[Advaita-l] Meditation on the Nirguna Brahman results in Parama Ananda

[Govindan V]

Sir,
With reference to the following quote -

निर्गुणे ब्रह्मणि मयि धारयन्विशदं मनः।
परमानन्दमाप्नोति यत्र कामोऽवसीयते १७।

One who fixes his pure mind on Me in My manifestation as the *impersonal
Brahman* obtains the greatest happiness, wherein all his desires are
completely fulfilled.

IMHO, nirguNa and manifestation are contradiction in terms. In my opinion,
nirguNE should be translated as 'beyond the three guNas'. It seems to mean
ISvara who is beyond the operation of mAyA - consisting of three guNas.

With regards,
V Govindan

On Mon, 11 Nov 2024, 17:00 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> In the Srimadbhagavatam Lord Krishna gives a detailed account of the
> various powers, siddhi-s, that a person focussing on one or the other
> aspect of the Lord, Brahman.  There the Lord says:
>
> श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः ११/अध्यायः १५
> https://sa.wikisource.org/s/ikh
>
>
> निर्गुणे ब्रह्मणि मयि धारयन्विशदं मनः।
> परमानन्दमाप्नोति यत्र कामोऽवसीयते १७।
>
> One who fixes his pure mind on Me in My manifestation as the *impersonal
> Brahman* obtains the greatest happiness, wherein all his desires are
> completely fulfilled.
>
> Vamshidhara in the commentary says: nirguna brahman = nirvishesha brahman
> (attributeless).
>
> The Taittiriya Upanishad says:
>
> ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । तदेषाभ्युक्ता । सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म । यो वेद
> निहितं गुहायां परमे व्योमन् । सोऽश्नुते सर्वान् कामान् सह । ब्रह्मणा
> विपश्चितेति ।
>
> The knower of Brahman, the Jnanin, attains to the Supreme.  He experiences
> all the joys in one go and not in bits and pieces like samsarin-s
> experience.  There is the Brihadaranyaka 4.3.32 passage:
>
>
> सलिल एको द्रष्टाद्वैतो भवत्येष ब्रह्मलोकः सम्राडिति हैनमनुशशास याज्ञवल्क्य
> एषास्य परमा गतिरेषास्य परमा सम्पदेषोऽस्य परमो लोक एषोऽस्य परम आनन्द
> *एतस्यैवानन्दस्यान्यानि
> भूतानि **मात्रामुपजीवन्ति ॥ ३२ ॥*
>
>  "In deep sleep it becomes transparent like water, the witness,  one and
> without a second. This is the World of Brahman, Your  Majesty. This is its
> supreme attainment, this is its supreme  glory, this it its highest world,
> this is its supreme bliss. *On a particle of this bliss other creatures
> live."  *Thus did Yajnavalkya teach Janaka.
>
> This Ananda is realized to be his true nature by the one who meditates on
> the Nirguna Brahman.
>
> Here are some instances of the term Nirguna and its purport in the
> Bhagavatam:
>
>
> https://guruandnamakirtan.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/one-who-takes-refuge-in-me-and-remains-egoless-is-verily-nirgunam-the-shraddha-in-worshipping-me-is-verily-nirgunam-the-food-that-is-of/
>
> हरिर् हि निर्गुणः साक्षात् पुरुषः प्रकृतेः परः (*Srimad Bhagavatam
> 10:88:5)*
>
> स सर्व-दृग् उपद्रष्टा तं भजन् निर्गुणो भवेत् (*Srimad Bhagavatam 10:88:5)*
>
> मां भजन्ति गुणाः सर्वे निर्गुणं निरपेक्षकम् (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:13:40)*
>
> निर्गुणे ब्रह्मणि मयि धारयन् विशदं मनः(*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:15:17)*
>
> यान्ति माम् एव निर्गुणाः (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:22)*
>
> मन्-निष्ठं निर्गुणं स्मृतम् (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:24)*
>
> मन्-निकेतं तु निर्गुणम् (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:25)*
>
> निर्गुणो मद्-अपाश्रयः(*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:26)*
>
> मत्-सेवायां तु निर्गुणा (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:27)*
>
> चशब्दान्मन्नीवेदितं निर्गुणमित्यभिप्रेतम् (*Sridhara Swami’s Bhavaratha
> Deepika 11:25:28)*
>
> निर्गुणं मद्-अपाश्रयम् (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:29)*
>
> गुण-सङ्गं विनिर्धूय मां भजन्तु विचक्षणाः (*Srimad Bhagavatam 11:25:33)*
>
> निःसङ्गो मां भजेद् विद्वान् अप्रमत्तो जितेन्द्रियः (*Srimad Bhagavatam
> 11:25:34)*
>
>
> *Om Tat Sat*
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