[Advaita-l] Veda Vyasa, the symbol of Trimurti Abheda

[V Subrahmanian]

Veda Vyasa, the symbol of Trimurti Abheda

In the Bharata Savitri, an appendix to the Harivamsha, there is this verse
about Badarayana:

अचतुर्वदनो ब्रह्मा द्विबाहुरपरो हरिः |
अफाललोचनः शंभुर्भगवान् बादरायणः || ३ ||

He is Brahmaa sans the four faces, Hari with two hands and Shambhu sans the
third eye.

We are reminded of the famous verse on Guru:

गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः। गुरुस्साक्षात्परं ब्रह्म
तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ॥  of the Guru gita.

The Ashtottara 100 names of Veda Vyasa has the name 'Badarayana' at the
end.

True to his svarupa, Veda Vyasa has established the idea of Trimurti abheda
across his various works. The very second Brahma sutra - janmaadi asya
yatah - is also a fine example of this theme.  Brahman, the jagatkaaranam,
is taught as the cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution.  Shankara
cites the Taittiriya passage:   यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । येन जातानि
जीवन्ति । यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति । तद्विजिज्ञासस्व । तद्ब्रह्मेति ।  [From
which source these beings are born, by which, having born, they live on and
enter into whom upon dissolution - know that to be Brahman.]  The gloss,
Ratnaprabha, says:   अत्र येनेत्येकत्वं विवक्षितम् , नानात्वे
ब्रह्मत्वविधानायोगात् । यज्जगत्कारणं तदेकमित्यवान्तरवाक्यम् । [By the word
'yena' the shruti teaches that the cause is One; if it were many, then this
passage cannot be teaching Brahman.] Thus, the cause of creation,
sustenance and dissolution is the same entity and not many. In the Vishnu
Sahasra nama bhashya Shankara has stated that One Brahman alone as Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva perform the cosmic functions of creation, etc.

Thus, Veda Vyasa, the Para Brahman in truth, is a fine representation of
the Trimurtis.  The 108 names bring out his jagatkaaranatvam.

May Veda Vyasa bless us with the liberating knowledge.

Om Tat Sat