[Advaita-l] Jiva Brahma difference leads to perpetual samsara

V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Sun Feb 9 01:18:12 EST 2020


The Bhagavatam 3.28 (Devahuti being instructed by Bhagavan Kapila)  says:
As to who is the Paramatman:

योऽन्तः प्रविश्य भूतानि भूतैरत्त्यखिलाश्रयः ।
स विष्ण्वाख्योऽधियज्ञोऽसौ कालः कलयतां प्रभुः ॥ ३८ ॥

He who has entered the beings, as their support, Brahman, he is called
'Vishnu'.

The Lord, Brahman is to be worshiped in images.

Jiva Para bheda leads to continued samsara:

अर्चादौ अर्चयेत्तावद् ईश्वरं मां स्वकर्मकृत् ।
यावन्न वेद स्वहृदि सर्वभूतेष्ववस्थितम् ॥ २५ ॥
आत्मनश्च परस्यापि यः करोत्यन्तरोदरम् ।
तस्य भिन्नदृशो मृत्युः विदधे भयमुल्बणम् ॥ २६ ॥

He is to be worshiped in images as long as one has not realized It in his
own heart, as his own self, who resides in all beings.  He who perceives
even a wee bit of difference between oneself and Brahman, for such a
cognizer of difference, there is no respite from the fear of death.

The above is the upabrumhanam, alluding, of the Taittiriya Upanishad: ‘
उदरमन्तरं कुरुते’ ‘अथ तस्य भयं भवति’ (तै. उ. २ । ७ । १)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Taitiriya?page=2&id=T_C02_S07_V01&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A5%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF>
Shankara says in the Bhashya: यदा पुनरविद्यावस्थायां हि यस्मात् एषः
अविद्यावान् अविद्यया प्रत्युपस्थापितं वस्तु
तैमिरिकद्वितीयचन्द्रवत्पश्यत्यात्मनि च एतस्मिन् ब्रह्मणि, उत अपि, अरम्
अल्पमपि, अन्तरं छिद्रं भेददर्शनं कुरुते ; भेददर्शनमेव हि भयकारणम् ; अल्पमपि
भेदं पश्यतीत्यर्थः । अथ तस्माद्भेददर्शनाद्धेतोः तस्य भेददर्शिनः आत्मनो भयं
भवति ।

We see a very close similarity between the wording of the Bhagavatam and
Shankara's bhashyam:
तस्य भिन्नदृशो मृत्युः विदधे भयमुल्बणम् ॥ २६ ॥  Bhagavatam.
तस्य भेददर्शिनः आत्मनो भयं भवति । Bhashyam.

Thus, Veda Vyasa teaches the Upanishadic abheda darshanam as the moksha
kaaraNam which is the basis for Shankara's bhashyam.
There are other tell tale evidences of Taittiriya ideas in this chapter of
the Bhagavatam:  https://sa.wikisource.org/s/ava   One can see the
'भीषास्माद्वातः पवते...' with many more unknown interesting additions.

Om Tat Sat


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