Vāgarthāviva sampruktau vāgarthapratipattaye Jagatah pitarau vande pārvatīparameśvarau
Let us pray to the supreme parents of the universe, Mother Parvati (Shakti) and Supreme Lord Parameshvara (Shiva) who who are inseparable as speech and its meaning to gain knowledge of speech and its meaning.
~ Kaviratna Kalidasaru
OBNOXIOUS PROPAGANDA OF ANTI-SHAIVITE CULTISTS.
ANTI-SHAIVITE MOTIVES MADE CLEARED.
Truth 1:- The supreme brahman of Mandukya Upanishad is Parameshvara Shiva himself.
Truth 2:- Bhagavadgita is the reiteration of Ishvara gita which essentially are the words of Shiva, it’s knowledge of bhakti and jnana undoubtedly leads to Shiva alone ultimately.
Truth 3:- Vedas address only Shiva as Supreme Lord ‘Bhagavan’ and the one who liberates souls with ‘Kaivalya moksha.
Truth 4:- Each and every Shabda (word) of Śrutis glorify Lord Shiva alone as the Vedas themselves state all the vedic verses adore Shiva alone.
Truth 5:- The Upanishads which glorify jivatmas are bogus.
Truth 6:- Adi Shankaracharya didn’t write any Stotras which glorify any other deity than Parameshvara Shiva. Moreover Adi Shankaracharya was strictly a proponent of Dashanami Shaivism.
INTRODUCTION
My dear friends, humble seekers of the truth! The purpose of this particular article is not to coerce anyone to accept any of our content forcefully, or to hurt well-meaning people of any faith (especially modern Vaishnavas). The content of this article is indeed what we believe with utmost sincerity, illustrated by undeniable evidences that have not been tampered with. Our endeavour was undertaken to defend Śaiva dharma that has been unfairly maligned, lampooned, and denigrated on the internet and other media by individuals with vested interests. Whether you are a born Śaiva or not, if you are committed to truth, honesty, and above all to the presentation of Vedantic traditions in a fair and honest way, you will certainly be opposed to this trend.
What you are going to read in this article may shake you up a little bit, but it has been written with the best of intentions to present the truth without mincing words. While we have done everything to maintain good decorum, you may find our tone a little stern and confident at places, but this is only to emphasize important facts and not to spew hatred at anyone. Those who are willing to honestly consider what we have to say, even if it contradicts their favorite and dearly held beliefs, are invited to continue reading. Those who are emotionally weak and cannot tolerate the truth are advised to avoid reading this particular article and close the page immediately.
To proceed with…
Dear readers, with unwavering confidence we like to state that since time immemorial various riśis, sādhus, jnānis, kavis, Vedantins in this great Bharatavarśa (India/Land of Sanātana dharma) including greatest Jagadguru of all time Srī Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda whose fame and glory is mesmerized throughout the universe have considered Lord Pàrameśvarā Śiva alone as supreme Lord who is spoken by Vedas as Bhagavān – The supreme Puruśa. Not only is he the agent behind the universe’s destruction as ‘Rudra’ (signified by his popular conception of the “destroyer” among the trinity — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), but also the one who’s responsible for the creation and dissolution as well. He himself creates the blue hued Viśṇu from his left toe and assigns the task of preservation during every great eon. Likewise he’s the creator of four faced Brahma (Using Viśṇu as a medium) which is elucidated in various Vedic śastras like Śvetāśhvatāra upaniśad, Tàittirīya aranyakā etc: He is their supreme in-dwelling controller (antaryāmin), as he is to the entire universe, performing the threefold acts of creation, sustenance, and destruction all by himself. Thus the scriptures say:-
“yadā’tamas tan na divā na rātrir
na san na cāsa shiva eva kevalaḥ | tad akṣaraṃ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ prajñā ca tasmāt prasṛtā purāṇī ||”When there is no darkness of ignorance, there is no day or night, neither being nor non—being; SHIVA alone exists. That immutable Reality is the meaning of “That”; It is adored by the Sun. From It has proceeded the ancient wisdom.
~ Śvetāśhvatāra upaniśad 4.18
“sabrahmā viśṅu rudrāiścha sa iśvarā sa sadāshivāh sasarvātmāhyai kuryādagnyāsam samāhitahā ||”
He’s in the form of Brahma, He’s in the form of Viṣnu, He himself is Rudra, He is the Ishvara (Lord) the Sadashiva (Supreme Lord) who’s the soul of everyone who is to be known by everything.
~ Shiva Sarvōdaya
The above quotation is given as a statement from the Shiva Sarvōdaya by Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda in his Prapanchasāra śāstrā’s 28th chapter (a most authentic prakarana grantha penned by Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda).
As per all six Āstika darśanās, there can be only one supreme god, especially the āstika darśanās which are considered pivotal frequently – Sāṅkhya, Vaiśeśikā, Yoga and Vedānta darśanās strongly hold Pàrameśvarā Śiva alone as supreme god and are compulsorily ascribed to Sroutā Śaivism. Even Adi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda who’s the propounder of Advaita Vēdānta (who’s termed as impersonalist in Modern era) was a Daśanāmi Śhaiva (and any not Namboodri Brāhmana as some of the dubious indological researches predicted) who held Lord Śiva alone as supreme Lord attributing the supreme Vedāntic term ‘VaishvAnara‘ to him (Shiva) in his ‘Brahma Sutra bhāśyam‘. In Ādi Śaṅkara’s system of Advaita, there exists multiple Saguna Brahmas (namely Viśṇu and Ganeśa).
“brahmalokāngamayati te teṣhu brahmalokeṣhu parāah parāvato vasanti iti ch shrutyantare visheṣhitatvāt kāryabrahmaviṣhayaiv gatiriti gamyate n hi bahuvachanen visheṣhaṇan parasminbrahmaṇyavakalpate kārye tu avasthābhedopapatteah sanbhavati bahuvachanam | lokashrutirapi vikāragocharāyāmev sanniveshavishiṣhṭāyāan bhogabhūmāvānyjasī gauṇī tvanyatra brahmaiv lok eṣh samrāṭ ityādiṣhu | adhikaraṇādhikartavyanirdesho’pi parasminbrahmaṇi anānyjasah syāt| tasmāt kāryaviṣhayamevedan nayanam|| Nanu kāryaviṣhaye’pi brahmashabdo nopapadyate samanvaye hi samastasya jagato janmādikāraṇan brahmeti sthāpitam ityatrochyate ||”
Since in another Upanishadic text a specific statement is made thus, “Then a being created from the mind (of Brahman, i.e. Hiranyagarbha) comes and conducts them to the worlds of Brahman. They attain perfection and live in these worlds of Brahman for a great many superfine years”, therefore it can be understood that the path is related to the conditioned Brahman only. For it is improper to use the plural number (in “worlds”) in the case of the supreme Brahman whereas this plural number quite befits the conditioned Brahman (Saguna brahman), since there can be such a thing as difference of states in It. Even the Upanishadic use of the word “world”, constituting a place of experience with its multiple aspects, fits in well with a conditioned entity, whereas in the other case (of the absolute Brahman) the word can be used only in a figurative sense as in such texts, “Oh Emperor, this is Brahmaloka (the world that is Brahman Itself. Again, to speak in terms of a container and a thing contained (as in, “In those worlds of Brahman”) hardly fits in with the supreme Brahman. Hence this
~ Śaṅkara bhāśyam 4.3.8
escorting relates to the conditioned Brahman alone.
So from the above context which is explained by Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda himself, one can easily understand that Advaitic system of Vedānta worships multiple deities as Saguna brahmas. So, basically the work (kārya) of Saguna brahman is to control the universe with respect to it’s creation, preservation and destruction, Adi Śaṅkara refers to Viṣṇu and Gaṇeśa as saguna iśvarās specifically in his works.
“ataśca sankśiptamīmām shrīnudvām nārāyanah sarvamidam purānaha sa sargakāle cha karōthi sarvam samhārakāle ca tadatti bhūyāh“
The ancient Narayana (Vishnu) is all this; he produces the creation at the due time, and at the time of reabsorption he consumes it again.
~ Śaṅkara bhāśyam 2.1.1
Likewise Adi Śankarāchārya also says:
“bijapūrgadhekśukārmuka rujāchakrābjapāshopthal vrīhāgrasvaviśānaratrakalāśaprodhyātkarāmbōruhū dhyēyō vallabhāya sapthakāryaśistō jvaladbhūshayaha viśvōtpattivipattisaṁsthikāro vignyō viriśtārdhaha”
The adorable strongest deity who’s undefeatable and indestructible, who’s beyond time, the protector of beings who take his refugee is the lord of all seven functions of the universe, he rules the waters and from him evolves the universe and finally dissolves to him, he’s the destroyer of all vignās (obstacles) the special godhead Gaṇeśa.
~ Prapanchasāra śāstrā 17.16
Therefore, we can come to a conclusion that Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda’s Advaitic system adores multiple Saguna Iśvarās as ‘Jagat karanakartā’.
In his commentaries to the Brahma sūtras and Upanishads, Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya clearly identifies the supreme Vaishvanara as Pàrameśvarā Śiva which will be explained elaboratively in different articles of our site.
The reason why Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya’s opinions are highlighted specifically here is that, we clearly know that ancient Vedāntic riśis (like Śvetāśhvatāra, Jabala, Śāndilya, Maitrēyā, Saunāka, Dādichi etc:) and ancient sāṅkya philosophers like Kalidāsa etc: held one supreme god as Shiva alone, but throughout later years Adi Śankarāchārya has been misinterpreted and misrepresented by various cultists to mislead people using his name (and fame).
Shaivism – The supreme truth
Shaivism or worshipping practice of Lord Shiva is differentiated into four different types namely:
- Pāśupatās
- Kāpalikās
- Aghoras
- Srouta Śaivās (Daśanāmi Śaivās)
The Pāśūpatas, Kāpalikās and Aghoras are the separate tantric followers of Śaivisṃ who are nowhere related to Vedāntic ideologies, whereas Sroutā Śaivism (Daśanāmi Śhaivism) strictly adhere to Vedas alone and neglect agamas or any other scriptures (unless they are consistent with Vedic terminologies).
The ancient Sāṅkhya philosophers, the interpreters of Patanjali maharśi’s yoga sūtras, Vaiśeśikā school’s atomic theory along with Adi Śankarāchārya’s Advaita Vedanta unequivocally identify ‘Lord Shiva’ alone as the supreme being who’s both ‘abstract’ (Nirguna) and ‘Omniscient’ (Saguna Iśvarā).
Thus, the most enlightened of the souls in the great nation of India, exemplary in their discipline, conviction, and virtues, have been taking refuge in Him from time immemorial thus establishing Śaivisṃ as the most supreme and complete path in Vedic Sanātana dharma. Śaivisṃ gives equal respect to both of the pivotal aspects of adhyātmika sādhana, i.e both Bhakti and Jnāna are equally revered among the vedic terminologies of Daśanāmi Śaivisṃ, it follows the best among the blissful scriptures – Prāchīna Upaniśads and Sūtra bhāshyas of different personalities (belonging to different schools of Āstika darśanās), the ultimate goal is to attain the supreme state of Mokśa ‘Kaivalya Mokśa’ by ‘worship’ and ‘contemplation’ on Parashiva as the Śrutis state “Jnānad eva tu kaivalyam“.
