[Advaita-l] Concept of Īśvara according to Sureśvarāchārya
V Subrahmanian
v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Sat Mar 18 13:46:16 EDT 2023
In the 10th Canto of the Bhagavatam we have an interesting verse that is
very revealing in the context of our discussion:
श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः १०/पूर्वार्धः/अध्यायः १४
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/twj
अजानतां त्वत्पदवीमनात्मन्
यात्माऽऽत्मना भासि वितत्य मायाम् ।
सृष्टाविवाहं जगतो विधान
इव त्वमेषोऽन्त इव त्रिनेत्रः ॥ १९ ॥
This is a stuti of Brahma addressed to the cowherd boy Krishna:
To persons ignorant of Your actual transcendental position, You appear as
part of the material world, manifesting Yourself by the expansion of Your
inconceivable energy. *Thus for the creation of the universe You appear as
me [Brahmā], for its maintenance You appear as Yourself [Viṣṇu], and for
its annihilation You appear as Lord Trinetra [Śiva].*
So, the Trimurti-s are really Brahman alone appearing as the performers of
these specific functions. But in truth all this is not there at all;
Brahman is Pure Consciousness. The starting words of the verse: for those
who are ignorant of Your true nature... is significant.
On another note, I found a 'strange' passage in the Niralambopanishat where
the famous 'brahma satyam jaganmithya' occurs:
https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/niralamba.html
मूढ इति च कर्तृत्वाद्यहङ्कारभावारूढो मूढः ।
आसुरमिति च ब्रह्मविष्ण्वीशानेन्द्रादीना-
मैश्वर्यकामनया निरशनजपाग्निहोत्रादि-
ष्वन्तरात्मानं सन्तापयति चात्युग्रराग-
द्वेषविहिंसा दम्भाद्यपेक्षितं तप आसुरम् ।
Demoniac is the austerity, rooted in entrenched attachment, aversion,
destructive violence, hypocrisy, etc.; that torments oneself by performing
‘repetition of holy names’ and Agnihotra while fasting and that is prompted
by the *desire to secure the power of gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and
Isana.*
Does the Upanishad says that the Trimurti-s are positions? Someone may
please refer the Upanishad Brahma Yogin commentary and throws some light on
this.
warm regards
subbu
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