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

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 8:34 PM, Kalyan <kalyan_kg at yahoo.com> wrote:

> //From these words of Shankara it is clear that the Antaryāmin of Vedānta
> is
> nirguṇa Brahman.//
>
> Dear Sri Subbu
>
> The antaryAmi is not nirguNa brahman.
>
> The below post by Sri Vidyasankar clarifies this -
>
> http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2012-April/031467.html



Dear Sri Kalyan,

I remember to have discussed this before, in this or the Science
Religion...forum. I shall reproduce three passages from the Bhāṣya:

Br.Up. mantra: 3.7.23

ऽदृष्टो द्रष्टाश्रुतः श्रोतामतो मन्ताविज्ञातो विज्ञाता नान्योऽतोऽस्ति
द्रष्टा नान्योऽतोऽस्ति श्रोता नान्योऽतोऽस्ति मन्ता नान्योऽतोऽस्ति विज्ञातैष
त आत्मान्तर्याम्यमृतोऽतोऽन्यदार्तं ततो होद्दालक आरुणिरुपरराम ॥ २३ ॥

Bhashya:

तत्र यं पृथिवी न वेद यं सर्वाणि भूतानि न विदुरिति च अन्ये नियन्तव्या
विज्ञातारः अन्यो नियन्ता अन्तर्यामीति प्राप्तम् ;
तदन्यत्वाशङ्कानिवृत्त्यर्थमुच्यते — नान्योऽतः — नान्यः — अतः अस्मात्
*अन्तर्यामिणः* नान्योऽस्ति द्रष्टा ; तथा नान्योऽतोऽस्ति श्रोता ;
नान्योऽतोऽस्ति मन्ता ; नान्योऽतोऽस्ति विज्ञाता । यस्मात्परो नास्ति द्रष्टा
श्रोता मन्ता विज्ञाता, यः अदृष्टो द्रष्टा, अश्रुतः श्रोता, अमतो मन्ता,
अविज्ञातो विज्ञाता, अमृतः सर्वसंसारधर्मवर्जितः सर्वसंसारिणां
कर्मफलविभागकर्ता — *एष ते आत्मा अन्तर्याम्यमृतः* ; *अस्मादीश्वरादात्मनोऽन्यत्
आर्तम्* ।

In the above, Shankara is giving the aparokṣa jnāna method. Here antaryāmin
is shown as the innermost self of the jiva, the realization of which
results in liberation. This is essentially the nirupādhika svarupam.


Br.Up.bhashya: 3.8 (introduction to 3.9):

अविद्याकामकर्मविशिष्टकार्यकरणोपाधिरात्मा संसारी जीव उच्यते ;
नित्यनिरतिशयज्ञानशक्त्युपाधिरात्मा अन्तर्यामी ईश्वर उच्यते ; स एव निरुपाधिः
केवलः शुद्धः स्वेन स्वभावेन अक्षरं पर उच्यते ।

Here antaryāmin is stated as the consciousness with omniscience, etc.
upādhi. [One can notice that the words 'Iśvara' and 'antaryāmin' are used
by Shankara in the first passage in sāmānadhikaraṇyam with 'ātman'. In the
second passage above, the two words are used in sāmānadhikaraṇyam with
sopādhika
brahman, what is popular as Ishvara. So, Shankara's words acquire different
meanings in different contexts.


Brihadaranyaka bhashya  4.3. introduction:
तस्य च परोपाधिनिमित्तः संसारः — यथा रज्जूषरशुक्तिकागगनादिषु
सर्पोदकरजतमलिनत्वादि परोपाध्यारोपणनिमित्तमेव, न स्वतः, *तथा ;
निरुपाधिको *निरुपाख्यः
नेति नेतीति व्यपदेश्यः साक्षादपरोक्षात्सर्वान्तरः *आत्मा ब्रह्म
अक्षरम् अ**न्तर्यामी प्रशास्ता
औपनिषदः पुरुषः विज्ञानमानन्दं ब्रह्मेत्यधिगतम् । *

Here the nirupādhika is stated to be antaryāmin,.... pure consciousness,
bliss, Brahman.

From the above we understand: when the 'act' of impelling is emphasized, it
is sopādhika chaitanyam. When the direct realization is taught, it is
nirupādhika chaitanyam. That is what is done in the mahāvākya: This Atmā of
yours is the antaryāmi, eternal in the 3.7.23 cited above. The word
'adhigatam' in the last cited passage clarifies this. Swami Madhavananda's
translation: p.415:

//*But devoid of limiting adjuncts*, it is known as indefinable, to be
described only 'not this, not this,', the Brahman that is immediate and
direct, the self that is within all, the Immutable, the *Internal Ruler
(antaryāmin)*, the mighty Ruler, the Being who is to be known only through
the Upanishads, Knowledge, Bliss and Brahman.//

 [this last three epithets constitute the svarupa lakshanam.]

regards
subbu



>
> Regards
> Kalyan
>