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

Venkatraghavan S agnimile at gmail.com
Wed Aug 17 06:07:51 CDT 2016


SAyanAchArya has a very different interpretation to this mantra from the
one provided below. In translating the mantra, he says (the words from the
mantra are in devanAgari and the bhAshya text is transliterated into
english to differentiate it from the mantra):

*प्रभृथे हविर्भि: *havIrUpairannai: एषस्य prApaNIyasya *मीळहुष: *kAmAnAm
sEktu: *विष्णो:* sarvadevAtmakasya *अस्य देवस्य* "VishNu: sarvA devatA:"
iti shrute:.  anye devA: *वया:* shAkha iva bhavanti.

*रुद्र: *devah *रुद्रियं * rudrasambandhi sukham *महित्वं *mahattvam cha *विदे
हि * asmAn prApayati khalu.

api cha he *अश्विनौ* devau yuvAm *इरावत् * havirlakshaNAnnayuktam
वर्ति: asmadIyam
griham यासिष्टं ayAsishtamAgacChatam.

Translation: I propititate with oblations that divine attainable *Vishnu, *the
showerer of benefits. Vishnu is the Atma of all the devatAs, as stated by
the Shruti "VishNu: sarvA devatA:" (Aitareya Brahmana). All the other gods
are like branches of Vishnu.  *O* *Rudra, *bestow upon us the joy and
magnificence of your nature. O *Asvins,* come to our dwelling abounding
with (sacrificial) food.

While VishNu's sarvAtmakatvam has been acknowledged by SAyanAchArya here, *he
does not say that Rudra's power derives from VishNu*. Further, by referring
to the sarvAtmakatvam of VishNu, this mantra refers to the sarva vyApaka
chaitanyam.

Regards
Venkatraghavan


> We have shruti pramANa for that -- Rig vEda 7.40.5 is quite clear on this
> topic when it says ;
>
> asya devasya mILhuSo vayA viSNoreSasya
> prabhRthe havirbhiH vide hi rudro rudriyaM mahitvaM yAsiSTaM
> vartirashvinAvirAvat
>
> It clearly establishes the fact that Rudra's power is due to Vishnu. Please
> note interesting part here that shruti uses "vishNu" shabda and not
> nArayaNa shabda. This refutes other member's argument that Narayana is
> different from "Vishnu" and trimUrthi's power is from nAryaNa.
>
> /sv
>
>


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