[Advaita-l] Dvaita Vaada - Vadiraja Teertha's Nyayaratnavali Slokas 402 - 405 Hilarious Joke

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

Commentary - After being hit for a six for four consecutive balls
Vaadiraaja is out of options. There is confusion and tension in the
Dvaiti camp. Captain Madhvacharya is warning Vaadiraaja ' I want you
to bowl an underarm delivery now. No more sixes.' Vaadiraaja is saying
'But is it fair to bowl underarm? Is it against the rules of the game?
I have never done it before. It makes me look bad'. The Captain
replies ' Don't worry. Just bowl it. I have done it before. It saves
runs. Just do it. Don't argue with me. Worry about your reputation
later'. Vaadiraaja has no choice. He starts his run up.

In Slokas 402 to 405 Vaadiraaja makes a blunder in Svetasvatara
Upanishad 6 - 11 just like his master Madhvacharya has done to 'Tat
Tvam Asi'. He is reading it as 'Atat Tvam Asi' against all
commentaries reading it as 'Tat Tvam Asi'.

गुणानुवादं शंसन्तो गुणानुकथनं तथा ॥
हरेर्गुणानुवादं च श्लोक्यमाहुः शुकादयः ।
तस्मादेको देव इति श्रुतिरुक्त्वा हरेर्गुणान् ॥
तदन्ते दुर्मतप्राप्तनिर्गुणत्वजिहीर्षया ।
समुच्चितं गुणैरुक्तैस्तमेवानिर्गुणं जगौ ॥
अपूर्वोऽयं पदच्छेदो यत्पूर्वं चोदिता गुणाः ।
मुक्त्यध्वनीनैस्तच्छ्लाघ्यो मध्वस्याध्वेति मे मति: ॥
Shuka and others have praised the explaining of Vishnu's qualities as
worthy of praise. Therefore the Sruti has spoken of Vishnu's qualities
and in the end has sung of Him as the collection of those qualities
but not Nirguna अ- निर्गुण meaning not absence of qualities. It is
doing this with a desire to remove the Nirguna conception of the Bad
Mata Advaita. 'अ' should be there in the Padaccheda separation of
words because Vishnu's qualities are explained before that. My opinion
is Madhva's Path will be praised by the travellers in the path of
Liberation.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad 6 - 11 is saying -

एको देवः सर्वभूतेषु गूढः
 सर्वव्यापी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा ।
कर्माध्यक्षः सर्वभूताधिवासः
 साक्षी चेता केवलो निर्गुणश्च ॥
Translation by Swami Tyagishananda -

http://www.estudantedavedanta.net/Svetasvatara_Upanishad%20-%20Swami%20Tyagisananda%20%281949%29%20%5BSanskrit-English%5D.pdf

God, who is one only, is hidden in all beings. He is all pervading and
is the inner self of all creatures. He presides over all actions and
all beings reside in Him. He is the Witness and He is the Pure
Consciousness free from the three Gunas of Nature.

Here the Sanskrit rules of Visarga Sandhi will allow केवलो निर्गुणश्च
or केवलो अनिर्गुणश्च. Vaadiraaja is using this loop hole to say it is
केवलो अनिर्गुणश्च really even though it is given as केवलो निर्गुणश्च.
Why does he think like this? Because he says the earlier Slokas in the
Upanishad are all explaining the qualities of Vishnu. If the earlier
Slokas are all explaining Vishnu's qualities how can suddenly the next
Sloka say Vishnu is Nirguna that is without qualities. This is his
dilemma. Therefore he makes Nirguna into A- Nirguna adding the 'A'.
Brahman is not Quality-less. This means He has qualities.

Advaiti Response -

People learned in Advaita Philosophy have told me this. This is a
surprising move because Vaadiraaja, Madhva and others have shouted
from roof tops 'Hari Sarvottama Vaayu Jeevottama' always. But now
Vaadiraaja is taking the support of a strongly Saiva Upanishad known
as Svetasvatara Upanishad. In this Upanishad Lord Siva is praised to
be Brahman. There are many Mantras like 'क्षरं प्रधानममृताक्षरं हरः
क्षरात्मानावीशते देव एकः ' the One God Hara rules over the Perishable
Matter and Individual Souls, 'या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोराऽपापकाशिनी ',
'यामिषुं गिरिशन्त हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे '. The Rudra Mantras are
repeated here. Ramakrishna Ashrama has brought out a book Maha
Nyaasadi Mantras. In this book the Svetasvatara Upanishad is given
under 'Saivopanishadaha.' When Vaadiraaja and other Madhvas are
shouting 'Hari Sarvottama' why he is taking support of the Upanishad
treating Hara is Para Brahman? This is a puzzle.

Vaadiraaja may say the Antaryami of even Hara is Hari only. But Saivas
can also say the Antaryami of Hari is Hara. Then again we must accept
'शिवस्य हृदयं विष्णुर्विष्णोश्च हृदयं शिवः Siva's heart is Vishnu and
Vishnu's heart is Siva.

The text should be केवलो निर्गुणश्च only. Why? Because Nirguna means
with no Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas Gunas. The Prakruti is the
Trigunatmika Maya. But Brahman is Pure Consciousness without any trace
of the three Gunas. Even the Bhagavad Gita has said -
अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात् परमात्माऽयमव्ययः. The Imperishable Supreme
Self is with no beginning and without qualities. The Svetasvatara
Upanisad is saying मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायिनं च महेश्वरम् 'Know
then that Nature is Maya and that the Great God is the Lord of Maya'.

The Upanisad wants to make clear Brahman is beyond Maya and three
Gunas. Therefore it is using 'Nirguna'. If you say A-Nirguna Brahman
will have Maya's qualities. This is not the correct meaning of the
Upanisad.

ततो यदुत्तरतरं तदरूपमनामयम् ।
य एतद्विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्ति अथेतरे दुःखमेवापियन्ति ॥ 3 - 10 Svetasvatara

'That Being is far beyond this world is formless and free from misery.
They who know this become immortal. But all others have indeed to
suffer misery alone'.

Here also the Absolute Brahman is spoken as अरूप Formless. It is far
beyond the Cause and Effect relationships. It is not subjected to
Maayaa and the Gunas.

I request learned members to share additional points on this
discussion why केवलो अनिर्गुणश्च is not correct.

Commentary - Vaadiraaja has bowled the underarm delivery. The first
reaction of the Advaiti batsman is a loud laugh, 'You must be joking'.
He rushes forward from the crease to meet the ball before it lands on
the pitch and hits it over deep midwicket for another six. Both
laughter and applause are heard from the spectators. They are enjoying
the funny moment.

-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh