[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva as the son of Brahma

[D Gayatri]

Shri Venkatraghavanji


On 14 August 2016 at 17:17, Venkatraghavan S <agnimile at gmail.com> wrote:
> Why speculate? From Shankara केन वाक्य भाष्य for the 12 th mantra:
>
> अभिप्रायोद्बोधहेतुत्वात् *रुद्रपत्नी उमा* हैमवतीव बहु शोभमाना विद्यैव
>
> From केन पद भाष्य:
>
> उमैव हिमवतो दुहिता *हैमवती नित्यमेव सर्वज्ञेनेश्वरेण सह वर्तत* इति
>
> What else is there to say?


Firstly, it is debatable whether the vAkya bhAshya was really written
by Shankara. Vidyavachaspathi Panoli who translated the prasthana
traya bhashyas, thinks that the vAkya bhAshya is mistakenly attributed
to bhagavatpAda.


Be that as it may, let us come to your point. Why does the word
Ishwara here not refer to Shiva? It is because in that particular
portion of the Kena upanishad and the bhAshya, the neuter gender is
used for brahman (tat and enat). Therefore, in this entire episode,
brahman is not treated as a person at all, having a wife and kids.
Note that Indra asks Uma - "kim etat yaksham", "what is this yaksha?"
and not "who is this yaksha?" His question is addressed in the neuter
gender. Therefore there is no way Indra could have thought that Uma
was associated forever with a male companion. Hence, the word Ishwara
here does not denote Shiva.


You may disagree, but I have presented my view.


Regards
Gayatri