[Advaita-l] Trimurtis and aAll gods are mere forms of one Brahman - Shankara

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste Subbuji ji

The main thrust of the article viz., sarvadevatA aikyaM or abhinnatvam is
clearly brought out in your blog post.

There is another peripheral issue which I wanted to examine.

I quote from the blog post-

हिरण्यगर्भस्तूपाधिशुद्ध्यतिशयापेक्षया प्रायशः पर एवेति श्रुतिस्मृतिवादाः
प्रवृत्ताः । संसारित्वं तु क्वचिदेव दर्शयन्ति । जीवानां
तूपाधिगताशुद्धिबाहुल्यात्संसारित्वमेव
प्रायशोऽभिलप्यते । व्यावृत्तकृत्स्नोपाधिभेदापेक्षया तु सर्वः
परत्वेनाभिधीयते श्रुतिस्मृतिवादैः ॥

Anandagiri says for the highlighted line:  कस्तर्हि हिरण्यगर्भे विशेषो
येनासावस्मदादिभिरुपास्यते तत्राह – हिरण्यगर्भस्त्विति | ननु
श्रुतिस्मृतिवादेषु क्वचित्तस्य संसारित्वमपि प्रदर्श्यते, सत्यं तत्तु
कल्पितमित्यभिप्रायेणाह – संसारित्वं त्विति |

Translation/gist: What excellence is there in Hiranyagarbha that makes him
worthy of worship* by beings such as we? The reply is as stated by
Shankara:हिरण्यगर्भस्तूपाधिशुद्ध्यतिशयापेक्षया प्रायशः पर एवेति
श्रुतिस्मृतिवादाः प्रवृत्ताः । [Hiraṇyagarbha, possessing limiting adjuncts
of extraordinary purity, is described by the Śrutis and Śmṛtis mostly as
the Supreme Self]. Objection: In the scriptures sometimes he is spoken of
as samsarin? Reply: That is true, but that is a concoction.' -- end of
quote.

Wanted to state my understanding here to examine it.

In the above quotes, the idea that even hiraNyagarbha is a samsAri is not
denied, सत्यंतत्तु (that's no doubt true ) says tIkAkAra and bhAShyakAra
too says that He is प्रायशःपर एव (almost the Supreme) - the use of the word
'almost' being a concession to His having attained the hiraNyagarbha status
by extraordinary karma and upAsanA . Only His nature as being endowed with
shuddhibAhulyam (a preponderance of purity), is being emphasised and that
makes Him upAsyaH.

The characteristic of 'samsAritvaM being kalpitam', is common to both
general jIvas and the special exalted jIva viz., hiraNyagarbha. So that
(samsAritvaM being kalpitaM) would not be the distinguishing characteristic
that makes for upAsyatvaM of hiraNyagarbha. '

The idea expressed by Sridhar svAmin on the other hand seems to be somewhat
different, in denying any samsAritvam whatsoever to hiraNyagarbha. Shridhar
svAmin - " The birth is only figurative as taking a form by mere will is
similar to origination  – स्वेच्छया आविर्भावस्यापि उत्पत्तिसादृश्यात्".

Om

Raghav

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