[Advaita-l] What is Krishna's 'tattva'?

[V Subrahmanian]

2017-11-20 10:19 GMT+05:30 Venkatesh Murthy via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> Namaste
>
> To understand ''my'' Tattva kindly study this Trishanku's knowledge from
> Taittiriya Upanishad Siksha Valli 10-1 with Sankara Bhashya -
>
> अहं वृक्षस्य रेरिवा । कीर्तिः पृष्ठं गिरेरिव । ऊर्ध्वपवित्रो वाजिनीव
> स्वमृतमस्मि । द्रविणं सवर्चसम् । सुमेधा अमृतोक्षितः । इति
> त्रिशङ्कोर्वेदानुवचनम् ॥ १ ॥
>
> Sankara Bhashya -
>
> अहं वृक्षस्य रेरिवेति स्वाध्यायार्थो मन्त्राम्नायः । स्वाध्यायश्च
> विद्योत्पत्तये, प्रकरणात् । विद्यार्थं हीदं प्रकरणम् , न च
> अन्यार्थत्वमवगम्यते । स्वाध्यायेन च विशुद्धसत्त्वस्य
> विद्योत्पत्तिरवकल्पते ।
> *अहं वृक्षस्य उच्छेद्यात्मकस्य संसारवृक्षस्य रेरिवा प्रेरयिता
> अन्तर्याम्यात्मना ।*


From these words of Shankara it is clear that the Antaryāmin of Vedānta is
nirguṇa Brahman. It is pertinent to note that in the Br.Up.
antaryāmibrāmaṇa occurs the statement: एष त आत्मा अन्तर्याम्यमृत: - a
mahāvākya which teaches the identity of the jiva and the antaryāmi.  There
Shankara has said that the antaryāmi which impels the mind-body complex of
all entities in creation including the cosmic devatā-s such as prthvī, is
Nārāyaṇa, who is sākśimātra. Non-advaitins have taken this statement of
Shankara to say that Shankara is a Vaishnava who held Narayana to be the
Supreme. That such is not the case is clear from the word sākśimātra which
denies any deity-status but stresses the Pure-Consciousness nature of the
antaryāmi. Also since that antaryāmi is stated to be none other than the
jiva's Atma, the idea of a deity being the antaryami is also a mistaken
idea. And everywhere in the Kenopanishat, etc. the one that impels the
body, organs, mind, prana, is taught as not any deity but the pure
Consciousness. And here, in the Taittiriya bhashya cited above too we have
Shankara saying 'I, the jiva, am the impeller of this samsāra tree, as the
antaryāmin.' So the jiva-antaryami aikya is crystal clear here. And the
Narayana of the antaryami brahmana bhashya is undoubtedly nirguna
chaitanyam.

