eternal'.  It is
within creation.

vs

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