Sauptika parva:   Krishna is Shiva’s dearest devotee

The Sauptika parva of the Mahabharata is of special importance in that  it has the endorsement of ‘Krishna’s prayer to Shiva’ by both Krishna and Shiva. The occasion is Ashwatthama’s seeking divine astra-s from Krishna and Shiva on different instances. Upon hearing the prayer of Ashwatthama, Shiva addresses him:

http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh10.txt

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10007.htm

10007059a तमूर्ध्वबाहुं निश्चेष्टं दृष्ट्वा हविरुपस्थितम्

10007059c अब्रवीद्भगवान्साक्षान्महादेवो हसन्निव
10007060a सत्यशौचार्जवत्यागैस्तपसा नियमेन च
10007060c क्षान्त्या भक्त्या च धृत्या च बुद्ध्या च वचसा तथा
10007061a यथावदहमाराद्धः कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा
10007061c तस्मादिष्टतमः कृष्णादन्यो मम न विद्यते
10007062a कुर्वता तस्य संमानं त्वां च जिज्ञासता मया

//Beholding him (Ashwatthama) stand immovable and with uplifted hands and as an offering up to himself, the divine Mahadeva appeared in person and smilingly said, "With truth, purity, sincerity, resignation, ascetic austerities, vows, forgiveness, devotion, patience, thought, and word, I have been duly adored by Krishna of pure deeds. For this there is none dearer to me than Krishna. For honoring him and at his word I have protected the Panchala-s and displayed diverse kinds of illusion. By protecting the Panchala-s I have honored him. They have, however, been afflicted by time. The period of their lives hath run out."//

Here is what Krishna tells Ashwatthama:

10012026c द्वंद्वयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शंकरम्

10012027a यस्मात्प्रियतरो नास्ति ममान्यः पुरुषो भुवि
10012027c नादेयं यस्य मे किंचिदपि दाराः सुतास्तथा
10012028a तेनापि सुहृदा ब्रह्मन्पार्थेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा
10012028c नोक्तपूर्वमिदं वाक्यं यत्त्वं मामभिभाषसे
10012029a ब्रह्मचर्यं महद्घोरं चीर्त्वा द्वादशवार्षिकम्
10012029c हिमवत्पार्श्वमभ्येत्य यो मया तपसार्चितः
10012030a समानव्रतचारिण्यां रुक्मिण्यां योऽन्वजायत
10012030c सनत्कुमारस्तेजस्वी प्रद्युम्नो नाम मे सुतः
10012031a तेनाप्येतन्महद्दिव्यं चक्रमप्रतिमं मम
10012031c न प्रार्थितमभून्मूढ यदिदं प्रार्थितं त्वया

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10012.htm

////When he withdrew his heart from that purpose, I addressed the anxious and senseless Ashvatthama and said, "He who is always regarded as the foremost of all human beings, that wielder of gandiva, that warrior having white steeds yoked unto his car, that hero owning the prince of apes for the device on his standard, that hero who, desirous of vanquishing in a wrestling encounter the god of gods, the blue-throated lord of Uma, gratified the great Shankara himself, that Phalguna than whom I have no dearer friend on earth, that friend to whom there is nothing that I cannot give including my very wives and children, that dear friend Partha of unstained acts, never said unto me, O brahmana, such words as these which thou hast uttered.//

After referring to Arjuna's prayer to Shiva for the Pāśupatāstra, Krishna now refers to his own tapas directed at Shiva:

//That son whom I obtained through ascetic penances and observances of austere brahmacarya for twelve years on the breast of Himavati whither I had gone for the purpose, that son of mine, Pradyumna, of great energy and a portion of Sanat-kumara himself, begotten by me upon my wife Rukmini who had practised vows as austere as mine, that hero even never solicited this best of objects, this unrivaled discus, which thou of little understanding had solicited!//

Krishna openly speaks of his visit to Kailasa and the purpose thereof.

Another special feature of this Parva is the description of the Kailāsa vibhūti that Ashwatthāma got to see for himself. One such is this:

10007044a श्रुतेन ब्रह्मचर्येण तपसा च दमेन च

10007044c ये समाराध्य शूलाङ्कं भवसायुज्यमागताः

//Having adored the trident-bearing god with Vedic recitations, with brahmacarya, with austerities, and with self-restraint, they have obtained oneness with Bhava.//

This is in keeping with the Brhadaranyaka 4.4.22 passage:

तमेतं वेदानुवचनेन ब्राह्मणा विविदिषन्ति यज्ञेन दानेन तपसानाशकेन [That Upanishadic Brahman is intended to be realized by the brāhmaṇa-s by resorting to Vedic recitations, practicing vedic sacrifices, giving gifts, austerities such as fasting….]

We are also reminded of the words of Krishna:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/mbhK/unic/mbhK14_sa.html

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/worship-of-shiva-or-vishnu-lead-to-the-same-result-mahabharata/

14_004_1454 निवेशयति मन्मूर्त्या आत्मानं मद्गतः शुचिः

14_004_1455 रुद्रदक्षिणमूर्त्यां वा चतुर्दश्यां विशेषतः

14_004_1456 सिद्धैर्ब्रह्मर्षिभिश्चैव देवलोकैश्च पूजितः

14_004_1457 गन्धर्वैर्भूतसंघैश्च गीयमानो महातपाः

14_004_1458 प्रविशेत्स महातेजा मां वा शंकरमेव वा

14_004_1459 तस्यापुनर्भवं (sic) राजन्नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Whoever on the Chaturdashī, gives himself up in devotion to My (Vishnu’s) form or to the form of Rudra-Dakshināmūrti, will be worshiped by the siddha-s, brahmaṛṣi-s and the devaloka-s and praised by the gandharva-s and the bhūta-groups, he, such a devotee is Mahātapāḥ. Such a devotee endowed with great Tejas will be united with Me or Shankara; he will be freed from rebirth. No doubt need to be had in this, O Yudhishtira!

Repeatedly one can encounter such statements in the Mahabharata that bring out the central theme of not only the MB but the entire Veda:

रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्त्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम्।

लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु।। 12-350-27a 12-350-27b.

[Rudra and Narayana are only two manifestations of One Principle…….]

And it is Sridhara Swamin who has captured the purport of both the Veda and Veda Vyasa, just as Shankara did variously:

in his invocation to the commentary to the Bhāgavatam says:

माधवोमाधवावीशौ सर्वसिद्धिविधायिनौ। वन्दे परस्परात्मानौ परस्परनुतिप्रियौ॥

I bow to Mādhava and Umādhava (Shiva) who are both ‘Isha-s’ Supreme Lords. They are capable of bestowing all accomplishments (to their devotees). They are both the selves of each other and both love to engage in the stuti of each other.

Om Tat Sat

A ‘murder’ of sati-saptamī

In Sanskrit grammar there is the usage of ‘sati saptamī’ in order to convey a fulfillment of a condition and an effect that ensues. There is a paurvāparya bhāva between the two events. A very popular example is this verse from the Matsya purāṇa:

प्रीयतां पुण्डरीकाक्षः सर्वयज्ञेश्वरो हरिः| तस्मिंस्तुष्टे जगत्तुष्टं प्रीणिते प्रीणितं भवेत् || ३८. [ ‘जगत्’ is an alternative reading]

Let Hari, the lotus-eyed, the Lord of all sacrifices, be pleased. If he is happy the entire world is happy; if He is pleased, the world becomes pleased. In this verse the ‘sati-saptamī’ is seen in the second half.

Here the locative case ‘tasmin’ to indicate Hari is connected to the other locative word ‘tuśṭe’ as ‘if Hari is happy…’ (then) the world is happy, Another locative case here is ‘prīṇite’, is pleased, the world is pleased.

Thus, the locative case is not to indicate any literal adhikaraṇa, location. It is simply called sati saptami. The explanation is: तस्मिन् हरौ तुष्टे सति जगत् तुष्टं भवेत् , तस्मिन् हरौ प्रीणिते सति जगदपि प्रीणितं स्यात् ।

However, here is an example of a pathetic distortion of this sati-saptamī:

http://narayanastra.blogspot.in/p/prayers-of-sri-krishna-to-shiva.html

 

// tasmin hi pUjyamAne vai devadeve maheshvare sampUjito bhavetpArtha devo nArAyaNaH prabhuH

It is nArAyaNa, who is well-known as Deva (Possessor of auspicious attributes worthy of worship), PrabhuH (Master of all and hence the only one fit to worship) IN Maheshwara, the Lord of the Devas (pArvati pati rudradeva, who is mahEshwara and devadeva only due to nArAyaNa’s grace), who is worshipped.//

The verse is from the Mahabharata:

http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh12.txt
12328020a तस्मिन् हि पूज्यमाने वै देवदेवे महेश्वरे
12328020c संपूजितो भवेत्पार्थ देवो नारायणः प्रभुः
This verse says that when Shiva is worshiped, Narayana stands eminently worshiped. The anvaya is: तस्मिन् देवदेवे महेश्वरे हि पूज्यमाने, हे पार्थ, देवो नारायणः प्रभुः संपूजितो भवेत् । However, in their bigoted enthusiasm to deny Krishna worshiping Shiva in real terms, the bloggers have completely distorted the verse out of ignorance or design or both and the above is their end product !!
The verses that occur there in the MB are also very clear of Krishna’s intent.12328023c यस्तं वेत्ति स मां वेत्ति योऽनु तं स हि मामनु 12328024a रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्त्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम् 12328024c लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु
He who realizes Shiva realizes Me and he who follows/worships Shiva follows/worships Me. Rudra and Narayana are One Principle appearing as two.Shankara alone brings out the true purport of the Shruti-Smriti-Veda Vyasa:References from the Vishnu sahasra nama bhashya are given to substantiate the above:For the name ‘stavyaḥ’ Shankara says: सर्वैः स्तूयते न स्तोता कस्यचित् इति । [He (Brahman) is the object of stuti for all but never does the stuti of anyone else.] It would appear to those who have no idea of Shankara as a Vedantin that the above commentary is addressed to Vishnu a deity. However Shankara has also said in the VSN itself:For the name ‘shiva’ Shankara says निस्त्रैगुण्यतया शुद्धत्वात् शिवः and cites the Kaivalyopanishat: ‘स ब्रह्मा स शिवः’ इत्यभेदोपदेशात् शिवादिनामभिः हरिरेव स्तूयते । [‘He is Brahma, He is Shiva’ – thus by the teaching of non-difference, by the names such as shiva, Hari alone is praised.] Who is Hari? For that name at 650 Shankara says: सहेतुकं संसारं हरतीति हरिः [He who annihilates samsāra along with its cause (avidya)] Such a one is Nirguna Brahma jnanam according to Vedanta and not any individual deity. Shankara has cited a verse at the beginning of the VSN commentary:

स्वमायया स्वमात्मानं मोहयन्द्वैतमायया ।

गुणाहितं स्वमात्मानं लभते च स्वयं हरिः ॥

Deluding himself by the māyā of dvaita, Hari, also renders himself endowed with (samsara) guṇa-s. ‘āhitam’ in the second line also means ‘freed of’. So, by himself he becomes freed from guṇas.

This is reminiscent of Madhusudana Saraswati’s invocation for the Advaita siddhi.

This entity in Advaita is Nirguna Brahman, which alone, owing to avidyā, assumes jīvabhāva, and resorting to Vedanta vichara frees itself from samsara: Br.Up.1.4.10.

Shankara further cites in the VSN bhāṣya a few verses from the Harivamṣa 3.88. 61, 61, 62 which are addressed by Maheśwara during the Kailāsa yātra episode:

नामानि तव गोविन्द यानि लोके महान्ति च ।

तान्येव मम नामानि नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥

[O Govinda, your esteemed names alone are mine as well; no doubt need to be had in this regard] There Veda Vyasa, through Shiva, conveys that all the names of Viṣṇu, including the name ‘Nārāyaṇa’ are that of Śiva.  Thus the thousand names of Viṣṇu are also those of Śiva since there is no difference in name and sense between the pair Hari and Hara.

त्वदुपासा जगन्नाथ सैवास्तु मम गोपते ।

यश्च त्वां द्वेष्टि भो देव स मां द्वेष्टि न संशयः ॥

[The worship/meditation of You, O Gopati, let that be meditation on me too.  He who hates you O Deva, hates me too, undoubtedly.]

Harivamśa verses, spoken by Maheśvara (Śiva) to Vishnu:

अहं त्वं सर्वग देव त्वमेवाहं जनार्दन ।

आवयोरन्तरं नास्ति शब्दैरर्थैर्जगत्त्रये ॥ (3.88.60)

[O, the all-pervading one, I am Thee, and Thou are me alone. There is no difference between the two of us either by word or meaning in all the three worlds.]

This particular verse is exactly to the point:

Shankara cites two seminal verses from the Bhaviṣyottara purāṇa in the introduction to the VS:

Maheśvara (Śiva) says:

विष्णोरन्यं तु पश्यन्ति ये मां ब्रह्माणमेव वा ।

कुतर्कमतयो मूढाः पच्यन्ते नरकेष्वधः ॥

[Those fools who, devoid of proper thinking, consider Me and Brahmā as different from Viṣṇu will be baked in the lowly hells.]

ये च मूढा दुरात्मानो भिन्नं पश्यन्ति मां हरेः ।

ब्रह्माणं च ततस्तस्माद् ब्रह्महत्यासमं त्वघम् ॥

[Those fools, wicked ones, by seeing Me and Brahmā as different from Hari are committing the heinous sin of brahmahatyā.]

One can recall a similar verse in the Śrīmadbhāgavatam (Dakṣayajña section) as said by Viṣṇu.

From the several verses Shankara cites from the Harivamśa by even naming the chapter as ‘Kailāsa Yatra’, it is evident that he knows why that chapter is there both in the Mahabharata and Harivamśa: Upon Rukmini seeking a child from Krishna, the latter decided to undertake a pilgrimage to Kailasa with a view to perform devout penance and seek the boon of progeny from Shiva.  It is in this episode that the Shiva Sahasra nama occurs in the MB. The Harivamśa contains Krishna’s stuti to Shiva and the latter’s stuti to Krishna, only reaffirming Veda Vyasa’s conclusion:

12328024a रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्त्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम्

12328024c लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु

Rudra and Narayana are One Principle appearing as two.

However, bigoted vaishnavas labor hard to hide these facts from their gullible readers and proffer pathetic interpretations to these verses. They have the temerity to fault Nilakantha, the commentator, not realizing how faulty they themselves are on so many counts:

//The HarivamSham contains prayers of Krishna to, supposedly pArvati pati rudradeva – who appeared in front of him with his consort Uma and the gaNas – for a boon of victory. This is an explanation of the Stuti. Since nIlakaNtha bhAshyam on this section is very shallow and even erroneous at times, it required a detailed explanation.//

One can see how they have distorted the episode and the content by resorting to text-torturing, mutilation, etc. Here is the correct depiction:

http://mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/vishnuparva/hv_2_074.html

Shankara is never in such a predicament.  His philosophy is not dependent on any individual deity.  The Vedantic Brahman for Shankara is not any deity.  All vaibhava of any deity whether Vishnu or Shiva is accruing from māyā/avidyā since Brahman is Nirgunam. All vaibhava is relevant only with reference to the world and not anymore. Hence all these attributes are applied to Brahman, whether It is called Vishnu or Shiva, from the triguṇātmikā māyā. Says Shankara in the BSB 2.1.14:  अविद्यात्मकनामरूपबीजव्याकरणापेक्षत्वात्सर्वज्ञत्वस्य । [Omniscience (of Brahman) ensues from the manifestation of the seed of ignorance, name-form, as the world.]

तदेवमविद्यात्मकोपाधिपरिच्छेदापेक्षमेवेश्वरस्येश्वरत्वं सर्वज्ञत्वं सर्वशक्तित्वं च, न परमार्थतो विद्यया

अपास्तसर्वोपाधिस्वरूपे आत्मनि ईशित्रीशितव्यसर्वज्ञत्वादिव्यवहार उपपद्यते .. [Omnipotence, etc. too are relative to avidya. When avidya is transcended by vidya, the duality of controller-controlled ceases to be.]

Thus, wherever Vishnu or Shiva ‘grace’ each other or others with any vaibhava, it is to be understood that Vishnu/Shiva himself is ‘graced’ with all vaibhava in turn by Māyā.

Blatant lies:

http://narayanastra.blogspot.in/p/prayers-of-sri-krishna-to-shiva.html

//The harivamSham mentions that Krishna did not allow anyone into Dwaraka unless they had a mudra. This “mudra” is nothing but shanka-chakra marks on the shoulders as per pAcharAtra sAstras, so we know Krishna was following pAncharAtra agama in this avatArA.//

The truth:

In the Harivamsha, bhaviṣyaparva section, 74th chapter, occur these verses spoken by Krishna on the eve of his departure to Kailāsa. Krishna gives instructions as to how the city of Dvaraka has to be protected:

एक एव महाद्वारो गमनागमने सदा । मुद्रया सह गच्छन्तु राज्ञो ये गन्तुमीप्सवः ॥ २४ ॥

[Only one Main Gate will be there always for entry and exit. Those who wish to exit shall go with the Royal ‘mudrā’ (Gate Pass).]

न चामुद्रः प्रवेष्टव्यो द्वारपालस्य पश्यतः । यावदागमनं मह्यं तावदेवं भविष्यति ॥ २५ ॥

[No one without the Gate Pass should be allowed (to enter, return) by the vigilant Gate keeper. Till I return (from Kailāsa) this arrangement shall be in place.]

मृगया नात्र कर्तव्या न च क्रीडा बहिः पुरात् । ज्ञातव्याश्च परे स्वे च गमनागमने सदा ॥ २६ ॥

[Hunting and sporting outside the city shall be banned for the time being. A watch shall be kept on the entry and exit of natives and others.]

एवमादिक्रिया कार्या यावदागमनं मम । इत्युक्त्वा याद्वान् सर्वान् सात्यकिं पुनराह च ॥ २७ ॥

[All such instructions have to be followed till I return. Having said thus to the Yādava-s, Krishna addressed Sātyaki further.]

In the next chapter some more instructions are given by Krishna. In the above chapter, before the above instructions, Krishna very clearly says:

अहं तु यासे कैलासं कुतश्चित्कारनान् नृपाः ।  १९ ॥

[I am setting off to Kailasa on some purpose, O Kings.]

शंकरं द्रष्टुकामोस्मि भूतभावनभावनम् । यावदागमनं मह्यं तावद्यत्ता भवन्त्विह ॥ २० ॥

[I intend to see Shankara who is the creator and protector of the universe. Till my return you all have to be vigilant here.]

The context is: there is a threat from an asura named Paundraka and Krishna is not taking him for granted. Krishna lists the enemy’s exceptional powers and hence makes very careful arrangements to preempt any misadventure by the enemy. Hence are the entry-exit with a royal pass, etc. relevant. Imagine Krishna subjecting his citizens to the ordeal of a branding exercise !!  Krishna also makes it clear that the gate-pass system is a temporary measure, to be implemented during his absence from Dvaraka.

Thus, there is no such thing as ‘tapta mudra’ with ‘shankha, chakra, etc.’ as wishfully thought of by the blogger. Nor is there even a remote indication of any ‘pāncharātra’ following by Krishna here !! There is no limit to one’s bigotry !!

God alone save their gullible fan-following. As to how much one relies on their words can be gauged by this sample:

//AnonymousJuly 17, 2014 at 10:32 AM

Dear sir, I think you had misunderstood me. I am a vaisnava and I was just requesting for the purana verse for people who may not agree with what you had said, since I had come upon a person who didn’t believe me. Trust me, I use your articles as proof for family members who are not vaisnava. I did not intent to display you as untrustworthy. I apologize if I may have angered you, and I will not post anymore to avoid any conflict. Thank you for replying to my question. Hare krishna.//

Such is the trust their followers invest in them only to be handed all lies. ‘अन्धेनैव नीयमाना यथा अन्धाः’ .

Conclusion:

All these go to establish that the concept of Hari-Hara abheda is well enshrined in the Shruti, Smṛti, itihāsa and purāṇa.  And the Acharyas of the Shankara lineage, right from the times of Shankara and Sureshwara, have been upholding this Hari-Hara abheda and Trimurti aikya theme, up to the present times. Sureshwara too, in the Br.up. Vārtika brought out the trimurti aikya theme while commenting on the antaryāmi section holding that anyone of the Trimurtis can be designated the Vedantic antaryāmin for upasana.

Om Tat Sat

‘Fie upon the forehead that is devoid of Bhasma’

An article on the above topic is available here for download:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/j5apvlkrpx2z36q/Fie_upon_the_forehead_that_is_devoid_of_Bhasma_F_%281%29.pdf

Om Tat Sat

Attitude towards the world in the Three Schools of Vedanta

It is well known that while Advaita holds the world to be mithyā, the other two schools hold it to be satyam. It might follow from this that while the attitude of advaitins towards the world is something like ‘do not care about the world, shun it, anyway it is mithya, do not engage with it’, the view of the followers of the other schools would be ‘the world is real and we should engage with it to the hilt in multiple ways.’ That such a thinking is not borne out by the facts is what is presented here by citing a sample from the books of the three schools:

The Bhagavadgita 15.3 is taken up to illustrate the point:

न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा । अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलमसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ॥ ३ ॥

 

The translation of the verses 15.3 and 4 would put the topic in right perspective:

15.3 The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment. 15.4: Thereafter, one must seek that place from which, having gone, one never returns, and for this, surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial.

Shankara says in the BGB 15.3:

15.3 But, asya, its-of this Tree of the World which has been described; rupam, form, as it has been presented; na, is not at all; upalabhyate, perceived; iha, here; tatha, in that way. For, being like a dream, water in a mirage, jugglery, an imaginary city seen in the sky, it is by nature destroyed no sooner than it is seen. Therefore, na, there exists neither; its antah, end, limit, termination; so also, neither; its beginning. It is not comprehended by anyone that it comes into existence beginning from any definite point. Its sampratistha, continuance, the middle state, too, is not perceived by anyone. Chittva, after felling, uprooting, together with its seeds; enam, this, above described; asvattham, Peepul, the Tree of the World; suvirudha-mulam, whose roots (mula) are well (su) developed (virudham); drdhena, with the strong-hardened by a resolute mind directed towards the supreme Self, and sharpened on the stone of repeated practice of discrimination; asanga-sastrena, sword of detachment-detachment means turning away from the desire for progeny, wealth and the worlds; with that sword of detachment.

Ramanuja on the same verse (translation: http://www.srimatham.com/uploads/5/5/4/9/5549439/ramanuja_gita_bhashya.pdf):

Humankind is at the pinnacle, our actions form the branches extending above and below as also its secondary roots — this form of the tree is not understood by those immersed in Samsāra. Similarly, it is not understood that the end [of Samsāra] can be brought about by non-attachment to pleasures which are founded upon the Gunas. It is also not perceived that attachment to the Gunas alone is the foundation of this tree. Nor is it realised that this tree is nourished by ignorance (ajñanam) which is the misconception that the body is the Self. Ignorance alone is the basis of this tree, since in it alone the tree is established. This Aśvattha Tree is firmly-rooted — its roots are firm and manifold, and it is to be cut down with the strong axe of non-attachment, — namely the axe, forged by right knowledge of non-attachment to the enjoyable sense objects composed of the three Gunas.

Madhva on the same verse: translation from:

http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/bhagavad-gita-15-3-4/

This ancient asvattha or banyan tree represents material existence but it is not perceivable yet it is seen to have been established. The word adi means beginning and anta means the end which refer to the Supreme Lord. The Bhagavad Purana states: The Supreme Lord is the beginning, the end and the middle as well. The Moksa Dharma states: The Supreme Lord has neither beginning nor ending, more the demigods and seers cannot penetrate. The compound word asanga-sastrena means the wisdom of non-attachment arising from association with Vaisnava devotees of the Supreme Lord. With the sword of detachment sharpened by meditation on the wisdom of renunciation. By this method the world does not become a place of bondage. By knowledge of the Vedic scriptures and practice the knowledge of the brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence will be revealed to one. It is confirmed in the Vedic scriptures that: Meditation verily is the way and the means for discrnment and detachment. Such a one will not be bound although others will. The purport is that with the weapon of detachment one should sever ties with everything except the Supreme Lord Krishna and His authorised avatars or divine incarnations and expansions. The Moksa Dharma states: When on surrenders unto the Supreme Lord one does not suffer or grieve. Neither is one born, nor does one die. Such a one is verily situated in the brahman. Only one who has been graced by the blessing of the Supreme Lord can be elligible to become qualified to attain this. The describibng of the means of severing attachment have been given for the sake of an aspirant receiving the Supreme Lord grace. No other shelter or refuge exists in all creation other than the Supeme Lord Krishna and this fundamental understanding must be realised. Since this material existence is like a horse with an unstable gait it is known as unsteady. That it is immutable is because samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death is like a stream and endless until one achieves moksa or liberation from material existence. This liberation is determined by detachment. The firm conviction that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to everything in the physical existence is the knowledge gained from the destruction of this ancient banyan tree.

One can see that all the three schools emphasize on the need to turn away from the world, that is worldly attachments, and keep the goal of reaching one’s true abode, mokṣa, unswerving. An ideal vedantin would therefore realize at the earliest opportunity in life that one aught not to be overly indulging in the world but on the contrary reduce his engagement with it as far as possible and keep it to the minimum of sustaining his body and sadhana. His attitude therefore is, to put in Purandara Dasa’s words: allide nammane, illiruvudu summane: My true abode is That, There, moksha; while what is here, this world, is insubstantial.  It would be beneficial to see what Prahlada has to say on this (Srimadbhāgavatam :

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

kaumāra ācaret prājño  dharmān bhāgavatān iha
durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam  

Prahlāda said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life — in other words, from the tender age of childhood — to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection. 

 yathā hi puruṣasyeha
viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam
yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ
priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt

The human form of life affords one a chance to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore every living entity, especially in the human form of life, must engage in devotional service to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. This devotional service is natural because Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the most beloved, the master of the soul, and the well-wisher of all other living beings.

From this sample we can see that the scripture too, apart from strong Vedic utterances like ‘na karmaṇā, na prajayā danena, tyāgenaike amṛtatvamānaśuḥ’ (neither by action nor by progeny or wealth, only by renouncing these, some have attained immortality), ‘yatheha karmachito lokaḥ kṣīyate, evamevāmutra puṇyachito lokaḥ kṣīyate’ (just as anything achieved in this world through action wastes away, so too that which is gained by merit, in the other world too diminishes.’ there is the clarion call to give up one’s engagement with the world at the earliest and strive for realizing one’s true abode of liberation.

If anyone is intent upon probing the world to discover its secrets, it is only driven by his personal curiosity and not dictated by his vedantic affiliation to this or that school. Thus, someone practicing Advaita sadhana can very well engage in such research activity just as someone who follows non-advaitic schools: the common motivating factor is one’s quest to know the hidden secrets of the universe. Or at best inventing those facilities that would help mankind lead a more comfortable life, give him relief from disease, etc. All this might fall in the category of ‘Ishvara seva through mānava seva’ and help in chittashuddhi. All three know very well that the goal of their life is detachment from the world resulting in liberation.

An excerpt from a dialogue from ‘Exalting Elucidations’, chapter: Śāstra and Science’ p.287 (Sri Vidyatirtha Foundation, Chennai):

Sringeri Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Swamiji:  //Of course there are many advantages that we get from science.There is no doubt at all about it. But it is not necessary to accept what some scientists conclude through imagination and faulty logic. At any rate, there is absolutely no rule that just because one is a scientist, one should be an atheist. Many great scientists were theists and even now there are many scientists who believe in God. Thus, dedication to science does not necessitate the denial of consciousness other than matter.//

Om Tat Sat

‘Dahara vidyā prakāśa’

Sri Paramashivendra Saraswati (1600 – 1700), Guru of Sri Sadashiva brahmendra, composed this work: ‘Dahara vidya prakasha’. Download at:

http://www.dakshinamurtimathaprakashan.org/view.php?id=Dahar%20vidihya%20Prakashika.pdf

A short work based on the Upanishadic Dahara vidya. He cites the Shānkara bhāṣya and adds a number of Puranic verses. He has also cited from the Soundarya lahari, upadeśa panchakam and other works of Shankara.

Om Tat Sat

All gods derive their knowledge from Brahman only

It is well known in the Upanishads that Brahman is Jnanasvarupam and everything else in the created world shines by that Pure Consciousness. All gods, humans, and other sentient entities derive their sentience from that Pure Consciousness alone. This Consciousness is the essence of all beings. Even those entities in the cosmos such as the sun derive their illumining power from this Pure Consciousness alone. In this background let us see the tenability or otherwise of this verse of Sri Vedanta Desika:

वेदान्त देशिकः when he makes a remark against  दक्षिणामुर्तिः vide shloka no. 7 of his हयग्रीवस्तोत्रं :
दाक्षिण्यरम्या  गिरिशस्य मूर्तिः देवी
सरोजासनधर्मपत्नी ।
व्यासादयोऽपि  व्यपदेश्यवाचः
स्फुरन्ति सर्वे तव  शक्तिलेशैः ॥ ७॥

http://www.parakalamatham.org/Sri-Matham/Sri-Hayagriva-Stotram

//The pretty-to-behold (ramyA) form of KailAsanAthan (GirIsan) known as DakshiNAmUrthy, the “Goddess of Learning” and the wife of Brahma Devan with the name of Sarasvathi having the white lotus as Her abode and even Sage VyAsA and others famous for their powers of divine Vaak –all of them derive their Saarasvatham (power of divine speech) from a mere fragment of the power of the Adhi VidhyA Moorthy, Lord HayagrIvan.//

We have in the Shvetashvatoropanishat the mention of Dakshinamurti, Lord Shiva:

अजात इत्येवं कश्चिद्भीरुः प्रपद्यते।
रुद्र यत्ते दक्षिणं मुखं तेन मां पाहि नित्यम्।।4.1.21।।

[Unborn Thou art, in Thee does a mortal in the throes of fear take refuge, O Rudra (destroyer of ignorance), ever protect me with Thy able inspiring South-facing countenance.]

In the Mahabharata Lord Krishna says:

14_004_1454 निवेशयति मन्मूर्त्या आत्मानं मद्गतः शुचिः

14_004_1455 रुद्रदक्षिणमूर्त्यां वा चतुर्दश्यां विशेषतः

14_004_1456 सिद्धैर्ब्रह्मर्षिभिश्चैव देवलोकैश्च पूजितः

14_004_1457 गन्धर्वैर्भूतसंघैश्च गीयमानो महातपाः

14_004_1458 प्रविशेत्स महातेजा मां वा शंकरमेव वा

14_004_1459 तस्यापुनर्भवं (sic) राजन्नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Whoever on the Chaturdashī, gives himself up in devotion to My (Vishnu’s) form or to the form of Rudra-Dakshināmūrti, will be worshiped by the siddha-s, brahmaṛṣi-s and the devaloka-s and praised by the gandharva-s and the bhūta-groups, he, such a devotee is Mahātapāḥ. Such a devotee endowed with great Tejas will be united with Me or Shankara; he will be freed from rebirth. No doubt need to be had in this, O Yudhishtira!

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/worship-of-shiva-or-vishnu-lead-to-the-same-result-mahabharata/

The Sūtasamhitā, a part of the Skanda Purāṇa, has a ‘Dakshinamurti stotram’:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_shiva/dakShiNAmUrtistotraSutasamhita.html?lang=sa

ईशानं सर्वविद्यानामीश्वरेश्वरमव्ययम् । उत्पत्त्यादिविनिर्मुक्तं ओङ्कारकमलासनम् ॥ ९॥
The Lord of all vidyā-s, the Lord of all lords, transcending birth, etc., seated on the lotus of Omakāra,

रुद्र यत्ते मुखं तेन दक्षिणं पाहि मामिति । उक्त्वा पुनः पुनर्देवं पूजयामास भक्तितः ॥ १३॥
He was worshiped by beseeching Him again and again as ‘O Rudra, protect us, with Thy South-faced countenance..’ (a reference to the Shvetashvataropanishat which has been proclaimed to be Shiva specific alone and not any other deity by puranas.)

The epithet ‘ādhāram sarvavidyānām’ used in the Hayagriva stotra:

http://www.parakalamatham.org/Sri-Matham/Sri-Hayagriva-Stotram

ज्ञानानन्दमयं देवं निर्मलस्फटिकाकृतिम् । 
आधारं सर्वविद्यानां हयग्रीवमुपास्महे ॥ १॥

MEANING: 
We meditate upon that Supreme One, who has the neck and face of a horse and who is the embodiment of Jn~AnA (divine Knowledge) and AnandhA (Bliss). He has a ThirumEni (body) like a radiant, blemishless Spatikam (Crystal) and is the abode of all VidhyAs (branches of Learning).

is not unique. It is also used by Krishna in the Mahabharatha 12.46/17th chapter applying it to Bhīṣma. Krishna is in rapt meditation while Bhishma on his death bed is meditating on Krishna. Yudhishtira asks Krishna ‘Whom are you meditating upon?’ and Krishna in reply says it is on Bhishma and in that discourse says:

17 rāmasya dayitaṃ śiṣyaṃ jāmadagnyasya pāṇḍava
ādhāraṃ sarvavidyānāṃ tam asmi manasā gataḥ

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a046.htm

[I was thinking of him, O son of Pandu, who is the favourite disciple of (Parashu) Rama, the son of Jamadagni, and who is the receptacle of the sciences.]

We find a variant of that epithet as ‘Īśānam sarvavidyānām’ used in the praise of Dakshinamurti in the Suta samhita verse. That the epithet, in one or the other variant, is quite common and is not unique can be seen even from the Bhagavadgita 15th chapter 19th verse:

यो मामेवमसंमूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
स सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत ॥ १९ ॥

The word ‘sarvavit’ means: all-knowing. Shankara comments that word as: // सर्ववित् सर्वात्मना सर्वं वेत्तीति सर्वज्ञः He who knows everything in their comprehensive way is omniscient.// Any self-realized person is sarvavit.

Brahmavidyā sarvavidyā pratiṣṭhā:

The Mundakopanishat opens with this mantra:

ब्रह्मा देवानां प्रथमः सम्बभूव विश्वस्य कर्ता भुवनस्य गोप्ता ।
स ब्रह्मविद्यां सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठामथर्वाय ज्येष्ठपुत्राय प्राह ॥ १ ॥

1 Om. Brahma, the Creator of the universe and the Preserver of the world, was the first among the devas. He told His eldest son Atharva about the Knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge. 

Shankara says for the terms: तां ब्रह्मविद्याम्  सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठां सर्वविद्याभिव्यक्तिहेतुत्वात्सर्वविद्याश्रयामित्यर्थः ;

सर्वविद्यावेद्यं वा वस्त्वनयैव ज्ञायत इति, ‘येनाश्रुतं श्रुतं भवति अमतं मतमविज्ञातं विज्ञातम्’ (छा. उ. ६ । १ । ३) इति श्रुतेः ।

Brahmavidyā, knowledge of Brahman, is the abode, support, of all knowledge because it is the cause of the manifestation of all knowledge. It is due to this Consciousness that the object of all sciences is known. The Chandogya shruti says: By hearing which everything else is deemed to have been heard…..’

Thus, it is the Pure consciousness the realization of which constitutes the means for liberation, is the abode, ādhāram, of all vidyā. Therefore any Jnani being endowed with the realization of the Supreme Consciousness is the ādhāram of all vidyā.

The Padmapurana, Shivagita (for which a Jagadguru of the Sringeri Peetham has written a bhashya in the 15/16 CE) holds the Shvetashvatara Upanishad and also the Kaivalyopanishat as being Shiva-specific:

श्वेताश्वतरमन्त्रेण स्तुवन्तं गिरिजापतिम् ।

अनन्तादिमहानागान्कैलासगिरिसन्निभान् ॥ ४२॥

कैवल्योपनिषत्पाठान्मणिरत्नविभूषितान् ।  [clear that the Kaivalyopaniṣat is Rudra-specific]

Also, there itself:

कैवल्योपनिषत्सूक्तं श्वेताश्वतरमेव च । [Kaivalya and Śvetāśvatara are Rudra-specific]

Even before the Hayagriva stotram claims that Dakshinamurti, Shiva, derives his knowledge from Hayagriva, the Suta samhita of the Skanda purana has said:

ब्रह्माणं मुनयः पूर्वं सृष्ट्वा तस्मै महेश्वरः ।

दत्तवानखिलान्वेदानात्मन्येव स्थितानिमान् ॥ ४०

Maheshvara created in the yore Brahmā and to him bestowed all the Vedas that are stored in His Self.