Image source
However, the Śrutis conclude that there exists only one supreme reality to which various different paths are available by stating “Ekam sat viprā bahudā vadanthī“, just like the greatest of gandharvas Srī Pushpadanta says:
“trayī sāṅkhyaṁ yogaḥ paśupatimataṁ vaiṣṇavamiti prabhinne prasthāne paramidamadaḥ pathyamiti ca|
rucīnāṁ vaicitryādṛjukuṭilanānāpathajuṣāṁ nṛṇāmeko gamyastvamasi payasāmarṇava iva||“Oh Lord there are different ways of theistic ideologies like Sāṅkya, Yoga, Pāśūpata, Vaiśnava etc: but ultimately it’s you the supreme self to be realised. Dependent on individual’s interest they chose different paths, but finally they all attain you just like all the rivers reach ocean ultimately.
~ Shiva Mahimna Stotram (Pushpadanta gandharva).
OBNOXIOUS PROPAGANDA OF ANTI-SHAIVITE CULTISTS.
From time to time, however, fallen souls, driven by their lowly nature which they have unfortunately accrued as a result of their own actions (karma), have developed a habit of developing bigotry due to their uncontrollable fanatic mindset.
The great Vedāntic riśi Śvetāśhvatāra who teaches single minded unwavering devotion on Bhagavān, makes it very clear that:
- There exists only one supreme Lord who is Shiva, the wise doesn’t compromise with the existence of a second.
- When everything dissolves, only supreme Lord Bhagavan Śiva exists.
- The supreme moksha (liberation) is provided by Ishvara (Śiva) alone.
Instead of following this advice, today they cavil at Śaivās when these devotees, with the sole purpose of enjoying the Lord’s form, nature, and deeds (bhagavad-anubhava), write or talk about the supreme position of Pàrameśvarā Mahādeva as it is established clearly in the Śrutis, Smritis, Purānās and other ancillary texts that solely serve the purpose of explaining the purport of the Vedas. They find it unbearable when the Vaidikās show lucidly that the Pàrameśvarā, the supreme lord who’s beyond our mind is Sriman Mahādeva alone, and they ask why can’t Viśṇu share this glory?”, seldom knowing that there is nothing from Pàrameśvarā Śiva’s unmatchable glories that are available for sharing by others.
For it is clearly stated in the Śrutis and in the works of Adi Śankaracharya, Sureśvarāchārya and other knowledgeable Advaitins prior to sectarian era (1000 CE) thereon that: “Brahma and Viśṇu are absolutely dependent on Pàrameśvarā’s grace, the non dualistic eternal meditation (and worship) is possible only on Lord Shiva which leads the soul to the eternal Kaivalyam”.
Filled with hate directed at Śaivās and desperate to win them in debate (which is impossible), they resort to dishonest means such as:
- Spreading blatant lies deliberately.
- Interpreting Śrutis and smritis in an erroneous way to satisfy the needs of their sectarian agenda.
- Appropriating works that celebrate Supreme Lord Shiva and fabricating ways to reinterpret them, with the same motive as above.
- Hiding and misrepresenting historical personalities (specifically Adi Śankaracharya).
- Criticizing Śaivas as ‘avaidikā’, ‘tāmasika’ etc:
Such attacks are made by ancient and modern Vaiśnavas of Kaliyuga whose main intentions were just to dogmatise that “Shiva is lesser than or equal to Vishnu” rather than practicing true ‘Bhakti on Vishnu’. Such attacks against Śaivisṃ are not new, nor is there any reason to think that Śaivisṃ has no defense to such attacks, for history has shown otherwise.
In the various articles of this site, we intend to expose the real nature of all Pūrva Vaiśnavā gurus like Rāmanujāchārya, Madhvāchārya, Vallabhāchārya, Chaitanya mahaprabhu, Swāmi Nārāyana etc: and their view on this historical Śiva-Viśṇu conflict.
ANTI-SHAIVITE MOTIVES
The few Anti-Shaivite motives which are lampooning the Śastras of Sanātana dharma made clear.
- It’s hard to digest that Adi Śankaracharya was a Daśanāmi Śhaiva (and not any Namboodri Brāhmin), so quoting dubious works like Bhaja Govindam etc: (which are absolutely inauthentic and are misattributed to Adi Śankarāchārya’s name subsequent to 14th century CE) makes some sense.
