[Advaita-l] Saguna Brahman of Chandogya is Shiva: Shiva puranam - Shankara Bhashya concordance

[V Subrahmanian]

From Bhagavatpada’s prashnottara ratna mālikā 🙏🏻

61. को ब्राह्मणैः उपास्यः ?
Who is to be contemplated by the Brahmanas?

गायत्रि - अर्क - अग्नि - गोचरः शंभुः ।
Siva who is seen in the Gayatri, Sun and fire.

गायत्र्यां आदित्ये च अग्नौ शंभौ च किं नु ?
What is there in the Gayatri, Sun, fire and Siva?

तत् तत्वम् ।
That is the Reality.

warm regards
subbu

On Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 1:25 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>  Shankara says in the BSB 1.2.14 that even though Brahman is nirguna, yet
> in order to help upāsana the Upanishads permit saguna attributes such as
> name and form to it in the form of 'this is its name' (Chandogya 1.6.7),
> (it has) golden beard, moustache, etc (Chandogya 1.6.6). saying this is
> saguna brahma upasana:
>
> नाम रूपमित्येवंजातीयकमप्यनामरूपस्य ब्रह्मणोऽनुचितं निर्दिश्यमानं दृश्यते — ‘तस्योदिति
> नाम’ (छा. उ. १ । ६ । ७)
> <https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Chandogya/devanagari?page=1&id=Ch_C01_S06_V07&hl=%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE>
>  ‘हिरण्यश्मश्रुः’ इत्यादि । निर्गुणमपि सद्ब्रह्म नामरूपगतैर्गुणैः
> सगुणमुपासनार्थं तत्र तत्रोपदिश्यत इत्येतदप्युक्तमेव ।
>
> The full passage of the Upanishad relevant here is:
> य एषोऽन्तरादित्ये हिरण्मयः पुरुषो दृश्यते हिरण्यश्मश्रुर्हिरण्यकेश आप्रणखात्सर्व
> एव सुवर्णः ॥ ६ ॥ [Now that golden Personality who is seen within the Sun,
> with golden beard and golden hair, and golden all through to the very
> nail-tips.-[His name is Ut-next text.]-(6)]In the Shiva Puranam we have
> these verses: शिवपुराणम्/संहिता ६ (कैलाससंहिता)/अध्यायः १९
> https://sa.wikisource.org/s/zif
>
> तं शम्भुनाथं श्रुतयो वदन्ति हि हिरण्मयम् ।।
> हिरण्यबाहव इति सर्वांगस्योपलक्षलम् ।। १५ ।।
> अन्यथा तत्पतित्वं तु न भवेदिति यत्नतः ।।
>  *य एषोन्तरिति शंभुश्छान्दोग्ये श्रूयते शिवः* ।। १६ ।।
>
> *हिरण्यश्मश्रुवांस्तद्वद्धिरण्यमयकेशवान् ।।**नखमारभ्य केशाग्रा सर्वत्रापि
> हिरण्मयः* ।।१७।।
>
> Here is a faithful and precise English translation of the verses you
> provided:
> ------------------------------
>
>
> *तं शम्भुनाथं श्रुतयो वदन्ति हि हिरण्मयम् ।। हिरण्यबाहव इति
> सर्वाङ्गस्योपलक्षणम् ।। १५ ।।*
>
> The *Śruti-s* indeed speak of that *Śambhunātha (Lord Śambhu)* as
> *Hiraṇmaya* (golden, resplendent).
> The expression *“Hiraṇyabāhavaḥ”*—“He of golden arms”—is a characteristic
> description implying that *His entire form is golden*.
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
> *अन्यथा तत्पतित्वं तु न भवेदिति यत्नतः ।। य एषोऽन्तरिति शंभुश्छान्दोग्ये
> श्रूयते शिवः ।। १६ ।।*
>
> Otherwise, His status as the *Supreme Lord* could not properly be
> established.
> The *Śambhu*, who is described as *“ya eṣo ’ntarāditye”* (“He who is
> within the heart”) in the *Chāndogya Upaniṣad*, is this very *Śiva*.
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
> *हिरण्यश्मश्रुवांस्तद्वद्धिरण्यमयकेशवान् ।। नखमारभ्य केशाग्रात् सर्वत्रापि
> हिरण्मयः ।।१७।।*
>
> He possesses *golden beard and moustache*, and *golden hair* likewise;
> From the *tips of His nails* up to the *ends of His hair*, He is entirely *of
> golden brilliance*.
>
>
> We also have the famous declaration of Shankara in the BSB: 1.1.20:
>
> स्यात्परमेश्वरस्यापि इच्छावशात् मायामयं रूपं साधकानुग्रहार्थम् ।
> (१.१.७.२०)  Brahman can take, out of will, any illusory form for the sake
> of benefiting the aspirant.
>
> The context is: The specification of attributes like golden moustache,
> lotus-eyes, etc. (in a certain Upasana in the Chandogya Upanishad) can't
> apply to the Para Brahman which is taught in terms of  ‘
> अशब्दमस्पर्शमरूपमव्ययम्’ (क. उ. १ । ३ । १५)
> <https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Kathaka/devanagari?page=1&id=Ka_C01_S03_V15&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D>
> free from sound, touch etc. In the face of such an objection, the reply is:
> even Para Brahman of such a specification can assume, out of will, any
> a-pāramarthika form to help the aspirant in upāsana.
>
>
> Thanks to Sri Gowtham Kalidas for the basic Shiva Puranam reference: Tamil
> post in FB:
>
>
> https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0CXoxr3PjzSjsbNb5mivNA4gcxsgX39rTWdRQaXkXD1ZGcFhjub7vAuChbgeDXA2Dl&id=100017609194504
>
>
> warm regards
> subbu
>
>