[Advaita-l] Who is worthy of worship by Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva? Bhaagavatam replies.

[V Subrahmanian]

In the chapter no.30 of the 12th canto of the Srimadbhagavatam, there is
the narration of Markandeya's penance and Parameshwara's blessings to him
in response thereof:
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/ttl

The English translation is available here:

http://bhagavata.org/canto12/chapter10.html#Text%2023

Some highlights:

सूत उवाच -
इत्युक्त्वा तमुपेयाय भगवान् स सतां गतिः ।
 *ईशानः सर्वविद्यानां ईश्वरः सर्वदेहिनाम् ॥* ८ ॥

While saying that Shiva, along with Parvati, arrived there to bless
Markandeya, Suuta paraphrases the famous Taittiriya Aranyaka mantra:
(सद्योजातं प्रपद्यामि......) ईशानः सर्वविद्यानाम् ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानाम्...that
is chanted during Rudra Abhishekam, during bhasma dharanam by vaidikas,
etc.


 तयोरागमनं साक्षाद् *ईशयोर्जगदात्मनोः* ।
 न वेद रुद्धधीवृत्तिः आत्मानं विश्वमेव च ॥ ९ ॥

The Divine Couple is stated to be the 'Self, source, of the entire
world': ईशयोर्जगदात्मनोः.
We are reminded of the famous mangala shloka of Kalidasa in the
Raghuvamsha: वागर्थाविव सम्पृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये। जगतः पितरौ वन्दे
पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ ॥1.1॥

ब्राह्मणाः साधवः शान्ता निःसङ्‌गा भूतवत्सलाः ।
* एकान्तभक्ता अस्मासु निर्वैराः समदर्शिनः ॥ २० ॥  *

*[*The word 'asmaasu' is significant. It means: they are devoted to Us (the
Trimuritis)]  that shows that those who are not devoted to all the
Trimurti-s in the same way or those who worship only one or two with
gradation and not worship at all the other, are not considered fit for
moksha.

सलोका लोकपालास्तान् वन्दन्त्यर्चन्त्युपासते ।
 *अहं च भगवान् ब्रह्मा स्वयं च हरिरीश्वरः ॥* २१ ॥
 *न ते मय्यच्युतेऽजे च भिदामण्वपि चक्षते ।*
 नात्मनश्च जनस्यापि तद् युष्मान् वयमीमहि ॥ २२ ॥

The great Lord said: 'Please, choose a boon to your liking,* for of all
[demigod] givers of benedictions the th**ree of us are the [guna-avatâra
<http://bhagavata.org/glossary/g.html#Gunavatara%27s>] Lord**s by whose
infallible audience a mortal being finds immortality*. (20-21)
<http://bhagavata.org/canto12/chapter10.html#Text%2020-21> *The local
rulers and inhabitants of all worlds, I, the great Lord Brahmâ and Lord
Hari,  glorify, worship and assist those who are saintly, peaceful and free
from material attachment, who care for all living beings and free from
enmity and equal towards all, are of a single-minded devotion unto us. *
*(22) <http://bhagavata.org/canto12/chapter10.html#Text%2022> They [these
devotees] do not even acknowledge the slightest difference between me, the
Infallible One and the one unborn, nor between themselves or other people
and that is why we praise you. *

The crux of the above is: Only he who sees the Trimurtis as non-different
from each other is worthy of worship by the Trimurtis. Such a devotee alone
gets the full blessings of Brahman, being the dearest one. We are reminded
of a similar statement by Vishnu at the end of the Daksha Yajna episode in
the Bhagavatam.

The chapter is quite short but the message is profound. The commentary of
Sridhara Swamin alone is direct, straightforward and brief. One appreciates
that this commentary alone is free of the predicament that others face to
explain the ideas of the chapter by taking recourse to concepts like
'antaryami, sharira-atma, saamaanadhikaranyam, etc.' with a view to refute
the direct meaning one naturally gets from the verses of Veda Vyasa that
Sridhara Swamin aptly reflects.

Om Tat Sat.