Bhagavadgita 12.1

[Martin Gansten]

>I hope that in your translation you have translated verse 12:1 in such a
>way that _avyakta_ refers to prak.rti, like in Saa:nkhya (which is how
>Madhva sees it), and not to the nirgu.na brahman (as in Sankara's
>view). 

I follow neither commentator -- nor even Ramanuja, though his
interpretation is, in my opinion, generally more consistent with the tone
of the text. As for the passage you mention, I have translated ak.saram
avyaktam with 'det oförgörbara, oformade'. In my notes I have relied on the
internal consistency which I see in the text, relating the list of
attributes in 12.1-3 (ak.sara, anirdezya, avyakta, sarvatraga, acintya,
kuu.tastha, acala, dhruva) to such passages as 2.24-25 and 15.16 (nitya,
sarvagata, sthaa.nu, acala, sanaatana, avyakta, acintya, avikaarya ...
ak.sara, kuu.tastha). To me it seems clear that they refer to the
individual self, as opposed to prak.rti or iizvara.

I will read your JVS article with pleasure. My views are presented in the
current issue of the same journal (or so I'm told -- I haven't seen it yet).

Regards,
Martin Gansten