Question about a verse in Shankara's Gita

[AnrBjotk 0]

Greetings.

 

This is the fifth time I read Shankara's sublime commentary on the Gita. But a few verses have confused me for some time and I was hoping someone here would help me. The question is regarding chapter 9 and I will post the full text:

 

9.4. This whole world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All beings exist in Me, but I am not contained in them!

 

Shankara's commentary: All beings from Brahma to a clump of grass, exist in me, are established in Me in that unmanifest form. For, no created thing that is bereft of the Self (i.e. of Reality) can be conceived of as an object of practical use. Therefore, being possessed of their reality through Me who am their Self, they exist in Me. Hence they are said to be established in Me.

I Myself am the Self of those created things.

Consequently, it appears to people of little understanding that I dwell in them. Hence I say: Na ca aham, but I am not; avasthitah, contained; tesu, in them, in the created things. Since unlike gross objects I am not in contact with anything, therefore I am certainly the inmost core even of space. For, a thing that has no contact with anything cannot exist like something contained in a receptacle.

 

My question is this: Does not the majority of Hindu philosophies - and especially the Samkhya and Vedanta schools - teach that all beings have an Atman - a soul - which is Brahman? Does not these schools teach that we all have, inside of us, the light of Brahman?

The Advaita concept of pratibimba-vada is surely that the jiva is a reflection of Atman, and thus connected to Brahman. Is it not?

 

Namaste,

Anr Bjotk

[Guest bhuma]

I m not the great reader to ans your que...however as per my understanding the gist of brahma vidhya is to know the atma as brahman who is Limitless! While question of being Inside of a body is false from the beginning...may be other scholers on this forum can ans this in more details...jai gurudev!