Brahma jnana dispels dvaita bhrama - Bhagavatam

[V Subrahmanian]

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः १/अध्यायः १५
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/e2b

विशोको ब्रह्मसम्पत्त्या संछिन्नद्वैतसंशयः ।
लीनप्रकृतिनैर्गुण्यादलिंगत्वादसम्भवः ॥३१॥

  "Free from sorrow through the attainment of Brahman, with doubts (delusion of) about duality cut away, Absorbed in the quality-less state of nature, Formless and thus beyond birth."  

Sridhara Swamin's commentary:

 ज्ञानफलमाह विशोक इति । एतदेव शोकहेत्वभावेनोपपादयति शोकस्य हि हेतु:  द्वैतभ्रमस्तस्य देहस्तस्य लिंगं तस्य गुणास्तेषामविद्या । तत्र ब्रह्मसंपत्स्या वेदान्तश्रवणेन ब्रह्माहमिति ज्ञानेन लीना प्रकृतिरविद्या यस्मिंस्तन्नैर्गुण्यं भवति, न तु सुषुप्तिप्रलययोरिवाविद्याशेषः । तस्मान्नैर्गुण्याद् गुणकार्यलिंगनाशः । अलिंगत्वाच्चासंभवः सम्यग्भोगाय भवति पुनः पुनरिति संभवः स्थूलदेहस्तद्रहितस्ततश्च तत्परिच्छेदाभावात्संच्छिन्नो द्वैवलक्षणः संशयो भ्रमो यस्य स विशोको जात इति ।। ३१ ।। * 

अभिधानरत्नमाला This dictionary/lexicon gives the meaning 'bhrama' for 'shanka'.

शङ्का

शङ्का, वितर्क, सन्देह, संशय, आरेक, विभ्रम, विचिकित्सा, विकल्प, भ्रान्ति

शङ्का वितर्कः सन्देहः संशयारेकविभ्रमाः ।

विचिकित्सा विकल्पश्च भ्रान्तिरेकार्थवाचकाः ॥ ६९१ ॥

verse 4.1.1.691

page 0080

Bhishma's Advaitic realization

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, 1st Canto, Chapter 9, Bhishma, in his last moments, does a stuti of Sri Krishna and finally says:

तमिममहमजं शरीरभाजां

हृदि हृदि धिष्ठितमात्मकल्पितानाम् ।

प्रतिद‍ृशमिव  नैकधार्कमेकं

समधिगतोऽस्मि विधूतभेदमोह: ॥ ४२ ॥

I have realized that Supreme who is present in each and every manas of the beings which Brahman has created. It is akin to one sun appearing as many in the various reflecting bodies. So too One Atman alone exists and the perception of apparent multiplicity is due to delusion, from which I am now free.

The delusion, 'bheda moha', is stated in the Vishnu Purana too:

सर्वभूतान्यभेदेन ददृशे स तदात्मनः ।

यथा ब्रह्मपरो मुक्तिमवाप परमां द्विजः ॥ २,१६.२० ॥

तथा त्वमपि धर्मज्ञ तुल्यात्मरिपुबान्धवः ।

भव सर्गगतं जानन्नात्मानमवनीपते ॥ २,१६.२१ ॥

सितनीलादिभेदेन यथैकं दृश्यते नभः ।

भ्रान्तदृष्टिभिरात्मापि तथैकः सन्पृथक्पृथक् ॥ २,१६.२२ ॥

एकः समस्तं यदिहास्ति किञ्चित्तदच्युतो नास्ति परं ततोन्यत् ।

सोऽहं स च त्वं च सर्वमेतदात्मस्वरूपं त्यज भेदमोहम् ॥ २,१६.२३ ॥

'Just as that Brahmana attained liberation owing to his perceiving everything as non-different from the Self, thereby tuned to Brahman, you too, O King, knower of Dharma, looking upon yourself, enemies and relatives as the same, knowing the One Atman to be present in all. The wrong perception of many Atmans is due to delusion, as exemplified in the space/sky appearing as many owing to the erroneous perception of colours such as white, black, etc. even though space is one only without any colours. Whatever exists is only that Supreme Achyuta and nothing else other than That exists. All perception of duality as 'I am that, you are that, he is' etc. are all due to  ignorance which you give up. 

We may recall the Bhashya of Shankaracharya to the Bh.Gita 2.12 where he says:  The plural used in the verse to refer to the various entities in the battle is due to the plurality in the bodies and not due to the plurality of Atman.  We find validation of Shankara's remark in the Bhagavatam and the Vishnu Puranam cited above.

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।

न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥ १२ ॥ 2.12.

न तु एव जातु कदाचित् अहं नासम् , किं तु आसमेव । अतीतेषु देहोत्पत्तिविनाशेषु घटादिषु वियदिव नित्य एव अहमासमित्यभिप्रायः । तथा न त्वं न आसीः, किं तु आसीरेव । तथा न इमे जनाधिपाः न आसन् , किं तु आसन्नेव । तथा न च एव न भविष्यामः, किं तु भविष्याम एव, सर्वे वयम् अतः अस्मात् देहविनाशात् परम् उत्तरकाले अपि । त्रिष्वपि कालेषु नित्या आत्मस्वरूपेण इत्यर्थः । देहभेदानुवृत्त्या बहुवचनम् , नात्मभेदाभिप्रायेण ॥ १२ ॥

The Advaitic realization of Prahlada in the Vishnu Puranam:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/e-am-pralhada-advaita-grp-english-.pdf

Om Tat Sat

[putran M]

Namaskaram Subbu-,ji and others,

These examples of jnani's vision seem agreeable to all advaitins. However, they seem to accept bheda-pratyaksha (of an infinity of namarupa identifiers of Brahman) and distinguish that from bheda-moha (of multiplicity of atmas). It is the one Atman identified variously in the context of upadhis.

