[Advaita-l] Fwd: A fine compilation on Hari-Hara and Trimurtis

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2019 at 3:15 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I landed by chance on this beautiful compilation by Sri Sandeep Nangia:
> The repertoire includes Shankaracharya as well.
>
> https://nangia.in/unity-of-vishnu-and-shiva.html
>

In the above link is the following verse of the Srimadbhagavatam:

अहं ब्रह्मा च शर्वश्च जगतः कारणं परम्।
आत्मेश्वर उपद्रष्टा स्वयंदृग् अविशेषणः॥
श्रीमद्भागवतम् ४.७.५०
(Vishnu Says) I am Brahma and Shiva, the Supreme Cause of the universe, I
am the Atman, the Lord, the Observer, the Self Illumined, the One without
attributes.

For this, Sridhara Swamin's commentary is:

योऽहं जगतः कारणम्  आत्मा च ईश्वरश्च उपद्रष्टा = साक्षी च  स्वयंदृक् =
स्वयंप्रकाशः च निरुपाधि स एव ब्रह्मा च शर्वः च इत्यन्वयः |

I who am the cause of the world, the Self and the Lord, the Witness,
Self-luminous and free of all adjuncts (nirupadhi) alone am Brahmaa and
Sharva (Shiva).

Here, by the word nirupadhi, svayam prakasha, sakshi, the Nirguna Brahman
is meant. Vishnu is saying this as the Turiya Tattvam. The word
'avisheShaNah' in the verse is significant: the one with no adjectives,
attributes. This verse is very much in tune with the Vedanta which holds
that One Nirguna Brahman alone takes on the forms of the Trimurti-s. It is
not that there are three different entities.

[As to the doubt 'how can Nirguna Brahman 'say' anything?', the answer is:
the Bh.Gita is flooded with instances of NB 'saying/declaring' so many
things. One instance is: मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते BG 8.16:
Having attained Me there is no longer rebirth.  Here the Me is Nirguna
Brahman for only by contacting/realizing That one is freed from rebirth.
Not by knowing saguna brahman does one attain liberation.  Such instances
abound in the BG. One has to carefully identify them. The same is the reply
to those who ask 'How can NB have any names?']

A verse in the Bhagavatam that occurs in the foregoing is also crucial:
(4.7.39)
जगदुद्‍भवस्थितिलयेषु दैवतो बहुभिद्यमानगुणयाऽऽत्ममायया । रचितात्मभेदमतये
स्वसंस्थया विनिवर्तितभ्रमगुणात्मने नमः ॥ ३९ ॥

We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who has created
varieties of manifestations and put them under the spell of the three
qualities of the material world in order to create, maintain and annihilate
them. He Himself is not under the control of the external energy: in His
personal feature He is completely devoid of the variegated manifestation of
material qualities, and He is under no illusion of false identification.
Sridhara swamin comments for the above verse bringing out the fact of
bheda-bhrama:

How is one-pointed bhakti to Bhagavan possible when there are many
(deities) that claim our devotion (to them)? To this the answer is: By the
Atma-Maayaa of Brahman the differentiation of Brahmaa, etc. happens. By
concentrating on that Svarupa that is free of such differentiation, one is
freed of the delusion of differentiation (of Brahmaa etc.).
This comment is important in understanding/appreciating the verse cited at
the beginning. The point is: There is no real differentiation of Brahmaa,
etc. in Brahman. It is one only.  This is reiterated by Bhagvan (Brahman)
himself that Brahmaa, Sharva (shiva) are Me (Nirguna Brahman) alone.


regards
subbu



> While all the quotes are familiar to me, what came as surprise is this
> verse, though very familiar, was unknown as to its source: The
> HanumannATakam.  This work is said to be authored by Hanuman himself and
> Bhoja Raja (early 11th century CE) got this compiled/edited by Damodara
> Misra of his court.
>
> यं शैवाः समुपासते शिव इति ब्रह्मेति वेदान्तिनो
> बौद्धा बुद्ध इति प्रमाणपटवः कर्तेति नैयायिकाः।
> अर्हन्नित्यथ जैनशासनरताः कर्मेति मीमांसकाः
> सोऽयं नो विदधातु वाञ्छितफलं त्रैलोक्यनाथो हरिः ॥
> (हनुमन्नाटकम् १.३)
>
> Om Tat Sat
>
>