[Advaita-l] Unmatched Broad Vision of Shankarśchārya

[V Subrahmanian]

This verse from the māyāpanchakam of Shankara is relevant here:

Vidhiharihara vibhedham api akhande

Batha virachayya budhaanapi prakaamam

Bhramayathi hari hara bhedha bhaavaan

Aghatitha ghatanaa pateeyasee maayaa



In the absolute, division-less Brahman, Maya, that which makes impossible
possible, creates the various differences of BRAHMĀ, HARI and HARA and
alas, it deludes even great scholars into crafting the differentiation of
HARI and HARA and thereby make them fight amongst each other.


regards

vs



On Mon, Sep 21, 2015 at 12:22 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Here, in the attachment, is a short audio excerpt from a benedictory
> address of HH Jagadguru Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Sringeri:
>
> What is said in Kannada in the audio is given in English here:
>
> //Some people say 'We do not visit Tirupati.' Why? 'Our family deity is
> Lord Narasimha'. Some others say 'We do not observe/celebrate Narasimha
> Jayanti'  Why? 'We are a family dedicated to the worship of Tirupati
> Venkataramana Swamy.'  Śiva Śiva!! On the one side there is the bheda
> buddhi between Śiva and Keśava. Here we have discord between Narasimha and
> Venkateswara!! When we go to Tirupati we can see Lord Narasimha's shrine
> right in front.  What a delusion among people? When Venkateśa and Narasimha
> have no quarrel why do you people bring about a discord between them?
>
> Therefore we ought not to have any kind of bheda buddhi in the forms of
> the Supreme God. One Parameśvara takes various forms and names and is
> pervading everywhere.. This is the truth.   Adi Shankara Bhagavatpāda said
> in the sūtra bhāṣya 1.1.20 very clearly: 'syāt parameśvarasyāpi icchāvaśāt
> māyāmayam rūpam sādhakānugrahārtham.'  [The Supreme Brahman takes, owing to
> mere will, illusory forms, to bless the seeker.]
>
> Here ends the excerpt.
>
> It can be easily seen from Shankara's works that he alone has sincerely
> upheld Veda Vyasa's broad vision of not according a supreme status to any
> one godhead.  In the Mahabharata there are countless instances that bring
> about the Hari-Hara abheda.  One such famous verse is:
>
> रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम्।
>
> लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु।। 12.350.27
>
> [Rudra and Nārāyaṇa are One Principle alone appearing as two..]
>
> This theme Veda Vyāsa has also placed in the Harivamśa from where Shankara
> cites verses in the VSN Bhāṣyam:
>
> Harivamśa 3.88. 61, 61, 62 which are addressed by Maheśwara during the
> Kailāsa yātra episode:
>
>
> अहं त्वं सर्वगो देव त्वमेवाहं जनार्दन ।
>
> आवयोरन्तरं नास्ति शब्दैरर्थैर्जगत्त्रये ॥
>
>
> [I am thou and thou alone am I, O Janārdana.  There is no difference
> between us, by word or by sense in all the three worlsd.] That is being
> elucidated in the sequel:
>
>
> नामानि तव गोविन्द यानि लोके महान्ति च ।
>
> तान्येव मम नामानि नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥
>
>
> [O Govinda, your esteemed names alone are mine as well; no doubt need to
> be had in this regard] There Veda Vyasa, through Shiva, conveys that all
> the names of Viṣṇu, including the name ‘Nārāyaṇa’ are that of Śiva.  Thus
> the thousand names of Viṣṇu are also those of Śiva since there is no
> difference in name and sense between the pair Hari and Hara.
>
>
> त्वदुपासा जगन्नाथ सैवास्तु मम गोपते ।
>
> यश्च त्वां द्वेष्टि भो देव स मां द्वेष्टि न संशयः ॥
>
> [The worship/meditation of You, O Gopati, let that be meditation of mine
> too.  He who hates you O Deva, hates me too, undoubtedly.]
>
>
> The unassailable Hari-Hara abheda that is enshrined in the Vedas, Purāṇas
> and the MB is brought out in such verses as above, cited by Shankara alone,
> following the method of Veda Vyāsa. Appayya Dikṣita was another champion of
> Hari-Hara abheda:
>
>
> Here is a verse of Sri Appayya Dikshitar truly
> instructive, informative and inspiring:
>
> // viShNurvA shankaro vA shruti-shikhara-girAmastu tAtparya-bhUmiH
> na-asmAkam tatrva vAdaH prasarati kimapi spaShTam-advaita-bhAjAm |
> kintu-Isha-dveSha-gADhAnala-kalita-hRRidAm durmatInAm duruktIH
> bhanktum yatno mama-ayam nahi bhavatu tato viShNu-vidveSha-shankAm ||
>
> The meaning of the above beautiful verse is:
>
> 'I have not the slightest objection, to anyone coming to any
> conclusion, that the spirit of the Vedas and the Vedantas, declare
> either Vishnu or Shiva as the First God. I am a follower of the
> Advaita doctrine. I have no difference between Shiva and VishNu.
> But if in order to establish Vishnu as the main God, if somebody
> starts abusing Shiva or hates him, I cannot bear it.* There are as*
>
>
> *many proofs or pramanas in the Vedas, Vedantas, Puranas and Agamasto
> establish that Shiva is a mighty God, as there are to prove that**Vishnu
> is a powerful one. *However, I am propagating my religion and
> indulging in debate and disputation, only to persuade everyone not
> to hate Shiva. Let no one have the slightest doubt that I either
> hate or wish to denigrate Lord Vishnu simply because I praise the
> grace and greatness of Lord Shiva.'
>
> The sublime devotion of Dikshita to Lord Vishnu is fully seen from
> his great work 'Varadaraja stava' where he has sung in ecstatic
> poetry about Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram. Vaishnavas declare
> that Vishnu is the supreme being and that Shiva has a lower status,
> being a mere jiva. Sri Dikshita however proves in his 'Ratna-traya-
> parIkShA' that Shiva, Vishnu, Ambika, all the three are the same,
> viz., the supreme reality, and proves it with the pramanas taken
> from the puranas, vedas and agamas. //
>
> The above is quoted from the book: 'Sri Appayya Dikshita' (p.66,67)
> by Dr.N.Ramesan, IAS.
>
> Sri Dikshita has gone to the extent of establishing that the
> Ramayana and the Mahabharata have Lord Shiva for their main theme.
> He takes out several instances from these very works and shows how
> Lord Shiva was held as the Supreme by Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. His
> 'Brahmatarka stava' is a work abounding in such references.
>
>
> Om Tat Sat
>
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> ---
> ---
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