[Advaita-l] [advaitin] The term 'mahavakya' in the Aitareya Bhashya

[Vinodh]

Namaskaram Sri Sreenivasa Murthy ji,

Thank you for your message. The question that was posed in the other thread
was about the usage of the word “mahavakya” itself.

Has Shankara Bhagavadpada used this term in his works in its popular
Vedantic meaning (of a vakya that expresses jiva-brahma-aikyam) and if yes
where? For example, has Shankara Bhagavadpada referred to the sentences
like the ones you quote as “mahavakyas”?


On Mon 25. Oct 2021 at 19:00, 'sreenivasa murthy' via advaitin <
advaitin at googlegroups.com> wrote:

> Dear Friends,
>
> There are many many short sentences appearing
> in the mantras of upanishads.
> They can also be called as mahavakyas.
> For example ahamEvEdagM sarvam || Chandogya 7-25-1
>                   AtmaivEdagM sarvam || Chandogya  7-25-2
>                   Atmata Eva idagM sarvam || Chandogya 7-26-1
> There are many more passages of this kind.
>
> In fact the above three vakyas , the three mantras viz. 2-1-3 & 2-1-4
> of Kathopanishad and mantra 2-4 of Kena Upanishad and
> Sri Shankara's commentary are more than enough for a genuine
> and sincere mumukshu to be an Atmavit provided it is taught
> by a Guru who has cognized/realized what he is teaching.
> A sincere mumukshu can conveniently say good bye to all the
> prakaranagranthas and the other tarkapradhanagranthas
> as he does not need them.
>
> With respectful namaskars,
> Sreenivasa Murthy.
>
>
>
>
> On Monday, 25 October, 2021, 11:53:11 am GMT+1, V Subrahmanian <
> v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Namaste
>
> In another discussion thread there was an aside discussion of whether the
> Acharya had used the term mahavakya in the popular Vedantic sense or not.
>
> Long ago, a search was made and it was found that the Aitareya Upanishad
> Bhashya 1.3.13  where the highlighted word  आचार्येणात्मज्ञानप्रबोधकृच्छब्दिकायां
> *वेदान्तमहाभेर्यां* तत्कर्णमूले ताड्यमानायाम् ,    is being read by some
> editors as '*वेदान्तमहावाक्यभेर्यां*
>
> In the Mahesh research Institute Upanishad Bhashyam Vol.3 (containing 8
> Upanishads), edited by Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal, the reading is with the
> term mahavakya...while in the Advaita sharada edition the 'vakya' word is
> not there. Mahabheri is a huge kettle drum. Here the simile is to convey
> the idea that the mahabheri is 'mahavakya bheri.'  While the Ashtekar
> edition does not have the 'vakya' term, the Swami Gambhirananda translation
> says: ...of the great sayings of the Upanishads... (great sayings =
> mahavakya) While just the vedanta maha bheri is read in some versions, some
> have the extra 'vakya' just after the word maha.
>
> Sri SSS in his translation too has not taken the vakya addition. Normally
> he gives a footnote for variations in editions but here he does not say
> anything.
>
> Just thought of sharing this as this might be interesting to many.  I was
> prompted by the search upon reading a Madhva pontiff's preface to some book
> several years ago that 'while Shankara has not used the term mahavakya
> anywhere...' Such a search resulted in this find.
>
> warm regards
> subbu
>
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