[Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva as the son of Brahma

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear friends,

While trying to prove Vishnu as superior ot Shiva, some of the Dvaitins should not try to show that Shiva was Brahma's son and therefore Shiva is an inferior entity. , I read quite sometime ago in Purana (which is considered as fifth veda by the Vedas),  that Brahma himself prayed to Shiva to take birth as Brahma's son and Shiva, the Bholanath readily obliged. I am sure there would be many among the Advaitins, who read the  puranas and knows this. Hope our Dvaitin friends would also read the puranas for these and not read the puranas selectively. 

Regards
skb



--------------------------------------------
On Sat, 8/13/16, Sunil Bhattacharjya via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva as the son of Brahma
 To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>, "D Gayatri" <dgayatrinov10 at gmail.com>
 Date: Saturday, August 13, 2016, 10:16 PM
 
 Dear friends,
 
 While trying to prove Vishnu as superior ot Shiva one should
 not try to show that Shiva was Brahma's son, I read quite
 sometime ago in Purana (which is considered as fifth veda by
 the Vedas),  that Brahma himself prayed to Shiva to
 take as Brahma's son and Shiva, the Bholanath obliged. I am
 sure there would be many, who read  puranas, would know
 thus.
 
 Secondly, Lord Krishna himself considers the Veda as Apara
 Vidya and the Upanishads as the para-Vidya. The Mundaka
 upanishada also says that the Veda is Apara Vidya  The
 Vedanta is Upanishada. In Vedanta there is only one Brahman.
 Vedantins know the dictum "SARVAM KHALVIDAM BRAHMA" .
 Unfortunately the Dvaitins seem to ignore this fact. 
 The Advaita discussions are at the Apara-Vidya level. 
 
 Regards
 skb
 
 
 --------------------------------------------
 On Sat, 8/13/16, D Gayatri via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 
  Subject: [Advaita-l] Shankara authenticates Shiva as the
 son of Brahma
  To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
  Date: Saturday, August 13, 2016, 2:05 AM
  
  Namaste
  
  In the Shanti parva of the Mahabharata, Krishna-Dwaipayana
  relates a
  conversation between Brahma and Shiva. Here it is revealed
  by
  Krishna-Dvaipayana, that Shiva is actually the son of
 Brahma
  and
  Brahma gives instructions to Shiva on the supreme purusha
  and brahman,
  who is none other than Narayana. This is another instance
 of
  Vishnu
  being praised as the vedAntic brahman in the Mahabharata.
  
  Now, the Shanti parva and Anushasana parva of the
  Mahabharata are
  widely believed to contain many interpolations, to the
  extent that
  even the critical BORI edition may not be free from
  interpolations as
  far as these two parva-s are concerned. Fortunately, the
  above
  instance of Brahma teaching his son Shiva about the nature
  of
  Narayana, the supreme Atman, is authenticated by none
 other
  than our
  own Shankara bhagavatpAda in his Brahmasutra Bhashya.
  
  Below, I will explain how Shankara bhagavatpAda
  authenticates this incident.
  
  
  Shankara's Brahmasutra Bhashya 2.1.1. contains the
  following
  quotations from the Mahabharata -
  
  महाभारतेऽपि च — ‘बहवः
  पुरुषा
  ब्रह्मन्नुताहो एक एव
  तु’ इति विचार्य,
  ‘बहवः पुरुषा
  राजन्सांख्ययोगविचारिणाम्’
  इति परपक्षमुपन्यस्य
  तद्व्युदासेन —
  ‘बहूनां पुरुषाणां हि
  यथैका योनिरुच्यते ।
  तथा तं पुरुषं
  विश्वमाख्यास्यामि
  गुणाधिकम्’
  इत्युपक्रम्य
  ‘ममान्तरात्मा तव च ये
  चान्ये
  देहसंस्थिताः ।
  सर्वेषां
  साक्षिभूतोऽसौ न
  ग्राह्यः
  केनचित्क्वचित् ॥
  विश्वमूर्धा
  विश्वभुजो
  विश्वपादाक्षिनासिकः
  । एकश्चरति भूतेषु
  स्वैरचारी
  यथासुखम्’ — इति
  सर्वात्मतैव
  निर्धारिता ।
  
  
  The above portion of the bhAshya contains 4 quotations
 from
  the Mahabharata -
  
  1. बहवः पुरुषा
  ब्रह्मन्नुताहो एक एव
  तु
  
  2. बहवः पुरुषा
  राजन्सांख्ययोगविचारिणाम्
  
  3. बहूनां पुरुषाणां हि
  यथैका योनिरुच्यते ।
  तथा तं पुरुषं
  विश्वमाख्यास्यामि
  गुणाधिकम्
  
  4. ममान्तरात्मा तव च ये
  चान्ये देहसंस्थिताः
 ।
  सर्वेषां
  साक्षिभूतोऽसौ न
  ग्राह्यः
  केनचित्क्वचित् ॥
  विश्वमूर्धा
  विश्वभुजो
  विश्वपादाक्षिनासिकः
  ।
  एकश्चरति भूतेषु
  स्वैरचारी यथासुखम्
  
  
  The 4 quotations are found in the Shanti parva of the
  Mahabharata.
  Shankara himself says that all these quotations are from
  the
  Mahabharata.
  
  The first quotation of Shankara is from Mbh 12.338.1 in
 the
  critical
  edition. The complete verse is as follows -
  
  जनमेजय उवाच|| बहवः
  पुरुषा
  ब्रह्मन्नुताहो एक एव
  तु | को ह्यत्र पुरुषः
  श्रेष्ठः को वा
  योनिरिहोच्यते ||१||
  
  [Janamejaya asks Vaisampayana whether there are many
  purushas or
  whether there is only one. Who is the foremost of the
  purushas and who
  is the source of all?]
  
  (I have based my translations from the work of K M
 Ganguly)
  
  The second quotation of Shankara is from Mbh 12.338.2, the
  complete
  verse being -
  
  वैशम्पायन उवाच|| बहवः
  पुरुषा लोके
  साङ्ख्ययोगविचारिणाम्
  | नैतदिच्छन्ति
  पुरुषमेकं
  कुरुकुलोद्वह ||२||
  
  [Vaisampayana says, those who follow Samkhya and Yoga
  consider
  purushas as many. They dont think there is a single
  purusha]
  
  Shankara considers the above position of Samkhyas and
 Yogins
  as
  pUrva-paksha, which will be refuted in the subsequent
  sections of the
  Mahabharata itself.
  
  The third quotation of Shankara is from the Mbh 12.338.3 -
  
  बहूनां पुरुषाणां च
  यथैका योनिरुच्यते |
  तथा तं पुरुषं विश्वं
  व्याख्यास्यामि
  गुणाधिकम् ||३||
  
  [In the same manner in which the many Purushas are said to
  have one
  origin in the Supreme Purusha, it may be said that this
  entire
  universe is identical with that one Purusha of superior
  attributes.]
  
  (Now, before we come to Shankara's 4th quotation, we need
  to
  understand in what context it occurs, so I will explain
 the
  context.)
  
  Vaisampayana then goes on to relate a narrative about
  Brahma's
  instructions to his son Shiva, in this context. It is
  clearly
  specified in this section that Shiva is the son of Brahma.
  
  Mbh: 12.338.8 -
  
  अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं
  पुरातनम् | ब्रह्मणा सह
  संवादं त्र्यम्बकस्य
  विशां पते ||८||
  
  [In this connection is cited the old narrative of the
  discourse
  between Brahma, O king, and the Three-eyed Mahadeva.]
  
  Mbh: 12.338.11 -
  
  अथ तत्रासतस्तस्य
  चतुर्वक्त्रस्य धीमतः
 |
  ललाटप्रभवः पुत्रः
 शिव
  आगाद्यदृच्छया ||११||
  आकाशेनैव योगीशः पुरा
  त्रिनयनः प्रभुः ||११||
  
  [While the four-faced Brahma of great intelligence was
  seated there,
  his son Mahadeva, who had sprung from his forehead
  encountered him one
  day in course of his wanderings through the universe. In
  days of yore,
  the Three-eyed Siva endued with puissance and high Yoga,
  while
  proceeding along the sky, beheld Brahma seated on that
  mountain and,
  therefore, dropped down quickly on its top.]
  
  In the above, Shiva is called as lalATaprabhavaH putraH -
  the son who
  arose from the forehead of Brahma. This is also confirmed
 by
  the next
  few verses, where Shiva pays respects to Brahma, by
 touching
  his feet.
  
  Mbh: 12.338.12-15 -
  
  ततः खान्निपपाताशु
  धरणीधरमूर्धनि |
  अग्रतश्चाभवत्प्रीतो
  ववन्दे चापि पादयोः
  ||१२||
  
  तं पादयोर्निपतितं
  दृष्ट्वा सव्येन
  पाणिना | उत्थापयामास
  तदा प्रभुरेकः
  प्रजापतिः ||१३||
  
  उवाच चैनं
  भगवांश्चिरस्यागतमात्मजम्
  | स्वागतं ते महाबाहो
  दिष्ट्या
  प्राप्तोऽसि
  मेऽन्तिकम् ||१४||
  
  कच्चित्ते कुशलं
 पुत्र
  स्वाध्यायतपसोः सदा |
  नित्यमुग्रतपास्त्वं
  हि ततः
  पृच्छामि ते पुनः ||१५||
  
  
  [With a cheerful heart he presented him before his
  progenitor and
  worshipped his feet. Beholding Mahadeva prostrated at his
  feet, Brahma
  took him up with his left hand. Having thus raised
 Mahadeva
  up,
  Brahma, that puissant and one Lord of all creatures, then
  addressed
  his son, whom he met after a long time, in these words.
 "The
  Grandsire
  said, 'Welcome art thou, O thou of mighty arms. By good
 luck
  I see
  thee after such a long time come to my presence. I hope, O
  son, that
  everything is right with thy penances and thy Vedic
 studies
  and
  recitations. Thou art always observant of the austerest
  penances.
  Hence I ask thee about the progress and well-being of
 those
  penances
  of thine!']
  
  The discussion between Brahma and his son Shiva progresses
  and Brahma
  explains the meaning of Purusha to Shiva. The discussion
  continues
  into the next chapter (here is where we will find the 4th
  quotation
  from Shankara).
  
  Mbh 12.329.1-5
  
  ब्रह्मोवाच||
  
  शृणु पुत्र यथा ह्येष
  पुरुषः शाश्वतोऽव्ययः
 |
  अक्षयश्चाप्रमेयश्च
  सर्वगश्च निरुच्यते
  ||१||
  
  न स शक्यस्त्वया
  द्रष्टुं
  मयान्यैर्वापि सत्तम |
  सगुणो निर्गुणो
 विश्वो
  ज्ञानदृश्यो ह्यसौ
  स्मृतः ||२||
  
  अशरीरः शरीरेषु
  सर्वेषु निवसत्यसौ |
  वसन्नपि शरीरेषु न स
  लिप्यति कर्मभिः ||३||
  
  ममान्तरात्मा तव च ये
  चान्ये देहसञ्ज्ञिताः
 |
  सर्वेषां
  साक्षिभूतोऽसौ न
  ग्राह्यः
  केनचित्क्वचित् ||४||
  
  विश्वमूर्धा
  विश्वभुजो
  विश्वपादाक्षिनासिकः
 |
  एकश्चरति क्षेत्रेषु
  स्वैरचारी यथासुखम्
  ||५||
  
  (The fourth quotation from Shankara comprises the verses 4
  and 5
  above. These are the words of Brahma addressed to his son
  Shiva).
  
  ['Brahma said,--'Listen, O son, as to how that Purusha is
  indicated.
  He is eternal and immutable. He is undeteriorating and
  immeasurable.
  He pervades all things. 1 O best of all creatures, that
  Purusha cannot
  be seen by thee, or me, or others. Those that are endued
  with the
  understanding and the senses but destitute of
 self-restraint
  and
  tranquility of soul cannot obtain a sight of him. The
  Supreme Purusha
  is said to be one that can be seen with the aid of
 knowledge
  alone.
  Though divested of body, He dwells in every body. Though
  dwelling,
  again, in bodies, He is never touched by the acts
  accomplished by
  those bodies. He is my Antaratma (inner soul). He is thy
  inner soul.
  He is the all-seeing Witness dwelling within all embodied
  creatures
  and engaged in marking their acts. No one can grasp or
  comprehend him
  at any time. The universe is the crown of his head. The
  universe is
  his arms. The universe is his feet. The universe is his
  eyes. The
  universe is his nose. Alone and single, he roves through
 all
  Kshetras
  (Bodies) unrestrained by any limitations on his will and
 as
  he likes.]
  
  The discussion continues and a few verses later, Brahma
  reveals that
  the Purusha is Narayana -
  
  Mbh: 12.329.14
  
  तत्र यः परमात्मा हि स
  नित्यं निर्गुणः
  स्मृतः | स हि नारायणो
  ज्ञेयः
  सर्वात्मा पुरुषो हि
 सः
  ||१४||
  
  [The truth is that he who is the Supreme Soul is always
  divested of
  attributes. He is Narayana. He is the universal soul, and
 he
  is the
  one Purusha.]
  
  Thus, Brahma reveals to his son Shiva that Narayana is the
  supreme
  Purusha and the Atman of all. Since Shankara quotes this
  incident from
  both these chapters (328 and 329 of Shanti parva), these
  incidents are
  not interpolations as they have been authenticated by the
  great
  Shankara himself, who stands in greatness, next only to
  Krishna-Dvaipayana (vyasa).
  
  Thus, this is another instance in the Mahabharata, where
  Vishnu has
  been praised as the Vedantic brahman.
  
  
  Regards
  Gayatri
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