[Advaita-l] The Most Important Advaita Premise stated by Bhagavan Varshaganya, a very Ancient Yoga Shastra Acharya

[V Subrahmanian]

The Most Important Advaita Premise stated by Bhagavan Varshaganya, a very
Ancient Yoga Shastra Acharya
This is a rare fact that Sri Vachaspati Mishra mentions in Bhamati which is
a commentary on Shankaracharya's Brahmasutra Bhasya:
एतेन योगः प्रत्युक्तः । 2.1.2.3
न चैतानि प्रधानादिसद्भावपराणि । किन्तु
योगस्वरूपतत्साधनतदवान्तरफलविभूतितत्परमफलकैवल्यव्युत्पादनपराणि ।
न तु तद्विवक्षितम् ।
अत एव योगशास्त्रं व्युत्पादयिताह स्म भगवान् वार्षगण्यः
“गुणानां परमं रूपं न दृष्टिपथमृच्छति ।
यत्तु दृष्टिपथप्राप्तं तन्मायैव सुतुच्छकम् ॥' इति ।
योगं व्युत्पिपादयिषता निमित्तमात्रेणेह गुणा उक्ताः, न तु भावतः,
तेषामतात्त्विकत्वादित्यर्थः ।
Meaning: The purpose of the Yoga Shastra is not to convey principles like
the pradhana. The main goal of the Yoga Shastra is to explain the nature of
Yoga and the method to achieve it, and to explain the attainments of
siddhis that can be obtained from it and Kaivalya (liberation). The Yoga
Shastra uses the framework of the Samkhya doctrine to say this. So its
purport is not in Pradhana etc. The Guna-s (sattva, rajas and tamas) are
not absolutely real. That is why Bhagawan Varshaganya in his exposition f
the Yoga Shastra said:
The Atman, which is the substratum of the three Gunas, is not subject to
experience. That is, the Atman cannot be objectified. Whatever is
objectified is only a product of Maya; it has no real existence at all.
The message contained in this very ancient verse, which so clearly unfolds
the premise of Vedanta, is based on many statements of the Upanishads. Here
are just a few as examples:
'नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ४ । १९)
“एकमेवाद्वितीयम्” (छा. उ. ६ । २ । १)
‘सदेवेदं सर्वम्’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । ७) ‘ब्रह्मैवेदं सर्वम्’ ‘आत्मैवेदं सर्वम्’
(छा. उ. ७ । २५ । २)‘
न तु तद्द्वितीयमस्ति ततोऽन्यद्विभक्तं यत्पश्येत् ॥ २३ ॥ बृ.उप. 4.3.23
यद्वाचानभ्युदितं येन वागभ्युद्यते । तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं
यदिदमुपासते ॥ ५ ॥ के.उप.
यन्मनसा न मनुते येनाहुर्मनो मतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ६ ॥
यच्चक्षुषा न पश्यति येन चक्षूंषि पश्यति ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ७ ॥
यच्छ्रोत्रेण न शृणोति येन श्रोत्रमिदं श्रुतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ८ ॥
यत्प्राणेन न प्राणिति येन प्राणः प्रणीयते ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ९ ॥
All the above statements proclaim that Brahman alone exists, the world is
naught and Brahman can't be objectified. The objectified world has no
existence.
Shankaracharya says in Bhagavad Gita Bhashya: 2.16
न हि शीतोष्णादि सकारणं प्रमाणैर्निरूप्यमाणं वस्तुसद्भवति । विकारो हि सः,
विकारश्च व्यभिचरति । यथा घटादिसंस्थानं चक्षुषा निरूप्यमाणं
मृद्व्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेरसत् , तथा सर्वो विकारः कारणव्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेरसन् ।
[What is perceived by the senses cannot be real. Because they are
transformations/effect of some or the other cause. (The Chandogya Upanishad
tells us that an effect is not real but upadana, the material cause, alone
is real).]
Thus, it is significant that Vedanta is accepted as Advaita alone in other
ancient non-Vedantic schools as well.

https://www.hindu-blog.com/2022/09/varshaganya.html

Om