[Advaita-l] Ishwara though formless, takes a sākāra form for the benefit of all - Agasthya Samhitā

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Dear Subbuji
I remember you mentioning that even these divine forms of īśvara are
pāñcabhautika according to (certain acāryas of) vedānta. There was some
debate on this no doubt.

Along such lines - The śarīra-s are pārthiva in bhūloka and vāyavīya and
ākāsīya in successively higher lokas like tapo loka and satya loka - this
is as per brahma sutra.

Śrī Appayya Dīkṣitendra places vaikunṭha and kailāśa as aspects of satya
loka.

Taking all of the above into account, it implies,  īśvara by his māyā
śakti, in order to bless devotees, takes on pārthiva and (more subtle)
ākāśīya śarīras, (respectively) in bhūloka (avatāras like śrī rāma) and
satya loka (forms like śrī mahāviṣṇu, maheśvara etc).

Om
Raghav



On Fri, 10 Oct 2025 at 11:54 AM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, Oct 10, 2025 at 7:22 AM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear Subbu ji
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 9 Oct 2025 at 4:35 PM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
>> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>
>> > In the Agastya Samhita, we hear:
>> >
>> > ईश्वर उवाच
>> >
>> > शृणुष्वावहिता देवि यदेतत्प्रतिपाद्यते ।
>> >
>> > सर्वेश्वरः सर्वमयः सर्वभूतहिते रतः ।।२।।
>> >
>> > सर्वेषामुपकाराय साकारोऽभून्निराकृतिः।
>> >
>> > स भक्तवत्सलो लोके संसारीव व्यचेष्टत । भक्तानुकम्पया देवो दुःखं
>> > सुखमिवान्वभूत ॥ यदा यदा च भक्तानां भयमुत्पद्यते तदा । तत्तद्भयविघाताय
>> > तत्तद्रूपो व्यजायत ॥ — अगस्त्य संहिता ३.३,४,५
>>
>>
>> This experience of sukha and duḥkha (Iva - as though) seems to apply to
>> avatāras rather than the Bhagavān Viṣṇu etc? Or do we say that even
>> brahmāji experienced fear as per bṛhadāranyaka - so experience of duḥkha
>> (as though, no doubt) applies equally to avatāras as well as the more
>> longer lasting forms like Śrī Mahāviṣṇnu?
>>
>> Can we in that case say that the forms of Śrī Rāma and Śrī Mahāviṣṇu are
>> both quite similar sākāra manifestations with only the bhūloka and Satya
>> loka being their different places for their līla ?
>>
>
> Dear Raghav ji,
>
> Yes, the experience of fear, anxiety, etc. is seen to be there for
> Mahavishnu and the avataras as well.  In the case of the former we have the
> examples of Draupadi, Gajendra, etc. calling out to Bhagavan and his
> responding to them.  It is said that Krishna, in the battle with Jarasandha
> had to run away several times, may not be due to fear but for other
> strategic reasons. Sri Rama laments in the Valmiki Ramayana:  Upon the
> abduction of Seetha, Rama weeps addressing Lakshmana: There can't be a
> greater sinner than me that I am undergoing misery after misery..
>
> One can come up with many such incidents.
>
> Logically too, it can be said that even the form of Ksheerabdhi shaayee
> Vishnu is a manifestation and not the default form.  There can't be a
> default form for the Brahma Tattvam. The Tattvam is nishkriyam, nirgunam,
> niraakaaram.  Only Advaita would agree with this.
>
> warm regards
> subbu
>
>>
>> Om
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > हे देवि! मैं जो कह रहा हूँ उसे ध्यानपूर्वक सुनो। निराकार प्रभु जो सबके
>> > ईश्वर हैं, सभी रूपों में हैं तथा सभी प्राणियों की भलाई में लगे रहते हैं,
>> > सबके उपकार के लिए आकार ग्रहण कर अवतार लेते हैं।
>> >
>> > ~ अगस्त्यसंहिता अध्याय ३
>> >
>> > Ishwara though formless, takes a sākara form for the benefit of all. The
>> > same idea of Shankara bhāshya:
>> >
>> >  स्यात्परमेश्वरस्यापि इच्छावशात् मायामयं रूपं साधकानुग्रहार्थम् ।
>>
>> Always good to read this …. I think it’s your favourite quotation :)
>>
>> Om
>> Raghav
>>
>>
>> >
>> >  stated in Agastya samhitā.
>> >
>> > warm regards
>> > subbu
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