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[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste Raghav Ji,

Reg  << Is the characterization of the mahavAkyas as lakshana (praGYAnam
brahma),
anusandhaana (aham brahmaani), upadesha (tattvamasi) and anubhava (ayam
aatmaa Brahma) mentioned somewhere in the traditional granthas? I have
heard these words before and the use of these Sanskrit words seems to
indicate prior precedent >>,

I think I came across such a characterization only once during my studies.
Do not recollect where. I do not think such characterization is generally
adopted in traditional granthas.

Reg  <<  Once he (rhetorically?) suggested that any jiveshvaraikya bodhaka
vAkya
would qualify to be called a mahAvAkya >>,

That is certainly the generally accepted definition of a mahAvAkya. There
are any number of them in the scriptures. Vivekachudamani verse 251 cited
below

<<  संलक्ष्य चिन्मात्रतया यदात्मनो -
रखण्डभावः परिचीयते बुधैः ।
एवं महावाक्यशतेन कथ्यते
ब्रह्मात्मनोरैक्यमखण्डभावः ॥ >>   VC-251

<<  saMlakShya chinmAtratayA yadAtmano -

rakhaNDabhAvaH parichIyate budhaiH |

evaM mahAvAkyashatena kathyate

brahmAtmanoraikyamakhaNDabhAvaH ||  >>  VC-251

It mentions there are hundreds of mahAvAkyAs in the scriptures.

Swami Dayananda Saraswathi in his discourses on Mundaka Up points to
several verses as mahAvAkyAs.

Reg  <<   Even the idea expressed in tasmAdvA
etasmAdAtmana Akashah saMbhUtaH is sufficient since it has the tat and etat
pada-s in samAnAdhikaraNyam >>,

As per the Bhashya, the word “tat” refers to Brahman stated in <<
ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । >>  (brahmavidApnoti param |) while “etat” refers
to Brahman whose laksaNa is stated later in << सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म ।
>> (satyaM j~nAnamanantaM brahma |).

This is followed up in the Bhashya by

<< तस्मादेतस्माद्ब्रह्मण आत्मनः आत्मशब्दवाच्यात् ; आत्मा हि तत् सर्वस्य, ‘
तत्सत्यं स आत्मा’ (छा. उ. ६ । ८ । १६)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Chandogya?page=6&id=Ch_C06_S08_V16&hl=%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B8%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE>
 इति श्रुत्यन्तरात् ; अतो ब्रह्म आत्मा >>

  << tasmAdetasmAdbrahmaNa AtmanaH AtmashabdavAchyAt ; AtmA hi tat
sarvasya, ‘tatsatyaM sa AtmA’ (ChA. u. 6 | 8 | 16) iti shrutyantarAt ; ato
brahma AtmA >>.

The Bhashya also states

<< ‘तस्माद्वा एतस्मादात्मनः’ इति ब्रह्मण्येव आत्मशब्दप्रयोगात् वेदितुरात्मैव
 ब्रह्म । >>

  << ‘tasmAdvA etasmAdAtmanaH’ iti brahmaNyeva AtmashabdaprayogAt
vediturAtmaiva brahma | >>.

 Hence it is termed a mahAvAkya.

Regards


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