[Advaita-l] Abedha

[Srinath Vedagarbha]

On Tue, Aug 11, 2020 at 12:59 AM Kaushik Chevendra <
chevendrakaushik at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>>
> Isn't this directly contradicted in vishnu purana where Prahalad worships
> vishnu as his ownself and says that he himself is that vishnu. It also say
> he no longer felt he had an identity.
>
I had already sent this reference in English translation.
> If what  sri madhawacharya is correct then prahalada shouldn't have
> attained liberation or considered to be an excellent hari baktha. Here is
> the link for the englis translation.
>
>
> https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/vishnu-purana-wilson/d/doc115955.html
>
>>
>>
Kaushik, I went through that translation of Vishnu Purana you cited. First
of all it is hard to go by only the translation without any original pATa.

Even going by how it was translated, the write up in that link is
riddled with contradictions. For example in one place it says "He who
meditates not of wrong to others, but considers them as **himself**, is
free from the effects of sin..." conveying the idea that Prahlada seems to
say identity between him and the Lord. In many other places, the author
also translate conveying the idea that the Lord is ***in him*** when the
translation says  "...it is no more than that which is possessed by all
***in whose hearts*** Achyuta abides"

My advice is to avoid translations and study originals with commentaries of
the tradition.

Glad you brought up Prahalada's episode. Look at the mUla pATa in
bhagavata. It says "satyaM vidAtaM nija bruthya bhaShitam..." (when
describing a moment before Lord Narashima's prarudbhAva). Some high level
analysis  bring forth some key insights;

1. Lord is different from Prahlada. Otherwise why Bhagavan Veda Vyasa use
the term 'nija bhrutya' ? Jiva-Brhama identity is rejected.
2. By saying "satyam vidhAtaM" it asserts, positively so, that the avatAra
coming out of the pillar is indeed sattya only and not mithya. Advita makes
you believe all forms are prakritika and hence mithya.
3. Lord and the jaDa pillar occupying the same space at the same time. This
rejects your previous idea that any non-Brahman objects will limit the
omnipresence of Brahman.

/sv