[Advaita-l] 'Ishwaro'ham' and 'IshwarabhAvaH'

[rajaramvenk at gmail.com]

Ishwara or Saguna Brahman in Advaita is formless who manifests eternal divine forms, which are aprakrta. What Sringeri Periyava realised is this formless Ishwara through Narasimha Upasana. That is why during the state of realisation He remained as Ishwara and did not see His own form where as Mahapeiryava saw (the form of) Narasimha there where he was. 

This absorption in Ishwara is what Sankara recommends for a paroksha jnani in 7.18. Sankara clearly says that a paroksha jnani should meditate I am Lord Vasudeva. I cited Sringeri Periyava anecdote as an example of it as it is clear that it is not from a position of ahankara at all though is also a clear case of identity with Ishwara. 

The gopis identifying with Krishna is a smrti example. 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Vidyasankar Sundaresan <svidyasankar at hotmail.com>
Sender: "Advaita-l" <advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2013 13:44:46 
To: Advaita List<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>; V Subrahmanian<v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
Reply-To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
 <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] 'Ishwaro'ham' and 'IshwarabhAvaH'

> 
> Once his mind comes back to normal from the state of devotion, the form
> re-appears. <quote>Then, the form of Narasimha reappeared and My breathing
> resumed.....I now felt extremely intimate with Narasimha. </quote>
> 
> Mahaperyava explains that he saw the lord in the place of his disciple when
> he was in trance. 

 

The event being talked about here is a case of mantra-siddhi for a master yogi. It
cannot easily be equated with bhakti in the kind of philosophical stance that you
are taking. At least, it is unclear to me how you can draw equivalences for bhakti
with stages along a yogic path.

 

On another note, perhaps you can see from this account why we advaitins naturally
put our gurus on a pedestal. It still does not mean that we elevate them over the
gods. 

 

> RV: Please read carefully what Sankara says. He is a paroksha jnani who is
> on the path to the supreme brahman. <quote> 'I am verily Vasudeva, the
> Lord, and none else', that man of Knowledge asthitah, *is set on the path
> leading to*, he is engaged in ascending to, going to; mam eva, Me alone, *to
> the supreme Brahman;* who am the anuttamam gatim, super-excellent Goal to
> be reached. </quote>


Whichever way one interprets it, again, it is unclear what you are driving at. The 
basic issues of formlessness vs. your notion of eternal form still remain.

 

Vidyasankar

                    
 		 	   		  
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