regards
subbu



> कीर्तिः ख्यातिः गिरेः पृष्ठमिव उच्छ्रिता मम ।
> ऊर्ध्वपवित्रः ऊर्ध्वं कारणं पवित्रं पावनं ज्ञानप्रकाश्यं परं ब्रह्म यस्य
> सर्वात्मनो मम, सोऽहमूर्ध्वपवित्रः ; वाजिनि इव वाजवतीव, वाजमन्नम् , तद्वति
> सवितरीवेत्यर्थः ; यथा सवितरि अमृतमात्मतत्त्वं विशुद्धं प्रसिद्धं
> श्रुतिस्मृतिशतेभ्यः, एवं सु अमृतं शोभनं विशुद्धमात्मतत्त्वम् अस्मि भवामि ।
> द्रविणं धनं सवर्चसं दीप्तिमत् तदेव आत्मतत्त्वम् , अस्मीत्यनुवर्तते ।
> ब्रह्मज्ञानं वा आत्मतत्त्वप्रकाशकत्वात्सवर्चसम् , द्रविणमिव द्रविणम् ,
> मोक्षसुखहेतुत्वात् । अस्मिन्पक्षे प्राप्तं मयेत्यध्याहारः कर्तव्यः ।
> सुमेधाः शोभना मेधा सर्वज्ञत्वलक्षणा यस्य मम, सोऽहं सुमेधाः,
> संसारस्थित्युत्पत्तिसंहारकौशलयोगात्सुमेधस्त्वम् ; अत एव अमृतः अमरणधर्मा,
> अक्षितः अक्षीणः अव्ययः अक्षतो वा, अमृतेन वा उक्षितः सिक्तः
> ‘अमृतोक्षितोऽहम्’ इत्यादि ब्राह्मणम् । इति एवं त्रिशङ्कोः ऋषेः ब्रह्मभूतस्य
> ब्रह्मविदः वेदानुवचनम् , वेदः वेदनम् आत्मैकत्वविज्ञानम् , तस्य प्राप्तिमनु
> वचनं वेदानुवचनम् ; आत्मनः कृतकृत्यताप्रख्यापनार्थं वामदेववत्त्रिशङ्कुना
> आर्षेण दर्शनेन दृष्टो मन्त्राम्नाय आत्मविद्याप्रकाशक इत्यर्थः । अस्य च जपो
> विद्योत्पत्त्यर्थोऽधिगम्यते । ‘ऋतं च’ इति धर्मोपन्यासादनन्तरं च
> वेदानुवचनपाठादेतदवगम्यते । एवं श्रौतस्मार्तेषु नित्येषु कर्मसु युक्तस्य
> निष्कामस्य परं ब्रह्म विविदिषोरार्षाणि दर्शनानि
> प्रादुर्भवन्त्यात्मादिविषयाणीति ॥
>
> 2017-11-19 22:02 GMT+05:30 sreenivasa murthy via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:
>
> > Dear Readers,
> > What is "my" tattva? tattvadarSis may please help me in getting the
> > answer.I will be very grateful. Thanking you,With respectful
> > namaskara,Sreenivasa Murthy
> >
> >
> >     On Sunday 19 November 2017, 8:04:01 AM IST, V Subrahmanian via
> > Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> >
> >  Copying a post from the Advaitin forum:
> >
> > Venkatraghavan S
> > Today at 1:58 AM
> > Thank you for the enlightening post Subbuji. The first part reminded me
> of
> > Mahaperiyava's Chandrashekharendra Sarasvati Svamigal's commentary on
> this
> > Bhagavad Gita sloka 18.55, in his own voice: (in Tamil)
> > https://youtu.be/3JiyzcJMB4Q
> >
> > Regards,
> > Venkatraghavan
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Nov 19, 2017 at 12:22 AM, V Subrahmanian <
> v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
> > >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > The word 'tattva' means: tasya bhāvaḥ tattvam. The true nature of a
> thing
> > > is called tattvam.
> > >
> > > Shankara says BSB 1.1.21:
> > >
> > > कथमेतदवगम्यते ? ‘येनाक्षरं पुरुषं वेद सत्यं प्रोवाच तां तत्त्वतो
> > ब्रह्मविद्याम्’
> > > (मु. उ. १ । २ । १३)
> > > <http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/
> > Mundaka?page=1&id=MD_C01_S02_V13&hl=%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%E0%
> > A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%82%
> > 20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%82%20%
> > E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A6%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%
> > A4%AF%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%
> > B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%
> > A4%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%
> > A5%8B%20%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%
> > AE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%
> A4%AE%E0%A5%8D>
> > इति
> > > प्रकृतस्यैवाक्षरस्य भूतयोनेरदृश्यत्वादिगुणकस्य वक्तव्यत्वेन
> > > प्रतिज्ञातत्वात् ।
> > >
> > > Here the word 'tattva' of the Mundakopanishat is given the meaning:
> That
> > > Source of the Beings that cannot be seen with the eye, etc.
> > >
> > > We have in the Bh.Gītā the Lord saying:
> > >
> > > भक्त्या मामभिजानाति
> > > यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः ।
> > > ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा
> > > विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥ ५५ ॥
> > >
> > > He who knows Me as the Vishvarupa and also As I am actually in truth,
> > > thus having known Me actually, he becomes one with Me immediately.
> > >
> > > Shankara says: भक्त्या माम् अभिजानाति यावान् अहम् उपाधिकृतविस्तरभेदः,
> > > यश्च अहम् अस्मि विध्वस्तसर्वोपाधिभेदः उत्तमः पुरुषः आकाशकल्पः, तं माम्
> > > अद्वैतं चैतन्यमात्रैकरसम् अजरम् अभयम् अनिधनं तत्त्वतः अभिजानाति । ततः
> > माम्
> > > एवं तत्त्वतः ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरं मामेव ज्ञानानन्तरम् । नात्र
> > > ज्ञानप्रवेशक्रिये भिन्ने विवक्षिते ‘ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम्’ इति । किं
> > > तर्हि ? फलान्तराभावात् ज्ञानमात्रमेव, ‘क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि’ (भ.
> > > गी. १३ । २)
> > > <http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/
> > Gita?page=13&id=BG_C13_V02&hl=%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%
> > E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%
> > 9E%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%
> > AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%
> > E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BF> इति
> > > उक्तत्वात् ॥
> > >
> > > Shankara gives the Tattva of Bhagavān: By devotion one knows Me with
> the
> > > upādhi-created expansive form (Vishvarūpa), and 'As I am' free of all
> > > upādhis, the Supreme Purusha, Brahman, just like ether, Advaitam,
> without
> > > any kind of second, Pure Consciousness, free of old age, fear, death,
> > thus
> > > knowing Me 'tattvataḥ', As I Am in truth...Having secured the right
> > > knowledge of Me, he 'enters' Me. Shankara raises a question, with a
> > teaser:
> > > Is this 'entering' the Lord mean anything like: After knowing, one
> enters
> > > later?'. No. Then what does the Lord say: By using the word 'viśate
> > > tadanantaram', 'enters immediately upon knowing'. There is no fruit
> other
> > > than knowing, as the Lord has said in the 13.2: Know Me as the
> Kshetrajna
> > > as well.'
> > >
> > > Shankara is reiterating the Vedānta siddhānta: there is no two-step
> > > procedure here: first know and then enter. It is jnanamātrāt mokṣa. He
> > has
> > > said this elaborately in the BSB 1.1.1.4, samanvaya sutra bhashya. This
> > is
> > > an aside.
> > >
> > >
> > >
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> --
> Regards
>
> -Venkatesh
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