- All the Śaiva purāṇas are tamasika scriptures which are to be ignored.
- Numerous Vedic contexts which establishes unquestionable Supremacy of Shiva are extremely hard to digest, hence misinterpreting them and attributing them to Vishnu makes sense (like erroneously misinterpreting Sri Rudram as a glorification to some mortal incarnations like Narasimha etc:).
- Relying upon some dubious scriptures (which existed subsequent to 15th century CE) to mask the supremacy of Shiva and potray him as a servant of demigods like ‘Krishna/Viśṇu’ which is termed as ‘ghōra aparādha’.
- Highlighting Śanti parva of Mahabharata (which is a huge treasure-trove for Vaiśnavite folklore) which has numerous statements contradicting Vedas, without knowing that it is a later interpolation in the epic.
We tactically counter and refute such anti-vedic motives of obnoxious propagandas in various sections of our site.
FEW TRUTHS REVEALED.
Now, let us look at few truths which are rarely known.
TRUTH 1:
The supreme brahman of Mandukya Upanishad is Parameshvara Shiva himself.
It is well known that the Mandukya Upanishad has been recognised by Vedantins as the highest Upanishad among ten principle upanishads of Uttara bhāga of Śrutis.
Adi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda interprets the Supreme Viśwānaraha of Māndukya Upaniśad as Pàrameśvarā Śiva alone which is clearly notable through his commentary on Vaiśvānara adhikaranam of Brahma sūtras (1.2.24-32) which states Supreme Lord ‘Avimukta of Varanasi’ alone is the eternal Vaiśvānara who is to be known by Jnānis.
Madhusudana Saraswati (A legendary Advaitic scholar who defeated numerous other Vedāntic schools and works single handedly) interprets the supreme Brahman of Māndukya Upaniśad as Shiva alone who is ‘Nistràigunyā’ (beyond all gunas) in his commentary to ‘Shiva mahimna stotram’.
TRUTH 2:
Bhagavadgita is the reiteration of Ishvara gita which essentially are the words of Shiva, it’s knowledge of bhakti and jnana undoubtedly leads to Shiva alone ultimately.
purāṇamityeva na sādhu sarvaṃ nacāpi kāvyaṃ navamityavaryaṃ ।
santaḥ parīkṣyābhinavat bhajante mūḍhaḥ parapratyanaiikabuddhiḥ ।।Nothing need to be justified just because it is mentioned in a Purana; and novel ideas of reasoning need not be rejected just because of their recent origin. The discerning people apply the test of logic before accepting anything, but the idiot simply follows things just because there were precedents.
~ Kaviratna Kālidāsar’s Mālavikāgnimitram
Kriśna (the actual speaker of gita on the battlefield) himself accepts his inability to discourse the Bhagavadgita again when requested by Arjuna which is well described in Ashwamedha Parva of Mahabharata.
Kurma purana and Padma purana as secondary authorities establishes the fact very strongly that “Bhagvadgeeta is the reiteration of Ishvara gita” and “18 different chapters of Gita are 18 parts of Sadashiva’s existence” respectively.
Now let us look into Adi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda’s view on this topic.
“īśvaragītāsvapi ca īśvarāṃśatvaṃ jīvasya smaryate mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ iti”
In the Isvaragita (Bhagavad-gîtâ) also it is said that the soul is a part of the Lord, ‘an eternal part of me becomes the individual soul in the world of life.
~ Śaṅkara bhāśyam 2.3.45
Clearly, he knows that Bhagavad Gita is not any different Gita, rather, it is the very same Shiva whose Ishvara Gita was spoken in more elaborate way by himself via the mouth of Krishna, while maintaining the core message of Vedanta identical.
Now, let us look at Madhusudana Saraswati’s view:-
“Śaiva saurāścha gaṇeśah Vaiśnavā Shakti pujākāha bhavanti yanmayāha sarve soahamasmi parahśivah“
I am that brahman the SUPREME SHIVA alone, in which (tattva) all these – Shaivas, Suryopasakas, Ganesha worshipers, Vaishnavas and Shakti – meditators are absorbed in.
~ Gudartha Dipika 15.3
Gudartha Dipika is a sub-commentary on Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya’s Bhagavadgita bhāshya penned by a scholarly Advaitin of 15th century CE known Madhusudana Saraswati in which he clearly establishes the fact that Bhagavadgita ultimately leads to Supreme Lord Shiva irrespective of it being followed by any devotees (belonging to different paths of bhakti).
TRUTH 3:
Vedas address only Shiva as Supreme Lord ‘Bhagavan’ and the one who liberates souls with ‘Kaivalya moksha‘
In various Vedic passages such as ‘Taittīrīya aranyaka’ and ‘Śvetāśhvatāra upaniśad’ of Kriśna Yajurvēda, only Lord Sriman Mahadeva is sung and adored as supreme Bhagavan.
The most celebrated mantras like ‘Mrityunjaya mantrā’ or Vedantic scriptures like ‘Kaivalya Upaniśad’ crystal clearly establish the fact that only Lord Shiva is the supreme embodiment of Brahman who liberates jivātma with absolutely non dual moksha known as ‘Kaivalya’ in Vedantic etymology.
Sureśvarāchārya who was one among the four direct disciples of Adi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda himself has penned a beautiful work called ‘Manasollasā vārtīka’ which is a commentary on ‘Dakśināmūrthi sthavam’ of Adi Śankarāchārya, in which he explains “How Shiva creates Hari, Brahma and other devatas” and “How a soul attains supreme Kaivalya moksha by the absolute grace of Parameśvarā”.
TRUTH 4:
Each and every Shabda (word) of Śrutis glorify Lord Shiva alone as the Vedas themselves state all the vedic verses adore Shiva alone.
Each and every ‘śabda’ (word) of Vedas compulsorily refer Lord Śiva alone and it’s Pàrameśvarā himself is the SUPREME ONE to be meditated upon during ‘Sandhyāvandanam’ and it’s he alone is to worshipped as ONE lord as described in Rigveda 8.1.1.
Let us have a look at what Vedas (Śrutis) themselves say upon this:
“parātparataro brahmastat parātparataro harih tatparātparātarodīśas tanme manah śivasankalpamàstu“
Greater than the great is Brahma, greater still than that great one is Hari, even greater than this one is Isha. May my mind always contemplate on the thoughts of Shiva.
~ Shiva sankalpa suktam (Rigveda khilani).
Shiva sankalpa suktam which is founded in Rigvedic khilani section (Bhāskāla śākha) is one of the rarely known hymn which glorifies Shiva.
The above verse which glorifies Lord Shiva as supreme lord and highlights the inferiority of Brahma and Viśṇu is quoted by Śrikanta Śivachārya (10th century CE) in his commentary on Brahma sutras 4.3.18, even Medhātithi (8th century CE) who’s revered as the famous commentator on Manu smriti highlights the importance of Khila sūktas like Sri sūkta, Śiva sankalpa sukta etc: in Brahmanic practices. Regarding the references in Puranas, Agni Purana in chapter 259 while stating about benefits of Rig-Veda mantras also state about Shiva Sankalpa Sukta as ‘yenedamiti‘ hymn. Hence this hymn is undoubtedly the most authentic part of Rigveda which have ancient authentications.
Maheshvara (Shiva) is the lord to be known by all Vedic mantras like Gayatri, he’s sung in every portion of Śrutis, may my mind always contemplate on the thoughts of Shiva.
~ Shiva sankalpa suktam (Rigvedic khilani).
Hence all Vedic mantras which seem to be as an adoration for different deities like Agni, Varuna, Indra, Hiranyagarbha, Viśṇu etc: apparently compulsorily glorifies Pàrameśvarā Śiva alone. Even Śvetāśhvatāra rishi opinioniates that:
“ṛco akṣare parame vyoman yasmin devā adhi viśve niṣedhuḥ |
yas tan na veda kim ṛcā kariṣyati ya it tad vidus ta ime samāsate ||”For the one who does not know Him, in whom all gods are rested, who is the
~ Shvetashvataropanishad 4.8
Indestructible abode of all the Vedas, what will be the use of the Vedas? Only those who know Him attain bliss.
