[Advaita-l] Dvaita Vaada - Vadiraja Teertha's Nyayaratnavali Slokas 55 - 66 Soham Vs Dasoham

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

Commentary - Vaadiraaja has decided to bowl a bouncer. He is angry to
see two consecutive Sixes hit. He starts running to bowl the next
ball.

Nyayaratnavali Slokas 55 to 66 are attacking the Advaiti Tattva
So'ham. But Vaadiraaja has not understood this So'ham Tattva at all.
He is referring to the Paundraka story in Bhagavata Purana to support
his attack.

त्वं वासुदेवो भगवानवतीर्णो जगत्पति: ।
इति प्रस्तोभितो बालैर्मेने स्वात्मानमच्युतम् ॥
कदाचित् पौण्ड्रको नाम काशिराजः प्रतापवान् ।
वासुदेवोऽहमित्यज्ञो दूतं कृष्णाय प्राहिणोत् ॥
The powerful King Paundraka of Kashi was praised by fools saying 'You
are the God Vaasudeva the Lord of the World descended to earth ' and
he thought he himself was Krishna. That ignorant King thinking 'I am
Vaasudeva'  once sent a messenger to Krishna.
Advaiti comment - Bhagavata is saying Paundraka was King of Karusha.
King of Kashi was Paundraka's friend.
कत्थनं तदुपाकर्ण्य पौण्ड्रकस्याल्पमेधसः ।
उच्चकैरुग्रसेनाद्याः सभ्याः प्रजहसुस्तदा ॥
Hearing the boasting of the foolish Paundraka 'I am Vaasudeva'
Ugrasena and others in Dwaraka assembly laughed loudly.
इति भागवते स्पष्टं सोऽह्ंभावो ह्यनेकधा ।
यतो विनिन्दितस्तस्मात् को वा तं भावयेद्बुधः ॥
This 'I am He' So'ham principle is many times degraded clearly in
Bhagavata Purana. Which wise man will encourage it?
अच्युतोऽहमनन्तोऽहं गोविन्दोऽहं सनातनः ।
इति मायावादिनां या भावना नित्यकर्मणि ॥
अहमेवाच्युतोऽस्मीति वासुदेवोऽहमित्यपि ।
या भावना पौण्ड्रकस्य को विशेषोऽनयोर्वद ॥
'I am the Eternal Acyuta, Ananta, Govinda' this feeling in obligatory
acts - Nitya Karma of the Maayaavaadis and the Paundraka's feeling 'I
am Acyuta. I am Vaasudeva'. Tell me what is the difference between
them?
वचनं किल तज्ज्ञानं बालानां भाषितं किल ।
दैत्यः किलाधिकारी च यः कृत्रिमचतुर्भुजः ॥
रथस्थहेमगरुडारूढो यश्च पथि व्रजेत् ।
अज्ञोऽल्पमेधाः स किल कत्थनं किल तद्वचः ॥
That knowledge 'I am Vaasudeva' is surely the words of ignorant
children. That demon Paundraka the Impersonator with fake four-hands
was riding his chariot with golden Garuda in the streets. He was an
ignorant fool surely. His words were boasts surely.
सभ्यानामपहास्यं चेत्याह निन्दां पदे पदे ।
यदि तत्वज्ञानमिदं तर्हि निन्दां शुकोऽसकृत् ॥
कुतश्चकार योगीन्द्रो महासंसदि योगिनाम् ।
ज्ञानिनोऽस्य शिरः कस्माच्छ्रुतदेवगृहातिथि: ॥
चिच्छेद भगवान्कृष्णः कुपितो दूतवार्तया ।
शुकस्य सूत्रकारस्य राज्ञो राजसभासदाम् ॥
कृष्णस्य चाप्रियं ज्ञानं मिथ्याज्ञानं न संशयः ।
दासोऽहमिति यज्ज्ञानं तत्वज्ञानं तदेव तत् ॥
The people in the assembly made fun of Paundraka and degraded him
again and again. If So'ham is the correct knowledge why did the best
of Yogis Shuka degrade him many times in the assembly of Yogis? Even
though a guest of this 'God of Wisdom' why did Krishna Bhagavan
getting angry by the words of the messenger cut off this 'Jnani's
head? The Jnana So'ham 'I am He' is a false knowledge without a doubt
and it is disliked by Shuka, the Sutrakara, Ugrasena, his assembly
members and Krishna. The Jnana 'Daaso'ham' 'I am His servant' is the
only correct knowledge.

