‘Vishuddhajnana’ means Advaita alone – Skanda Purana

Chaturmukha Brahma is an Advaitin

In the Suta Samhita of the Skandapurana there is a stuti addressed to Chaturmukha Brahma. In that hymn he is addressed by the devas as ‘Vishuddhajnanarupi’ (an embodiment of pure knowledge):

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc…/brahmagiitaaskanda.html

वेधसे विश्वनेत्राय विशुद्धज्ञानरूपिणे ।

वेदवेद्याय वेदान्तविधये वै नमो नमः ॥ ४५॥

Chaturmukha Brahma says this to the devata-s:

विशुद्धज्ञानिनां देवा निष्ठाऽप्यद्वैतगोचरा ।

तथाऽपि परमाद्वैतं नैव वाञ्छन्ति मानवाः ॥ ४५॥

Those who possess Visuddhajnana are devoted to Advaita.

The Sutasamhita of Skandapurana holds Shiva as the Supreme and Advaita as the doctrine of the Upanishads.

Here the deva-s proceed to Brahmaloka, abode of Lord Brahma and offer a hymnal praise to him, where some propositions admitted only in Advaita are present, are stated below:

तुष्टुवुर्हृष्टमीशानं सर्वलोकपितामहम् ।

मुक्तिदं पुण्यनिष्ठानां दुःखदं पापकर्मणाम् ॥ ३८॥

Chaturmukha is the one who grants mukti.

कष्टसागरमग्नानां संसारोत्तारहेतवे ।

साक्षिणे सर्वभूतानां साक्ष्यहीनाय वै नमः ॥ ४०॥

Chaturmukha is omniscient and has no real objectified perception, i.e. he does not ‘perceive’ anything different from himself. This is because there is no real substance other than Brahman. This premise is accepted only in Advaita:

The Bhashya Ratnaprabha says: भाष्यरत्नप्रभाव्याख्या –

तर्हि साक्ष्यमस्तीति द्वैतापत्तिः । न सर्वभूतानामधिष्ठानं भूत्वा साक्षी भवति । साक्ष्यमधिष्ठाने साक्षिणि कल्पितमिति भावः ।

Purnananda’s gloss on this is: द्वैतापत्तिं परिहरति – साक्ष्यमिति ।

शतानन्दाय शान्ताय शाङ्करज्ञानदायिने ।

शमादिसहितस्यैव ज्ञानदाय नमो नमः ॥ ४९॥

Chaturmukha is the giver of supreme knowledge abut Shiva (Nirguna Brahman) for liberation.

शम्भवे शम्भुभक्तानां शङ्कराय शरीरिणाम् ।

शाङ्करज्ञानहीनानां शत्रवे वै नमो नमः ॥ ५०॥

Chaturmukha is not a friend for those who do not have knowledge of Shiva. That means that they are not freed from bondage.

नमः स्वयम्भुवे नित्यं स्वयम्भुब्रह्मदायिने ।

स्वयं ब्रह्मस्वरूपाय स्वतन्त्राय परात्मने ॥ ५१॥

Chaturmukha is independent and supreme.

वन्द्यहीनाय वन्द्याय वरदाय परस्य च ।

वरिष्ठाय वरिष्ठानां चतुर्वक्त्राय वै नमः ॥ ५३॥

Chaturmukha has no one as Ishvara above him to which he could bow: Vandyaheena.

जगत्कर्त्रे जगद्गोप्त्रे जगद्धन्त्रे परात्मने ।

जगद्दृश्यविहीनाय चिन्मात्रज्योतिषे नमः ॥ ५६॥

Chaturmukha performs creation, preservation and annihilation of creation and the world is not an object to him. He was previously told that there was no world that is witnessed by him. This premise is accepted only in Advaita. In the Lalita Sahasra nama there is a name: Drishyarahita (Adrisya Drishyarahitaa Vijnatrii Vedyavarjitaa).

विश्वोत्तीर्णाय विश्वाय विश्वहीनाय साक्षिणे ।

स्वप्रकाशैकमानाय नमः पूर्णपरात्मने ॥ ५७॥

Chaturmukha has transcended bondage (Vishvottirna) and he is Vishvaheena: He has no world.

इति श्रीस्कन्दपुराणे सूतसंहितायां चतुर्थस्य यज्ञवैभवखण्डस्योपरिभागे ब्रह्मगीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मगीतिर्नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ॥ १॥

Thus many propositions which are especially admitted only in Advaita can be found in this hymn on Chaturmukha.

In this part of the Suta Samhita of the Skanda Purana, the essence of many Upanishads is given in the form of verses over a number of chapters. All this is instructive of Advaita alone. And the Supreme Brahman as propounded in the Upanishads in the Suta Samhita is Paramashiva.

For the above reason Vaishnavas keep the Suta Samhita away.

See an image here: https://groups.google.com/g/advaitin/c/MKGXsUjJG0w