[Advaita-l] Jeevesvara bheda censured in the Devi Bhagavata and abheda taught with upanishadic evidence

[V Subrahmanian]

In this chapter, while describing the characteristics of sattvic, tamasic
 and rajasic bhakti, Jeevesvara bheda (difference between the jiva and
Ishwara) is said to be the basis for rajasic bhakti and then abheda in
sattvic bhakti is explained.

देवीभागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः ०७/अध्यायः ३७
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/itd

नित्यं सकामो हृदयं यशोऽर्थी भोगलोलुपः ।
तत्तत्फलसमावाप्त्यै मामुपास्तेऽतिभक्तितः ॥ ६ ॥
भेदबुद्ध्या तु मां स्वस्मादन्यां जानाति पामरः ।
तस्य भक्तिः समाख्याता नगाधिप तु राजसी ॥ ७ ॥

Knowing that one is different from Ishwara is Rajasa Bhakti.

In the Bhagavad Gita, sattvic knowledge is taught as that where knowing
that all bodies are inhered by one spirit:

सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते ।
अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि सात्त्विकम् ॥ २० ॥ 18.20

The opposite is rajasic knowledge:

पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् ।
वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥ २१ ॥ 18.21

Continues the Devi  Bhagavata:

परमेशार्पणं कर्म पापसङ्क्षालनाय च ।
वेदोक्तत्वादवश्यं तत्कर्तव्यं तु मयानिशम् ॥ ८ ॥
इति निश्चितबुद्धिस्तु भेदबुद्धिमुपाश्रितः ।
करोति प्रीतये कर्म भक्तिः सा नग सत्त्विकी ॥ ९ ॥

Sattvic bhakti is characterized by: At the beginning there is Bheda buddhi
(difference between jiva and Ishwara) while performing enjoined duties,
Vihita karmas, according to Karmayoga with the spirit of offering to the
Lord.

परभक्तेः प्रापिकेयं भेदबुद्ध्यवलम्बनात् ।
पूर्वप्रोक्ते ह्युभे भक्ती न परप्रापिके मते ॥ १० ॥

This sattvic bhakti leads to paraa bhakti, supreme devotion. Rajasic and
tamasic devotions cannot give liberation characterized by  paraa bhakti.
This is because these two have at their basis the Jivesvara Bheda as
absolutely real.

सामीप्यसार्ष्टिसायुज्यसालोक्यानां न चैषणा ॥ १३ ॥

The Sattvika bhakti does not crave for the four types of mukti: saarupya,
saamiipya, saaloka and saayujya.

परानुरक्त्या मामेव चिन्तयेद्यो ह्यतन्द्रितः ।
स्वाभेदेनैव मां नित्यं जानाति न विभेदतः ॥ १५ ॥

He always worships knowing that Ishwara is not different from him.

मद्‌रूपत्वेन जीवानां चिन्तनं कुरुते तु यः ।
यथा स्वस्यात्मनि प्रीतिस्तथैव च परात्मनि ॥ १६ ॥
चैतन्यस्य समानत्वान्न भेदं कुरुते तु यः ।
सर्वत्र वर्तमानानां सर्वरूपां च सर्वदा ॥ १७ ॥

He has the vision of sameness that the Divine spirit is present in all
living beings.
This point is accepted only in Advaita. Other systems agree that there are
two spirits in the body, Jiva Chaitanya and Ishwara Chaitanya.

अनन्येनैव भावेन पूजयेद्यो नगाधिप ।
मामीश्वरीं जगद्योनिं सर्वकारणकारणम् ॥ २१ ॥

He worships that Supreme Tattva which is the cause of the universe, knowing
that it is not different from himself.

इत्थं जाता परा भक्तिर्यस्य भूधर तत्त्वतः ।
तदैव तस्य चिन्मात्रे मद्‌रूपे विलयो भवेत् ॥ २७ ॥
भक्तेस्तु या परा काष्ठा सैव ज्ञानं प्रकीर्तितम् ।

This abheda bhakti merges in the Chinmatra Tattva, the Supreme Pure
Consciousness.

This is what Shankara says in his commentary on Bhagavad Gita 18,55:

सा परा ज्ञाननिष्ठा इति उच्यते । सा इयं ज्ञाननिष्ठा आर्तादिभक्तित्रयापेक्षया
परा चतुर्थी भक्तिरिति उक्ता । तया परया भक्त्या भगवन्तं तत्त्वतः अभिजानाति,
यदनन्तरमेव ईश्वरक्षेत्रज्ञभेदबुद्धिः अशेषतः निवर्तते..

इहैव यस्य ज्ञानं स्याद्‌धृद्‌गतप्रत्यगात्मनः ॥ ३१ ॥
मम संवित्परतनोस्तस्य प्राणा व्रजन्ति न ।

Here Abheda is stated where the innermost self, the Pratyagatma Chaitanya
that shines in his heart, is none other than the Ishwara Chaitanya.

He who attains this Advaita knowledge in this world has no rebirth. His
subtle body never leaves the gross body (it dissolves in its causal
prakriti: says so the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad).

ब्रह्मैव संस्तदाप्नोति ब्रह्मैव ब्रह्म वेद यः ॥ ३२ ॥

He who knows Brahman as himself and remains as Brahman and becomes Brahman
after the death of the body.

This is an annotation of the Mundakopanishad:

स यो ह वै तत्परमं ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति 3.2.9

This mantra seamlessly applies only in Advaita. As this passage is
detrimental to other schools, its meaning must be explained by them only
with great difficulty.

कण्ठचामीकरसममज्ञानात्तु तिरोहितम् ।
ज्ञानादज्ञाननाशेन लब्धमेव हि लभ्यते ॥ ३३ ॥

An example for this is given in the Devi Bhagavata: when the chain, that
one is wearing is very much on his neck, is lost, and subsequently when it
is realized that it is still there, the feeling of 'found' is had.

When ignorance is destroyed by knowledge, nothing new is gained; (Karna did
not know that he was really Kunti's son; he always knew that he was
Radheya. When he was told he truth, nothing changed. He had the
realization: even when I thought that  I was Radheya, I was really
Kaunteya.)

This premise is accepted only in Advaita:

कण्ठगतचामीकरादौ भ्रान्तिनिवृत्तिमात्रेण प्राप्तप्राप्तिरूपतया फलत्वदर्शनात्
- Advaita siddhi

In Brahmaloka, i.e. the world of the Devi, one  attains this Advaita
knowledge:

मम लोके भवेज्ज्ञानं द्वैतभावविवर्जितम् ॥ ३५ ॥
(non-dual knowledge)

This is called kramamukti in Advaita.

Thus Abheda, non-difference, is established in the Devi Bhagavatam  by
censuring difference, Jeevesvara Bheda.

Om tat sat