37. And on account of the impossibility of rulership.
Those who stand outside the Veda arrive through inference at the
conclusion that the Lord is a mere operative cause. This being so, they
must prove the Lord's being the ruler (of the material cause) on the
basis of observation. But it is impossible to prove that the Lord is the
ruler of the Pradhana in the same way as the potter e.g. is the ruler of
the clay. For the Lord is without a body, while the power of ruling
material causes is observed only in the case of embodied beings such as
potters. Nor may you have recourse to the hypothesis of the Lord being
embodied; for--as we have shown under I, 1, 3--there arise difficulties
whether that body, which as body must consist of parts, be viewed as
eternal or as non-eternal.
38. If you say, as in the case of the organs; we deny this, on account
of enjoyment and so on.
It may possibly be said that, in the same way as the enjoying
(individual) soul, although in itself without a body, is seen to rule
the sense-organs, the body, and so on, the great Lord also, although
without a body, may rule the Pradhana. But this analogy cannot be
allowed 'on account of enjoyment,' and so on. The body's being ruled by
the soul is due to the unseen principle in the form of good and evil
works, and has for its end the requital of those works. Your analogy
would thus imply that the Lord also is under the influence of an unseen
principle, and is requited for his good and evil works.--The Lord cannot
therefore be a ruler.
39. Finiteness or absence of omniscience.
'Or' here has the sense of 'and.' If the Lord is under the influence of
the adrishta, it follows that, like the individual soul, he is subject
to creation, dissolution, and so on, and that he is not omniscient. The
Pasupati theory cannot therefore be accepted.--It is true that the Sutra,
'but in case of conflict (with Scripture) it is not to be regarded' (Pu.
Mi. Su. I, 3, 3), has already established the non-acceptability of all
views contrary to the Veda; the present adhikarana, however, raises this
question again in order specially to declare that the Pasupati theory _is_
contrary to the Veda. Although the Pasupata and the Saiva systems
exhibit some features which are not altogether contrary to the Veda, yet
they are unacceptable because they rest on an assumption contrary to the
Veda, viz. of the difference of the general, instrumental and material
causes, and imply an erroneous interchange of higher and lower entities.--
Here terminates the adhikarana of 'Pasupati.'
40. On account of the impossibility of origination.
The Sutras now proceed to refute a further doubt, viz. that the
Pankaratra tantra--which sets forth the means of attaining supreme
beatitude, as declared by the Lord (Bhagavat)--may also be destitute of
authority, in so far, namely, as belonging to the same class as the
tantras of Kapila and others. The above Sutra raises the doubt.
The theory of the Bhagavatas is that from Vasudeva, who is the highest
Brahman and the highest cause, there originates the individual soul
called Sankarshana; from Sankarshana the internal organ called Pradyumna;
and from Pradyumna the principle of egoity called Aniruddha. Now this
theory implies the origination of the individual soul, and this is
contrary to Scripture. For scriptural texts declare the soul to be
without a beginning--cp. 'the intelligent one is not born and does not
die' (Ka. Up. II, 18), and other texts.
41. And there is not (origination) of the instrument from the agent.
'The internal organ called Pradyumna originates from Sankarshana,' i. e.
the internal organ originates from the individual soul which is the
agent. But this is inadmissible, since the text 'from him there is
produced breath, mind, and all sense-organs' (Mu. Up. II, 1, 3) declares
that the mind also springs from none else but the highest Brahman. As
the Bhagavata doctrine thus teaches things opposed to Scripture, its
authoritativeness cannot be admitted.--Against these objections the next
Sutra declares itself.
42. Or, if they are of the nature of that which is knowledge and so on,
there is no contradiction to that (i.e. the Bhagavata doctrine).
The 'or' sets aside the view previously maintained. By 'that which is
knowledge and so on' [FOOTNOTE 524:1] we have to understand the highest
Brahman. If Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha are of the nature of
the highest Brahman, then truly there can be no objection to a body of
doctrine which sets forth this relation. The criticism that the
Bhagavatas teach an inadmissible origination of the individual soul, is
made by people who do not understand that system. What it teaches is
that the highest Brahman, there called Vasudeva, from kindness to those
devoted to it, voluntarily abides in a fourfold form, so as to render
itself accessible to its devotees. Thus it is said in the Paushkara-
samhita, 'That which enjoins that Brahmanas have to worship, under its
proper names, the fourfold nature of the Self; that is the authoritative
doctrine.' That this worship of that which is of a fourfold nature means
worship of the highest Brahman, called Vasudeva, is declared in the
Satvata-samhita, 'This is the supreme sastra, the great Brahmopanishad,
which imparts true discrimination to Brahmawas worshipping the real
Brahman under the name of Vasudeva.' That highest Brahman, called
Vasudeva, having for its body the complete aggregate of the six
qualities, divides itself in so far as it is either the 'Subtle'
(sukshma), or 'division' (vyuha), or 'manifestation' (vibhava), and is
attained in its fulness by the devotees who, according to their
qualifications, do worship to it by means of works guided by knowledge.
