[Advaita-l] REFERENCES FROM VARIOUS PURANAS, UPANISHADS, SASTRAS WHERE VISHNU, RAMA, KRISHNA DON BHASMA TRIPUNDRA AND VISHNU IS A PARAMA SHIVA BHAKTA

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 3:52 AM Srinath Vedagarbha <svedagarbha at gmail.com>
wrote:

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>> Shankara has said: स्यात्परमेश्वरस्यापि इच्छावशात् मायामयं रूपं
>> साधकानुग्रहार्थम् । (1.1.vii.20) (Ishwara, out of compassion, takes on, *by
>> His Maya*, a form to grace the spiritual aspirant.)
>>
>> [The context in the BSB is that Brahman is devoid of any form but takes
>> up forms to help the aspirant.  In the Kenopanishad bhashya too Shankara
>> lists several deities Vishnu, Ishvara, Indra, Prana, etc. as upasya as
>> Brahman]
>>
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> Do not forget -- NB is both nirAkAra and nirviShEsha -- Brahman is devoid
> of any form but may takes up forms, but he cannot have any guNa of "out
> of compassion" (sic). Also NB is nIShkriya  so as you to speak "to grace"
> etc.
>

In Advaita when it is admitted that NB will take a form out of mAyA, the
various attributes too come along with the form. It is not just for showing
the form, it is taken.

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>> Thus, upasana, anugraha, etc. in the realm of vyvaharika is quite valid.
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> But such vyavahArika Ishwara is upAsanArtham and not real. Hence he cannot
> possibly have any real action of "to grace the spiritual aspirant".
>

All this happens just as it when we invoke Vishnu  or any other devata
buddhi in a saligrama or any other image. When such a buddhi is had, the
prayer to that form/devata is valid and the anugraha that comes as a result
is also valid.  'pratimAyAm tu sAnnidhyam archakasya tapobalAt' is an added
pramANa.

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> You are mixing vyavahara with paramArtha by saying two terms "Ishwara"
> (which is vyvahAra) with "advaitavAsanA" (which is pAramArthika)
>

Since you are not aware of the methods of Advaita with regard to devata
rupa and Ishwara pranidhAna you are finding this strange.

vs

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