[Advaita-l] All names and All forms in creation are of Brahman - Narada Purana

[V Subrahmanian]

In this chapter of the Narada purana the method of practicing the Krishna
mantra is given in detail.नारदपुराणम्- पूर्वार्धः/अध्यायः ८१
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/4zt


*स ब्रह्मा स शिवो विप्र स हरिः सैव देवराट् ।।स सर्वरूपः सर्वाख्यः सोऽक्षरः
परमः स्वराट् ।। ८१-१०७ ।।*

Annotating the famous Narayana Sukta of the Krishna Yajur Veda
(Mahanarayana Upanishad), the above verse says:

He is Brahma, he is Shiva, he is Hari, he alone is Indra. All forms and all
names in creation are His.

This verse in the Purana settles the heated debate where Vaishnavas resent
the word Hari along with others in the Narayana Sukta.  Their contention
is: if Hari is included along with Shiva, etc., then the Sukta would cease
to be a Vaishnava-friendly one since the Narayana there would be a Turiya
Brahman which Smartas, Advaitins alone approve of. For Advaitins there is
no issue here as it is perfectly Vedanta-friendly.  It is only for the
sectarians this is a problem.  Some of them have gone to the extent of
suspecting mischief by some while teaching the sukta to the students in
Veda Pathashalas.

In fact this line occurs in the Kaivalyopanishat too.  Commenting in the
Vishnu Sahasra Nama Bhashya for the name: Shiva (No.27) Shankara says:
निस्त्रैगुण्यतया शुद्धत्वात् शिवः , 'स ब्रह्मा स शिवः' (कैवल्य उप.8)
इत्यभेदोपदेशाच्छिवादिनामभिर्हरिरेव स्तूयते |  (Devoid of the three gunas,
sattva, etc. and hence Pure, Shiva.  Citing the Kaivalyopanishat 'sa
brahmaa, sa shivaH..'  Shankara says: here there is the teaching of abheda
(across the Trimurtis, etc.) and this is a stuti of Hari alone by the names
such as Shiva.

The exact reading in the Kaivalyopanishat is:
https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/kaivalya.html

*स ब्रह्मा स शिवः* सेन्द्रः सोऽक्षरः परमः स्वराट् ।

                                स एव विष्णुः स प्राणः स कालोऽग्निः स
चन्द्रमाः ॥ ८॥

 Shankara has cited the highlighted portion above. However, in the
Upanisad/Sukta, the reading is स ब्रह्म (not ब्रह्मा as cited by Shankara
and found in the above Kaivalya upanishat).

This also shows that for Shankara, who has even cited the Shiva Purana
verse for the name Rudra in the VSN, this a text of names of Brahman and
not a particular deity Vishnu.

Om Tat Sat.