'From the worship of the vibhava-aspect one attains to the vyuha, and
from the worship of the vyuha one attains to the "Subtile" called
Vasudeva, i.e. the highest Brahman'--such is their doctrine. By the
'vibhava' we have to understand the aggregate of beings, such as Rama,
Krishna, &c., in whom the highest Being becomes manifest; by the 'vyuha'
the fourfold arrangement or division of the highest Reality, as Vasudeva,
Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha; by the 'Subtle' the highest
Brahman itself, in so far as it has for its body the mere aggregate of
the six qualities--as which it is called 'Vasudeva.' Compare on this
point the Paushkara, 'That body of doctrine through which, by means of
works based on knowledge, one fully attains to the imperishable highest
Brahman, called Vasudeva,' and so on, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha are thus mere bodily forms which the highest Brahman
voluntarily assumes. Scripture already declares, 'Not born he is born in
many ways,' and it is this birth--consisting in the voluntary assumption
of bodily form, due to tenderness towards its devotees--which the
Bhagavata system teaches; hence there lies no valid objection to the
authoritativeness of that system. And as Sankarshana. Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha are the beings ruling over the individual souls, internal
organs and organs of egoity, there can be no objection to their being
themselves denoted by those latter terms, viz. individual soul, and so
on. The case is analogous to that of Brahman being designated, in some
texts, by terms such as ether, breath, and the like.
[FOOTNOTE 524:1. Or 'by that which is knowledge and cause.']
43. And on account of contradiction.
The origination of the jiva is, moreover, distinctly controverted in the
books of the Bhagavatas also. Thus in the Parama-samhita 'The nature of
Prakriti consists therein that she is non-sentient, for the sake of
another, eternal, ever-changing, comprising within herself the three
gunas and constituting the sphere of action and experience for all
agents. With her the soul (purusha) is connected in the way of
inseparable association; that soul is known to be truly without
beginning and without end.' And as all Samhitas make similar statements
as to the eternity of the soul, the Pankaratra doctrine manifestly
controverts the view of the essential nature of the jiva being something
that originates. How it is possible that in the Veda as well as in
common life the soul is spoken of as being born, dying, &c., will be
explained under Su. II, 3, 17. The conclusion, therefore, is that the
Bhagavata system also denies the origination of the soul, and that hence
the objections raised on this ground against its authoritativeness are
without any force. Another objection is raised by some. Sandilya, they
argue, is said to have promulgated the Pankaratra doctrine because he
did not find a sure basis for the highest welfare of man in the Veda and
its auxiliary disciplines, and this implies that the Pankaratra is
opposed to the Veda.--his objection, we reply, springs from nothing else
but the mere unreasoning faith of men who do not possess the faintest
knowledge of the teachings of the Veda, and have never considered the
hosts of arguments which confirm that teaching. When the Veda says,
'Morning after morning those speak untruth who make the Agnihotra
offering before sunrise,' it is understood that the censure there passed
on the offering before sunrise is really meant to glorify the offering
after sunrise. We meet with a similar case in the 'bhuma-vidya' (Ch. Up.
VII, 2). There at the beginning Narada says, 'I know the Rig-veda, the
Yajur-veda, the Sama-veda, the Atharvana as the fourth, the Itihasa-
purana as the fifth,' and so on, enumerating all the various branches of
knowledge, and finally summing up 'with all this I know the mantras only,
I do not know the Self.' Now this declaration of the knowledge of the
Self not being attainable through any branch of knowledge except the
knowledge of the Bhuman evidently has no other purpose but to glorify
this latter knowledge, which is about to be expounded. Or else Narada's
words refer to the fact that from the Veda and its auxiliary disciplines
he had not obtained the knowledge of the highest Reality. Analogous to
this is the case of Sandilya's alleged objection to the Veda. That the
Bhagavata doctrine is meant to facilitate the understanding of the sense
of the Veda which by itself is difficult of comprehension, is declared
in the Paramasamhita,'I have read the Vedas at length, together with all
the various auxiliary branches of knowledge. But in all these I cannot
see a clear indication, raised above all doubt, of the way to
blessedness, whereby I might reach perfection'; and 'The wise Lord Hari,
animated by kindness for those devoted to him, extracted the essential
meaning of all the Vedanta-texts and condensed it in an easy form.' The
incontrovertible fact then is as follows. The Lord who is known from the
Vedanta-texts, i.e. Vasudeva, called there the highest Brahman--who is
antagonistic to all evil, whose nature is of uniform excellence, who is
an ocean, as it were, of unlimited exalted qualities, such as infinite
intelligence, bliss, and so on, all whose purposes come true--perceiving
that those devoted to him, according as they are differently placed in
the four castes and the four stages of life, are intent on the different
ends of life, viz. religious observances, wealth, pleasure, and final
release; and recognising that the Vedas--which teach the truth about his
own nature, his glorious manifestations, the means of rendering him
propitious and the fruits of such endeavour--are difficult to fathom by
all beings other than himself, whether gods or men, since those Vedas
are divided into Rik, Yajus, Saman, and Atharvan; and being animated by
infinite pity, tenderness, and magnanimity; with a view to enable his
devotees to grasp the true meaning of the Vedas, himself composed the
Pankaratra-sastra. The author of the Sutras (Vyasa)--who first composed
the Sutras, the purport of which it is to set forth the arguments
establishing the Vedanta doctrine, and then the Bharata-samhita (i.e.
the Mahabharata) in a hundred thousand slokas in order to support
thereby the teaching of the Veda--himself says in the chapter called
Mokshadharma, which treats of knowledge, 'If a householder, or a
Brahmakarin, or a hermit, or a mendicant wishes to achieve success, what
deity should he worship?' and so on; explains then at great length the
Pankaratra system, and then says, 'From the lengthy Bharata story,
comprising one hundred thousand slokas, this body of doctrine has been
extracted, with the churning-staff of mind, as butter is churned from
curds--as butter from milk, as the Brahmana from men, as the Aranyaka
from the Vedas, as Amrita from medicinal herbs.--This great Upanishad,
consistent with the four Vedas, in harmony with Sankhya and Yoga, was
called by him by the name of Pankaratra. This is excellent, this is
Brahman, this is supremely beneficial. Fully agreeing with the Rik, the
Yajus, the Saman, and the Atharvan-giras, this doctrine will be truly
authoritative.' The terms Sankhya and Yoga here denote the concentrated
application of knowledge and of works. As has been said, 'By the
application of knowledge on the part of the Sankhya, and of works on the
part of the Yogins.' And in the Bhishmaparvan we read, 'By Brahmanas,
Kshattriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras, Madhava is to be honoured, served and
worshipped--he who was proclaimed by Sankarshana in agreement with the
Satvata law.'--How then could these utterances of Badarayana, the
foremost among all those who understand the teaching of the Veda, be
reconciled with the view that in the Sutras he maintains the non-
authoritativeness of the Satvata doctrine, the purport of which is to
teach the worship of, and meditation on, Vasudeva, who is none other
than the highest Brahman known from the Vedanta-texts?
But other passages in the Mahabharata, such as 'There is the Sankhya,
the Yoga, the Pankaratra, the Vedas, and the Pasupata doctrine; do all
these rest on one and the same basis, or on different ones?' and so on,
declare that the Sankhya and other doctrines also are worthy of regard,
while yet in the Sariraka Sutras those very same doctrines are formally
refuted. Why, therefore, should not the same hold good in the case of
the Bhagavata doctrine?--Not so, we reply. In the Mahabharata also
Badarayana applies to the Sankhya and other doctrines the same style of
reasoning as in the Sutras. The question, asked in the passage quoted,
means 'Do the Sankhya, the Yoga, the Pasupata, and the Pankaratra set
forth one and the same reality, or different ones? If the former, what
is that reality? If the latter, they convey contradictory doctrines, and,
as reality is not something which may be optionally assumed to be either
such or such, one of those doctrines only can be acknowledged as
authoritative, and the question then arises which is to be so
acknowledged?'--The answer to the question is given in the passage
beginning, 'Know, O royal Sage, all those different views. The
promulgator of the Sankhya is Kapila,' &c. Here the human origin of the
Sankhya, Yoga, and Pasupata is established on the ground of their having
been produced by Kapila, Hiranyagarbha, and Pasupati. Next the clause
'Aparantatamas is said to be the teacher of the Vedas' intimates the non-
human character of the Vedas; and finally the clause 'Of the whole
Pankaratra, Narayana himself is the promulgator' declares that Narayana
himself revealed the Pankaratra doctrine. The connected purport of these
different clauses is as follows. As the systems of human origin set
forth doctrines mutually contradictory, and, moreover, teach what is in
conflict with the matter known from the Veda--which, on account of its
non-human character, is raised above all suspicion of error and other
imperfections--they cannot be accepted as authoritative with regard to
anything not depending on human action and choice. Now the matter to be
known from the Veda is Narayana, who is none other than the highest
Brahman. It hence follows that the entities set forth in those different
systems--the pradhana, the soul (purusha), Pasupati, and so on--have to
be viewed as real only in so far as Narayana, i.e. the highest Brahman,
as known from the Vedanta-texts, constitutes their Self. This the text
directly declares in the passage, 'In all those doctrines it is seen, in
accordance with tradition and reasoning, that the lord Narayawa is the
only basis.' This means--'To him who considers the entities set forth in
those systems with the help of argumentation, it is evident that
Narayana alone is the basis of all those entities.' In other words, as
the entities set forth in those systems are not Brahman, any one who
remembers the teaching of texts such as 'all this indeed is Brahman,'
'Narayana is all,' which declare Brahman to be the Self of all, comes to
the conclusion that Narayana alone is the basis of those entities. As
thus it is settled that the highest Brahman, as known from the Vedanta-
texts, or Narayana, himself is the promulgator of the entire Pankaratra,
and that this system teaches the nature of Narayana and the proper way
