[Advaita-l] 'A selection from the Drona Parvan'

[Aditya Kumar]

Shankara has cited a verse from the Mahabharata where Narayana addresses Narada: BSB 3.2.17:
 तथा स्मृतिष्वपि परप्रतिषेधेनैवोपदिश्यते — ‘ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्नुते । अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते’ (भ. गी. १३ । १२) इत्येवमाद्यासु । तथा विश्वरूपधरो नारायणो नारदमुवाचेति स्मर्यते — ‘माया ह्येषा मया सृष्टा यन्मां पश्यसि नारद ।’ (म. भा. १२ । ३३९  । ४५) ‘सर्वभूतगुणैर्युक्तं नैवं मां ज्ञातुमर्हसि’ (म. भा. १२ । ३३९ । ४६) इति ॥ १७ ॥

BSB 1.1.20:
 यत्तूक्तं हिरण्यश्मश्रुत्वादिरूपवत्त्वश्रवणं परमेश्वरे नोपपद्यत इति, अत्र ब्रूमः — स्यात्परमेश्वरस्यापीच्छावशान्मायामयं रूपं साधकानुग्रहार्थम् , ‘माया ह्येषा मया सृष्टा यन्मां पश्यसि नारद । सर्वभूतगुणैर्युक्तं मैवं मां ज्ञातुमर्हसि’ इति स्मरणात् ।  
In both the instances (of the same verse of MB cited by Shankara) the idea is: the creation that appears is illusory and Brahman ought not to be known to be endowed with creation. 
A : Yes, so it is Ajati.
So, when Narayana addresses Shiva and says that, it only means that Shiva is Parabrahman that is the adhiṣṭhānam, substratum, of the entire creation. And the latter is an adhyāropa in Parabrahman the substratum. 
A : So is it that Shiva (who resides in Kailasa)= Parabrahman/Turiya? Or is Shiva=saguna Brahman and Turiya=Nirguna Brahman? Or the same Nirguna Brahman/Turiya when associated with attributes is known as Saguna Brahman/Shiva?

And Shankara has uses another Mahabharata verse(s) to say that it is only one, Advaitam, that is the purport of the scripture (MB): In the BSB 2.1.1:
 महाभारतेऽपि च — ‘ बहवः पुरुषा ब्रह्मन्नुताहो एक एव तु’ इति विचार्य, ‘ बहवः पुरुषा राजन्सांख्ययोगविचारिणाम्’ इति परपक्षमुपन्यस्य तद्व्युदासेन — ‘ बहूनां पुरुषाणां हि यथैका योनिरुच्यते । तथा तं पुरुषं विश्वमाख्यास्यामि गुणाधिकम्’ इत्युपक्रम्य ‘ ममान्तरात्मा तव च ये चान्ये देहसंस्थिताः । सर्वेषां साक्षिभूतोऽसौ न ग्राह्यः केनचित्क्वचित् ॥ विश्वमूर्धा विश्वभुजो विश्वपादाक्षिनासिकः । एकश्चरति भूतेषु स्वैरचारी यथासुखम्’ — इति सर्वात्मतैव निर्धारिता । 
Shankara says: the mahabharata itself raises the question: Is it many selves or only one? and goes on to finally deny the many-ness and establishes one only advaitam that has 'become' the entire creation. So, it is one sentient being that has the entire creation as its 'object.'  
A : I think this passage is talking about the Sankhya/Yoga contention which assumes many Brahmans as there are many Jivas. The Vedanta position is there are many Jivas but only one Brahman. This is not DSV. In DSV, there is no multitude of Jivas to begin with.