TADATMYA VEDANTA Flashcards
(21 cards)
8.1 Defining characteristics of Sri Hari. The attributes of the Lord in Vishnu Purana. 6.5.79.
(Svabhāva-viśeṣaṇa)
Bhagavān possesses the attributes of omniscience, potency, boundless
strength, sovereignty, vigor, and beauty in their perfection, without any un-
appealing qualities
State the Bhagavad Gita verse number and translation for the verse that says: The Lord is attainable by devotion alone.
Bhagavad Gita 18.55
By devotion alone, he truly knows who and what I am. Knowing Me in this
way, he unites with Me through this devotion
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram
Verse from.Taittirīya Upanishad that lists the Svarūpa-viśeṣaṇa of Sri Hari.
Brahman is truth, knowledge, and infinity.14
- Taittirīya Upaniṣad, 2.1.1
satyaṁ jñānam anantaṁ brahma
What are the 4 main ways to perceive Sri Hari?
• Brahman: Śrī Hari’s attributeless (nirguṇa) aspect
• Paramātmā: Śrī Hari as the indweller of the heart
• Bhagavān: Śrī Hari’s condensed form
• Parabrahman: Śrī Hari’s all-pervasive form
Sri Hari as Paramatma. Bhagavad Gītā, 18.61
īśvaraḥ sarva bhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe’rjuna tiṣṭhati | bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā || 61 || The Lord abides in the heart of every being, Arjuna. By His power, He controls all their movements through life, as if they were seated on a machine. (61)
Sri Hari as paramatma (Bhagavad Gītā, 13.23)
But within the body, supreme to the Self, there is another One that is called
the Witness, the One who grants permission, the Supporter, the Enjoyer, the
Great Lord, the Supersoul.
Sri Hari has Paramatma Bhagavad Gītā, 8.9
One should meditate on the all-knowing Supreme Person. The one who is
the oldest and supreme Controller of all. His form is inconceivable, more
subtle than an atom, and the maintainer of everything. He is brilliant like the Sun and beyond all darkness.
Sri Hari as Paramatma. Bhagavad Gītā, 10.11
Out of compassion for them, from within their hearts, I lift the lamp of
knowledge and dispel the darkness born of ignorance
teṣām evānukam pārtham aham ajñānajaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātmabhāvastho jñāna-dīpena-bhāsvatā
Sri Hari as Parabrahman. Bhagavad Gītā, 10.11
Arjuna says:
You are the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman), the Supreme Abode, and
the Supreme Purifier. You are the eternal, Divine Person, the original Lord,
unborn and all-pervading.
arjuna uvāca
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam ādidevam ajaṁ vibhum
Sri Hari as Parabrahman. Uttama Bhakta. SB
One who sees the presence of Bhagavān in all beings, and all beings in Bha-
gavān, such a person is the uttama-bhakta
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 11.2.45
Sri Hari as Parabrahman. Bhagavad Gita equal vision. 6.29-30
Through this yoga (ananyā-bhakti), one gains that equal vision. One sees
the Lord in all beings and all beings within the Lord. For one who sees Me
everywhere and everything in Me, I am not separated from him and he is
never separated from Me
Bhagavad Gītā, 6.29-30
Description of Parabrahman in chapter 13
His hands and feet are everywhere; His eyes, heads, and faces are every-
where; His ears are on all sides; and He exists, pervading all things. He illu-
mines the senses while remaining unconnected with the sense organs; He is
detached and yet supports all; He is free from the guṇas and yet experiences
the guṇas. He is inside and outside all beings; He is moving yet unmoving;
He is so subtle that no one can comprehend Him; He is far away, and yet
so very near.
- Bhagavad Gītā, 13.14-16
Sri Hari as Bhagavan. Bhagavad Gita verse on Yogmaya.
I do not reveal Myself to everybody, but I cover Myself with My yogamāyā.
This deluded world does not recognise Me as unborn and infallible.
Bhagavad Gītā, 7.25
Creation is a gateway of sampling the divinity of the Lord. Bhagavad Gita C10.
Know for certain that whenever something displays its splendor or power,
it comes from just a part of My potency. Bhagavad Gītā, 10.41
Chatur Vyuhas.
Maha Vishnu, Saṅkarṣaṇa,
Pradyumna, and Aniruddha
Different manifestations of Sri Hari categories (Vibhava)
Guṇāvatāras
Puruṣāvatāras: (the 4 vyuhas)
Aṁśāvatāras:
śaktyāveśāvatāra and svāṁśāvatāra. The śaktyāveśāvatāra is the
avatāra in which the Lord infuses His potency in a jīva and man-
ifests His power through Him. An example would be Vedavyāsa
who was empowered to organize and compose the necessary śās-
tra for the age of Kali. The svāṁśāvatāras are direct manifesta-
tions of the Lord’s attributes, such as the Sudarśana-cakra, Pañ-
cajanya, Kaustubha etc. Additionally, thesatguru, Śiva, and Devī
are considered to be svāṁśāvatāras since the embody one spe-
cific quality of the Lord in its fullness.
Svarūpāvatāras:
aṁśarūpāvatāras, in which Śrī Hari doesn’t exhibit his full po-
tency as inthe examples ofMatsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Vāmana, and
also pūrṇāvatāras, in which all the qualities of the Lord are man-
ifested in their fullness in Nṛsiṁha, Rāma, and Kṛṣṇa
Six manifestations of Sri Hari
Vyuhas, Vibhava, Antaryami, Arca, Shastra, Nama,
The 4 levels of Vak
Vaikharī-vāk: gross physical sound/speech
• Madhyamā-vāk: mental sound/speech in the form of thoughts
and ideas
• Paśyantī-vāk: subtle, undifferentiated sound/speech as mental
images
• Parā-vāk: transcendent sound, Śabdabrahman
Satguru Tattva categorization
A) Satguru as a Being
1. anugraha-śaktyavatāra
B) Satguru as a Role or Function
1. śaktyāveśāvatāra
2. svarūpāvatāra
Devi in creation is positioned to receive the potency of Bhagavan. Bhagavad Gita C14.
My womb is the totality of material existence, within which I place the seed
of life. From that, O Arjuna, all beings are born. Bhagavad Gītā, 14.3
Relationship between Sri Hari, Devi, Brahma
- The potter is Vāsudeva or the first cause.102
- The potter’s wheel is Brahmā, the deity of creation.
- The rotation of the wheel is Śakti.
- The clay (upādāna-kāraṇa) is prakṛti, a modification of Brahman comprised of the three guṇas, of which Devī is also the presiding
deity. - The universe is the final product in the form of the pot.