of worshipping him, none can disestablish the view that in the
Pankaratra all the other doctrines are comprised. For this reason the
Mahabharata says, 'Thus the Sankhya-yoga and the Veda and the Aranyaka,
being members of one another, are called the Pankaratra,' i.e. the
Sankhya, the Yoga, the Vedas, and the Aranyakas, which are members of
one another because they are one in so far as aiming at setting forth
one Truth, together are called the Pankaratra.--The Sankhya explains the
twenty-five principles, the Yoga teaches certain practices and means of
mental concentration, and the Aranyakas teach that all the subordinate
principles have their true Self in Brahman, that the mental
concentration enjoined in the Yoga is a mode of meditation on Brahman,
and that the rites and works which are set forth in the Veda are means
to win the favour of Brahman--thus giving instruction as to Brahman's
nature. Now all these elements, in their inward connexion, are clearly
set forth in the Pankaratra by the highest Brahman, i.e. Narayana,
himself. The Sariraka Sastra (i.e. the Vedanta) does not disprove the
principles assumed by the Sankhyas, but merely the view of their not
having Brahman for their Self; and similarly in its criticism on the
Yoga and Pasupata systems, it merely refutes the view of the Lord being
a mere instrumental cause, the erroneous assumptions as to the relative
position of higher and lower entities, and certain practices not
warranted by the Veda; but it does not reject the Yoga itself, nor again
the lord Pasupati. Hence Smriti says,' The Sankhya, the Yoga, the
Pankaratra, the Vedas, and the Psupata doctrine--all these having their
proof in the Self may not be destroyed by arguments.' The essential
points in all these doctrines are to be adopted, not to be rejected
absolutely as the teaching of Jina. or Sugata is to be rejected. For, as
said in the Smriti text quoted above, in all those doctrines it is seen,
according to tradition and reasoning, that the lord Narayana is the only
basis.'--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'the impossibility of
origination.'
THIRD PADA.
1. Not Ether; on account of the absence of scriptural statement.
We have demonstrated that the Sankhya-system and other systems standing
outside the Veda are untenable since they rest on fallacious reasoning
and are self-contradictory. In order to prove that our own view is
altogether free from all objections of this kind, we shall now explain
in detail the mode in which this world, with all its sentient and non-
sentient beings, is produced by Brahman, whom we hold to be the general
creator.
The first doubt here presenting itself is whether Ether be something
produced or not.--The Purvapakshin maintains that it is not produced,
since there is no scriptural statement to that effect. A scriptural
statement may be expected with regard to what is possible; but what is
impossible--as e.g. the origination of a sky-flower or of Ether--cannot
possibly be taught by Scripture. For the origination of Ether, which is
not made up of parts and is all pervasive, cannot be imagined in any way.
For this very reason, i.e. the impossibility of the thing, the Chandogya,
in its account of creation, mentions the origination of fire, water, &c.
only (but not of Ether)--'It thought, may I be many, may I grow forth,'
'It sent forth fire,' and so on. When therefore the Taittiriya, the
Atharvana, and other texts tell us that Ether did originate--'From that
Self sprang Ether' (Taitt. Up. II, 1); 'From him is born breath, mind,
and all organs of sense, Ether, air, light, water,' &c. (Mu. Up. II, 1,
4)--such statements are contrary to sense, and hence refute themselves.--
To this the Sutra replies.
2. But there is.
But there is origination of Ether. For Scripture, which is concerned
with matters transcending sense perception, is able to establish the
truth even of the origination of Ether, although this be not proved by
other means of knowledge. And in a matter known from Scripture a
contradictory inference, such as that Ether cannot originate because it
is without parts, is not of sufficient force. That the non-
originatedness of the Self also does not rest on its being without parts
will be shown further on.--Here the Purvapakshin raises an objection.
3. It has a secondary sense, on account of impossibility and of the text.
It is reasonable to assume that in passages such as 'From that Self
there sprang Ether.' the origination of Ether is not to be taken in its
literal sense; for according to the Chandogya-text 'it sent forth fire.'
Brahman engaged in creation first produces fire, and fire thus having
the first place, the text cannot possibly mean to say that Ether also
was produced. Moreover, there is another text, viz.'Vayu and antariksha
(i.e. Ether), this is the Immortal,' according to which Ether is
immortal, i. e. non-produced.--But how can one and the same word viz. it
'sprang' (i.e. originated), be taken in a metaphorical sense with
reference to Ether, and in its literal sense with reference to fire, and
so on?--To this the next Sutra replies.