Hence all Vedic mantras are subjected to adoration of lotus feet of Supreme Lord alone.
Truth 5:
The Upanishads which glorify jivatmas are bogus.
The title of the topic may sound little offensive to our non-shaivite or neutral readers, but to remove the misconceptions in the minds of people and to establish the truth such statements are of utmost necessity.
We can see many of our Vaiśnavite agents quoting or exalting upanishads like Nārāyanopaniśad, Gopāla tāpaniya upanishad, Vāsudeva Upanishad etc: to somehow project Lord Viśṇu as supreme lord who is not so by nature. But the most important understanding that we need here is to analyse the authenticity of an Upanishad, a particular upanishad is termed to be authentic based on it’s time period, the Upanishads which existed prior to 3rd century CE are the only ones which are considered to be authentic because of their prāchīnatva (ancient) and absolute consistency with ‘Ten principle upanishads of Vedanta’.
None of the Upanishads which glorify Viśṇu as supreme existed atleast prior to 10th century CE or quoted by Vedāntic āchāryas prior to 10th century CE.
The authentic Upanishads (apart from ten principle upanishads of Vedanta) which existed prior to 3rd century CE are:
- Śvetāśhvatāra upaniśad.
- Jabala Upaniśad.
- Kaivalya Upaniśad.
- Atharvārśika Upaniśad.
- Atharvārśiras Upaniśad.
- Yoga Upaniśad.
- Śāndilya Upaniśad.
- Mahāvākyopaniśad.
- Maitrēya Upaniśad.
- Kālagnirudrōpaniśad.
The above are the 10 Upaniśads which existed prior to 3rd century CE and are quoted in various scriptures and works (penned by Advaitic acharyas).
By studying these Upaniśads systematically, we can easily understand that all these ten Upaniśads unequivocally praise only one Supreme Lord who is Pàrameśvara Śiva, none of these Upaniśads glorify Viśṇu as supreme Lord rather they try to establish the jivatva of Viśṇu and his limitations.
TRUTH 6:
Adi Śaṅkarāchārya didn’t write any Stotras which glorify any other deity than Parameshvara Shiva. Moreover Adi Śankarāchārya was strictly a proponent of Dashanami Shaivism.
We have shown in numerous quotations above that Adi Śankarāchārya was a Daśanāmi Śhaiva who was by theology an Advaita Vedāntin. Various indological researches come up with one common statement that “Subsequent to 13th century Adi Śankarāchārya and his explanations were massively misinterpreted and misrepresented” because of which various dubious works (with no authenticity) were attributed to his name.
Adi Śaṅkarāchārya didn’t write any Stotras like Bhaja Govindam or Lakśmī Karāvalamba stotram as they have no authenticity, even hymnal compositions adoring Shiva like Shivananda lahari, Shiva mānasa pūja etc: are inauthentic and are doubted to be authored by Ādi Śaṅkara bhagavatpāda.
The only 3 authentic Stotra granthās of Adi Śankarāchārya are – Dakśināmūrthy stotram (commented by Śaṅkara’s own disciple Sureśvarā as Manasollasa Vārtika), Śiva Panchākśara stotram (commented by Śaṅkara’s own disciple Padmapāda as Srī Panchākśari vidyā) and Soundarya Lahari (Authenticated by Tamil poet Virai Kavirāj Pandit of 12th century CE as Abhirāmi Pādal).
Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya didn’t write any bhāśyas on Viśṇu Sahasrānāma, Lalita Trishāti, Sanatasujatiya etc: which had no existence prior to 14th century.
Now let us analyse the views of some other ancient Advaita Vedāntins like Sureśvarāchārya, Padmapādāchārya, Totakāchārya and Nārayanāśrama.
Sureśvarāchārya
Sureśvarāchārya who was first and foremost disciple of Adi Śankarāchārya was also known as Vārtīkākāra (as he wrote sub-commentaries on various works of Adi Śankarāchārya), he in his Manasollasa Vārtika establishes the supremacy of Parameśvarā Śiva and also explains the limitations of Brahma and Viśṇu (devatās bounded by certain Upādhis), he also in his Brihadāranyakā Vārtika explains the essential indifference between Shiva (Brahman) and Shakti (Energy).
Padmapādāchārya
Padmapādāchārya who wrote a commentary on Śiva Panchākśara stotram of Adi Śankarāchārya establishes few Advaita Vedāntic facts:
- Parābhakti on Lord Shiva is no different from Brahmajnāna.
- There’s absolute indifference between Jiva (Atman) and Śiva (Bràhman).
- Śiva as ‘Gunaparipūrna’ blesses his devotees with all welfares and as ‘Nistraigunyā’ bestows supreme Kaivalyā mokśa.
- Jivātmas like Lakśmi are controlled by Śivā himself.
Padmapādāchārya has also penned a commentary on ‘Prapancha sāra tantra śastra’ of Adi Śankarāchārya which is titled as ‘Vivarana’ in which he elucidates the supremacy of Pàrameśvarā Śiva, he quotes Kālika purāna to adore Bhagavān Śarābhēśvarā’s glory over a boar (Varaha incarnation of Viśṇu) in the very same work.
Totakāchārya
Totakāchārya who’s the author of Totakāśtakam (which is world famous adoration to Adi Śankarāchārya) also had written a work called ‘Śruti Sāra Samuddhārana’ in which he explains the actual position of Viśṇu (being Saguna Iśvarā) and Supremacy of Parameśvarā.
Nārayanāśrama
Nārayanāśrama was a 12th century CE Advaita Vedāntin who was a disciple of Advaitic scholar Anandātma. He, in his commentaries to Kālāgni Rudrōpaniśad and Atharvārśika Upaniśad explains the supremacy of Maheśvara in Vedanta and also highlights how Viśṇu becomes so famous and worthy of worship due to Śìvā’s grace, he also explains the importance of ‘Bhasma dhārana’ in Vedantic-lore.
Here ends this section…
Dear readers, we have tried to display few facts infront of you in a simplified manner for the purpose of your subjective understanding on few truths which were unrevealed (or rather rarely known), however a deep elucidation on every single topic highlighted in this page will be available in our subsequent Articles eventually.
Addendum
By a deep analysis and subtle understanding of Śāstras, we can come to one common conclusion that no other deity is equal to Supreme Lord Mahādeva.
“aham brahmā kapilo yoapyanantaḥ putrāḥ sarve brahmaṇaśchātivīrāḥ tvattaḥ sarve devadeva prasūtā evaṃ sarveśaḥ kāranātmā tvamīḍyaḥ”
O the lord of lords! Myself, brahma, kapila, ananta (sheSha), all the valiant sons of brahma who conquered over the internal enemies – all are created from you. Hence you are the Sarveśaḥ (lord of everything). Hence you, the cause of everything is the one we adore.
~ Hari vamsha parva 2.7.34
The above are the prayers of great Krishṇā himself to the supreme lord which is conveniently hidden/forgotten by Anti-Shaivites who claim that Krishṇā is the supreme Lord who’s equal to or greater than Lord.
Truth will always prevail no matter how hard detractors and bigots try to hide it. Anti-Shaivism undoubtedly bites the dust as it is Anti-vedic.
“What to say of the crushing power and compassionate grace of Kāla Bhairavā, the supreme brahman! He indeed is the destroyer of the foes of Śaivās, shredding them into bits with his nails! We are nothing but instruments at the Supreme Ishvara’s hands; whatever good may come out of our writing will go to show His glory alone“.
|| Sarvam Sriman Mahadevarpananamastu ||
Sanatana Sudhakara - The rise of Sanatana Shaiva Dharma. 
