A ‘MURDER’ OF SATI-SAPTAMI

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