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

[V Subrahmanian]

2018-02-08 8:33 GMT+05:30 V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>:

> Shankara's obeisance to Yama, the Brahma Vidya Acharya
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> At the end of the 7th Chapter, the Chandogya Upanishad itself says:
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> भगवान्सनात्कुमारस्तꣳ स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते तꣳ स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते ॥ २ ॥
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> Bhagavan Sanatkumara is called Skanda.
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> Shankara says:
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>  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).
>

Since Subrahmanya is verily the Bhagavan Sanntkumara, a Brahma Vidya
Acharya, Brahmavit, the upasana of Skanda is also in accordance with the
Upanishad (Mundaka).  In fact Subrahmanya is famous as 'Jnana Pandita'.
Shankara's Subrahmanya Bhujanga stotra has the words 'mahAvAkya gUdham'.
Thus, the KaumAram, of the Shanmata-s is not avaidika.

regards
subbu

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