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

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste Raghav ji,

The stated view of Sridhara Swamin is not unacceptable to Shankara. In the
VSN Bhashya for the term 'agrajah', Shankara says:

Vishnu Sahasra Nama (891), Shankara says: अग्रे जायते इति अग्रजः
हिरण्यगर्भः [One who is born first is called agrajah, hiranyagarbhah] and
cites the Rg.Veda हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे...in support of this.

It is pertinent to note that Brahman, the subject matter of the VSN, is
stated to be the one who is 'agrajah', the first-born.  So, birth for
Brahman as Hiranyagarbha is admitted. In this situation the question: Is
Hiranyagarbha samsari or Para? becomes anirvachaniya:  he is both samsari,
being born, and para, being Brahman itself taking that form.

In fact we also encounter jivahood for Vishnu.  In the KaTharudropanishad
which Shankara cites in the Br.Up. bhashya for sannyasa, Vishnu is stated
to be the foremost jiva in creation.  Just  as we are very familiar with
the expression 'बह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्त..', where Brahma is the first of a
list of jivas, Vishnu is stated to be the first among created beings and
their sukha taratamya also is admitted. Vidyaranya too in the Panchadashi
says: विष्ण्वादि उत्तमशरीरेषु.....  Thus, the Trimurtis can be put together
as being within creation. The state of Vishnu, Rudra, Brahma is attainable
through uttama karma. This view is also admitted in the scripture. That the
entire creation consisting of superior gods and all other beings, animate
and inanimate, is a vivarta of Brahman is also brought out by Vyasa:


भूः पादौ यस्य नाभिर्-वियदसु-रनिल-चन्द्रसूर्यौ च नेत्रे
कर्णावाशाः शिरो-द्यौर् मुखमपि दहनो यस्य वास्तेयमब्धिः।
अन्तस्थं यस्य विश्वं सुर-नर-खग-गो-भोगि-गन्धर्व-दैत्यैः
चित्रं रंरम्यते तं त्रिभुवन-वपुषं विष्णु-मीशम् नमामि॥ (2)

bhūḥ pādau yasya nābhir-viyadasu-ranila-candrasūryau ca netre
karṇāvāśāḥ śiro-dyaur mukhamapi dahano yasya vāsteyamabdhiḥ |
antasthaṁ yasya viśvaṁ sura-nara-khaga-go-bhogi-gandharva-daityaiḥ
citraṁ raṁramyate taṁ tribhuvana-vapuṣaṁ viṣṇu-mīśam namāmi ||

All that is in creation is that one Brahman alone. All the devata-s,
including Vishnu of the Trimurti, are Hari's avataras: hariyavataaramule
akhila devatalu... annamacharya. Sridhara Swamin too says that Brahma and
Rudra are Vishnu's avataras. All jivas are also his avataras. But only when
a jiva or devata or any other entity manifests daivatvam, it becomes
upaasya.


regards
vs

2018-07-07 8:24 GMT+05:30 Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> 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 ॥
>
>