Advaiti response -

People learned in Bhagavata have told me Vaadiraaja has not given
correct picture of 'So'ham' principle and he has not even given
correct picture of Bhagavata Paundraka story. In that story it is
clearly said Paundraka imagined he ALONE was Vaasudeva and none other.
He was a cheap Impersonator. He thought the real Krishna was a fake
Krishna. He asked Krishna to give up His weapons. This is foolishness.
It is not in any way connected with 'So'ham' 'I am He' principle.

The 'I am He' principle is coming from 'Vaasudevaha Sarvam Iti' and
'Tattvamasi' principle. Vaasudeva is everything. He is me, He is you,
He is every person in the world He is every animal, also every
creature and every thing in the Universe. The person understanding
this is a Jnani. He is a rare Mahatma. Sa Mahaatmaa Durlabhaha. Not
understanding this Vaadiraaja is angry with us. To him we say -

त्वयि मयि चान्यत्रैको विष्णुर्व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णु: ।
सर्वास्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदज्ञानम् ॥
In me, in you and everywhere there is One Vishnu. Being Intolerant you
are angry with me. It is a waste. See yourself in all and everywhere.
Give up the Bheda Bhavana the sense of Difference. Accept
Nondifference.

Vaadiraaja is taking Bhagavata example but he is not getting the
complete picture of that Holiest of Holy Vaishnava scriptures. He must
read the 11th Skandha. In Uddhava Gita clear Advaitic thinking is
prsented. Many Vaishnavas are concentrating only on 10th Skandha with
stories of Krishna and Gopis. Krishna dancing with Gopis is fine but
we have to also read the higher philosophy in the 11th Skandha Uddhava
Gita.

Some Slokas from Uddhava Gita with Translation by Swami Madhavananda -

असत्त्वादात्मनोऽन्येषां भावानां तत्कृता भिदा ।
गतयो हेतवश्चास्य मृषा स्वप्नदृशो यथा ॥ 8 - 31
As objects other than the Atman are unreal, diversity caused by them
is false, as also Its passage to other spheres with its causes, as in
the case of a man seeing dreams.
मनसा वचसा दृष्ट्या गृह्यतेऽअन्यैरपीन्द्रियैः ।
अहमेव न मत्तोऽन्यदिति बुध्यध्वमंजसा ॥  8 - 24
Understand this rightly that by mind, speech, sight, and the other
organs I alone am cognised, and nothing else.
गुणेषु चाविशच्चित्तमभीक्ष्णं गुणसेवया ।
गुणाश्च चित्तप्रभवा मद्रूप उभयं त्यजेत् ॥ 8 - 26
The mind which through constant dwelling on sense objects is attached
to them, and the sense objects which influence the mind, one should
give up both, being identified with Me.
बद्धो मुक्त इति व्याख्या गुणतो मे न वस्तुतः ।
गुणस्य मायामूलत्वान्न मे मोक्षो न बन्धनम् ॥  6 - 1
The Lord said - The soul is described as bound or free from the point
of view of My Gunas, but it is not so in reality. And since the Gunas
are the creation of Maya, there is, in my opinion, neither bondage nor
liberation.
एवं समाहितमतिर्मामेवात्मानमात्मनि ।
विचष्टे मयि सर्वात्मज्योतिर्ज्योतिषि संयुतम् ॥ 9 - 45
With one's mind thus absorbed, one sees Me alone in oneself and sees
oneself united to Me, the Self of all - like light united to light.

Even though some devotee may think 'I am His servant' 'Daaso'ham' it
is a starting point only. He must in course of time come to realize
'So'ham' 'I am He'.

I would like comments from learned members on this discussion.

Commentary - Vaadiraaja has bowled the bouncer. The Advaiti batsman
has anticipated it and hooked it over deep Square Leg for another Six
runs. Captain Madhvacharya is shaking his head in disbelief.


-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh