[Advaita-l] Shankara's obeisance to Yama, the Brahma Vidya Acharya

[V Subrahmanian]

Shankara's obeisance to Yama, the Brahma Vidya Acharya

At the beginning of his bhashya to the Kathopanishad, Shankara writes a
verse paying obeisance to Yama, the Brahma Vidya Acharya, and Nachiketas,
who became enlightened after the Vidya pradaanam:

ॐ नमो भगवते वैवस्वताय मृत्यवे ब्रह्मविद्याचार्याय, नचिकेतसे च ।

[Obeisance to Bhagavan Vaivasvata (Yama) and Nachiketas]

We have the Chandogya Upanishad itself addressing Sanatkumara, the Brahma
Vidya Acharya of Narada:

Shankara says:  सनत्कुमारं योगीश्वरं ब्रह्मिष्ठं नारदः उपसन्नवान् ।

Sanatkumara is Yogishvara, BrahmiShTha (established in Brahman).

At the end of the 7th Chapter, the Chandogya Upanishad itself says:

भगवान्सनात्कुमारस्तꣳ स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते तꣳ स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते ॥ २ ॥

Bhagavan Sanatkumara is called Skanda.

Shankara says:

 भगवान् ‘उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव भूतानामागतिं गतिम् । वेत्ति विद्यामविद्यां च
स वाच्यो भगवानिति’ एवंधर्मा सनत्कुमारः । तमेव सनत्कुमारं देवं स्कन्द इति
आचक्षते कथयन्ति तद्विदः ।

Shankara cites a famous Puranic verse that says who is fit to be called
'Bhagavan': He who knows the creation, dissolution, the emergence of beings
and their departure, knows what is vidya and what is avidya - he is fit to
be called Bhagavan.'   Citing this Shankara says: That very Deva,
Sanatkumara, is called Skanda (Subrahmanya).

That Puranic verse Shankara cites for the word 'Bhagavan' in the BG: 3.37:

श्रीभगवानुवाच —

काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः ।
महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ ३७ ॥
Thus, for Shankara, the epithet Bhagavan, described by the Purana as
applicable to JagatkAranam, is not reserved only for Krishna.  Any exalted
Jnani is jagatkAraNam because he is Brahman Itself.

In the BSB 3.3.32 Shankara notes:
सनत्कुमारोऽपि ब्रह्मण एव मानसः पुत्रः स्वयं रुद्राय वरप्रदानात् स्कन्दत्वेन
प्रादुर्बभूव…

Sanatkumara too, a mAnasa putra of Brahma, himself with a view to fulfill a
boon to Rudra, took birth as Skanda (as son of Rudra).

Thus, Skanda is none other than Bhagavan Sanatkumara.

In the Vedanta, any Jnani is fit to be worshiped for both mukti and bhoga:

Mundakopanishat:

यं यं लोकं मनसा संविभाति विशुद्धसत्त्वः कामयते यांश्च कामान् ।
तं तं लोकं जयते तांश्च कामांस्तस्मादात्मज्ञं ह्यर्चयेद्भूतिकामः ॥ १० ॥

स वेदैतत्परमं ब्रह्म धाम यत्र विश्वं निहितं भाति शुभ्रम् ।
उपासते पुरुषं ये ह्यकामास्ते शुक्रमेतदतिवर्तन्ति धीराः ॥ १ ॥
 भाष्यम्
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Mundaka?page=3&id=MD_C03_S02_V01&hlBhashya=%E0%A4%B8%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D#bhashya-MD_C03_S02_V01>
यस्मात् स वेद जानाति एतत् यथोक्तलक्षणं ब्रह्म परमं प्रकृष्टं धाम
सर्वकामानामाश्रयमास्पदम् , यत्र यस्मिन्ब्रह्मणि धाम्नि विश्वं समस्तं जगत्
निहितम् अर्पितम् , यच्च स्वेन ज्योतिषा भाति शुभ्रं शुद्धम् ,
तमप्येवंविधमात्मज्ञं पुरुषं ये हि अकामाः विभूतितृष्णावर्जिता मुमुक्षवः
सन्तः उपासते परमिव देवम् , ते शुक्रं नृबीजं यदेतत्प्रसिद्धं
शरीरोपादानकारणम् अतिवर्तन्ति अतिगच्छन्ति धीराः बुद्धिमन्तः, न पुनर्योनिं
प्रसर्पन्ति । ‘न पुनः क्व रतिं करोति’ ( ? ) इति श्रुतेः । अतस्तं
पूजयेदित्यभिप्रायः ॥
Shankara says: If a Jnani is worshiped by pradakshina, archana,
paadaprakshalana, etc. (just as one would do to any God), by a mumukshu, he
attains liberation.

From this sample we conclude that there is no basis whatsoever for the
claim that 'For Shankara Vishnu alone was saguna Brahman' or 'Vishnu alone
can give moksha', etc. by misguided elements.  From Shankara's own words we
see that the epithet 'Bhagavan' as JagatkAraNam is applied to others too
and not restricted to Krishna. More than anything, as Desamangalam Arya,
the commentator of Narayana Bhatta's Narayaneeyam has said: the
Bhagavadgita and the Vishnu Sahasra Nama can be interpreted to mean 'the
Supreme Brahman is Shiva', the idea  'Vishnu alone is Brahman/saguna
Brahman, jagatkAraNam, moksha prada, etc.' is debunked by Shankara's own
words in his various commentaries including the one on the VSN.

Om Tat Sat