4. There may be (a double sense) of the one (word), as in the case of
the word 'Brahman.'
Since in the clause 'from that Self there sprang Brahman,' the word
'sprang' cannot be taken in its literal senbe, it may be used there in a
secondary sense; while the same word as connected with the subsequent
clauses 'from Vayu Agni,' &c., may have its primary sense. This would be
analogous to the use of the word Brahman in Mu. Up. I, 1. There in the
clause 'From him is born that Brahman, name, form, and matter' (9). the
word _Brahman_ is used in a secondary sense, i.e. denotes the Pradhana;
while in the same chapter, in the clause 'Brahman swells by means of
brooding' (8), the same word denotes Brahman in its primary sense. It is
true indeed that in this latter case the word 'Brahman' occurs twice;
while in the Taitt. text the word 'sambhuta' occurs once only, and has
to be carried over from the first clause into the subsequent ones; but
this makes no difference, for, in the case of such carrying over of a
word, no less than in the case of actual repetition, the general
denotation of the word is repeated.--The next Sutra refutes this
objection.
5. The non-abandonment of the promissory statement (results) from non-
difference.
It is not appropriate to assume, from deference to the Chandogya-text, a
secondary meaning for those other texts also which declare Ether to have
originated. For the Chandogyaitself virtually admits the origination of
Ether; in so far, namely, as the clause 'that by which the non-heard is
heard,' &c., declares that through the knowledge of Brahman everything
is known. This declaration is not abandoned, i.e. is adhered to, only if
the Ether also is an effect of Brahman and thus non-different from it.
6. (As follows also) from (other) texts.
That Ether is an originated thing follows from other clauses also in the
Chandogya: 'Being only this was in the beginning, one without a second'
affirms the oneness of everything before creation, and 'In that all this
has its Self implies that everything is an effect of, and hence non-
different from, Brahman.--Nor does the statement as to the creation of
fire, 'it sent forth fire,' exclude the creation of Ether. For the first
place which there is assigned to fire rests only thereon that no mention
is made of the creation of Ether, and this has no force to negative the
creation of Ether as positively stated in other texts.
7. But the division (origination) extends over all effects; as in
ordinary life.
The 'but' has the sense of 'and.' As the clause 'In that all this has
its Self' and similar ones directly state that Ether also is a creation
of Brahman, the division, i.e. the origination of Ether from Brahman, is
implicitly declared thereby. As in ordinary life. When in ordinary life
somebody has said 'all these men are the sons of Devadatta,' it is known
that any particulars which may afterwards be given about the descent of
some of them are meant to apply to all.--In accordance with this our
conclusion we interpret the text 'Air and Ether, this is the Immortal,'
as asserting only that air and Ether continue to exist for a long time,
as the Devas do.
8. Hereby air is explained.
The same argumentation explains the origination of air also. That a
special Sutra is devoted to the origination of air--instead of disposing
in one Sutra of Ether and air--is for the sake of Sutra 10, which states
that 'hence (i.e. from air) there originated fire.'
9. But there is non-origination of that which is (only); on account of
impossibility.
The 'but' has an affirmative sense. There is non-origination of that
which is, i.e. of Brahman only; of whatever is different from Brahman
non-origination cannot possibly be established. This means--the
origination of Ether and air has been proved only in order to illustrate
a general truth. Only that which _is_, i.e. Brahman, which is the
general cause, cannot originate. Whatever is other than Brahman, i. e.
the entire world comprising the Unevolved, the great principle (mahat),
ahankara, the tanmatras, the sense-organs, the Ether, the air, and so on,
cannot possibly be shown to be non-originated, since its being an effect
is proved by the text declaring that everything is known through one
thing, and in other ways.--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'the Ether.'
10. Fire (is produced) thence, for thus Scripture declares.
It has been stated that everything different from Brahman is the effect
of Brahman. The doubt now arises whether the more remote effects of
Brahman originate, each of them, only from that substance which is their
immediately antecedent cause or from Brahman in the form of that
substance.--The decision is that they originate from those substances
only; for the text 'from air fire' directly states the origination of
fire from air.
11. Water (from fire).
Water also originates 'thence,' i. e from fire; for so the texts declare
'From fire water' (Taitt. Up. II, 1, 1); 'that sent forth water' (Ch. Up.
VI, 2, 3).
12. Earth (from water).
Earth originates from water; for so the texts declare 'From water earth'
(Taitt Up. II. 1, 1). 'It (water) sent forth food' (Ch. Up. VI, 2, 3).
But how can the word 'food' denote earth?--To this the next Sutra
replies.
13. Earth on account of the subject-matter, the colour, and other texts.
That the word 'food' denotes the earth is to be inferred from the fact
that the section in which the word occurs has for its subject-matter the
creation of the elements; as everything eatable is a product of the
earth, the term denoting the effect is there applied to denote the cause.
In the same chapter, where the colour of the elements is mentioned ('The
red colour of a flame is the colour of fire, the white one that of water,
the black one that of food '), the collocation of words clearly shows
that 'food' means something of the same kind as fire and water, viz. the
elements of earth. And there are other texts also which treat of the
same topic and declare the origination of earth from water, cp. Taitt.
Up. II, 1, 'from fire sprang water, from water earth.' All this proves
that the term 'food' denotes earth, and that hence earth originates from
water.
Fire and the other substances, the origination of which has been
detailed, are mentioned merely as instances, and it must be understood
that also other entities, such as the 'Mahat,' and so on, originate only
from the immediately preceding cause, in agreement with scriptural
statements. And texts such as 'From him is born breath, mind, and all
organs of sense, ether, air, light, water, and the earth, the support of
all' (Mu. Up. II, 1, 3); 'From him is born that Brahman, name, form, and
food' (Mu. Up. I, 1, 9); 'From that Self there sprang ether' (Taitt. Up.
II, 1, 1); 'It (i.e. that which is) sent forth fire' (Ch. Up. VI, 2, 3)--
(which seems to teach the direct origination from Brahman of the
different elements, and so on)--may be interpreted on the understanding
of Brahman being their mediate cause also.--This prima facie view the
next Sutra disposes of.
14. But he; from the inferential mark supplied by their reflection.
The 'but' indicates the setting aside of the prima facie view raised. Of
all effected things, the _Mahat_, and so on, the highest Person himself,
in so far as embodied in the immediately preceding substance, is the
direct cause.--How is this known?--'From the inferential mark supplied
by the reflection of them.' By 'reflection' the Sutra means the resolve
expressed in the recurring phrase, 'May I be many'; 'That fire thought,
may I be many'; 'That water thought, may I be many' (Ch. Up. VI, 2, 3;
4). As these texts declare that there was thought in the form of a
resolve of self-multiplication--which thought can belong to a Self only,
we conclude that also the Mahat, the ahankara, the Ether, and so on,
accomplish the sending forth of their respective effects only after
similar thought, and such thought can belong only to the highest Brahman
embodied in the Mahat, ahankara, and so on. That the highest Brahman is
embodied in all beings and constitutes their Self, is directly stated in
the antaryamin-brahmana, 'He who abiding in the earth; abiding in water;
abiding in fire,' &c. &c. (Bri. Up. III, 7, 3 ff.); and likewise in the
Subala-Up, 'Whose body is the earth,' &c. &c., up to 'Whose body is the
Unevolved.' The Purvapakshin had maintained that the creation, from
Brahman, of breath, and so on, which is declared in texts such as 'From
him are born breath, mind,' &c., may be understood as a mediate creation.
This point is taken up by the next Sutra.
15. But the order of succession (which is stated) in reverse order (of
the true one) is possible, (only if the origination of all effects is)
thence (i.e. from Brahman).
The 'but' has an asseverative sense. The direct origination from Brahman
of all effects--which in passages such as the one quoted by the
Purvapakshin is stated in a form the reverse of the (true) order of
origination according to which the Unevolved, the Mahat, the ahankara,
Ether, and so on, succeed each other--is possible only on the
supposition of the origination of each effect being really from Brahman
itself in the form of a special causal substance. To understand the
causality of Brahman as a merely mediate one would be to contradict all
those statements of immediate origination. Texts such as the one quoted
thus confirm the conclusion that everything originates from Brahman
directly.
16. If it be said that knowledge and mind (which are mentioned) between
(breath and the elements) (are stated) in order of succession, owing to
an inferential mark of this; we say, not so, on account of non-
difference.
'Knowledge' in the Sutra denotes the means of knowledge, i.e. the sense-
organs.--An objection is raised against the conclusion arrived at under
the preceding Sutra. We cannot, the opponent says, admit the conclusion
that the passage from the Mundka Up. 'from him is born breath, mind,' &c.,
declares the immediate origination from Brahman of all things, and that
hence the passage confirms the view, first suggested by the inferential
mark of 'thought' (see above, Su. 14), that everything springs from
Brahman direct. For the purport of the text is to state a certain order
of succession, and we hence conclude that all the beings mentioned were
successively created. In the second half of the text we recognise the
series of ether, air, fire, &c., which is known to us from other texts,
and from the fact of their being exhibited in one and the same text we
conclude that knowledge and mind--which are mentioned between breath on
the one side and the elements on the other--must be viewed as created in
that order. The text therefore in no way confirms the direct origination
of everything from Brahman. To this the Sutra replies, 'Not so, on
account of non-difference.' The first words of the text 'from him is
born' connect themselves equally with breath, and knowledge, and mind,
and the scries of elements beginning with ether; and the meaning of the
whole therefore is to declare that all the entities spring directly from
Brahman, not to teach the order of succession in which they are produced.
It moreover cannot have the purport of teaching a certain order of
succession, because the order stated contradicts the order established
by other scriptural passages; such as the one beginning 'the earth is
merged in water,' and ending 'darkness becomes one.' We hence hold to
the conclusion that all effects originate from Brahman only, in so far
as embodied in the Unevolved, and so on, and that the terms 'fire' and
so on denote Brahman, which is the Self of all those substances.--But to
interpret all these words as denoting Brahman is to set aside their
special denotative power as established by etymology!--To this objection
the next Sutra replies.
17. But that which abides in the things movable and immovable, i.e. the
terms denoting those things, are non-secondary (i.e. of primary
denotative power, viz. with regard to Brahman); since (their denotative
power) is effected by the being of that (i.e. Brahman).
The 'but' sets aside the objection raised. (The prima facie view here is
as follows.) As Brahman, which has all things for its modes, is not the
object of Perception and the other means of knowledge which give rise to
the apprehension of the things only which are Brahman's modes, and as
hence, previously to the study of the Vedanta-texts, the idea of that to
which the modes belong (i.e. of Brahman) does not arise, and as the
knowledge of all words finally denoting Brahman depends on the existence
of the idea of that to which the modes belong (i. e. Brahman); all the
individual words are used in worldly language only separately to denote
special things. In other words, as the terms 'fire' and so on have
denotative power with regard to particular things only, their denotative
power with regard to Brahman is secondary, indirect only.--Of this view
the Sutra disposes by saying 'that which abides in the moving and the
non-moving,' &c. The meaning is--the terms which abide in, i.e. are
connected with, the different moving and non-moving things, and hence
denote those things, possess with regard to Brahman a denotative power
which is not 'bhakta,' i.e. secondary or figurative, but primary and
direct. 'Why so?' Because the denotative power of all words is dependent
on the being of Brahman. For this we know from the scriptural passage
which tells how names and forms were evolved by Brahman.--Here
terminates the adhikarana of 'fire.'
18. Not the Self, on account of scriptural statement, and on account of
the eternity (which results) from them.
The Sutras so far have stated that this entire world, from Ether
downwards, originates from the highest Brahman. It now becomes a matter
for discussion whether the individual soul also originates in the same
way or not.--It does so originate, the Purvapakshin maintains. For on
this assumption only the scriptural statement as to the cognition of all
things through the cognition of one thing holds good, and moreover
Scripture declares that before creation everything was one. Moreover,
there are texts directly stating that the soul also was produced in the
same way as Ether and other created things.
'Prajapati sent forth all creatures'; 'All these creatures have their
root in the True, they abide in the True, they rest on the True' (Ch. Up.
VI, 8, 6); 'From whence these beings are produced' (Taitt. Up. III, 1,
1). As these passages declare the origination of the world inclusive of
sentient beings, we conclude that the souls also originate. Nor must
this be objected to on the ground than from the fact that Brahman is
eternal, and the other fact that texts such as 'That art them' teach the
soul to be of the nature of Brahman, it follows that the soul also is
eternal. For if we reasoned in this style we should have to admit also
that the Ether and the other elements are eternal, since texts such as
'in that all this has its Self' and 'all this indeed is Brahman
'intimate them also to be of the nature of Brahman. Hence the individual
soul also originates no less than Ether and the rest.--To this the Sutra
replies, 'Not the Self, on account of scriptural statement.' The Self is
not produced, since certain texts directly deny its origination; cp.
'the intelligent one is not born nor does he die' (Ka. Up. I, 2, 18);
'There are two unborn ones, one intelligent and strong, the other non-
intelligent and weak' (Svet. Up. I, 9). And the eternity of the soul is
learned from the same texts, cp. 'There is one eternal thinker,' &c. (Ka.
Up. II,5, 13); 'Unborn, eternal, everlasting is that ancient one; he is
not killed though the body is killed' (Ka. Up. I, 2, 18).--For these
reasons the soul is not produced.
But how then about the declaration that through the cognition of one
thing everything is known?-There is no difficulty here, since the soul
also is an effect, and since effect and cause are non-different.--But
this implies that the soul is an originated thing just like Ether and so
on!--Not so, we reply. By a thing being an effect we mean its being due
to a substance passing over into some other state; and from this point
of view the soul also is an effect. There is, however, the difference,
that the 'other condition' which is represented by the soul is of a
different kind from that which constitutes non-sentient things, such as
Ether and so on. The 'otherness' on which the soul depends consists in
the contraction and expansion of intelligence; while the change on which
the origination of Ether and so on depends is a change of essential
nature. And change of the latter kind is what we deny of the soul. We
have shown that there are three entities of distinct nature, viz.
