12. On account of his being designated as the object of seeing, he (i.e.
the highest Self) (is that object).
The followers of the Atharva-veda, in the section containing the
question asked by Satyakama, read as follows: 'He again who meditates
with this syllable Aum of three Matras on the highest Person, he comes
to light and to the sun. As a snake frees itself from its skin, so he
frees himself from evil. He is led up by the Saman verses to the Brahma-
world; he sees the person dwelling in the castle who is higher than the
individual souls concreted with bodies and higher (than those)' (Pra. Up.
V, 2). Here the terms 'he meditates' and 'he sees' have the same sense,
'seeing' being the result of devout meditation; for according to the
principle expressed in the text (Ch. Up. III, 14) 'According as man's
thought is in this world,' what is reached by the devotee is the object
of meditation; and moreover the text exhibits the same object, viz. 'the
highest Person' in connexion with both verbs.
The doubt here presents itself whether the highest Person in this text
be the so-called four-faced Brahma, the Lord of the mundane egg who
represents the individual souls in their collective aspect, or the
supreme Person who is the Lord of all.--The Purvapakshin maintains the
former view. For, he argues, on the introductory question, 'He who here
among men should meditate until death on the syllable Om, what would he
obtain by it?' The text first declares that he who meditates on that
syllable as having one Matra, obtains the world of men; and next, that
he who meditates on it as having two Matras obtains the world of the
atmosphere. Hence the Brahma-world, which the text after that represents
as the object reached by him who meditates on Om as having three
syllables, must be the world of Brahma Katurmukha who is constituted by
the aggregate of the individual souls. What the soul having reached that
world sees, therefore is the same Brahma Katurmukha; and thus only the
attribute 'etasmaj' jivaghanat parat param' is suitable; for the
collective soul, i. e. Brahma Katurmukha, residing in the Brahma-world
is higher (para) than the distributive or discrete soul (jiva) which is
concreted (ghani-bhuta) with the body and sense-organs, and at the same
time is higher (para) than these. The highest Person mentioned in the
text, therefore, is Brahmaa Katurmukha; and the qualities mentioned
further on, such as absence of decay, &c., must be taken in such a way
as to agree with that Brahma.
To this prima facie view the Sutra replies that the object of seeing is
He, i.e. the highest Self, on account of designation. The text clearly
designates the object of seeing as the highest Self. For the concluding
sloka, which refers to that object of seeing, declares that 'by means of
the Omkara he who knows reaches that which is tranquil, free from decay,
immortal, fearless, the highest'--all which attributes properly belong
to the highest Self only, as we know from texts such as 'that is the
Immortal, that is the fearless, that is Brahman' (Ch. Up. IV, 15, i).
The qualification expressed in the clause 'etasmaj_ _jiva.--ghanat,' &c.
may also refer to the highest Self only, not to Brahma Katurmukha; for
the latter is himself comprehended by the term 'jivaghana.' For that
term denotes all souls which are embodied owing to karman; and that
Katurmukha is one of those we know from texts such as 'He who first
creates Brahma' (Svet. Up. VI, 18). Nor is there any strength in the
argument that, since the Brahma-world mentioned in the text is known to
be the world of Katurmukha, as it follows next on the world of the
atmosphere, the being abiding there must needs be Katurmukha. We rather
argue as follows--as from the concluding clause 'that which is tranquil,
free from decay,' &c., we ascertain that the object of intuition is the
highest Brahman, the Brahma-world spoken of as the abode of the seeing
devotee cannot be the perishable world of Brahma Katurmukha. A further
reason for this conclusion is supplied by what the text says about 'him
who is freed from all evil being led up by the Saman verses to the world
of Brahman'; for the place reached by him who is freed from all evil
cannot be the mere abode of Katurmukha. Hence also the concluding sloka
says with reference to that Brahma-world 'that which the wise teach':
what the wise see and teach is the abode of the highest, of Vishnu; cp.
the text 'the wise ever see that highest abode of Vishnu.' Nor is it
even strictly true that the world of Brahma follows on the atmosphere,
for the svarga-world and several others lie between the two.
We therefore shortly explain the drift of the whole chapter as follows.
At the outset of the reply given to Satyakama there is mentioned, in
addition to the highest (para) Brahman, a lower (apara) Brahman. This
lower or effected (karya) Brahman is distinguished as twofold, being
connected either with this terrestrial world or yonder, non-terrestrial,
world. Him who meditates on the Pranava as having one syllable, the text
declares to obtain a reward in this world--he reaches the world of men.
He, on the other hand, who meditates on the Pranava as having two
syllables is said to obtain his reward in a super-terrestrial sphere--he
reaches the world of the atmosphere. And he finally who, by means of the
trisyllabic Pranava which denotes the highest Brahman, meditates on this
very highest Brahman, is said to reach that Brahman, i. e. the supreme
Person.--The object of seeing is thus none other than the highest Self.--
Here terminates the adhikarana of the 'object of seeing.'
13. The small (ether) (is Brahman), on account of the subsequent
(arguments).
The Chandogas have the following text, 'Now in that city of Brahman
there is the palace, the small lotus, and in it that small ether. Now
what is within that small ether that is to be sought for, that is to be
understood' (Ch. Up. VIII, 1, 1).--The question here arises whether that
small ether (space) within the lotus of the heart be the material
clement called ether, or the individual Self, or the highest Self.--The
first view presenting itself is that the element is meant, for the
reason that the word 'ether' is generally used in that sense; and
because the clause 'what is within that small ether' shows that the
ether mentioned constitutes the abode of something else that is to be
enquired into.--This view is set aside by the Sutra. The small ether
within the heart is the highest Brahman, on account of the subsequent
reasons, contained in clauses of the same section. The passage 'That
Self which is free from evil, free from old age, free from death, free
from grief, free from hunger and thirst, whose wishes and purposes come
true' (VIII, 7, 1) ascribes to that small ether qualities--such as
unconditioned Selfhood, freedom from evil, &c.--which clearly show that
ether to be the highest Brahman. And this conclusion is confirmed by
what other texts say about him who knows the small ether attaining the
power of realising his own wishes,'Those who depart from hence having
come to know the Self and those real wishes, for them there is freedom
in all worlds'; and 'whatever object he desires, by his mere will it
comes to him; having obtained it he is happy' (Ch, Up. VIII, 1, 6; 2, 9).
If moreover the ether within the heart were the elemental ether, the
comparison instituted in the passage 'As large as that (elemental) ether
is, so large is this ether within the heart' would be wholly
inappropriate. Nor must it be said that that comparison rests on the
limitation of the ether within the heart (so that the two terms compared
would be the limited elemental ether within the heart, and the universal
elemental ether); for there still would remain the inappropriate
assertion that the ether within the heart is the abode of heaven, earth
and all other things.--But, an objection is raised, also on the
alternative of the small ether being the highest Brahman, the comparison
to the universal elemental ether is unsuitable; for scripture explicitly
states that the highest Self is (not as large but) larger than
everything else, 'larger than the earth, larger than the sky,' &c. (Ch.
Up. III, 14, 3). Not so, we reply; what the text says as to the ether
within the heart being as large as the universal ether is meant (not to
make a conclusive statement as to its extent but only) to negative that
smallness of the ether which is established by its abiding within the
heart. Similarly we say 'the sun moves with the speed of an arrow'; the
sun indeed moves much faster than an arrow, but what our assertion means
is merely that he does not move slowly.--But, a further doubt is started,
the passage 'That Self which is free from sin,' &c. does not appear to
refer back to the small ether within the heart. For the text makes a
distinction between that ether and that within that ether which it
declares to be the due object of search and enquiry. This latter object
therefore is the topic of discussion, and when the text says later on
'That Self, free from sin, &c. is to be searched out' we must understand
it to refer to the same object of search.--This would be so, we reply,
if the text did not distinguish the small ether and that which abides
within it; but as a matter of fact it does distinguish the two. The
connexion is as follows. The text at first refers to the body of the
devotee as the city of Brahman, the idea being that Brahman is present
therein as object of meditation; and then designates an organ of that
body, viz. the small lotus-shaped heart as the palace of Brahman. It
then further refers to Brahman--the all knowing, all powerful, whose
love towards his devotees is boundless like the ocean--as the small
ether within the heart, meaning thereby that Brahman who for the benefit
of his devotees is present within that palace should be meditated upon
as of minute size, and finally--in the clause 'that is to be searched
out'--enjoins as the object of meditation that which abides in that
Brahman, i.e. on the one hand, its essential freedom from all evil
qualities, and on the other the whole treasure of its auspicious
qualities, its power of realising its wishes and so on. The 'that' (in
'that is to be searched out') enjoins as objects of search the small
ether, i.e. Brahman itself as well as the qualities abiding within it.--
But how, it may be asked, do you know that the word 'that' really refers
to both, viz. the highest Brahman, there called 'small ether,' and the
qualities abiding in it, and that hence the clause enjoins an enquiry
into both these entities?--Listen, attentively, we reply, to our
explanation! The clause 'As large as this ether is, so large is this
ether within the heart' declares the exceeding greatness of the small
ether; the clause 'Both heaven and earth are contained within it' up to
'lightning and stars' declares that same small ether to be the abode of
the entire world; and the clause 'And whatever there is for him in this
world, and whatever there is not, all that is contained within it'
declares that whatever objects of enjoyment there are for the devotee in
this world, and whatever other objects there are not for him, i.e. are
merely wishes but not obtained by him, all those objects are contained
within that same small ether. The text next declares that that small
ether, although dwelling within the heart which is a part of the body,
is not affected by the body's old age and decay, for being extremely
minute it is not capable of change; and adds 'that true being is the
Brahman-city,' i.e. that Reality which is the cause of all is the city
called Brahman, i.e. the abode of the entire Universe. The following
clause 'in it all desires are contained' again referring to the small
ether ('in it') declares that in it all desires, i.e. all desirable
qualities are contained. The text next proceeds to set forth that the
small ether possesses Selfhood and certain desirable auspicious
qualities-this is done in the passage 'It is the Self free from sin' &c.
up to 'whose purposes realise themselves.' The following section--'And
as here on earth' down to 'for them there is freedom in all the worlds'--
declares that those who do not know those eight qualities and the Self,
called 'small ether,' which is characterised by them, and who perform
actions aiming at objects of enjoyment different from that Self, obtain
perishable results only, and do not attain the power of realising their
wishes; while those on the other hand who know the Self called 'small
ether' and the qualities abiding within it, through the grace of that
very same highest Self, obtain all their wishes and the power of
realising their purposes. On the ground of this connected consideration
of the whole chapter we are able to decide that the text enjoins as the
object of search and enquiry both the highest Brahman and the whole body
of auspicious qualities abiding within it. This the Vakyakara also
renders clear in the passage beginning 'In the text "what is within
that" there is designation of wishes (i.e. desirable qualities).'--For
all these reasons the small ether is the highest Brahman.
14. On account of the going and of the word; for thus it is seen; and
(there is) an inferential sign.
'As people who do not know the country walk again and again over a gold
treasure' &c., 'thus do all these creatures day after day go into _that_
Brahma-world' (Ch. Up. VIII, 3, 2). The circumstance, here stated, of
all individual souls going to a place which the qualification _'that'_
connects with the subject-matter of the whole chapter, i.e. the small
ether; and the further circumstance of the goal of their going being
called the Brahma-world, also prove that the small ether is none other
than the highest Brahman.--But in what way do these two points prove
what they are claimed to prove?--'For thus it is seen'; the Sutra adds.
For we see it stated in other texts, that all individual souls go daily
to Brahman, viz. in the state of deep sleep, 'All these creatures having
become united with the True do not know that they are united with the
True'; 'Having come back from the True they know not that they have come
back from the True' (Ch. Up. VI, 9, 2; 10, 2). And in the same way we
see that the word 'Brahma-world' denotes the highest Brahman; so e.g.
'this is the Brahma-world, O King' (Bri. Up. IV, 3, 32).--The Sutra
subjoins a further reason. Even if the going of the souls to Brahman
were not seen in other texts, the fact that the text under discussion
declares the individual souls to abide in Brahman in the state of deep
sleep, enjoying freedom from all pain and trouble just as if they were
merged in the pralaya state, is a sufficient 'inferential sign' to prove
that the 'small ether' is the highest Brahman. And similarly the term
'Brahma-world' as exhibited in the text under discussion, if understood
as denoting co-ordination (i.e. 'that world which is Brahman'), is
sufficient to prove by itself that the 'small ether'--to which that term
is applied--is the highest Brahman; it therefore is needless to appeal
to other passages. That this explanation of 'Brahma-world' is preferable
to the one which understands by Brahma-world 'the world of Brahman' is
proved by considerations similar to those by which the Pu. Mi. Sutras
prove that 'Nishada-sthapati' means a headman who at the same time is a
Nishada.--Another explanation of the passage under discussion may also
be given. What is said there about all these creatures daily 'going into
the Brahma-world,' may not refer at all to the state of deep sleep, but
rather mean that although 'daily going into the Brahman-world,' i. e.
although at all time moving above the small ether, i. e. Brahman which
as the universal Self is everywhere, yet all these creatures not knowing
Brahman do not find, i.e. obtain it; just as men not knowing the place
where a treasure is hidden do not find it, although they constantly pass
over it. This constant moving about on the part of ignorant creatures on
the surface, as it were, of the small ether abiding within as their
inward Ruler, proves that small ether to be the highest Brahman. That
the highest Brahman abides within as the inner Self of creatures which
dwell in it and are ruled by it, we are told in other texts also, so e.g.
in the Antaryamin-brahmana. 'He who dwells in the Self, within the Self,
whom the Self does not know, of whom the Self is the body, who rules the
Self within; unseen but seeing, unheard but hearing' (Bri. Up. III, 7,
22; 23).--On this interpretation we explain the last part of the Sutra
as follows. Even if other texts did not refer to it, this daily moving
about on the part of ignorant creatures, on the ether within the heart--
which the comparison with the treasure of gold shows to be the supreme
good of man--, is in itself a sufficient proof for the small ether being
Brahman.
15. And on account of there being observed in that (small ether),
supporting which is a greatness of that (i. e. Brahman).
In continuation of the passage 'It is the Self free from Sin,' &c.,
which refers to the small ether, the text says: 'it is a bank, a
limitary support, that these worlds may not be confounded.' What the
text here says about the small ether supporting the world proves it to
be the highest Brahman; for to support the world is the glory of Brahman.
Compare 'He is the Lord of all, the king of all things, the protector of
all things. He is a bank and a boundary, so that these worlds may not be
confounded' (Bri. Up. IV, 4, 22); 'By the command of that Imperishable,
O Gargi, heaven and earth stand, held apart' (Bri. Up. III, 8, 9). Now
this specific greatness of the highest Brahman, which consists in its
supporting the world, is also observed in the small ether--which proves
the latter to be none other than Brahman.
