[Advaita-l] Vāśūdeva in Kāśmīr Śaīva Dhārma

[V Subrahmanian]

A very insightful post:

https://www.facebook.com/100090600606360/posts/132356169794403/?mibextid=n63VFb68BARFQwy0

[Vāśūdeva in Kāśmīr Śaīva Dhārma]

Just like Śrīkantha Śivāchārya Śrīmad Avhīnavagūpta too Vāśūdeva is not a
jeevātma but īśvara, he's in īśvara kotī along with Ūmā devī, whose Śivā's
śhaktī and whose soul is one with Śīva.

One example
क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा
शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति ।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि
न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति नवमोऽध्याये ॥[नवमोऽध्याये]

श्रीमहामहेश्वराचार्यवर्य अभिनवगुप्तपाद in his श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतार्थसंग्रह
explains this as thus,
प्रतिजाने इति ; — युक्तियुक्तोऽयमर्थो भगवत्प्रतिज्ञातत्वात्सुष्ठुतमां दृढो
भवति॥[इति  श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतार्थसंग्रहे ], here he mentions the pratīgya to
be provided by lord himself who's Vāśūdeva. Before ending his Gītārtha
Śañgrha he mentions Krīśña to be the lord whose soul is undoubtedly one
with Śīva
एवं भगवदर्जुनसंवादमात्रस्मरणादेव
तत्त्वावाप्त्या श्रीविजयविभूतय इति शिवम् ॥
In the 12th chapter's Śañgrha Śloka too this fact is cleared by him only as
he says

भङ्क्त्वा ज्ञानविमोहमन्थरमयीं सत्त्वादिभिन्नां धियं
प्राप्य स्वात्मविभूतसुन्दरतया विष्णुं विकल्पातिगम् ।
यक्तिंचित्स्वरसोद्यदिन्द्रियनिजव्यापारमात्रस्थिते -
र्हेलात: कुरुते तदस्य सकलं संपद्यते शङ्करम् ॥
[श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतार्थसंग्रहे ऽष्टादशोऽध्याये संग्रहश्लोकः]

The translation is :-
He who has got himself rid of(भङ्क्त्वा) three gunas , which are of the
nature of knowledge , confusion and inertia
(ज्ञानविमोहमन्थरमयीं) and has attained Śrī Vāśūdeva or Śrīmañ Nārāyana
who's beyond thought(विष्णुं विकल्पातिगम्) via the realizing his self,
which is blissful in nature
(प्राप्य स्वात्मविभूतसुन्दरतया), whichever act might be performed by a
yogin will be performed effortlessly as he will only perform those acts
which will arise on their own(through Bhāgvat Īccha)(यक्तिंचित्स्व
रसोद्यदिन्द्रियनिजव्यापारमात्रस्थिते). To such a yogin Sivā is
everything(र्हेलात: कुरुते तदस्य सकलं संपद्यते शङ्करम्).

Hence here also Viśnu is Śivā's śhaktī like Ūmā devi and hence his soul is
one with Śīva. Hene he's in īśvara koti(ईश्वर कोटि)