[Advaita-l] Regarding the Pancharatra, Shankara is one with Purvamimamsa

[V Subrahmanian]

The term 'sankhya-yoga' has different meanings. In Vedanta, it means that
which is according to the Upanishads, with Brahman as the cause of the
universe.  The 'sankhya' that is refuted in the BS is the one which has the
insentient pradhana as the cause of the universe. In the BG itself this
term occurs several times.

Regarding the Pancharatra, it is undoubtedly a system that is refuted in
the BS as it occurs in the chapter - section 2.2 where several un-vedantic
schools are refuted. Shankara introduces this section by stating among
other things:   तथापि वेदान्तवाक्यानिव्याचक्षाणैः सम्यग्दर्शनप्रतिपक्षभूतानि
 सांख्यादिदर्शनानि निराकरणीयानीति तदर्थः परः पादः प्रवर्तते ।  [Those
systems that are contradictory to 'direct knowledge' namely sankhya, etc.
are to be refuted and for this purpose this section 2.2 is commenced.]

All the schools mentioned as sutras in this section are thus refuted. It is
to be borne in mind that these schools are not wholesale refuted, as
Shankara has mentioned the maxim: what is non-contradictory to Vedanta is
admitted; only those aspects that are not vedanta-friendly are refuted.

The Kurma Purana has said that the Pancharatra and Pashupata have been
composed as 'mohaka' (deluding) doctrines.
https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/pasupata-and-pancharatra-composed-as-mohaka-sastra-s/

Even the pancharatra scriptures are not completely acceptable to all hues
of vaishnavas.  As I had pointed out earlier, Shankara at the outset says
that this school admits a unitary entity as efficient and material cause.
While Vishishtadvaitins (and Advaitins) accept this proposition, Dvaitins
are opposed to this. When I mentioned recently about this, (in the context
of a Brhat Brahma samhita, a text of the Narada Pancharatra, which a Dvaita
pontiff read out in an assembly and said: 'not all that is stated herein is
admissible (to us)' (this text does contain the idea of material-efficient
unitary cause),  a Dvaitin told me that 'we can point out statements
counter to this' from (other) Pancharatra texts.

regards
subbu

On Fri, Jul 13, 2018 at 11:51 PM, Kalyan via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> The Mahabharata has very high regard for the Pancharatra and Sankhya
> systems. These systems are treated almost on par with the vedas. Regarding
> the Pancharatra and Samkhya systems, the Mahabharata has the following to
> say -
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12c049.htm
>
>
> [They that are conversant with the *Pancharatra* scriptures, that are duly
> observant of the duties laid down therein, and that are devoted to Narayana
> with their whole souls, succeed in entering into Narayana. The *Sankhya*
> and the Yoga systems are eternal.]
>
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12c039.htm
>
> [This great Upanishad, perfectly consist with the four Vedas, in harmony
> with *Sankhya-yoga*, and called by him by the name of the *Pancharatra*
> scriptures, and recited by Narayana himself with his own mouth, was
> repeated by Narada in the presence of many hearers in the abode of Brahman
> (his sire) in exactly the same way in which Narayana (while that great god
> had showed himself unto him) had recited it, and in which he had heard it
> from his own lips.]
>
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12c038.htm
>
>
> [..... who is incapable of being understood except by those scriptures
> that are called *Pancharatra*, who never shrinks from anything, who is
> unvanquished, who is only Mind (without a physical frame), who is known
> only by name, who is the Lord of Brahman himself, who has completed all the
> vows and observances mentioned in the Vedas, 3 who is the Hansa (bearer of
> the triple stick), who is the Parama-hansa (divested of stick), who is the
> foremost of all sacrifices, who is *Sankhya-yoga*, who is the embodiment of
> the *Sankhya* philosophy, who dwells in all Jivas, who lives in every
> heart, who resides in every sense....]
>
> It is therefore inconceivable that vyAsa would refute either the
> Pancharatra or the Sankhya systems.
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