[Advaita-l] Shankara and DrishTi-SrishTi vAda - eka jeeva vaada

[Anand Hudli]

Dear Shri Venkatraghavanji,

Regarding the questions you have raised:

There are different versions of eka-jIva-vAda as explained by appayya
dIkShita in his siddhAnta-lesha-saMgraha. However, the prominent among
them is the one put forth by PrakAshAnanda in his
vedAntasiddhAntamuktAvalI. According to this view, the
nityashuddhamuktasvabhAva Brahman, in association with ajnAna, attains the
state of jIva (ajnAnamAshritya jIvabhAvaM labdhvA), and creates (imagines)
the bodies of Gods, animals, humans, etc. and also creates the entire
universe with the fourteen worlds (brahmANDAdicaturdahsabhuvanaM sRShTvA).
Among those bodies, one is a God, one a human, one Hiranyagarbha the
Creator of all (teShu teShu deheShu kashcit devaH kashcit manuShyaH kashcit
hiraNyagarbhaH sarveShAM sraShTA). One is Vishnu the Protector and one is
Rudra the Destroyer of all during Pralaya (kashcit VishNuH pAlakaH kashcit
anyaH sarvasaMhArakartA rudraH pralaye)... I the son of a Brahmin, having
served the Gods with Bhakti consisting of pUjA, namaskAra, etc., and having
earned the sAdhanas such as shravaNa, manana, and nididhyAsana, will attain
liberation (ahaM punaH kashcit brAhmaNakumAraH teShAm bhaktiM
pUjAnamaskArAdinA anuShThAya shravaNAdi sAdhanaM sampAdya mokShaM
sAdhayiShyAmi iti). Thus, the jIva, although Ishvara (Brahman) himself
becomes deluded in the waking state (Ishvaro .api san bhrAnto bhavati
jAgare).

Regards,

Anand