[Advaita-l] Jiva and jagat non-diff from Brahman - Bhagavatam

[Raja Krishnamurti]

Thank you.


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On Monday, July 28, 2025, 9:14 AM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

In this verse the Bhagavatam says: श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः २/अध्यायः ५

https://sa.wikisource.org/s/e2t


द्रव्यं कर्म च कालश्च स्वभावो जीव एव च ।
वासुदेवात्परो ब्रह्मन् न चान्योऽर्थोऽस्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ १४ ॥

One should definitely know that all material ingredients, activities, time
and modes, and the living entities who are meant to enjoy them all, are non
different from Vāsudeva, Brahman. They have no existence apart from
Brahman, their material and intelligent cause.

Sridhar Swamin says:

 तदेवं स्वस्मादन्यं परमेश्वरं निरूप्येदानीं यदधिष्ठान- मित्यादिनवप्रश्नानां
स एवाधिष्ठानादिकं सर्वमित्युत्तरं वक्तुं तद्वयतिरेकेणान्यस्यासत्त्वमाह ।
द्रव्यमिति । द्रव्यं महाभूतान्युपादान- रूपाणि कर्म जन्मनिमित्तं
कालस्तत्क्षोभकः स्वभावस्तत्परिणामहेतुः *जीवो भोक्ता
वासुदेवात्परोऽधिकोऽन्योऽर्थो नास्ति कारणाव्यतिरेकात्कार्यस्य ॥ १४ ॥ *


*Translation:*

*"Thus, having established that there is no Supreme Lord other than
Himself, the text now begins to answer the nine questions beginning with
'What is the substratum (adhishthāna)?' by stating that all
these—substratum and so on—are indeed He alone. To assert that nothing
exists apart from Him, it says: 'Dravyam (Substance)'."*

This passage is a philosophical exposition—most likely from a Vedantic or
Bhakti context—stating that all things, including material elements, time,
action, and even the individual soul, ultimately rest in and are not
separate from *Vāsudeva (a name of Lord Krishna or the Supreme Being)*. It
emphasizes *non-duality. The reason: non-difference of the effect from the
Cause. *

*We can appreciate that the Brahma sutra too endorses this: 2.1.14: *
तदनन्यत्वमारम्भणशब्दादिभ्यः.  The Chandogya Upanishad statement: ‘वाचारम्भणं
विकारो नामधेयं मृत्तिकेत्येव सत्यम्’ (छा. उ. ६ । १ । ४) is the basis for
this sutra. The Tattvamasi teaching too states this non-difference between
the cause and effect:  स य एषोऽणि*मैतदात्म्यमिदꣳ सर्वं* तत्सत्यꣳ स आत्मा
तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो

The component ऐतदात्म्यमिदꣳ सर्वं is the crucial one: All this world that
is experienced, including the body mind complex of the jivas, is none other
than Brahman, the material cause.


*Om Tat Sat  *
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