[Advaita-l] A fine analogy for Ishwara and Jiva srishti in the Bhagavatam

[V Subrahmanian]

In this verse, Krishna is described as viewed upon by different persons
variously, driven by their svabhava/samskara/vasana:

Bhagavatam 10.37.17

मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवरः
     स्त्रीणां स्मरो मूर्तिमान् ।
 गोपानां स्वजनोऽसतां क्षितिभुजां
     शास्ता स्वपित्रोः शिशुः ।
 मृत्युर्भोजपतेर्विराडविदुषां
     तत्त्वं परं योगिनां ।
 वृष्णीनां परदेवतेति विदितो
     रङ्‌गं गतः साग्रजः ॥ १७ ॥
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/43/17/

The various groups of people in the arena (of Kamsa) regarded Kṛishna in
different ways when He entered it with His elder brother. The wrestlers saw
Kṛṣṇa as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathurā as the best of males, the
women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious
rulers as a chastiser, His parents as their child, the King of the Bhojas
(Kamsa) as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form,
the yogīs as the Absolute Truth and the Vṛṣhṇis as their supreme Deity
worthy of worship.

We have the concept of 'Ishwara srishti and Jiva srishti' in the
Panchadashi, well explained. There Swami Vidyaranya gives a few analogies
and one is:

Chapter 4. Dvaita viveka:

भार्या स्नुषा ननान्दा च याता मातेत्यनेकधा ।
प्रतियोगिधिया योषिद्भिद्यते न स्वरूपतः ॥ २२॥

ननु ज्ञानानि भिद्यन्तामाकारस्तु न भिद्यते ।
योषिद्वपुष्यतिशयो न दृष्टो जीवनिर्मितः ॥ २३॥

मैवं मांसमयी योषित्काचिदन्या मनोमयी ।
मांसमय्या अभेदेऽपि भिद्यतेऽत्र मनोमयी ॥ २४॥


23. Through personal relationships, one and the same woman appears
differently as a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a cousin and a
mother; but she herself remains unchanged.

24. (Objection): These different relationships may be seen, but no changes
in the woman's appearance are seen to result from other people's ideas
about her.

25. (Reply): Not so. The woman has a subtle body as well as a physical body
composed of flesh etc. Although other people's ideas about her may not
affect her physical body, yet they can change her mental state (which finds
expression in her different dispositions to those various people).

The message of the Panchadashi is:  While Ishwara srishti does not cause
the perpetuation of samsara, the jiva srishti, however, does this.

In the Bhagavata verse we have a fine analogy for the concept that while
Ishwara srishti, the person that is Krishna, is one, the jiva srishti done
by various individuals who behold him is multi-fold.  The multiplicity is
only in the eyes of the observers and not in the observed. The Absolute is
only one while the relative is manifold.

Om Tat sat