objects of fruition, enjoying subjects, and a Ruler; that origination
and so on which are characteristic of the objects do not belong to the
subjects, and that the latter are eternal; that the characteristic
qualities of the objects and likewise those of the subjects--viz.
liability to pain and suffering--do not belong to the Ruler; that the
latter is eternal, free from all imperfections, omniscient, immediately
realising all his purposes, the Lord of the lords of the organs, the
highest Lord of all; and that sentient and non-sentient beings in all
their states constitute the body of the Lord while he constitutes their
Self. While Brahman thus has for its modes (prakara) the sentient and
non-sentient beings in which it ever is embodied, during certain periods
those beings abide in so subtle a condition as to be incapable of
receiving designations different from that of Brahman itself; Brahman
then is said to be in its causal state. When, on the other hand, its
body is constituted by all those beings in their gross state, when they
have separate, distinct names and forms, Brahman is said to be in its
effected condition. When, now, Brahman passes over from the causal state
into the effected state, the aggregate of non-sentient things which in
the causal state were destitute of name and form undergoes an essential
change of nature--implying the possession of distinct names and so on--
so as to become fit to constitute objects of fruition for sentient
beings; the change, on the other hand, which the sentient beings (the
souls) undergo on that occasion is nothing more than a certain expansion
of intelligence (or consciousness), capacitating them to experience the
different rewards or punishments for their previous deeds. The ruling
element of the world, i.e. the Lord, finally, who has the sentient and
non-sentient beings for his modes, undergoes a change in so far as he is,
at alternating periods, embodied in all those beings in their
alternating states. The two modes, and he to whom the modes belong, thus
undergo a common change in so far as in the case of all of them the
causal condition passes over into a different condition.
It is with reference to this change undergone by one substance in
passing over into a different state that the Chandogya says that through
the knowledge of one thing everything is known, and illustrates this by
the case of the lump of clay (knowing which we know all things made of
clay). Texts such as 'Prajapati sent forth the creatures,' which declare
the origination of the soul, really mean only to state that the souls
are by turns associated with or dissociated from bodies--the effect of
which is that their intelligence is either contracted or expanded. Texts
again which deny the origination of the soul and affirm its permanency
('He is not born and does not die,' &c.) mean to say that the soul does
not, like the non-sentient element of creation, undergo changes of
essential nature. And finally there are texts the purport of which it is
to declare the absence of change of essential nature as well as of
alternate expansion and contraction of intelligence--cp. 'That is the
great unborn Self, undecaying, undying, immortal, Brahman' (Bri. Up. IV,
4, 25); 'the eternal thinker,' &c. (Ka. Up. II, 5, 13); such texts have
for their subject the highest Lord.--All this also explains how Brahman,
which is at all times differentiated by the sentient and non-sentient
beings that constitute its body, can be said to be one only previous to
creation; the statement is possible because at that time the
differentiation of names and forms did not exist. That that which makes
the difference between plurality and unity is the presence or absence of
differentiation through names and forms, is distinctly declared in the
text, 'Now all this was undifferentiated. It became differentiated by
form and name' (Bri. Up. I, 4, 7).--Those also who hold that the
individual soul is due to Nescience; and those who hold it to be due to
a real limiting adjunct (upadhi); and those who hold that Brahman, whose
essential nature is mere Being, assumes by itself the threefold form of
enjoying subjects, objects of enjoyment, and supreme Ruler; can all of
them explain the unity which Scripture predicates of Brahman in the
pralaya state, only on the basis of the absence of differentiation by
names and forms; for according to them also (there is no absolute unity
at any time, but) either the potentiality of Nescience, or the
potentiality of the limiting adjunct, or the potentialities of enjoying
subjects, objects of enjoyment, and supreme Ruler persist in the pralaya
condition also. And, moreover, it is proved by the two Sutras, II, 1, 33;
35, that the distinction of the several individual souls and the stream
of their works are eternal.
There is, however, the following difference between those several views.
The first-mentioned view implies that Brahman itself is under the
illusive influence of beginningless Avidya. According to the second view,
the effect of the real and beginningless limiting adjunct is that
Brahman itself is in the state of bondage; for there is no other entity
but Brahman and the adjunct. According to the third view, Brahman itself
assumes different forms, and itself experiences the various unpleasant
consequences of deeds. Nor would it avail to say that that part of
Brahman which is the Ruler is not an experiencing subject; for as
Brahman is all-knowing it recognises the enjoying subject as non-
different from itself, and thus is itself an enjoying subject.--
According to our view, on the other hand, Brahman, which has for its
body all sentient and non-sentient beings, whether in their subtle or
their gross state, is always--in its effected as well as in its causal
condition free from all shadow of imperfection, and a limitless ocean as
it were of all exalted qualities. All imperfections, and suffering, and
all change belong not to Brahman, but only to the sentient and non-sentient beings which are its modes. This view removes all difficulties.-Here terminates the adhikarana of 'the Self.' |
|
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기