[Advaita-l] Trimurtis are created of Pancha bhūta-s - Shankara

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, Nov 22, 2017 at 2:38 PM, H S Chandramouli <hschandramouli at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dear Sri Subrahmanian Ji,
>
> What I have quoted is the Bhashya for Mundaka 1-1-8 only.
>
> I have just referred to the Mundaka Bhashya talks by Sri Mani Dravid
> Shastrigal on mantra 1-1-8 as well as 1-1-9. He makes it explicitly clear
> that Hiranyagarbha is "born" directly from avyAkRta, here understood as
> Brahman endowed with MAyA.
>

The above does not contradict what Anandagiri has said for 1.1.8 which I
had cited in an earlier post:

Regarding the Hiranyagarbha's birth, Anandagiri clarifies there:
*तस्मान्महाभूतादिसर्गादिसंस्कारास्पदं गुणत्रयसाम्यं मायातत्त्वम्
अव्याकृता*दिशब्दवाच्यम्
इह अभ्युपगन्तव्यम् । पूर्वस्मिन्कल्पे हिरण्यगर्भप्राप्तिनिमित्तं प्रकृष्टं
ज्ञानं कर्म च येन अनुष्ठितं तदनुग्रहाय *मायोपाधिकं ब्रह्म
हिरण्यगर्भावस्थाकारेण विवर्तते ।* स च जीवः तदवस्थाभिमानी हिरण्यगर्भ उच्यते
इत्यभिप्रेत्याह - ब्रह्मण इति ।
Anandgiri explains that avyākṛta/māyā is already the source of the sūkṣma
bhūta-s. Therefore, if Hiranyagarbha has to come from avyākṛta, of course,
not without the Brahman participation, the natural conclusion is that such
an entity is a sūkṣma bhūta kārya.   In the Vedāntaparibhāṣā we get
confirmation for this:
In the 7th Pariccheda is the jagatsṛṣṭi krama is detailed. There it is
stated ( I am giving only a summary and not the exact lines, which may be
read in any standard publication.) Brahman, with māyā association resolves
to create. Thereupon emerge the five elements - apanchīkṛta pancha
tanmātra-named elements. Then there is a discussion about the guṇa-s of the
elements. And the creation of the sense and  motor organs and the
antahkaranam. Then is the panchikaraṇa process detailed, incidentally. Then
it says:
तैश्च अपञ्चीकृतभूतैः लिङ्गशरीरम् परलोकयात्रानिर्वाहकं ....जायते । From the
apanchikrta pancha bhutas emerges the Linga sharīra, which is of two types:
Param and aparam. Param is Hiranyagarbhalingashariram. Aparam is our
lingashariram. Hiranyagarbhalingasharira is called Mahat tattvam. After
this the 14 lokas are stated to be born of the panchikrta bhutas. Lest we
shall doubt Hiranyagarbha is different from his linga sharira, we have this
clarification:
I would like to point out that this mahat tattvam is referred to by
Shankara in the Kathopanishat bhashya 1.3.13:
यच्छेद्वाङ्मनसी प्राज्ञस्तद्यच्छेज्ज्ञान आत्मनि ।
ज्ञानमात्मनि महति नियच्छेत्तद्यच्छेच्छान्त आत्मनि ॥ १३ ॥
 ज्ञानं बुद्धिम् आत्मनि महति प्रथमजे नियच्छेत् । प्रथमजवत्
स्वच्छस्वभावकमात्मनो विज्ञानमापादयेदित्यर्थः ।  The word 'mahati' in
saptamī in the mantra is commented as 'prathamaja'. Mahat = prathamaja. It
is well known that prathamaja is Hiranyagarbha. While Anandagiri has not
explained this bhāṣya in detail, another commentator, Gopalayatindra says:
prathamaja = Hiranyagarbha. We do have Shankara himself saying elsewhere:
या प्रथमजस्य हिरण्यगर्भस्य बुद्धिः,  BSB 1.1.24.  महान् सर्वमहत्त्वात्
अव्यक्ताद्यत्प्रथमं जातं हैरण्यगर्भं तत्त्वं बोधाबोधात्मकं महानात्मा
बुद्धेः पर इत्युच्यते ॥  Kathopanishat 1.3.10 bhashya. In the next bhashya
Shankara gives the kāraṇam of mahat, avyakta/avyakrta.
So it is clear that in Advaita, the Hiranyagarbha tattva is a product of
the apanchikrta pancha bhutas.
regards
subbu






> Unfortunately I do not have ready access at this time to the talks by
> Swami Paramarthananda on this mantra. If anyone is having it, perhaps he
> could elaborate on the same.
>
> I have also referred to the hindi commentary by Swami Maheshanadagiri on
> the Anubhuti Prakasha verse you have cited. My understanding of the
> commentary is in line with what I have stated earlier. However I am not
> quoting it here as my understanding of hindi while being adequate for my
> personal use is not good enough for explaining to others.
>
> Regards
>
> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 6:22 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear Sri Chandramouli ji,
>>
>> I had seen that bhāṣyam for the next mantra that you have cited. Since it
>> is about the sthūla pancha bhūta srishti, I did not cite that. Here is the
>> confirmation  that it is so, from the Anubhūti prakāśa on Mundakopanishat:
>>
>> तस्मादन्नत् क्रियाशक्तिः प्राणो, ज्ञानस्य साधनम् ।
>> मनः, च अजायत, *स्थूलं सत्याख्यं भूतपञ्चकम्* ॥ 25
>>
>> One can see the essence of the mantra 9 captured here. The next in the
>> sequence is the creation of the loka-s. This can happen only after the
>> sthūla bhūta creation. Hiranyagarbha's creation is before the sthula bhuta
>> creation. Hence, as Anandagiri has explained, he is the effect of the
>> sūkṣma bhūtas.
>>
>> regards
>> subbu
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 2:58 PM, H S Chandramouli <
>> hschandramouli at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>  From that Hiranyagarbha evolved *manah*, that which is called the
>>>>> (cosmic) mind, comprising volition, deliberation, doubt, determination,
>>>>> etc., evolved *satyam*, the five elements, such as space etc., which
>>>>> are called satya (i.e. the gross, *sat*, and the subtle, *tyat*). >>.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> To my understanding, it is clear that according to this Bhashyam,
>>>>> Hiranyagarbha is NOT a product of panchabhutas.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I  leave it at this. It is for members to come to their own
>>>>> conclusions.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>