creation - an adhyArOpa on brahman

[Guest guest]

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

The concept of creation and brahman as its efficient & material (upAdAna &

nimitta) cause etc. have been discussed at length at various places by

shankara. While refuting sAnkhya, vaiShEshika-s pradhAna-paramANu theories

shankara vehemently argues that there cannot be any insentient cause to

this universe...as this creation is systamatically arranged in an

order...so this can be possible only to a sentient being that is Ishwara

who is omniscient & omnipotent. In the second sUtra *janmAdasya yatha*

this is the main topic which has been discussed in pages...shankara writes

elaborated commentary to prove his point that Ishvara can only be the cause

of this creation not any insentient thing like pradhAna of sAnkhya or

paramAnu of vaishEshika.

 

But, point to be noted here is, the context in which our AchArya saying

this. Without knowing this it would be very difficult to arrive at a

conclusion that which should not affect a bit to ultimate nirguNa,

nirvikAra nature of brahman. For this the term creation (srushti) demand

clarification strictly from the vEdAntic view point.

 

First we should see what shruti gives us with regard to creation. In

prashnOpanishad it's been said that first he created life from life faith

then ether, air, light, water earth etc. ( sa praNamasrujata praNaM

shraddhAM kham vAyu, jyOti, ApaH..) Secondly, ItarEya says this was indeed

Atman alone in the beginning and nothing else...sentient or non-sentient.

He thought..Let me create the worlds..he created these worlds..ambhas,

marEchies, mara and ApaH..(AtmA vA idamEka yEvatra Asit....sa

imAnlOkansrujata ...ambE marichimArmApaH etc.). Thirdly, muNdaka says just

as the spider exudes and withdraws the web just as plants are botn out of

the earth etc. so comes out all this universe from the imperishable

one...Finally, chAndOgya says, Atman was one without the second & it

thought let me become pletenous..let me be born as manifold ...then it

created light!! Likewise, taitirIya too gives some different account with

creation.

 

If you see the above, it is clear that shruti is not so particular about

giving the correct account of creation....if the creation is real, Ishwara

is really its creator...how can our shruti mAta gives incorrect information

about it?? Prashna says that the purusha created prAna etc. but it is not

clear out of which substance he created them...and ItarEya says differently

that all this universe was Atman before creation!! mundaka says Atman

himself became all this in the process of creation...and it seems all the

created things appeared at a stretch like hair out of a person!! and

chAndOgya saying Atman itself modified and transformed into the

universe...though we know that this sort of self transformation is repugnat

to the shruti-s & its siddhAnta of nirvikAri Atman ...It is also to be

noted that with regard to jIva also shruti gives different description at

different places...we shall take that in a separate mail.

 

Now, it is clear that shruti is not giving us the *correct* order &

process of this creation to attribute the same to Ishwara...then what would

be the intention of shruti in advocating creation, jIva etc. etc. ?? Since

both jIva & jagat are easily accessible to us, shruti adopting a method to

teach us the *reality* which is beyond this nAma rUpAtmaka jIva-jagat. All

these things comes only under the device for the purpose of teaching the

absolute non dual reality...using the traditional method of superimpostion

(adhyArOpa) and rescission (apavAda)..that is the reason why shruti has

never taken seriously that in explaining creation order/process and brahman

is really the cause of it. It would not be out of context if I repeat here

the paramArtha in advaita as said by Sri gaudapAdAchArya's in his kArika :

 

" there is neither creation nor dissolution no one bound nor one who

undergoes spiritual discipline no one who intensely desires to be released

nor one who is released...this is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH..."

 

If we understand the above declaration properly, it is not difficult for us

to discern that the method of creation is presented in all the shruti texts

as a variety of the adhyArOpa and apavAda method. All apparent differences

in srushti, jIva svarUpa, brahma svarUpa can easily be reconciled once we

know how this method works in all through the prasthAna trayi.

 

For example in gIta first lord says sarvataH pAni pAdam ...and in the very

next moment he says it is sarvEdriya vivarjita!! why?? if this brahman

has really multiple limbs then lord would have stopped then & there

....there was no need for him to clarify that *the tattva* is sarvEndriya

vivarjita & sarva guNAtIta....shankara calls first verse as adhyArOpa and

second one as apavAda...not vice versa to prove that these names and forms

themselves brahman....elsewhere krishna says in gIta, all these beings rest

in me but I do not rest in them... this is adhyArOpa coz. somewhere else

krishna clarifies that nor are the beings really in me ...just look at the

yOga belonging to be ...this is apavAda.

 

Still plenty of evidences can be found in the shruti & smruti texts to

justify how this method of adhArOpa apavAda effecively works & leads us to

ultimate reality of nirguNa, nirvishEsha brahman...but this mail has

already become lengthy... I'd like to conclude this mail by quoting another

gem from kArika (3-15):

 

" The creation which is taught in various ways by means of illustrations

like that of clay, metal and sparks is only a *device* (upAya) for the

purpose of leading the mind to the truth....there is no diversity on any

account..."

