[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** RE: NirviSheSha Brahman

[Bhaskar YR]

What exactly is intended by BhAshyakAra by the word niviSheSha? What would be its definition?

praNAms Sri Sudhanshu Shekhar prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Bit surprising you are asking this question !!??  As we know as per shankara's Advaita siddhAnta brahman is nirguNa, nirvishesha, niravayava, nishkriya, Nirmala etc.  How the nirvisheshatvaM of brahman being explained in bhAshya??  Taitireeya bhAshya comes to my mind immediately, the mantra satyaM jnAnam ananthaM brahma...In bruhadAraNyaka there is a mention about drum and its sound.  When the drum is beaten, we cannot be able to grasp the external sounds by themselves, but the same is grasped through the drum, as the sound from the beating of the drum.  While taking this example bhAshyakAra clarifies, no vishesha can be perceived as an entity in dream or waking 'apart from prajnAna' hence it is right to conclude that they ( the perceived objects / existing objects) donot exist apart from the pure consciousness.  And in Geeta bhAshya verse nAsatO vidyate bhAvO bhAshyakAra further clarifies by saying :  the final verdict with regard to essential nature of both being and non-being, the Atma and anAtma is 'existence', the existence always is, and non-existent never is.  Here in this bhAshya, we can find the examples of pata, ghata which invariably carry the tag : an existent (an existent pot, an existent cloth etc.) The variable pot, cloth donot exist apart from its existence though pata and ghata is variable.  During the time of sthiti kAla of pata, ghata (jagat) the jagat (the things) being non-different from the brahman as they are all ONE with brahman.  Kata shruti bhAshya would give more substantiality to think in these lines : satyaM, brahman cannot be graspable by speech, mind, indriya etc. even though brahman is sarva vishesha rahitaM IT is the mUla kAraNaM for the jagat.  We should not forget this.  Because jagat is from brahman is 'VEDANTA MARYAADA'.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar