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

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Kalyan prabhuji
Hare Krishna

I am not sure what is your point.

Not only sankhya, but other schools of vedanta like bhedabheda, dvaita,v-advaita also accept that there are many selves.

What I want to point out here is that there is no unanimity on whether the MB (or even Shrutis) are teaching one self or many selves. So I am  not sure why sankhya alone is being specially pointed out.


Ø     I don’t know why you are excluding Advaita here from accepting the many jeeva-s.  shankara in his bhAshya clearly says what is the difference between jeeva & Ishwara and how jeeva is constrained to only deha whereas Ishwara is sarvavyApi.  Jeeva’s jeevatva comes through upAdhi vishesha and jeeva’s svarUpa is Atman only which is one without second.  The power behind oven and air cooler is one and the same though the exhibition  of power varies from one upAdhi to another  and the svarUpa of that power is electricity only which is homogenous.  And for this power ( jeeva ) only there is katrutva and bhOktrutva and it is not for the blades of fan or air-cool container (upAdhi) When this power realizes that it is electricity, the  power (jeeva) would realize that the svarUpa of the power (jeeva)  is electricity (brahman) only.  If we deny this power (jeeva) then whole karma theory, kartavya, vidhi, shAstra’s upadesha all would go for a six !!  bhAshyakAra explains this beautifully kartA chAyaM jeevaH syAt, kasmAt shAstrArthavatvAt…anyathA tadanarthakaM vidhishAstraM syAt. Taddhi kartuH sataH kartavya visheshaM upadishati, na cha asati kartrutve tadupapadyeta….jeevasyaisha nirdeshO na buddheH…It is because of this reason only there is a mention of phala viniyOga ( distribution of karma phala)   after the jnAni attains paramArtha.  And also there is a mention of specially privileged jeeva-s like apAntaratama-s who are paramArtha jnAni-s but  later on take birth as vyAsa as per the instruction of parameshwara with the help of prArabdha shesha phala.  Whereas other normal mukta jeeva-s do not have this special power.  One is vijnAnAtma and this vijnAnAtma in his svarUpa nothing but paramAtma na cha vijnAnAtmA paramAtmanO vastvantaraM.  So, you have to give us ( the advaitins) a place to talk about many selves consequentially ☺ For further details there is an adhikaraNa in sUtra where there is a talk about sushupti and utkrAnti etc. ( first adhyAya??) in which bhAshyakAra clarifies how there is a difference between prAjna and jeeva.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
Bhaskar