PARABRAHMA SUTRAS (151-153)

151. Shaankare vishishta eva bhedaat vidyudvalliva.

Translation: According to the angle of Shankara a specific soul, which is different from other souls is considered like the electrified wire.

Explanation: Shankara was always speaking about the human being charged by God called as human incarnation like Himself, Krishna etc. Only in human incarnation, the discussion about the soul being God comes into picture. Such discussion of a specific soul is called as shaarirakamimaamsaa. There is no need of any discussion about any ordinary human being because, after all, he is a human being only. There is no need of any discussion about God because God is God. There is no need of discussion about current and wire independently because current is current and wire is wire. The discussion is only about the electric wire. The discussion is about the point that whether the electric wire can be treated as electricity or wire. This dilemma comes because the current is invisible and only the wire is visible. Similarly, God in human incarnation is unimaginable and only the human being is visible and imaginable. Shankara preferred to treat the human incarnation as God only and not as human being because such human incarnation defers from all the other human beings due to expression of unimaginable nature. Even though the unimaginable God is not directly projected, He is indirectly projected through the exhibited unimaginable nature, which is experienced.

152. Ativyaptih na niruddha tadastitvalaabhaat.

Translation: The extrapolation of the concept of human incarnation to all the souls was not contradicted by Shankara, since it has use in the case of atheists, who accepted the existence of God.

Explanation: The concept of Shankara was extended by all human beings to themselves and every human being concluded that he is God. The silence of Shankara about this misunderstanding was of great use in that time. Then, Shankara was surrounded by Buddhists and Purvamimamsakas, who were complete atheists. At least they agreed in the existence of God even though they have misunderstood that they were God. Atheism to theism is essential step in the beginning for anybody and hence Shankara kept silent about such misunderstanding. This shows that Shankara was not a mere scholar to expose the truth but also a preacher (Guru) to uplift the foolish atheists.

153. Shankaro vidvaan gurushcha pruthak ubhayoh.

Translation: Shankara became scholar for theists and became preacher for atheists separately in the case of clarifying the misunderstanding.

Explanation: Shankara clarified the misunderstanding to the minority of theists but kept silent and allowed the misunderstanding to continue in the case of majority of atheists. If He clarifies to atheists also, instead of climbing one more step, they will descend from the climbed step! Effort for promotion will result in demotion! However, the minority of theists were clarified so that they were promoted to the higher step. The clarification should not be given to both in uniform way. That is the talented treatment of the preacher to his disciples. If he is a mere scholar, he will clarify the truth by removing the misunderstanding and will not bother about promotion or demotion of the disciples. Shankara was a scholar as well as a preacher.