16. And on account of the settled meaning.
The word 'ether,' moreover, is known to have, among other meanings, that
of Brahman. Compare 'For who could breathe, who could breathe forth, if
that ether were not bliss?' (Taitt. Up. II, 7); 'All these beings take
their rise from the ether' (Ch. Up. I, 9, 1). It has to be kept in view
that in the text under discussion the meaning 'Brahman' is supported by
what is said about the qualities of the small ether--viz. freedom from
sin, &c.--and hence is stronger than the other meaning--, according to
which akasa signifies the elemental ether.
So far the Sutras have refuted the view of the small ether being the
element. They now enter on combating the notion that the small ether may
possibly be the individual soul.
17. If it be said that on account of reference to the other one he is
meant; we say no, on account of impossibility.
An objection is raised to the argumentation that, on account of
complementary passages, the small ether must be explained to mean the
highest Self.
For, the objector says, a clear reference to him who is 'other' than the
highest Self, i.e. to the individual soul, is contained in the following
passage (VIII, 12, 3): 'Thus does that serenity (samprasada), having
risen from this body and approached the highest light, appear in its own
form.' 'That is the Self,' he said. 'That is the immortal, the fearless,
this is Brahman' (VIII, 7, 3?). We admit that for the different reasons
stated above the ether within the heart cannot be the elemental ether;
but owing to the force of the intimations conveyed by the complementary
passages just quoted, we must adopt the view that what is meant is the
individual soul. And as the word 'akasa' may be connected with prakasa
(light), it may be applied to the individual soul also.--This view is
set aside by the Sutra. The small ether cannot be the individual soul
because the qualities attributed in the text to the former, viz. freedom
from sin, &c., cannot possibly belong to the individual soul.
18. Should it be said that from a subsequent passage (it appears that
the individual Soul is meant); rather (the soul) in so far as its true
nature has become manifest.
The Purvapakshin now maintains that we ascertain from a subsequent
declaration made by Prajapati that it is just the individual Soul that
possesses freedom from sin and the other qualities enumerated. The whole
teaching of Prajapati, he says, refers to the individual Soul only.
Indra having heard that Prajapati had spoken about a Self free from sin,
old age, &c., the enquiry into which enables the soul to obtain all
worlds and desires, approaches Prajapati with the wish to learn the true
nature of that Self which should be enquired into. Prajapati thereupon,
wishing to test the capacity of his pupil for receiving true instruction,
gives him successive information about the embodied soul in the state of
waking, dream and dreamless sleep. When he finds that Indra sees no good
in instruction of this kind and thus shows himself fit to receive
instruction about the true nature of the disembodied Self, he explains
to him that the body is a mere abode for a ruling Self; that that
bodiless Self is essentially immortal; and that the soul, as long as it
is joined to a body due to karman, is compelled to experience pleasure
and pain corresponding to its embodied state, while it rises above all
this when it has freed itself from the body (VIII, 12, 1). He then
continues: 'Thus that serenity having risen from this body and
approached the highest light, appears in its own form'; thus teaching
him the true nature, free from a body, of the individual soul. He next
informs him that the 'highest light' which the soul reaches is the
supreme Person ('That is the supreme Person'), and that the soul having
reached that highest light and freed itself from what obscured its own
true nature, obtains in the world of Brahman whatever enjoyments it
desires, and is no longer connected with a body springing from karman
and inseparable from pain and pleasure, or with anything else that
causes distress. ('He moves about there laughing,' &c.). He next
illustrates the connexion with a body, of the soul in the Samsara state,
by means of a comparison: 'Like as a horse attached to a cart,' &c.
After that he explains that the eye and the other sense-organs are
instruments of knowledge, colour, and so on, the objects of knowledge,
and the individual Self the knowing subject; and that hence that Self is
different from the body and the sense-organs ('Now where the sight has
entered' up to 'the mind is his divine eye'). Next he declares that,
after having divested itself of the body and the senses, the Self
perceives all the objects of its desire by means of its 'divine eye,' i.
e. the power of cognition which constitutes its essential nature ('He by
means of the divine eye,' &c.). He further declares that those who have
true knowledge know the Self as such ('on that Self the devas meditate');
and in conclusion teaches that he who has that true knowledge of the
Self obtains for his reward the intuition of Brahman--which is suggested
by what the text says about the obtaining of all worlds and all desires
('He obtains all worlds and all desires,' &c., up to the end of the
chapter).--It thus appears that the entire chapter proposes as the
object of cognition the individual soul free from sin, and so on. The
qualities, viz. freedom from guilt, &c., may thus belong to the
individual Self, and on this ground we conclude that the small ether is
the individual Self.
This view the second half of the Sutra sets aside. The two sections,
that which treats of the small ether and that which contains the
teaching of Prajapati, have different topics. Prajapati's teaching
refers to the individual soul, whose true nature, with its qualities
such as freedom from evil, &c., is at first hidden by untruth, while
later on, when it has freed itself from the bondage of karman, risen
from the body, and approached the highest light, it manifests itself in
its true form and then is characterised by freedom from all evil and by
other auspicious qualities. In the section treating of the small ether,
on the other hand, we have to do with the small ether, i.e. the highest
Brahman, whose true nature is never hidden, and which therefore is
unconditionally characterised by freedom from evil, and so on.--
Moreover, the daharakasa-section ascribes to the small ether other
attributes which cannot belong to the individual Self even 'when its
true nature has manifested itself.' The small ether is there called a
bank and support of all worlds; and one of its names,'satyam,' is
explained to imply that it governs all sentient and non-sentient beings.
All this also proves that the small ether is none other than the highest
Self. That the individual soul, 'even when its true nature is manifest,'
cannot be viewed as a bank and support of the worlds, &c., we shall show
under IV, 4.
But if this is so, what then is the meaning of the reference to the
individual soul which is made in the section treating of the small ether,
viz. in the passage, 'Now that serene being, which after having risen
from this body,' &c. (VIII, 3, 4)?
To this question the next Sutra replies.
19. And the reference has a different meaning.
The text in question declares that the released individual soul when
reaching the highest light, i.e. Brahman, which is free from all sin,
and so on, attains its true nature, which is characterised by similar
freedom from sin, and so on. Now this reference to the individual soul,
as described in the teaching of Prajapati, has the purpose of giving
instruction (not about the qualities of the individual soul, but) about
the nature of that which is the cause of the qualities of the individual
soul, i.e. the qualities specially belonging to the supreme Person. The
reason why, in the section containing the teaching of Prajapati,
information is given as to the true nature of the released individual
soul is that such knowledge assists the doctrine referring to the small
ether. For the individual Self which wishes to reach Brahman must know
his own true nature also, so as to realise that he, as being himself
endowed with auspicious qualities, will finally arrive at an intuition
of the highest Brahman, which is a mass of auspicious qualities raised
to the highest degree of excellence. The cognition of the soul's own
true nature is itself comprised in the result of the meditation on
Brahman, and the results which are proclaimed in the teaching of
Prajapati ('He obtains all worlds and all wishes'; 'He moves about there
laughing,' &c.) thus really are results of the knowledge of the small
ether.
20. If it be said, owing to the scriptural declaration of smallness;
that has been explained.
The text describes the ether within the heart as being of small compass,
and this agrees indeed with the individual soul which elsewhere is
compared to the point of an awl, but not with Brahman, which is greater
than everything.--The reply to this objection has virtually been given
before, viz. under I, 2, 7, where it is said that Brahman may be viewed
as of small size, for the purpose of devout meditation.
It thus remains a settled conclusion that the small ether is none other
but the highest Person who is untouched by even a shadow of imperfection,
and is an ocean of infinite, supremely exalted, qualities--knowledge,
strength, lordly power, &c. The being, on the other hand, which in the
teaching of Prajapati is described as first having a body due to karman--
as we see from passages such as 'they strike it as it were, they cut it
as it were'--and as afterwards approaching the highest light, and then
manifesting its essential qualities, viz. freedom from sin, &c., is the
individual soul; not the small ether (or Brahman).
The next Sutra supplies a further reason for this conclusion.
21. And on account of the imitation of that.
The individual soul, free from bondage, and thus possessing the
qualities of freedom from sin, &c., cannot be the small ether, i.e. the
highest Brahman, because it is stated to 'imitate,' i.e. to be equal to
that Brahman. The text making that statement is Mu. Up. III, 1, 3, 'When
the seer (i.e. the individual soul) sees the brilliant maker, the Lord,
the Person who has his source in Brahman; then becoming wise and shaking
off good and evil, he reaches the highest equality, free from passions.'
The being to which the teaching of Prajapati refers is the 'imitator,' i.
e. the individual soul; the Brahman which is 'imitated' is the small
ether.
22. The same is declared by Smriti also.
Smriti also declares that the transmigrating soul when reaching the
state of Release 'imitates,' i.e. attains supreme equality of attributes
with the highest Brahman. 'Abiding by this knowledge they, attaining to
equality of attributes with me, are not born again at the time of
creation, nor are they affected by the general dissolution of the world'
(Bha. Gi. XIV, 2).
Some maintain that the last two Sutras constitute a separate adhikarana
(head of discussion), meant to prove that the text Mu. Up. II, 2, 10
('After him the shining one, everything shines; by the light of him all
this is lighted'), refers to the highest Brahman. This view is, however,
inadmissible, for the reason that with regard to the text quoted no
purvapaksha can arise, it having been proved under I, 2, 21 ff., and 1,3,
1, ff., that the whole section of which that text forms part is
concerned with Brahman; and it further having been shown under I, 1, 24
ff., that Brahman is apprehended under the form of light.--The
interpretation moreover does not fit in with the wording of the Sutras.--
Here terminates the adhikarana of the 'small one.'
23. On account of the term, the one measured.
We read in the Kathavalli 'The Person of the size of a thumb stands in
the middle of the Self, as lord of the past and the future, and
henceforward fears no more'; 'That Person of the size of a thumb is like
a light without smoke,' &c. (Ka. Up. II, 4, 1; 13). And 'The Person not
larger than a thumb, the inner Self, is always settled in the heart of
men' (Ka. Up. II, 6, 17). A doubt here arises whether the being measured
by the extent of a span be the individual soul or the highest Self.--The
Purvapakshin maintains the former view; for, he says, another scriptural
text also declares the individual soul to have that measure, 'the ruler
of the vital airs moves through his own works, of the size of a thumb,
brilliant like the sun, endowed with purposes and egoity' (Svet. Up. V,
7; 8). Moreover, the highest Self is not anywhere else, not even for the
purpose of meditation, represented as having the size of a thumb. It
thus being determined that the being of the length of a thumb is the
individual Self, we understand the term 'Lord,' which is applied to it,
as meaning that it is the Lord of the body, the sense-organs, the
objects and the instruments of fruition.--Of this view the Sutra
disposes, maintaining that the being a thumb long can be none but the
highest Self, just on account of that term. For lordship over all things
past and future cannot possibly belong to the individual Self, which is
under the power of karman.--But how can the highest Self be said to have
the measure of a thumb?--On this point the next Sutra satisfies us.
24. But with reference to the heart, men being qualified.
In so far as the highest Self abides, for the purpose of devout
meditation, in the heart of the devotee--which heart is of the measure
of a thumb--it may itself be viewed as having the measure of a thumb.
The individual soul also can be said to have the measure of a thumb only
in so far as dwelling within the heart; for scripture directly states
that its real size is that of the point of a goad, i.e. minute. And as
men only are capable of devout meditation, and hence alone have a claim
on scripture, the fact that the hearts of other living creatures also,
such as donkeys, horses, snakes, &c., have the same size, cannot give
rise to any objection.--The discussion of this matter will be completed
later on [FOOTNOTE 326:1].
25. Also beings above them (i.e. men), Badarayana thinks, on account of
possibility.
In order to prove that the highest Brahman may be viewed as having the
size of a thumb, it has been declared that the scriptural texts
enjoining meditation on Brahman are the concern of men. This offers an
opportunity for the discussion of the question whether also other
classes of individual souls, such as devas, are qualified for knowledge
of Brahman. The Purvapakshin denies this qualification in the case of
gods and other beings, on the ground of absence of capability. For, he
says, bodiless beings, such as gods, are incapable of the accomplishment
of meditation on Brahman, which requires as its auxiliaries the seven
means enumerated above (p. 17)--This must not be objected to on the
ground of the devas, and so on, having bodies; for there is no means of
proof establishing such embodiedness. We have indeed proved above that
the Vedanta-texts may intimate accomplished things, and hence are an
authoritative means for the cognition of Brahman; but we do not meet
with any Vedanta-text, the purport of which is to teach that the devas,
and so on, possess bodies. Nor can this point be established through
mantras and arthavada texts; for these are merely supplementary to the
injunctions of actions (sacrificial, and so on), and therefore have a
different aim. And the injunctions themselves prove nothing with regard
to the devas, except that the latter are that with a view to which those
actions are performed. In the same way it also cannot be shown that the
gods have any desires or wants (to fulfil or supply which they might
enter on meditation of Brahman). For the two reasons above we therefore
conclude that the devas, and so on, are not qualified for meditation on
Brahman.--This view is contradicted by the Sutra. Such meditation is
possible in the case of higher beings also Badarayana thinks; on account
of the possibility of want and capacity on their part also. Want and
wish exist in their case since they also are liable to suffering,
springing from the assaults, hard to be endured, of the different kinds
of pain, and since they also know that supreme enjoyment is to be found
in the highest Brahman, which is untouched by the shadow even of
imperfection, and is a mass of auspicious qualities in their highest
perfection. 'Capability', on the other hand, depends on the possession
of a body and sense-organs of whatever degree of tenuity; and that the
devas, from Brahma downward, possess a body and sense-organs, is
declared in all the Upanishads, in the chapters treating of creation and
the chapters enjoining meditation. In the Chandogya, e.g. it is related
how the highest Being having resolved on creation, evolved the aggregate
of non-sentient matter with its different kinds, and then produced the
fourfold multitude of living creatures, each having a material body
corresponding to its karman, and a suitable name of its own. Similarly,
all the other scriptural accounts of creation declare that there are
four classes of creatures--devas, men, animals, and non-moving beings,
such as plants--and the difference of these classes depends on the
individual Selfs being joined to various bodies capacitating them to
experience the results of their works, each in that one of the fourteen
worlds--beginning with the world of Brahma--which is the suitable place
for retribution. For in themselves, apart from bodies, the individual
Selfs are not distinguished as men, gods, and so on. In the same way the
story of the devas and Asuras approaching Prajapati with fuel in their
hands, staying with him as pupils for thirty-two years, &c. (Ch. Up.
VIII, 7 ff.), clearly shows that the devas possess bodies and sense-
organs. Analogously, mantras and arthavadas, which are complementary to
injunctions of works, contain unmistakeable references to the corporeal
nature of the gods ('Indra holding in his hand the thunderbolt'; 'Indra
lifted the thunderbolt', &c.); and as the latter is not contradicted by
any other means of proof it must be accepted on the authority stated.
Nor can it be said that those mantras and arthavadas are really meant to
express something else (than those details mentioned above), in so far,
namely, as they aim at proclaiming or glorifying the action with which
they are connected; for those very details subserve the purpose of
glorification, and so on, and without them glorification is not possible.
For we praise or glorify a thing by declaring its qualities; if such
qualities do not exist all glorification lapses. It cannot by any means
be maintained that anything may be glorified by the proclamation of its
qualities, even if such qualities do not really exist. Hence the
arthavadas which glorify a certain action, just thereby intimate the
real existence of the qualities and details of the action. The mantras
again, which are prescribed in connexion with the actions, serve the
purpose of throwing light on the use to be derived from the performance
of the actions, and this they accomplish by making statements as to the
particular qualities, such as embodiedness and the like, which belong to
the devas and other classes of beings. Otherwise Indra, and so on, would
not be remembered at the time of performance; for the idea of a divinity
presents itself to the mind only in connexion with the special
attributes of that divinity. In the case of such qualities as are not
established by other means of proof, the primary statement is made by
the arthavada or the mantra: the former thereby glorifies the action,
and the latter proclaims it as possessing certain qualities or details;
and both these ends are accomplished by making statements as to the gods,
& c., possessing certain qualities, such as embodiedness and the like.
In the case, again, of certain qualities being already established by
other means of proof, the mantras and arthavadas merely refer to them
(as something already known), and in this way perform their function of
glorification and elucidation. And where, thirdly, there is a
contradiction between the other means of knowledge and what mantras and
arthavadas state (as when, e.g. a text of the latter kind says that 'the
sacrificial post is the sun'), the intention of the text is
metaphorically to denote, by means of those apparently unmeaning terms,
certain other qualities which are not excluded by the other means of
knowledge; and in this way the function of glorification and elucidation
is again accomplished. Now what the injunction of a sacrificial action
demands as its supplement, is a statement as to the power of the
divinity to whom the sacrifice is offered; for the performance which
scripture enjoins on men desirous of certain results, is itself of a
merely transitory nature, and hence requires some agent capable of
bringing about, at some future time, the result desired as, e.g. the
heavenly world. 'Vayu is the swiftest god; he (the sacrificer)
approaches Vayu with his own share; the god then leads him to
prosperity' (Taitt. Samh. I, 2, 1); 'What he seeks by means of that
offering, may he obtain that, may he prosper therein, may the gods
favourably grant him that' (Taitt. Br. III, 5, 10, 5); these and similar
arthavadas and mantras intimate that the gods when propitiated by
certain sacrificial works, give certain rewards and possess the power to
do so; and they thus connect themselves with the general context of
scripture as supplying an evidently required item of information.
Moreover, the mere verb 'to sacrifice' (yaj), as denoting worship of the
gods, intimates the presence of a deity which is to be propitiated by
the action called sacrifice, and thus constitutes the main element of
that action. A careful consideration of the whole context thus reveals
that everything which is wanted for the due accomplishment of the action
enjoined is to be learned from the text itself, and that hence we need
not have recourse to such entities as the 'unseen principle' (apurva),
assumed to be denoted by, or to be imagined in connexion with, the
passages enjoining certain actions. Hence the dharmasastras, itihasas,
and puranas also, which are founded on the different brahmanas, mantras
and arthavadas, clearly teach that Brahma and the other gods, as well as
the Asuras and other superhuman beings, have bodies and sense-organs,
constitutions of different kinds, different abodes, enjoyments, and
functions.--Owing to their having bodies, the gods therefore are also
qualified for meditation on Brahman.
[FOOTNOTE 326:1. The 'pramitadhikarana' is resumed in Sutra 41.]
26. If it be said that there results a contradiction to work; we deny
this, on account of the observation of the assumption of several
(bodies).
An objection here presents itself. If we admit the gods to have bodies,
a difficulty arises at the sacrifices, as it is impossible that one and
the same corporeal Indra--who is at the same time invited by many
sacrificers 'come, O Indra', 'come, O Lord of the red horses,' &c.--
should be present at all those places. And that the gods, Agni and so on,
really do come to the sacrifices is proved by the following scriptural
text: 'To whose sacrifice do the gods go, and to whose not? He who first
receives the gods, sacrifices to them on the following day' (Taitt. Samh.
I, 6, 7, 1). In refutation of this objection the Suutra points out that
there is seen, i.e. recorded, the assumption of several bodies at the
same time, on the part of beings endowed with special powers, such as
Saubhari.
27. If it be said (that a contradiction will result) with regard to
words; we say no, since beings originate from them (as appears) from
perception and inference.
Well then let us admit that there is no difficulty as far as sacrifices
are concerned, for the reason stated in the preceding Sutra. But another
difficulty presents itself with regard to the words of which the Veda
consists. For if Indra and the other gods are corporeal beings, it
follows that they are made up of parts and hence non-permanent. This
implies either that the Vedic words denoting them--not differing therein
from common worldly words such as Devadatta--are totally devoid of
meaning during all those periods which precede the origination of the
beings called Indra and so on, or follow on their destruction; or else
that the Veda itself is non-permanent, non-eternal.--This objection is
not valid, the Sutra points out, for the reason that those beings, viz.
Indra and so on, again and again originate from the Vedic words. To
explain. Vedic words, such as Indra and so on, do not, like the word
Devadatta and the like, denote, on the basis of convention, one
particular individual only: they rather denote by their own power
particular species of beings, just as the word 'cow' denotes a
particular species of animals. When therefore a special individual of
the class called Indra has perished, the creator, apprehending from the
Vedic word 'Indra' which is present to his mind the class
characteristics of the beings denoted by that word, creates another
Indra possessing those very same characteristics; just as the potter
fashions a new jar, on the basis of the word 'jar' which is stirring in
_his_ mind.--But how is this known?--'Through perception and inference,'
i.e. through Scripture and Smriti. Scripture says, e.g. 'By means of the
Veda Prajapati evolved names and forms, the being and the non-being';
and 'Saying "bhuh" (earth) he created the earth; saying "bhuvah" he
created the air,' and so on; which passages teach that the creator at
first bethinks himself of the characteristic make of a thing, in
connexion with the word denoting it, and thereupon creates an individual
thing characterised by that make. Smriti makes similar statements;
compare, e. g. 'In the beginning there was sent forth by the creator,
divine speech--beginningless and endless--in the form of the Veda, and
from it there originated all creatures'; and 'He, in the beginning,
separately created from the words of the Veda the names and works and
shapes of all things'; and 'The names and forms of beings, and all the
multiplicity of works He in the beginning created from the Veda.' This
proves that from the corporeality of the gods, and so on, it follows
neither that the words of the Veda are unmeaning nor that the Veda
itself is non-eternal.
28. And for this very reason eternity (of the Veda).
As words such as Indra and Vasishtha, which denote gods and Rishis,
denote (not individuals only, but) classes, and as the creation of those
beings is preceded by their being suggested to the creative mind through
those words; for this reason the eternity of the Veda admits of being
reconciled with what scripture says about the mantras and kandas
(sections) of the sacred text having 'makers' and about Rishis seeing
the hymns; cp. such passages as 'He chooses the makers of mantras';
'Reverence to the Rishis who are the makers of mantras'; 'That is Agni;
this is a hymn of Visvamitra.' For by means of these very texts
Prajapati presents to his own mind the characteristics and powers of the
different Rishis who make the different sections, hymns, and mantras,
thereupon creates them endowed with those characteristics and powers,
and appoints them to remember the very same sections, hymns, &c. The
Rishis being thus gifted by Prajapati with the requisite powers, undergo
suitable preparatory austerities and finally _see_ the mantras, and so
on, proclaimed by the Vasishthas and other Rishis of former ages of the
world, perfect in all their sounds and accents, without having learned
them from the recitation of a teacher. There is thus no conflict between
the eternity of the Veda and the fact that the Rishis are the _makers_
of its sections, hymns, and so on. A further objection is raised. Let it
be admitted that after each pralaya of the kind called 'contingent'
(naimittika), Prajapati may proceed to create new Indras, and so on, in
the way of remembering on the basis of the Veda the Indras, and so on,
of preceding periods. In the case, on the other hand, of a pralaya of
the kind called elemental (prakritika), in which the creator, Prajapati
himself, and words--which are the effects of the elemental ahankara--
pass away, what possibility is there of Prajapati undertaking a new
creation on the basis of Vedic words, and how can we speak of the
permanency of a Veda which perishes? He who maintains the eternity of
the Veda and the corporeality of gods, and so on, is thus really driven
to the hypothesis of the course of mundane existence being without a
beginning (i.e. not preceded by a pralaya).--Of this difficulty the next
Sutra disposes.
29. And on account of the equality of names and forms there is no
contradiction, even in the renovation (of the world); as appears from--
Sruti and Smriti.
On account of the sameness of names and forms, as stated before, there
is no difficulty in the way of the origination of the world, even in the
case of total pralayas. For what actually takes place is as follows.
When the period of a great pralaya draws towards its close, the divine
supreme Person, remembering the constitution of the world previous to
the pralaya, and forming the volition 'May I become manifold' separates
into its constituent elements the whole mass of enjoying souls and
objects of enjoyment which, during the pralaya state, had been merged in
him so as to possess a separate existence (not actual but) potential
only, and then emits the entire world just as it had been before, from
the so-called Mahat down to the Brahman-egg, and Hiranyagarbha
(Prajapati). Having thereupon manifested the Vedas in exactly the same
order and arrangement they had had before, and having taught them to
Hiranyagarbha, he entrusts to him the new creation of the different
classes of beings, gods, and so on, just as it was before; and at the
same time abides himself within the world so created as its inner Self
and Ruler. This view of the process removes all difficulties. The
superhuman origin and the eternity of the Veda really mean that
intelligent agents having received in their minds an impression due to
previous recitations of the Veda in a fixed order of words, chapters,
and so on, remember and again recite it in that very same order of
succession. This holds good both with regard to us men and to the
highest Lord of all; there however is that difference between the two
cases that the representations of the Veda which the supreme Person
forms in his own mind are spontaneous, not dependent on an impression previously made. |
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