So, we realize the unitary Atman, Achyuta, who still appears in/as a duality of namarupas. A duality of bodies is admitted, however it is the non-dual Atman that is the Self of them all. So, namarupa is not asat and Atman is Sat. 

But is it left open-ended whether or not the namarupa bheda is inherent attribute/aspect of the eka Atman (and therefore namarupa-bheda or its 'creation' is satya of Brahman, "even though" Brahman alone exists), or is the stated realization of Bhishma and Prahlada also implying the mithyatva of namarupa-jagat and absolute nonduality of Turiya/paramarthika? If so, how do we infer this from their words here?

thollmelukaalkizhu 

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[V Subrahmanian]

On Sat, Oct 12, 2024 at 2:34 PM putran M <putr...@gmail.com> wrote:

Namaskaram Subbu-,ji and others,

These examples of jnani's vision seem agreeable to all advaitins. However, they seem to accept bheda-pratyaksha (of an infinity of namarupa identifiers of Brahman) and distinguish that from bheda-moha (of multiplicity of atmas). It is the one Atman identified variously in the context of upadhis.

So, we realize the unitary Atman, Achyuta, who still appears in/as a duality of namarupas. A duality of bodies is admitted, however it is the non-dual Atman that is the Self of them all. So, namarupa is not asat and Atman is Sat. 

But is it left open-ended whether or not the namarupa bheda is inherent attribute/aspect of the eka Atman (and therefore namarupa-bheda or its 'creation' is satya of Brahman, "even though" Brahman alone exists), or is the stated realization of Bhishma and Prahlada also implying the mithyatva of namarupa-jagat and absolute nonduality of Turiya/paramarthika? If so, how do we infer this from their words here?

Dear Putran ji,

A very nice vichara indeed that you have raised.  From the Bhagavatam verse cited, it is clear that the nama/rupa multiplicity which is what makes one think that there are also multiple Atmans, is also stated to be mithya, in this verse implicitly.  Sridhara Swamin in the commentary brings out the message of the verse.  Krishna uses the terms leena prakriti (prakriti/avidya/maya has subsided) and nairguNyaat = as a consequence the Jnani is free from gunas.  As a result, Krishna says, there is no linga:  Sridhara Swamy says linga is an indicator that is the body mind complex.  This also ceases and hence there is cessation of samsara. 

From this it is clear that even the nama rupa (of bodies) is also mithya.  Hence there is no situation like: There are not many Atmans but there are many nama rupas. 

In the Bh.Gita 13th chapter too this is made clear.  The Kshetram, Prakriti and its evolutes, all insentient and Kshetrajna the Consciousness are the two categories.  After teaching the method of discriminating between these two, the chapter ends by declaring that the prakriti, kshetram, is to be known as non-existent.

Bhishma says: एकः समस्तं यदिहास्ति किञ्चित्तदच्युतो नास्ति परं ततोन्यत् ।  One that is All is what exists and that is Achyuta and there is naught other than Him

This shows that Bhishma knew that everything other than the Atman is unreal.  (The same VP says about the advaitic experience of Prahlada)

The Bhagavatam elsewhere has said: sarvam aindriyakam mRshaa: All that is grasped / validated by the sense organs/mind, is unreal. 

So, the Advaitic idea of the unreality of nama rupas along with the body, is unreal.

The Bhagavatam has also given the rope snake analogy for the world saying that the world collapses into Brahman just like the snake collapses in the rope when the right knowledge arises.

This shows that the nama rupa is not real and the multiplicity of Atmans is also not real.

warm regards

subbu 

thollmelukaalkizhu 

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[suresh srinivasamurthy]

Namaste Subbu-ji,

The bhAshya vAkya - देहभेदानुवृत्त्या बहुवचनम् , नात्मभेदाभिप्रायेण is actually not denying the plurality of the bodies. So, could this be taken as the ikya / advaitatva of the antaryAmi Atman that is indwelling in all the many bodies? 

I agree that Atman by itself is nirguna/nirAkAra, but as an entity that is indwelling and sustaining all name/forms it is the sole supporter and sustainer of dvaita/dharma also. 

Look forward to your clarification

Namaste,
Suresh

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From: adva...@googlegroups.com <adva...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of V Subrahmanian <v.subra...@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 12, 2024 11:08 AM
To: adva...@googlegroups.com <adva...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [advaitin] Brahma jnana dispels dvaita bhrama - Bhagavatam

 

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[V Subrahmanian]

Dear Suresh ji,

Namaste.

That passage देहभेदानुवृत्त्या बहुवचनम् , नात्मभेदाभिप्रायेण accepts the plurality in the vyavaharika state and not in the paramarthika.  As clarified by BGB 2.16, in the same chapter, everything other than Sat, Brahman, is mithyaa. So, Antaryamin's aikya in all bodies is indeed admitted, but the final teaching is that the Antaryamin, Brahman, alone is real. The bodies that appear to divide the Antaryamin into many, are upadhis, that are unreal. Therefore jIvabhEda is unreal, leading to Atma Ekatva.

warm regards

subbu 

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