'Iśwara / Parameśwara' epithet for Brahman in the Gita non-different

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Bhagavadgita there are many instances of the term 'īśwara / Īśa / Parameśwara' for Brahman. There is no difference between the two terms:

समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र
समवस्थितमीश्वरम् ।  13.28

तस्मात्प्रणम्य प्रणिधाय कायं
प्रसादये त्वामहमीशमीड्यम् ।   11.44

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा
भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् । 4.6

उत्तमः पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मेत्युदाहृतः ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वरः ॥ १७ ॥ 15.17

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।  15.61

एवमेतद्यथात्थ त्वमात्मानं परमेश्वर ।  11.3

समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् ।
विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ २७  13.27

The prefix 'parama' in 'Parameśwara' in 13.27 is commented by Shankara as:  परमेश्वरं देहेन्द्रियमनोबुद्ध्यव्यक्तात्मनः अपेक्ष्य परमेश्वरः Shankara takes this word Parameśwra to mean the Consciousness that is the Atman that is distinct from the body-mind-avidya complex. Incidentally Shankara is accepting three sharira-s: sthula, sukshma and avyakta - kāraṇa. For Shankara this term Parameśwara does not mean Krishna but the Atma chaitanya that is non-different from Nirguna Brahman.  One can also note that the Gita itself is not making absolutely any difference between Ishwara and Parameshwara:

समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र
समवस्थितमीश्वरम् ।  13.28

In the consecutive verses 13.27 and 13.28 the words Parameshwara and Ishwara and  are used to convey the same Atma Chaitanyam that is present in every body in the creation.  

Om Tat Sat

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Namaste Subbu ji.

Actually, both the words, Ishwara and Brahman, have vAchya-artha as SaguNa Brahman (MAyA-vishishTa-chaitanya) and lakshya-artha as NirguNa Brahman (Shuddha chaitanya).

However, as per usage in ShAstra, the word "Ishwara" is used to refer to vAchya-artha and very seldom to lakshya-artha.

On the contrary, the word "Brahman" is used to refer to lakshya-artha and very seldom to vAchya-artha.

This is explained in Vichara Sagara, page 105. https://archive.org/details/vicharasagarasanskritvasudevabrahmendrasaraswati1964_202004_136_c/page/n207/mode/1up

इत्थं मायाविशिष्टचैतन्यमेव ब्रह्मशब्दस्य वाच्यार्थ इति युक्तमेवोक्तम् । शुद्धचैतन्यं तु ब्रह्मशब्दस्य लक्ष्यार्थः । तस्मादीश्वरब्रह्मशब्दयोरेक एवार्थः प्रतीयते न भिन्नार्थता । तथाप्यस्त्ययं विशेष: - ब्रह्मशब्दः स्वरसतो लक्ष्यार्थमेव प्रायशो बोधयति, क्वाचित्कतया तु वाच्यार्थमपि । ईश्वरशब्दस्तु वाच्यार्थमेव प्रायशो बोधयति, लक्ष्यार्थं तु क्वाचित्कतया । 

Thus, depending on the context one can derive whether lakshya-artha is being meant or vAchya-artha.

Regards.

Sudhanshu Shekhar.

  

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