‘Jabala’ Upanishad names in Shiva puranam

‘Jabala’ Upanishad names in Shiva puranam

In the Tamil booklet ‘Sankararum Vainavamum’, the Vishishtadvaitin author makes this charge on page 10:

(Translation):// Appayya Dikshita and his associates concocted several Upanishads that proclaim ‘Shaivadvaita’ and compiled a list of 108 ‘Upanishads’. //

Here is a related comment on the following page:

http://www.tamilhindu.com/2013/10/sivadvaita-bhashyam/

சரபம், பஸ்ம ஜாபாலம், ருத்ராட்ச ஜாபாலம் போன்ற சிவபரத்துவத்தை வலிந்து கூறும் நூற்களையும், இன்னூற்களை உபநிடதங்கள் என்று பறைசாற்றும் முக்திகத்தையுமே நவீனக் கற்பிதங்கள் என்பது வைணவப் பெரியோர் கூறுவது. இவை உண்மையில் உபனிடதங்களாக இருந்தால் சிவபரத்துவத்தைச் சாதிக்கப் பல நூல்கள் இயற்றிய ஹரதத்தர், ஸ்ரீகண்டர் – அப்பைய தீட்சிதர் முதலானோரில் ஒருவராவது எடுத்திருக்கலாமே என்பது வைணவச் சான்றோர்கள் கேட்கும் கேள்வி. அப்பைய தீட்சிதரின் காலத்திற்குப் பிறகே இந்நூல்களை ‘உபநிடதங்கள்’ வரிசையில் நாம் கேள்விப் படுகிறோம்.

Translation/gist: The Vaishnavaite elders say that the 'Sharabha, Bhasma Jabala, Rudraksha Jabala, etc. that make a struggled case of Shiva as the

Supreme Brahman and the Muktika that endorses these as Upanishads are modern concoctions.' If these were Upanishads really, Haradatta, Srikantha, Appayya Dikshita,

etc. who authored several books to establish Shiva-supremacy would have cited these. But they have not.' We hear these in the list of Upanishads only in the post-Appayya

Dikshita period.

To the above charge, the Advaitin's response is as follows:

Upanishad/s with a 'Jabala' suffix is found named in the Shiva Puranam that is admitted to be of very ancient antiquity. The size of the Shivapuranam is of that of the Maha

bharata. Shankara has cited from this Purana in the Vishnu Sahasra Nama Bhashya to bring out the Shiva-supremacy, as the Parama Kaaranam. Later, Sridhara Swamin in the Vishnu Purana commentary has cited two verses,

for the same purpose, from the Shiva Purana. Sri Raghavananda who lived during the same period, 13 - 14 CE, in Kerala, and wrote a commentary on the Srimad Bhagavatam

has cited several verses from the Shiva Purana in the Sarva Mata Sangraha, again, that bring out Shiva Supremacy.

The 'Jabala' found in the following sample verses of the Shiva Purana is definitely not the Jabala Upanishad cited several times by Shankara in the Prasthana traya

Bhashya. That Jabala is available fully and has no mention of Bhasma Dharana vidhi. The Shiva Purana is also replete with Rudraksha Dharana vidhi, Mahatmya, etc.

https://www.sanskritworld.in/public/assets/book/book_50dbeb7a95cd3.txt

जाबालकोक्तमंत्रेण भस्मना च त्रिपुंड्रकम्  ॥ १,१३.२१
अन्यथा चेज्जले पात इतस्तन्नरकमृच्छति  ॥ १,१३.२१

तत्रैतेबहवोलोकाबृहज्जाबालचोदिताः  ॥ १,२४.४९

त्रिपुंड्रोद्धूलनंप्रोक्तजाबालैरादरेणच  ॥ १,२४.९

अग्निरित्यादिभिर्मंत्रैर्जाबालोपनिषद्गतेः  ॥ १,२४.८

[ स होवाच सद्योजातादिपञ्चब्रह्ममन्त्रैः परिगृह्याग्निरिति भस्मेत्यभिमन्त्र्यमानस्तोक ..in Brihajjaabaalopanishat,which is a very lengthy Upanishat.  https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/brihajjabala.html?lang=sa  and also in this collection containing Brihajjabalopanishat:   https://sa.wikisource.org/s/ktu  ]

कालाग्निरुद्रोपनिषत् too has this vidhi for bhasma with the mantras: परिगृह्याग्निरिति भस्म वायुरिति भस्मजलमिति भस्म स्थलमिति भस्म व्योमेति ..which is in the Atharvashiropanishat.]

श्वेतागस्त्यदधीचाद्यैरस्माभिश्च शिवाश्रितैः  ॥ ७.२,३३.४ [reference to Shvetashvataramuni?]

Muktikopanishat is cited in Jivanmukti viveka (JMV) by Swami Vidyaranya 13 - 14 CE:

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/muktika.html?lang=sa

These two mantras are cited in the JMV together, after citing from the Kathopanishad: 

बहुशास्त्रकथाकन्थारोमन्थेन वृथैव किम् ।
अन्वेष्टव्यं प्रयत्नेन मारुते ज्योतिरान्तरम् ॥ ६३॥

अधीत्य चतुरो वेदान्सर्वशास्त्राण्यनेकशः ।
ब्रह्मतत्त्वं न जानाति दर्वी पाकरसं यथा ॥ ६५॥

The following mantra is cited elsewhere in the JMV

वासनाहीनमप्येतच्चक्षुरादीन्द्रियं स्वतः ।
प्रवर्तते बहिः स्वाऽर्थे वासनामात्रकारणम् ॥ २२॥

All these three are found in the Muktikopanishad.

The JMV cites several Upanishads that are part of the 108 such as the Amritabindu, Amritanada, Aruni, Paramahamsopanishad, Yajnavalkyopanishad, Brahmopanishad, etc. and the Naradaparivraka Upanishad which even has this specification for the pundra of sannyasins:

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/naradparivra.html?lang=sa ऊर्ध्वपुण्ड्रं कुटीचकस्य त्रिपुण्ड्रं बहूदकस्य ऊर्ध्वपुण्ड्रं त्रिपुण्ड्रं हंसस्य भस्मोद्धूलनं परमहंसस्य तुरीयातीतस्य तिलकपुण्ड्रमवधूतस्य

न किञ्चित् |

Thus we see that several centuries before the advent of Appayya Dikshita, the Muktikopanishat and the Upanishads listed therein have existed.  The charge that these are

concocted ones post-Appayya Dikshita is completely without any basis.  Unable to stomach the presence of Shiva-supremacy in innumerable Upanishads, the objection has

stemmed by trying to blame Appayya Dikshita.  The Shivapurana of very ancient antiquity citing the 'Jabala' Upanishad/s and Vidyaranya citing from the Muktia and several Upanishads enumerated

therein is a fact that cannot be denied.

Om Tat Sat