Part 27 - Brahmatva of Siva

The mode and object of jijnasa apart, how is the Brahmatva of Siva to be established? How are we to declare Siva as Parabrahman? Sivasya Parabrahmatva kathanam. Here, in the texts, Asad va idam agra asit \ tato vai sadajayata Amulamanadharam imah prajah prajayante || Na kadachit anidrisam jagat || etc. in asserting that the world (jagat) was in an unmanifested condition previously (asadva idamagra asit), it is suggested that in coming into existence, it (jagat) did not require an agent. The text Jyotishtomena svargakamo yajeta, 148 etc., bears witness to the fact that in regard to sacrifices, etc., there is one who is kartru (i.e., sacrificer) and another Phaladatru (who is the giver of the fruits thereof). When Isvara is actually existing (sadbhave), if he is to be treated in the opposite sense (i.e., as non-existing), there results a contradiction and there will be no satisfaction attained. As the existence of Isvara is not acknowledged, it has to be admitted that the agent himself is his own maker of the result. If in the world it is seen (as we witness) that the enjoyment of happiness and misery is attributed to the sovereignty of Paramesvara (Paramesvara kartrutva), then inequality and mercilessness will be deemed his offsprings and thus we will have to admit that the sovereignty of Paramesvara is overthrown with the result that not even the smallest benefit can be gained from Isvara. Or, if inanimate actions (jada karmanam) which are done by jivas are seen yielding fruits, then, even though the Allknowing Isvara is existing, the doubt arises as to whether 147 Guru of Sripati Pandtacharya. 148 The desire of attaining Svarga is effected by performing the sacrifice of jyotishtoma.

an inanimate object like a pot can attain the result of securing the fruit or when the existence of Isvara (Isvaratva) is admitted, whether He alone can be described as the giver of the fruit. As between the texts Atma va idamagra asit | Brahma va idamagra asit | Hiranyagarbhassamavartatagre bhutasya jatah patireka asit Om ityekaksharam Brahma \\ Asavadityo Brahma || Namaste vayo tvameva pratyaksham Brahmasi u Gananam tva ganapatim havamahe || Visvasmat Indra uttarah || Eko havai Narayana asit na Brahma nesano nagnish- tomo neme dyava prithvi || Atha purushohavai Narayanokamayata prajah sruja iti ||\ Narayanat Brahma jayate Narayanat Rudro jayate || Sadeva somya idamagra asit || Ekamevadvitiyam Brahma Manovai Brahmeti \\\ Chakshurvai Brahmeti | Srotramvai Brahmeti || Kham Brahma || Kam Brahma | Annam Brahma | etc. considerable mutual discrepancies are observable. While such is the case, the doubt arises as to how Brahmatva can be attributed to Siva alone.140 || If the attribution of Brahmatva to Siva is thus rendered doubtful, the answer is that it cannot be so doubted. For in Sruti texts like Agnishomiyam pasumalabheta|| Dvipada. schotush padascha pasavah etc., four-legged and the two-legged animals are stated to be Pasu, (i.e., animals offerable as sacrifices at rites). Also, in other Sruti texts such as Chchagasya vapaya medaso anubruhi, etc., a goat (chchagah) is declared to be a symbol of Pasu 150 (an animal 149 This is the purvapaksha argument propounded for determination. 150 Cf. Sarve vahamo balim Isvaraya otanasiva dvipade chatushpadah Srimad Bhagavata, V. i.

that could be offered as a sacrifice at rites). In the same way, we have to understand Siva as Brahman (Sivasya Brahmatvam grahyam). Therefore in the text Yato va imani bhutani jayante etc., it is said that Paramesvara is the cause of creation, etc., of the world, which is the primary lakshana of Brahman. Isvaratva (or supreme overlordship) cannot be claimed by Hiranyagarbha, Narayana and Kalarudra, who possess but detached portions of Trigunatmaka Sakti which is the characteristic of Brahman. 151 Therefore the Sutrakara has the Sutra Janmadyasya yatah, for each of them partakes of one detached part of the kartrulva in the creation of the world. Therefore none of them can be deemed to be the chief Creator. In the Brahmottarakhanda, it is said :Yasyajnaya jagatsrashta Virinchih palako Harih Samharta Kalarudrakhyo namastasmai pinakine iti. It thus follows that creation and other powers connected with it and their control is held to be in Siva only. Moreover, in texts like Mayantu prakritim vindyat mayinantu Mahesvaram | Tasyavayava bhutottam vyaptam sarvamidam jagat etc., it is said that Maya is to be understood as chief prakriti, and Mayinam should be understood as Mahesvara and Maya is therefore said to be subject to the control of Paramesvara. And therefore Paramesvara is said to to be all-independent (svatantra) keeping under his control Maya, Brahma, Vishnu and Kalarudra, who are but the amsa (part) of Sakti and hence form part of the all-pervading world. Thus we read in the following texts occurring in the Atharvasiras:-Devahavai svargam lokam agaman Te deva rudram apruchchan ko bhavan iti So'bravit ahamekah prathamamasam vartami cha bhavishyami cha nanyah kaschana matto vyatiriktah, etc., which declare that Siva alone is beyond the changes relating to the trikalaspast, present and future; that he is in the heart of all; that 151 Brahman possesses in himself the three qualities of satva, rajas, tamas, while Hiranyagarbha, Narayana and Kalarudra possess only one, of these qualities in the order mentioned.

he is the cause of everything; that he is the chief object of all utterances; that he is supreme over all things; that he dominates all beings and that he is Brahman (himself). In the Kanva sakha, in the text Yahpritivyam tishthan iti, 182 no one else other than Siva is declared to be Brahman and possessed of the Ashtamurti 153 form beginning with All other divinities including sankha and chakra, though they possess the powers of creating the past (bhuta) and the future (bhautika) cannot be stated to possess Isvaratva. Prithvi. It should not be said that Ashtamurtatva beginning from Prithvi is also possessed by Vishnu in all its forms. It is not so, because Siva alone stands famous with the title of Ashtamurti and is also reputed to be at the heart of Vishnu. It would not therefore be correct to say that both Siva and Kesava are at the heart of all beings and pervade them. Both do not possess the same bodily form. Though both are independent in controlling the world's creation, stability and destruction, if both are said to work concurrently (or simultaneously), then the world will be subjected to the danger of dissolution. Sruti texts like Sontarat anlaram pravisat; Disascha antaram pravisat; Yo pravisat; Yo Rudro agnau, yo apsu yo oshadhishu yo Rudro visva bhuvananyavivesa tasmai Rudraya namah iti" and hundreds of others bear witness to the fact that Siva alone is sarvatmaka and sarvantaryamin. And also in the text beginning with yo vedadau svarah proktah and ending with yah parah sa mahesvarah, etc., the endings akara, ukara and makara which are the symbols of Brahma, Vishnu and Kalarudra, are held to dissolve in Mahesvara. Therefore Brahmatva (state of being Brahman) cannot be claimed by any other (than Siva). Moreover, the text beginning with Isanassarvavidyanam and ending with sadasivom bears testimony to 152 Brihad. Upanishad, III. 7. 2. 153 The eight-formed, an epithet of Siva, the eight forms being five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether-and the Sun, the Moon and the sacrificing Priest. (See Amarakosa, I. 35.) •

the fact that He alone is stated to be the chief object of meditation through pranava 154 and hence He alone is Brahman. And also in the Svetasvatara text Tam Isvara- nam paramam mahesvaram tam devalanam paramancha daivatam Patim patinam prathamam purastat vidama devam paramesam idyamiti, it is definitely declared that Isvara is the sole controller of Brahma, Vishnu, (Kala) Rudra and others and that there is no other Lord known who is above Him. In the Yajurveda text Somah pavate janita matinam janita devo janita pritivyah janitagneh janita suryasya janitendrasya janitatha Vishnoh the word Soma should not be taken to mean somalata (the soma plant) but as meaning that He is the sole cause of creation, beginning from Buddhi down to Vishnu. The soma plant being an inanimate object, it has no power of causing creation. Texts like the following appearing in the Atharvana sikhu, Dhyayitesanam pradhyayitavyam sarvamidam Brahma Vishnu Rudraste samprasuyante" Sarvani chendriyani sahabhutaih nakara- nam karananam dhyata karanamtu dhyeyah " and the text beginning with Sarvaisvarya sampannah sarvesvarah sambhurakasamadhye dhruvam sarvadhikam, and ending with Siva eko dhyeyah Sivamkarah sarvamanyat parityajya ▪ iti, enunciate that the seeker of salvation (mumukshu) should meditate solely upon Siva, giving up meditation on other prohibited deities. Sruti texts like Utamrutatvasyesanah Sarvamidam Siva eva vijanihi | Suddho niranjano vibhur advayam Sivamekam Sivamadvaitam chaturtham manyante sa atma savigneyah Sivo advaitah Eka eva Rudro nadvitiyaya tasthe\ Nasan nachasat Siva eva kevalah Visvadhiko Rudro maharshih iti, and others declare that Siva alone is without a second and hence He alone is Brahman. Moreover, in the text beginning with Uma sahayam and ending with Sabrahma sasivah saharih sendrah soksharah paramassvarat, we are told that Siva is the agent of all cause (karana) and action (karya) and therefore the 154 The sacred syllable Aum.

attribute of Brahmatva is apposite only in his case. In the text Annam Brahma, etc., mere praise is bestowed. on Brahman by mentioning his name. Moreover, in the text Sarvo vai Rudrah, sarvam khalvidam Brahma and in the texts :-Trishu dhamasu yadbhojyam bhokta bhogascha yadbhavet sadasivah Tebhyo vilakshanah sakshi chinmatroham Mayyeva sakalam jatam mayi sarvam pratishthitam Mayi sarvam layam yati tadbrahma dvayam asmyahamiti, and in others of similar import in which the word "Brahma" is used, it has to be taken as only synonymous with the word "Siva Siva " just as the words "hand", the "arm" and the "palm" which signify the members of the body are synonymous with the body itself. Moreover, in the Mandukyopanishad, in the text beginning with Sarvam hyetat Brahma'yamatma Brahma so'yamatma iti 155 and in the text Sivamadvaitam chaturtham manyante sa atma savigneyahiti, 156 it is clearly declared that the whole creation, etc., of the world is due to no other than Siva (advaita Siva) and from the beginning to the end He alone is held to be the Brahman, the sole cause of all. If Siva is not held to be the sole cause, as declared by all the Srutis, and the Creator of the world and its Destroyer and if it is admitted that there is another Isvara, then plurality of Isvaras results and a contradiction of all the Srutis will be produced, besides opposition to every known system of belief. Thus Jaiminiacharya, the most proficient in Vedantic knowledge, explains in his treatise called Vela padastava, that every Vedic text is in a manner applicable to Siva (Sivaparatvam). Similarly, Jyotirnatha, Ghantanata, Bhimanatha, Bhatta, Bhaskara and others, who have reached the other side of the ocean of knowledge of the four Vedas, who have established their reputation as Vedamargapratishthapanacharyas and who have condemned the false systems of thought promulgated by the Pashandas, 165 156 Mandukyopanishad, 2. Atharvasirasi.

Pancharatras, Bauddhas, and Advaitins, declare as follows, establishing the Parabrahmatva for Siva:-Mahadevo devah sakala jagadaradhya charanah trayimargo'margah kumatamatavrittipramathanah Tayor yova brute vrijina manayor asya nidadhe Sivasyanghrim vadipralayadahanoham nripasakheiti. Therefore in the Sastras the word Brahma-jijnasa is pointed out to mean the method of enquiring into the svarupa of Siva. Thus in determining who is the chief cause of creation, etc., the word "Brahma" is, in the Sastras, generally taken to stand, for the sake of vyavahara, for Siva, as is stated in the Sutra (I. 1. 1.). In the texts Brahmavidapnoti param Brahma veda Brahmaiva bhavati || Siva eko dhyeyah sivamkarah sarvamanyat parityajya iti, Siva means sivam karotiti sivamakarah.157 Here the chief object of meditation is pointed out. Therefore, it is meant to establish that salvation (Sivaprapti) is obtained after being freed completely from all ties of bondage. It must not be doubted how salvation (Sivaprapti) could be the final realization without again coming into existence. According to the Bhramarakitanyaya, it is clearly seen that the actual krimi undergoes a change which turns it into the Bhramara. It is also seen that a drop of water naturally undergoes a change and finally turns itself out into a beautiful pearl. What is the good of learned men wrongly interpreting bondage (bandha) and falsehood (mithyatva) in such changes? Moreover, if it is to be said that illusory belief is removed by actual knowledge, then in accordance with the maxim of the desert and the mirage (marumarichikanyayena) 158 we have to answer, The traveller through his ignorance and the vast extent of the desert believes in the existence of water and after a time convinces himself of the actual truth that the sight is only an illusory one and that there is actually it is not so. 157 He who bestows happiness is Siva. 158 Maru means desert; murichika, a mirage. falling on a sandy wilderness destitute of water appearance of a mirage. Rays of light bring on an

no water. Because perfection (samskara) 159 is always gained through Smriti 100 and sin is removed by meditation on Siva, just as sorrow is banished by being consoled by the beloved, doubts are cleared by proofs and the purvapaksha¹¹ is displaced by the siddhanta 162 . Again, in texts like Ajamekam lohitam sukla krishnam iti, etc., where Pradhana (Prakriti) is represented to be the chief cause of the world (Jagat), Brahman is represented as being subject to several changes¹63 in the cause of the world (Jagat). If it is said that atha atah abrahma jijnasa iti, we have to say, it is not so; because such a statement will contradict the Sruti and the correct meaning of the term jijnasa, interpreted in accordance with Sruti, will be lost. Also, in the Sruti text Nopasyau prakriti jivau iti, the meditation of both prakriti and jiva as different entities is denounced. As Pradhana (Prakriti) is naturally devoid of independent powers, the Sruti texts which attribute the cause of the world to Pradhana should be understood as making Pradhan subordinate to Siva and not independent of him, just as the expressions of the Sruti, Sastram chchinatti 101 and Srotram shrunoti 165 denote that they (the instrument sword as well as the organ ear) are subjected to the agents possessing them, inasmuch as they themselves are inanimate. Therefore Pradhana (Prakriti) is incapable of being the cause of the world, but subordinate to the kartrutva of Siva. As the Sruti 159 Here this word would seem to indicate grace or perfection rather than purification. 100 That is, well-directed action according to the Smriti (traditio ary Law). .01 The starting point of a debate; the first statement. 162 Final decision. 163 The text has Vikaritva prasangaccha. According to Panini, the term mayat pratyaya is used to denote three kinds of existence : (1) tadatmyarthe, (2) vikararthe and (3) prachuryarthe mayat tridha, i.e., affirmation, change and pervasion. 164 Lt. The instrument (sword) hits. 105 Lit. The ear hears.

text lays it down, Mayamtu prakritim vindyat mayinamtu mahesvaram¹66 iti, Maya is always subordinate to Siva.