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

OM TAT SAT

Pranam Bhaskarji, I greatly respect and admire your knowledge of Advaita and

Shruti so please do not consider my question sarcastic. I can assure you that I

am neither an Advaitin nor a Dvaitin or Vishistadvaitin because I have simply

not studied the philosophy fully yet. Please see a quote from your email below

:

 

<Start of Quote>

shankara vehemently argues that there cannot be any insentient cause to this

universe...as this creation is systamatically arranged in an order...so this

can be possible only to a sentient being that is Ishwara who is omniscient &

omnipotent.

<End of Quote>

 

If memory serves me right, you yourself quoted Shankar once to say that Saguna

and Nirguna Brahman are not different entities. In other words, Brahman is the

intelligence behind this orderly or systematic creation. Are you saying that

Shankar first vehemently argues about Ishwara and creation and the very next

breath negates it by calling it Maya Upadhi ? Is this an instance of

Adhyaropa-apvada ?

 

thank you,

OM TAT SAT

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Brahmarpanam Brahmhavih <mahadevadvaita wrote:

If memory serves me right, you yourself quoted Shankar once to say that Saguna

and Nirguna Brahman are not different entities. In other words, Brahman is the

intelligence behind this orderly or systematic creation. Are you saying that

Shankar first vehemently argues about Ishwara and creation and the very next

breath negates it by calling it Maya Upadhi ? Is this an instance of

Adhyaropa-apvada ?

Sankarraman:

Sankara, apart from his lofty liberating knowledge given to humainity, has

been a system-builder, this being meant for serving other purposes. A

superficial reading of Sankara's philosophy will give us only a lop-sided

picture of the great Master. There is a beautiful, but of course mythical

account of Sankara having stood before the deity Mahalingeswara of

Tiruvidaimarudur, and a hand having arisen from the linga with an ethereal

exclamation, " Advaita alone is true; Advaita alone is true". In an Advatic

work of higest order called Ribugita, there is a verse stating, " Whatever

supreme knowledge you may possess, it is of no avail in overcoming this

terrible fear of Samsara. Only the flawless knowledge of Advaita can eradicate

this timeless fear of Samsara."

with warm regards

Sankarraman

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

bhaskar.yr wrote: praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

The concept of creation and brahman as its efficient & material (upAdAna &

nimitta) cause etc. have been discussed at length at various places by

shankara. While refuting sAnkhya, vaiShEshika-s pradhAna-paramANu theories

shankara vehemently argues that there cannot be any insentient cause to

this universe...as this creation is systamatically arranged in an

order...so this can be possible only to a sentient being that is Ishwara

who is omniscient & omnipotent. Sankarraman:

Conflicting accounts of the theory of creation inferable from the

srutis, is surely a serious pointer towards a higher reality, viz, Brahman in

whose light the varegated universes are mere uncaused appearances. The sruti

wants us to only transcend this unreal creation and attain the knowledge of

one's true being. Ramana Maharishi clearly says that the theories of creation

extend outwardly, which is only a sign of distraction for the serious sadaks.

Different cosmologies have different accounts of creation. A mere knowledge of

the nature of creation can be only empirically relevant having no meaning in

the light of self-knowledge. In ancient times science did not advance much.

But, in spite of the advance of science, the transcendental reality remains the

same. Hence, creation belonging to the realm of time can only pander to the

intellectual needs.

sankarraman

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

On 25th of November Sri Brahmarpanam Brahmhavih prabhuji asked :

 

If memory serves me right, you yourself quoted Shankar once to say that

Saguna

and Nirguna Brahman are not different entities. In other words, Brahman is

the

intelligence behind this orderly or systematic creation. Are you saying

that

Shankar first vehemently argues about Ishwara and creation and the very

next

breath negates it by calling it Maya Upadhi ? Is this an instance of

Adhyaropa-apvada ?

 

praNAms Sri Brahmarpanam Brahmhavih prabhuji

Hare Krishna

 

you could have continued your cybernet name by adding *brahmAgnou

brahmaNAhutaM* also :-))

 

Anyway, kindly pardon me for the belated reply...as I am seeing your mail

only today.

 

Yes, Ishwara's sarvajnAtva (omni science), sarva shanktitva (omni potence)

etc. etc. are *kEvala* avidyAkruta nAma rUpa upAdhi saMbhandha...since in

para brahman there is no *vishEsha* as such...it is nirguNa - nirvishEsha.

shankara while refuting sAnkhya's pradhAna kAraNa vAda, bhuddhists

*kshaNika vAda* upholds the supremacy of saguNa brahman/Ishwara. But while

presenting his siddhAnta of non-duality, he categorically refuses to

attribute these qualities to parabrahman. Yes, there is a mention of para

& apara brahman in shruti itself (for example prashna upanishad..where in

OmkAra (praNAva) has been described as both para & apara brahman)...and

shankara clarfies his stand about it & accepts yes there are two brahman

(he says in sUtra bhAshya " yes, since shruti is saying there are two

brahman..it is so" ) but further he clarifies ONLY nirguNa nirvishEsha

parabrahman is paramArtha satya (ultimate reality) whereas the apara

brahman that which has form and attributes is due to the conditioning

adjunct of name & form created by avidyA. brahman's kArya-kAraNa vishesha

are mere adhyArOpita just to teach the highest reality of brahman which is

beyond the scope of kArya-kAraNa prakriya.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar