Essay name: Srikara Bhashya (commentary)
Author: C. Hayavadana Rao
The Srikara Bhashya, authored by Sripati Panditacharya in the 15th century, presents a comprehensive commentary on the Vedanta-Sutras of Badarayana (also known as the Brahmasutra). These pages represent the introduction portion of the publication by C. Hayavadana Rao.
Page 331 of: Srikara Bhashya (commentary)
331 (of 953)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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INTRODUCTION
like and dies, be expected to possess the power of
swallowing the deadly kalak奴ta poison (i.e., the poison
churned out of the ocean and drunk by Siva)? Can one,
who runs away at the sight of a rope, frightening himself that
it is a serpent, be expected to wear (as a necklace) the
cobra? If it is said that there is no proof whatever for
the wearing of the linga, that there is no authority for the
wearing of the Sivalinga, the smearing of the bhasma
(sacred ashes) and the putting on of the rudr膩ksha beads
by mumukshus (those desiring m艒ksha), like the servants
of a king wearing his badges, the answer is that the
argument underlying these questions is one that cannot
be accepted (by us). Devotees (bhaktas) for attaining
their own sayujya (Sivatva) put on (their bodies) the
signs bhasma, rudraksha and the Sivalinga, according
to (religious) ordinances (vidhi) of Siva Himself that
they should be so worn and that the omission of
them would entail sin. As in this world we see that the
king's emblems are given to his servants for their wearing
them agreeably to his directions, similarly the Vedas,
S膩stras, Pur膩峁嘺s and Agamas direct the adorning of one's
body with the Sivalinga, bhasma and rudr膩ksha
according to the ordinances of Siva. Agreeably to these
directions we see people putting them on, thus making
known the facts that they wear the cobra on their body,
and swallow the poison (that Siva wore and Siva swallowed).
Brahma, Vish峁噓 and other devotees are proved to have
worn the Sivalinga. As the Linga Pur膩峁嘺 says:-
Siv膩gn膩p膩lanarth膩ya Sivabhakta艣艣ivavrat墨
Linga rudr膩ksha bhasm膩ni 艣ivachinh膩ni dh膩ray膿t
R膩j膩gn艒llanghan膩llok膿 yath膩 dando vidhiyat膿
Sivagn艒llanghan膩d dando rauravam narakam tath膩|| iti.
A Sivabhakta in order to carry out the ordinances
of Siva, should wear the linga, rudraksha and bhasma,
the symbols of Siva; else, just as one who transgresses the
orders of a king is punishable by him as may have been
ordained, one who disobeys the commands of Siva is
punishable by being consigned to Naraka. If it is asked how
