‘Pashupatas and Pancharatrikas worship the same Ishvara’ says Bhagavan Sureshvaracharya

[V Subrahmanian]

A vert informative and illuminating post by Shri Natraj Maneshinde in FB.  

According to Advaita Sampradaya,  the one and the same Parabrahman assumes various forms to bless the sincere upasakas. Says Shri Acharyapada Shankara,

स्यात्परमेश्वरस्यापीच्छावशान्मायामयं रूपं साधकानुग्रहार्थम्  (Brahma Sutra Bhashya 1.1.20)

Hence, in the Sampradaya, various upasya forms like Shiva,Vishnu,Surya,Devi etc are beheld as the same Parabrahman. Bhagavan Sureshvaracharya ji and Tikara Anandagiri Acharya ji re-iterate the same principle in their works.

 In his Brihadaranyaka bhashya vartika, Shri Sureshvaracharya ji clearly states that the Brahman, the Antaryami, though essentially devoid of forms and gunas, appears to be endowed with form. This one Ishvara is worshipped by Pancharatrikas, Pashupatas, Hairanyagarbhas and others.

अंतर्यामी परः साक्षादशरीरोगणोद्वयः ।
विलक्षणोऽतो विज्ञेयः पृथिवीदेवतात्मनः ॥३३॥

[The Antaryâmi, is the Superior, Directly available, Bodiless, A-guna (nirguna), without a second.
Therefore He is to be known as distinct from the prthvidevatà (whom he controls).]

स्वतस्त्वकरणोऽदेहो निर्गुणोऽभेद एव च ।
चिदाभासस्वमोहोत्थकार्यैस्तद्वानिवेक्ष्यते ॥३७॥

[By itself, the antaryāmi, is without any organs, bodiless, nirguna, with no difference whatever. Owing
to the delusion that one has organs, body, etc. the antaryāmi appears to be one endowed with body, etc.]

चतुर्धा प्रविभज्यैनं सात्वताः पर्युपासते ।
तथा हैरण्यगर्भीयास्तथा पाशुपतादयः ॥३८॥ ( Vartika on Brihad.Up 3.7)

[This one do the Sattvatas worship after having divided him into four parts, similarly (do the) worshipers of Hiranyagarbha and similarly, the Pasupatas and others.]

Thus, in the vision of Bhagavan Sureshvaracharya, all the upasaya forms are the varied manifestations of the same Brahman.

Commenting on the above words of  Bhagavan Vartikakara, Shri Anandagiri ji quotes verses from Paancharatra , Shaivagama and states that the said schools worship the same Antaryami per their respective principles. Acharya Anandagiri ji also states that by the word ‘adi’ in the verse of Vartika (verse 38), all the Seshvaravaadis are suggested.  Thus, from the Vartika and its tika, we can gather that per Advaita siddhanta , the upasya forms of various schools like Pancharatra, Pashupata, Soura, Shakta, Ganapatya etc , are ultimately regarded as the one Brahman only.

The image of the Vartika and it’s tika has been attached below. Based on a quick search, I could track the quoted verses ( numbered 1 and 2 in the image) to the following Agamaik texts :

1. Pancharatra Agama , Paushkara samhita : https://vishvasa.github.io/AgamaH/AryaH/hinduism/branches/vaiShNavaH/pAncharAtrAgamaH/pauShkara-saMhitA/36_adhyAyaH/
2. Raurava Agama, 10 th chapter ( on Vyoma  vyapi mantra) https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/raurava-agama-vidya-pada

Images:

Some additional images provided by another friend:  

Maharaj Aparaditya Shilahara’s tika on Yagnavalkya Smriti :

Om Tat Sat