6.172
vyasa--bhranta bali’ sei sutre dosa diya
’vivarta-vada’ sthapiyache kalpana kariya
SYNONYMS
vyasa—Srila Vyasadeva; bhranta—mistaken; bali’-saying; sei—that; sutre—in the Vedanta-sutra; dosa—fault; diya—accusing; vivarta-vada—the theory of illusion; sthapiyache—has established; kalpana—imagination; kariya—doing "Sankaracarya’s theory states that the Absolute Truth is transformed.
By accepting this theory, the Mayavadi philosophers denigrate Srila Vyasadeva by accusing him of error.
They thus find fault in the Vedanta-sutra and interpret it to try to establish the theory of illusion.
PURPORT
The first verse of the Brahma-sutra is athato brahma-jijnasa: “We must now inquire into the Absolute Truth.” The second verse immediately answers, janmady asya yatah: “The Absolute Truth is the original source of everything.” Janmady asya yatah does not suggest that the original person has been transformed.
Rather, it clearly indicates that He produces this cosmic manifestation through His inconceivable energy.
This is also clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8), where Krsna says, mattah sarvam pravartate: “From Me, everything emanates.”) This is also confirmed in the Taittiriya Upanisad (3.1.1): yato va imani bhutani jayante “The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.” Similarly, in the Mundaka Upanisad (1.1.7) it is stated, yathorna-nabhih srjate grhnate ca: “(The Lord creates and destroys the cosmic manifestation) as a spider creates a web and draws it back within itself.” All of these sutras indicate the transformation of the Lord’s energy.
It is not that the Lord undergoes direct transformation, which is called parinama-vada.
However, being very anxious to protect Srila Vyasadeva from criticism, Sankaracarya became a pseudo gentleman and put forward his theory of illusion (vivarta-vada).
Sankaracarya concocted this meaning of parinama-vada, and by word jugglery he endeavored very hard to establish parinama-vada as vivarta-vada.