[Advaita-l] Hari-Hara abheda in Advaita through ages ===================

[V Subrahmanian]

1. Bhagavatpada beholds no difference between Shiva and Vishnu and regards
them as the same Parabrahman qualified by Mayopadhi.

The Sarvajna-Ishvara, with whom Himavan’s daughter is ever in union, is the
Brahman who manifested as the yaksha to bless the Devatas.

 तदा आत्मसंस्थस्य प्रत्यगात्मन ईश्वरस्य सर्वज्ञस्य सर्वक्रियाफलसंयोजयितुः
प्राणिनां सर्वशक्तेः जगतः स्थितिं चिकीर्षोः ….

तदनुकम्पया देवान्मिथ्याभिमानापनोदनेनानुगृह्णीयामिति तेभ्यः देवेभ्यः ह किल
अर्थाय प्रादुर्बभूव स्वयोगमाहात्म्यनिर्मितेनात्यद्भुतेन विस्मापनीयेन रूपेण
देवानामिन्द्रियगोचरे प्रादुर्बभूव प्रादुर्भूतवत्

उमैव हिमवतो दुहिता हैमवती नित्यमेव सर्वज्ञेनेश्वरेण सह वर्तत इति ज्ञातुं
समर्थेति कृत्वा तामुपजगाम ।

~ केन पद भाष्य

Brahman, though beyond maya, becomes qualified by his own Maya and appears
as Bhagavan Krishna.

स आदिकर्ता नारायणाख्यो विष्णुः भौमस्य ब्रह्मणो ब्राह्मणत्वस्यरक्षणार्थं
देवक्यां वसुदेवादंशेन कृष्णः किल सम्बभूव ।

स च भगवान् ज्ञानैश्वर्यशक्तिबलवीर्यतेजोभिः सदा सम्पन्नःत्रिगुणात्मिकां
स्वां मायां मूलप्रकृतिं वशीकृत्य, अजोऽव्ययोभूतानामीश्वरो
नित्यशुद्धबुद्धमुक्तस्वभावोऽपि सन् , स्वमाययादेहवानिव जात इव च लोकानुग्रहं
कुर्वन् लक्ष्यते ।

~ गीता भाष्य

In his Prapanchasara, Bhagavatpada describes both Shiva and Vishnu as the
Brahman who manifests as the Trimurtis.

नमो विरिञ्चविष्ण्वीशभेदेन परमात्मने।
सर्गसंस्थितिसंहारव्यावृत्तिव्यक्तवृत्तये।।25.55।।

~ शिव स्तुति, प्रपञ्चसार

[Pranams to the Paramatman who manifests as Brahma,Vishnu, Ishvara, and
creates, sustains and dissolves the Jagat.]

नमो विभिन्नज्ञेयांश नमः स्मृतिपथातिग।
नमस्त्रिमूर्तिभेदेन सर्गस्थित्यन्तहेतवे।।21.65।।

~ विष्णु स्तुति, प्रपञ्चसार

[Obeisance to him who is known in his various partial appearances, who is
beyond all remembrances, who manifests as the Trimurtis and is responsible
for the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the Jagat]

2. Vartikakara Bhagavan Sureshvaracharya

यः पृथिव्यामितीशोऽसावन्तर्यामी जगद्गुरुः ।
हरिर्ब्रह्मा पिनाकीति बहुधैकोऽपि गीयते ॥ ३७७ ॥

~ Bhagavan Sureshvaracharya ( Brihadaranyaka bhashya vartika 1.4)

[ He who, stationed in the pṛthvī devatā impels the mind-body-organs of
that devatā, who is the antaryāmī, jagadguru, even though one, is variously
spoken of as Hari, Brahmā and Pinākī (Śiva).]

अंतर्यामी परः साक्षादशरीरोगणोद्वयः ।
विलक्षणोऽतो विज्ञेयः पृथिवीदेवतात्मनः ॥३३॥

[The Antaryâmi, is the Superior, Directly available, Bodiless, A-guna
(nirguna), without a second.
Therefore He is to be known as distinct from the prthvidevatà (whom he
controls).]

स्वतस्त्वकरणोऽदेहो निर्गुणोऽभेद एव च ।
चिदाभासस्वमोहोत्थकार्यैस्तद्वानिवेक्ष्यते ॥३७॥

[By itself, the antaryāmi, is without any organs, bodiless, nirguna, with
no difference whatever. Owing
to the delusion that one has organs, body, etc. the antaryāmi appears to be
one endowed with body, etc.]

चतुर्धा प्रविभज्यैनं सात्वताः पर्युपासते ।
तथा हैरण्यगर्भीयास्तथा पाशुपतादयः ॥३८॥ ( Vartika on Brihad.Up 3.7)

[This one do the Sattvatas worship after having divided him into four
parts, similarly (do the) worshipers of Hiranyagarbha and similarly, the
Pasupatas and others.]

3. Kalpatarukara Shri Amalananda Saraswati ji

स्वज्योति:सुखसदभेदमात्मभूतं यन्मायाविरचितविश्वदृश्यनीडम् ।
तद् ब्रह्म प्रणतभवान्धकारभानुं वन्देऽहं हरिहरविग्रहं दधानम् ॥

~ पूज्यपाद श्री अमलानन्द सरस्वती जी, कल्पतरु

[ Obeisance to the Non-dual Brahman, which is verily the self of all, that
has projected the world-appearance out of Maya, which is the Sun that
dispels the darkness of samsara of those who worship It and which bears the
form of Hari-Hara]

4. Shri Madhusudhan Saraswati ji

Swamiji’s commentary on Shiva Mahimna stotra

भूतिभूषितदेहाय द्विजराजेन राजते |
एकात्मने नमो नित्यं हरये च हराय च ||

[Obeisance ever to Him, who is resplendent with His body adorned with
vibhūti, ashes, and is of the complexion of camphor (or having the moon on
His head), the One Atman that is both Hara and Hari.]

हररशंकरयोरभेदबोधो भविु क्षुद्रधियामपीति यत्नात् |
उभयार्थतया मयेदमुक्तं सुधियः साधुतयैव शोधयन्तु ॥ १

[With the benediction that the understanding of non-difference between Hari
and Shankara may rise even in those with a lowly intellect have I, with
effort, commented on the Shivamanhima stotra verses in dual-meaning mode
(as applying to Hari and Hara).]

5. The tattva of Hari-hara abheda is so deeply ingrained in Advaitins that
it is sung and celebrated in the nitya-patha/stotras etc of our mathas, a
fine example of which is the following:

मंगलं मुरमर्दनाय मंगलं बुधवर्धनाय ।
मंगलं त्रिपुरांतकाय मंगलं नरकान्तकाय॥
मंगलं वृषभध्वजाय मंगलं गरूडध्वजाय ।
मंगलं लक्ष्मीवराय मंगलं गंगाधराय ॥

शंकरा नारायणा शिव शंकरा नारायणा ।
शंकरा नारायणा शिव शंकरा नारायणा ॥

~ concluding lines of Shankara-Narayana geet sung in Chitrapur math, Shirali