[Advaita-l] mamaivāmśo jiva lokē (The jiva is a 'part' of Mine) - Advaitic explanation by Sridhara swamin
V Subrahmanian
v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Thu Jul 17 14:00:25 EDT 2025
In the Bhagavatam 11.11.4 we have this verse:
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/apk
एकस्यैव ममांशस्य जीवस्यैव महामते।
बन्धोऽस्याविद्ययानादिर्विद्यया च तथेतरः ४।
O most intelligent Uddhava, the living entity, called jīva, is part and
parcel of Me, but due to ignorance he has been suffering in material
bondage since time immemorial. By knowledge, however, he can be liberated.
Sridhara swami gives an analogy: One Moon/Sun reflecting in many water
bodies.
The reflections are all amśa-s and the original sun/moon is the amśī. That
way only the reflections experience bandha and moksha and not the original.
तत्र शरीरिणामिति बहुवचननिर्देशाद्विषयभेदेनाविरोध उक्त इति भ्रांतिं
व्यावर्तयन्बंध- मोक्षव्यवस्थामुपपादयति । एकस्यैवेति । तर्हि
किमात्माभेदात्तवापि बंधो नहीत्याह । अस्य जीवस्यैवेति । नन्वात्माभेदे जीवो
नाम कोऽन्योऽस्ति पृथक् । कथं च बंधमोक्षसुखदुःखादिव्यवस्था तत्राह
ममांशस्येति । अयं भावः । यथैकस्यापि चंद्रादेर्जलाद्युपाधिना प्रतिबिंबभेदो
यथा च तत्र जलकृताः कंपादयः प्रतिबिंबस्यैव । तथा च
प्रतिबिंबानामप्युपाधिभेदेन भेदादेकस्मिन्नुदकुंभे भग्ने प्रतिबिंबस्यैव
बिंबैक्यं नान्यगतस्य तथाऽविद्यायां प्रतिबिंबस्य मदंशस्य जीवस्यैव तत्कृतौ
बंधस्तस्य चोपाधितो भेदान्नाव्यवस्थेति । तथा चाहुः । 'यथैकस्मिन्घटाकाशे
रजोधूमादिभिर्युते । न सर्वे संप्रयुज्यंते तथा जीवाः सुखादिभिः ।' इति ।
एतच्चाति रहस्यं स्वबुद्ध्या निश्चेतव्यमिति संबोधयति । हे महामते । इतरो
मोक्षः ॥ ४॥
🔸 *English Translation of the commentary:*
"*There*—the term *śarīriṇām* (embodied beings, in plural)—by using the
plural form, someone might mistakenly think that liberation and bondage
belong to different *ātman*-s due to distinction in the objects (bodies
etc.). To dispel this misunderstanding, the author presents the true system
of bondage and liberation.
'Of the *one* alone' (ekasyaiva iti):
Then, the question may arise: ‘If there is no difference in the Self, then
is bondage yours (of Bhagavan) too?’
To this, it is said: ‘Of *this* jīva *alone*.’
Then again, one may ask: ‘If the Self is non-different, who else is this
jīva separately? And how do distinctions such as bondage, liberation,
pleasure and pain (across many jivas) arise?’
To that it is said: ‘Of *My* part (mama aṁśasya).’
The idea is this:
Just as one moon appears to be many reflections due to water and such
mediums, and just as the disturbances like ripples caused in water affect
only the reflection and not the real moon—
—so too, due to different upādhis (limiting adjuncts), there arises
apparent distinction among the reflected images. If the pot of water (where
the reflection is there) is broken, the reflection merges back with the
original moon—it doesn’t go anywhere else.
In the same way, due to *avidyā*, bondage arises only for the reflected
image (*jīva*) which is My part (*mama aṁśa*), and due to the distinctions
in adjuncts, the diversity appears—but there is truly no real multiplicity.
As they (the wise) say:
‘Just as when one *ghaṭākāśa* (pot-space) is filled with dust or smoke, it
doesn’t affect all other pot-spaces—
so too, the joys and sorrows affect only those jīvas associated with
specific adjuncts.’ (This is a Kārikā of Gaudapada in the Mandukya: 3.4
This, indeed, is a deep secret. It must be discerned by one’s own sharp
intellect.
Hence it is addressed: ‘O Great-minded one! Mokṣa belongs to the *other*
(pure Self, not the embodied reflection).’” – 4
Om Tat Sat
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