ब्रह्मा सर्वजगत्कर्ता शिवस्य परमात्मनः ।

प्रसादादेव रुद्रस्य स्मृतीः सस्मार सुव्रताः ॥ ४१

Brahmā, the Creator of all the worlds, attained the memory of all smrtis by the grace of Rudra alone, the Supreme Self.

विष्णुर्विश्वजगन्नाथो विश्वेशस्य शिवस्य तु ।

आज्ञया परया युक्तो व्यासो जज्ञे गुरुर्मम ॥ ४२

Vishnu, the Lord of the universe, by the command of Shiva alone incarnated as Vyasa.

स पुनर्देवदेवस्य प्रसादादम्बिकापतेः ।

संक्षिप्य सकलान्वेदांश्चतुर्धा कृतवान्द्विजाः ॥ ४३

Vyasa, again, by the grace of the Lord, Ambikāpati, Shiva, condensed the entire vedic corpus and codified it four-fold.

Thus, the idea conveyed by Vedanta Desika in the Hayagriva stotra is already there in the Purana, with Shiva as the Source of all knowledge that all divinities possess. For the Vedantin, this Shiva is Turiya, Brahman. On this template any one deity can be placed as the Source and all the other deities can be shown as the ‘receivers’ of knowledge. That is perfectly in order in view of the variety of tastes, proclivities, etc. Trouble arises only when someone becomes a victim of bigotry and tries to claim supremacy of ‘his’ iṣṭa deity to the detriment of all other deities. An Advaitin alone, as exemplified by Appayya Dikshta, can transcend all petty ideas and portray the true spirit of the Vedanta. Non-advaitic schools, dependent on a particular deity, therefore, cannot be free from partisan handicaps.

For the Upanishadic expression ‘Eko Narayanaḥ’, the Brahmanandi commentary for the Advaitasiddhi says that it is Chinmātra, Pure Consciousness, that is, not any formed deity.

Om Tat Sat

Soundaryalahari – Android Apps on Google Play

An app for learning Sri Sankara’s Soundaryalahari and Dakshinamurthy Stotras.play.google.com

An initial version of the app is now available on the play store at

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vedantabharati.slahari

Please make use of this Wonderful app to learn Soundarya Lahari .

This App  was developed by Hrishikesh Amur .

It has Slokas in 5 languages along with English or Kannada meaning . Hope this helps many.

Share this information in various Whats App groups and other forums.

Sureshvaracharya on Antaryami

An article on the above topic is available here:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/w7qhy1hduwspd54/Sureshvara_on_antary%C4%81mi_of_BU_F.pdf

Om Tat Sat

Vishnu is Brahma and Shiva as well

In the Mahabharata, Shantiparvan, Bhishma in his deathbed engages in a stuti of Vishnu. In that occurs this:

http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh12.txt

12047051a जटिने दण्डिने नित्यं लम्बोदरशरीरिणे
12047051c कमण्डलुनिषङ्गाय तस्मै ब्रह्मात्मने नमः
12047052a शूलिने त्रिदशेशाय त्र्यम्बकाय महात्मने

12047052c भस्मदिग्धोर्ध्वलिङ्गाय तस्मै रुद्रात्मने नमः

Translation by Ganguly:

http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12a047.htm

Thou hadst assumed the form of a recluse with matted locks on head, staff in hand, a long stomach, and having thy begging bowl for thy quiver. Salutations to thee in thy form of Brahma. 3 Thou bearest the trident, thou art the lord of the celestials, thou hast three eyes, and thou art high-souled. Thy body is always besmeared with ashes, and thy phallic emblem is always turned upwards. Salutations to thee in thy form of Rudra! The half-moon forms the ornament of thy forehead. Thou hast snakes for the holy thread circling thy neck. Thou art armed with Pinaka and trident. Salutations to thy form of Fierceness!

Bhishma did not have any problems with looking upon Vishnu with matted locks, three eyes, bhasma, the ūrdhva linga etc. But there are some ‘vaishnavas’ who hold these as inauspicious and unworthy of contemplation. They hold these as ashubha!!

The very same idea of Bhishma is echoed in the words of Pey Azhwar:

http://dravidaveda.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3044

தாழ்சடையும் நீண்முடியும் ஒண்மழுவும் சக்கரமும்,

சூழரவும் பொன்னாணும் தோன்றுமால்,- சூழும்

திரண்டருவி பாயும் திருமலைமேல் எந்தைக்கு,

இரண்டுருவு மொன்றாய் இசைந்து.

The Lord on Tirumala sports matted locks (of Shiva) and long hair/crown (of Vishnu). He has the axe (Shiva’s) and the discus (Vishnu’s). Snakes are coiled around (shiva) as well as golden girdle around the waist.(vishnu)…..He appears as both forms (Shiva and Vishnu) as One.

A Srivaishnava scholar PBA’s explanation of the above poem is:

ஸ்ரீ காஞ்சி பிரதிவாதி பயங்கரம் அண்ணங்கராசாரியார் எழுதிய

விளக்க உரை

***- எம்பெருமான் செய்தருளின பல அவதாரங்களில் சங்கர நாராயணவதார மென்பது மொன்று, இது ஹரிஹராவ்தாரமென்றும் சொல்லப்படும். பாதிவடிவம் ஸ்ரீமந்நாராயணமூர்த்தி யாகவும் பாதிவடிவம் பரமசிவமூர்த்தியாகவும் கொண்டதாமிது, எம்பெருமான் கொண்ட கோலங்களெல்லாம் பகவத்பக்தர்கட்கு உத்தேச்யமாகையாலே இவ்வுருவந்தன்னையும் ஆழ்வார்கள் அநுஸந்தித்துப் பாசுரங்கள் பேசுவதுண்டு.

[Of the many incarnations the Lord Vishnu assumed, the Shankara-Narayana form is also included. This is also called ‘Hari-Hara avatara’. Half the form is of Sri Narayana and the other half is of Para Shiva form. Since all the forms that the Lord assumed are aimed at the benefit of the devotees, the Azhwars have contemplated on this form too and expressed in poems.]

Thus, the matted locks, snake, axe, etc. that are Shiva’s insignia  are happily agreeable as upāsya, shubha, forms of Lord Vishnu by the Azhwars as stated by that great scholar of the Ramanuja tradition.

One can see how Veda Vyasa, Bhishma and the Azhwars have deserted these self-styled vaishnavas:

http://narayanastra.blogspot.in/p/blog-page_57.html

 

just a sample of their bigotry:

//Matted Hair and Moon: He is an upAsaka, and the heat of his penances towards bhagavAn is indicated by his matted locks. However, the meditation on bhagavAn is very cool and graceful despite the arduous efforts, which is signified by the cool moon on his head. Similarly, the cool mind that meditates on bhagavAn is adorned.This again, is the characteristic of a jIvAtma and not paramAtma, and hence, is not worthy of meditation.//

Om Tat Sat

In the short work ‘Bhārata sāraga sangraha stotram’, Sri Appayya Dikshita concludes by pointing out that Rama and Krishna were jiva-s, endowed with karma, delusion, etc. on the authority of the Mahabharata:

गोप्तारं ततो गच्छेत् सरव्यास्तीर्थमुत्तमम् ।

तत्र रामो गतः स्वर्गं सभृत्यबलवाहनः ॥

देहं त्यक्त्वा दिवं यातः स्थास्यतीन्द्रस्य वैभवात् ।’

[Rama went to svarga along with his retinue, after giving up the body, and remains there with Indra’s lordship.]

इति गोप्रतारतीर्थमहिम्ना श्रीरामस्य स्वर्गप्रतिष्ठावचनात्; सभापर्वणि यमसभावर्णने –

Having thus proclaimed the greatness of Go-pratāra, Sri Rama’s settlement in Svarga, the sabhā parvan of the Mahabharata while describing the Assembly Hall of Yama further says:

तस्यां राजर्षयः पुण्यास्तथा देवर्षयोऽमराः ।

यमं वैवस्वतं तात प्रहृष्टाः पर्युपासते ॥

ययातिर्नहुषः पूरुर्मान्धाता सोमको नृगः ।

इत्यारभ्य  स्वर्गप्राप्त्यनन्तरं यमसभायामास्थाय तमुपासीनानां राजर्षीणां परिगणनेन, ’रामो दाशरथिश्चैव लक्षमणश्च प्रतर्दनः’ इति परिगणनेन च सोऽपि कर्माधीनलोकप्राप्तिको जीवविशेषः स्यात् ।

In the Assembly Hall of Yama are present: Rajarshi-s with puṇya, devarshi-s, deva-s, who happily meditate upon Yama. Also are Yayati, Nahusha, Puru, Māndhāta, Somaka, Nṛga. Having enumerated those present in the Assembly and meditating Yama, the Mahabharata includes: Rāma the son of Dasharatha, Lakshmana and Pratardana. By so counting Rama along with all other entities, it can be concluded that Rama is a jiva who has attained a loka that is subject to and attainable by karma.

After giving one instance for Rama to be taken as a jiva by someone, Sri Appayya Dikshita gives an instance where Krishna is also not free from such a possibility:

ततः शार्ङ्गं धनुःश्रेष्ठं करात्प्रपतितं मम। मोहापन्नश्च कौन्तेय रथोपस्थ उपाविशम् ।।

Mahabharata Aranyaparvan: 3.21.25

Krishna says to Yudhishthira: Thereafter the excellent bow,  śārnga, fell off my hand. O son of Kunti, deluded as I was, I, sat in the chariot.

इति आरण्यपर्वणि शाल्वयुद्धे कृष्णस्य मोहाज्ञानवचनेन सोऽपि जीवविशेषः स्यात् ।  The above words of Krishna admitting his delusion and ignorance, can result in someone taking him to be a jiva.

Sri Appayya Dikshitar concludes that explanation: तस्मात् कृत्स्नमपि भारतं गीतानुगीता मोक्षधर्मवैष्णवधर्मशास्त्रसहितं विशेषध्वनिवृत्त्या शिवपारम्यविश्रान्तं तत्प्रधानमेव भगवता श्रीवेदव्यासेन कृतमित्येतत् सुप्रतिष्ठितमिति सर्वम् समञ्जसम् ॥

Thus, the entire Mahabharata including the Bhagavadgita, the Anugita, Moksha dharma, along with vaishnava dharma shastra, by the method of ‘viśeṣadhvani’, (‘unique/emphatic purport’) is upholding the supremacy of Shiva alone. Such is the way Bhagavan Veda Vyasa has composed the MB. This fact has been firmly established (by us) in this work:  ‘Bhārata sāraga sangraha stotram’.

There are other compelling references in the scriptural literature for holding Krishna/Vishnu to be a jiva:

• • The Kaṭharudropaniṣat which Shankara has cited in the Br.up.Bhashya and Sri Vishveshvara Saraswati in the Yati Dharma Sangraha holds Vishnu to be a jiva, experiencing ananda of the highest jiva-order. अस्यैवानन्दकोशेन स्तम्बान्ता विष्णुपूर्वकाः ।भवन्ति सुखिनो नित्यं तारतम्यक्रमेण तु ॥ २९॥
    [All (jīva-s) up to the tiniest creature, starting from Viṣṇu (instead of Brahmā) onward, always derive joy from this ānanda kośa on a relative scale depending on their status.]

In the Panchadaśī 10.2 is this verse:

परमात्माऽद्वयानन्दपूर्णः पूर्वं स्वमायया ।स्वयमेव जगद्भूत्वा प्राविशज्जीवरूपतः ॥ १ ॥

1. Before the projection of the world the Supreme Self, the secondless, all-bliss and ever complete, alone existed. Through His Maya He became the world and entered into it as the Jiva, the individual Self.

विष्ण्वाद्युत्तमदेहेषु प्रविष्टो देवताभवत् ।

मर्त्याद्यधमदेहेषु स्थितो भजति मर्त्यताम् ॥ २ ॥

2. Entering the superior bodies like that of Vishnu, He (Brahman) became the deities; and remaining in the inferior bodies like that of men He worships the deities.

In the Bṛ.Up. the creation of Vishnu is hinted: See the Shankara bhashya on this with a detailed analysis here:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/evidence-in-the-br-upanishad-for-vi%E1%B9%A3%E1%B9%87u-being-created/

In the VSN bhashya Shankara has cited a verse that says ‘Hari is subject to ahankara of the binding type.’:

स्वमायया स्वमात्मानं मोहयन्द्वैतमायया ।

गुणाहितं स्वमात्मानं लभते च स्वयं हरिः ॥

[By his own Māyā, deluding himself with the illusion of dvaita, Hari Himself comes to see himself endowed with guṇas.]

In the Soundarya Lahari, which has been translated into Tamil in the 11 CE, Shankara says:

विरिञ्चिः पञ्चत्वं व्रजति हरिराप्नोति विरतिं
विनाशं कीनाशो भजति  धनदो याति निधनम्।
वितन्द्री माहोन्द्री विततिरपि संमीलितदृशा
महासंहारेऽस्मिन् विहरति सति त्वत्पतिरसौ॥ 26 ||

viriñci – Brahmā; pañcatvaṁ vrajati – ceases to exit; hari āpnoti viratiṁ – Viṣṇu also attains His end; vināśaṁ kīnāśo bhajati – Yama also gets destroyed; dhanado yāti nidhanam – Kubera also meets with his end; vitandrī māhondrī vitatirapi – active Indra with other gods;  saṁmīlitadṛśā  – become functionless with their eyes closed; mahāsaṁhāre asmin – even in that great dissolution; viharati – enjoying with You; sati tvat patir asau – faithful Consort of Śiva.

Madhusudana Saraswati in the invocation to the Advaitasiddhi says that ‘Vishnu rests having become freed from the mithyā bondage.’

मायाकल्पितमातृतामुखमृषाद्वैतप्रपञ्चाश्रयः

सत्यज्ञानसुखात्मकः श्रुतिशिखोत्थाखण्डधीगोचरः ।

मिथ्याबन्धविधूननेन परमानन्दैकतानात्मकं

मोक्षं प्राप्त इव स्वयं विजयते विष्णुर्विकल्पोज्झितः ॥ इति   ।

The Atharvaśikhā upanishad holds vishnu, brahma and rudra were all born of Shambhu.

The Mahabharata too says very clearly that Vishnu was created from Rudra:

Mahabharata Anushasanika parva, Ch.45. Here Krishna says about Shiva that from Shiva have Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra have emerged. I have not given the translation of each verse:
योऽसृजद्दक्षिणादङ्गाद्ब्रह्माणं लोकसम्भवम् |
वामपार्श्वात्तथा विष्णुं लोकरक्षार्थमीश्वरः ||१८३||

युगान्ते चैव सम्प्राप्ते रुद्रमङ्गात्सृजत्प्रभुः ||१८३||

स रुद्रः संहरन्कृत्स्नं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् |
कालो भूत्वा महातेजाः संवर्तक इवानलः ||१८४||

एष देवो महादेवो जगत्सृष्ट्वा चराचरम् |
कल्पान्ते चैव सर्वेषां स्मृतिमाक्षिप्य तिष्ठति ||१८५||

सर्वगः सर्वभूतात्मा सर्वभूतभवोद्भवः |
आस्ते सर्वगतो नित्यमदृश्यः सर्वदैवतैः ||१८६||

For more references in other Puranas for Vishnu’s birth see here:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/double-standards-of-some-vaishnavas/

The above is just a sample of such innumerable references in the scriptural literature for the fact of Vishnu being a created entity.

Sri Appayya Dikshita way above Vedanta Desika and other non-advaitins:

In the foregoing were given some references from Appayya Dikshitar’s work for Rama and Krishna’s jivatva. However, does he really mean that? The purport of Dikshitar’s words is: If one would just go by a sentence or two here and there and conclude something, then the consequence will be that Rama and Krishna will have to be held to be jiva-s. The word ‘syāt’ is indicative of this. He wants the global picture to be considered and not any stray verses to determine what he has in mind. Dikshitar’s mind is best seen in this one important verse:

Appayya has very clearly stated why he undertook the task of bringing to light Shiva-supremacy:

// viShNurvA shankaro vA shruti-shikhara-girAmastu tAtparya-bhUmiH
na-asmAkam tatra vAdaH prasarati kimapi spaShTam-advaita-bhAjAm |
kintu-Isha-dveSha-gADhAnala-kalita-hRRidAm durmatInAm duruktIH
bhanktum yatno mama-ayam nahi bhavatu tato viShNu-vidveSha-shankAm ||

The meaning of the above beautiful verse is:

‘I have not the slightest objection, to anyone coming to any conclusion, that the spirit of the Vedas and the Vedantas, declare either Vishnu or Shiva as the First God. I am a follower of the
Advaita doctrine. I have no difference between Shiva and VishNu. But if in order to establish Vishnu as the main God, if somebody starts abusing Shiva or hates him, I cannot bear it. There are as many proofs or pramanas in the Vedas, Vedantas, Puranas and Agamas to establish that Shiva is a mighty God, as there are to prove that Vishnu is a powerful one. However, I am propagating my religion and indulging in debate and disputation, only to persuade everyone not
to hate Shiva. Let no one have the slightest doubt that I either hate or wish to denigrate Lord Vishnu simply because I praise the grace and greatness of Lord Shiva.’

The sublime devotion of Dikshita to Lord Vishnu is fully seen from his great work ‘Varadaraja stava’ where he has sung in ecstatic poetry about Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram. Vaishnavas declare that Vishnu is the supreme being and that Shiva has a lower status, being a mere jiva. Sri Dikshita however proves in his ‘Ratna-traya-parIkShA’ that Shiva, Vishnu, Ambika, all the three are the same, viz., the supreme reality, and proves it with the pramanas taken
from the puranas, vedas and agamas. //

The above is quoted from the book: ‘Sri Appayya Dikshita’ (p.66,67) by Dr.N.Ramesan, IAS.

Such a mind free of all bigotry is never the type of Vedanta Desika who concludes that Shiva is a jiva by not knowing the true purport of the shruti/smriti/puranas. Credit goes to Sri Dikshitar for revealing to the world the mind of Veda Vyasa that, incidentally, strikes the death knell to Vedanta Desika’s bigotry:

From MB Drona parva:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/unic/mbh07_sa.html

Also available in:

http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh07.txt

नीलकण्ठ उवाच||

मत्प्रसादान्मनुष्येषु देवगन्धर्वयोनिषु |

अप्रमेयबलात्मा त्वं नारायण भविष्यसि ||७४||

[[Nīlakanṭha said: By My grace, you Nārāyaṇa, will be of unequalled strength among humans, gods and other divine beings.]

न च त्वा प्रसहिष्यन्ति देवासुरमहोरगाः |

न पिशाचा न गन्धर्वा न नरा न च राक्षसाः ||७५||

न सुपर्णास्तथा नागा न च विश्वे वियोनिजाः |

न कश्चित्त्वां च देवोऽपि समरेषु विजेष्यति ||७६||

न शस्त्रेण न वज्रेण नाग्निना न च वायुना |

नार्द्रेण न च शुष्केण त्रसेन स्थावरेण वा ||७७||

कश्चित्तव रुजं कर्ता मत्प्रसादात्कथञ्चन |

अपि चेत्समरं गत्वा भविष्यसि ममाधिकः ||७८||

[Due to My grace, You, Nārāyaṇa, will not be harmed/killed by any of the beings or weapons of this creation.  Also in the event of your entering a battle, you will be more powerful than Me, Rudra.]

व्यास उवाच|| एवमेते वरा लब्धाः पुरस्ताद्विद्धि शौरिणा |स एष देवश्चरति मायया मोहयञ्जगत् ||७९|| Vyāsa concluded his reply to Ashwatthāma’s question: These boons were secured by Shourie (Hari) (from Rudra).  Hari, wanders this earth deluding beings with Māyā. ]   तस्यैव तपसा जातं नरं नाम महामुनिम् |तुल्यमेतेन देवेन तं जानीह्यर्जुनं सदा ||८०|| [Of His (Nārāyaṇa’s) penance has Arjuna, the Nara, been born.  Arjuna is equal to Nārāyana. Thus Vyāsa answered Ashvatthāma’s question on how/why indeed Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna remained unaffected by the Āgneya missile that was released against them.] The above episode of the MB is also reflected in the Harivamśa:http://www.mahapashupatastra.com/2011/12/top-n-reasons-to-call-bhagawatam-bogus.html

“yathA mainAkamAshritya tapastvamakaroH prabho |
tathA mama varaM kR^iShNa saMsmR^itya sthairyamApnuhi |
avadhyastvamajeyashcha mattaH shUratarastathA |
bhavitAsItyavochaM yattattathA na tadanyathA |” (Harivamsa Purana 2:74:37-38)

“O kRiShNa! As you did penance staying on mainAka, you received a boon from me. Be firm in your mind, remembering that boon. You can not be killed, you can not be conquered, and you will be more valiant than me. All this will happen as told by me. None will be able to change this”.

Thus, there are innumerable references to Vishnu/Rama/Krishna being a jiva. And whatever references the bigoted non-advaitins might bring up to twist the purport of the Veda and Veda Vyasa, the above Drona Parva verses, among many, are enough to nullify and silence them.  This verse from the Mahabharata, cited in the 11-14CE Andhra Bharata, summarizes the purport of the Veda:

रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्त्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम्।

लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु।। 12-350-27

It is One Principle that appears in the world as Rudra and Narayana.

Non-advaitins will never be able to digest this verse, for their very philosophy precariously rests on a deity that has a form and attributes. It is for this reason alone that they labor hard to safegaurd their supreme deity from their strong opponent deity!! They twist and turn and churn vedic and puranic passages to somehow stall the imminent danger they face from their opponent deity: Shiva. Such is not the method of the Vedanta. Vedanta rests on the Upanishadic tattva and not on a personal deity. Advaita alone transcends such lowly thinking and remains free of all bigotry.

Om Tat Sat