[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva

[V Subrahmanian]

On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 11:16 AM, D Gayatri <dgayatrinov10 at gmail.com> wrote:

> > Shankara quotes from that portion not because Vishnu is superior but
> because
> > those portions are convenient for Shankara to teach the Advaitic Nirguna
> > Brahman. For Shankara that Narayana is beyond avyakta and therefore
> Nirguna.
> > That is why he cites from those poritons.
>
> For understanding who this Narayana is, one must look at his
> introduction to Gita bhashya where Shankara says that Narayana took
> birth as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva.


Shankara has said Parameshwara can take any for to bless the aspirant. That
is what is meant there.

 NB, being nishkriya, cannot take any avatAra. So, the contention that
> Narayana in this context is NB, does not hold any water.
>

With Maya as upadhi it can do all that. Shankara has said that too.

>
> >
> >>
> >> He does not quote anything from the Shiva supremacy verses
> >
> >
> > This is not because he does not consider Shiva as superior but because
> those
> > portions may not be conveying the advaitic message Shankara looked for.
>
> Shankara separates the wheat from the chaff. So he does not quote any
> verses that praise Shiva as supreme. It is interesting to note that
> you already accept that Shiva-supremacy verses in Mbh may not be
> conveying advaitic message.


So what? The karma kanda, for example is not conveying advaitic message.
Yet Shankara has established an ekavākyatā with it in the BUB and all other
bhashyas. That does not mean he treats it as chaff. Without that grain it
is impossible to attain advaita, as per shankara.



> That itself should prove that they are
> chaff rather than the wheat, as per Shankara. The Mbh also contains
> other verses which praise sAmkhya, yoga, etc. and are not quoted by
> Shankara for they do not convey advaitic message.
>

He has already encapsulated this in the purvapaksha 'many purushas or one?'
the non-advaitic schools have treated this part as an indictment of
advaita.

>
>
> >
> > The Rg Veda, the Brihadaranyaka, the Atharvashira and other scriptures
> > validate the fact of Vishnu being a created deity
>
> The RV 7.40.5 says Rudra derives his strength from Vishnu.
>

Sampradayavit Sayana's bhashya does not approve this. Other's views are to
be rejected as those of murkha as per Shankaracharya's teaching in the BGB.

The BU. 1.4.11 says Rudra-pashupathi is a created entity.
>

This mantra admits Vishnu as a created entity. This 'Rudra' is Vishnu, as
vaishnavas hold the name Rudra to mean vishnu.


> The Satapatha Brahmana and Kaushitaki Brahmana say that Rudra is born
> from Prajapati.
>

They are arthavadas. The MB says prajapati and Vishnu are born of Rudra