Vedanta-Sutras Part I · 8 of 103

Introduction (Part 8)

Still it is not altogether impossible that the pûrvapaksha should here be treated at greater length than usual, and the decisive point is therefore whether we can, with Sankara, look upon Sûtra 29 as embodying a refutation of the pûrvapaksha and thus implicitly acknowledging the doctrine that the individual soul is all-pervading. Now I think there can be no doubt that Sankara’s interpretation of the Sûtra is exceedingly forced.

Literally translated (and leaving out the non-essential word ‘prâgñavat’) the Sûtra runs as follows: ‘But on account of that quality (or “those qualities;” or else “on account of the quality—or qualities—of that”) being the essence, (there is) that designation (or “the designation of that”).’ This Sankara maintains to mean, ‘Because the qualities of the buddhi are the essence of the soul in the samsâra state, therefore the soul itself is sometimes spoken of as anu.’ Now, in the first place, nothing in the context warrants the explanation of the first ‘tat’ by buddhi.

And—which is more important—in the second place, it is more than doubtful whether on Sankara’s own system the qualities of the buddhi—such as pleasure, pain, desire, aversion, &c.—can with any propriety be said to constitute the essence of the soul even in the samsâra state. The essence of the soul in whatever state, according to Sankara’s system, is knowledge or intelligence; whatever is due to its association with the buddhi is non-essential or, more strictly, unreal, false.

There are no similar difficulties in the way of Râmânuga’s interpretation of the adhikarana. He agrees with Sankara in the explanation of Sûtras 19-35, with this difference that he views them as setting forth, not the pûrvapaksha, but the siddhânta. Sûtras 26-28 also are interpreted in a manner not very different from Sankara’s, special stress being laid on the distinction made by Scripture between knowledge as a mere quality and the soul as a knowing agent, the substratum of knowledge. This discussion naturally gives rise to the question how it is that Scripture in some places makes use of the term vigñâna when meaning the individual soul. The answer is given in Sûtra 29, ‘The soul is designated as knowledge because it has that quality for its essence,’ i.e. because knowledge is the essential characteristic quality of the soul, therefore the term ‘knowledge’ is employed here and there to denote the soul itself. This latter interpretation gives rise to no doubt whatever. It closely follows the wording of the text and does not necessitate any forced supplementation. The ‘tu’ of the Sûtra which, according to Sankara, is meant to discard the pûrvapaksha, serves on Râmânuga’s view to set aside a previously-raised objection; an altogether legitimate assumption.

Of the three remaining Sûtras of the adhikarana (30-32), 30 explains, according to Sankara, that the soul may be called anu, since, as long as it exists in the samsâra condition, it is connected with the buddhi. According to Râmânuga the Sûtra teaches that the soul may be called vigñâna because the latter constitutes its essential quality as long as it exists.—Sûtra 31 intimates, according to Sankara, that in the states of deep sleep, and so on, the soul is potentially connected with the buddhi, while in the waking state that connexion becomes actually manifest. The same Sûtra, according to Râmânuga, teaches that gñâtritva is properly said to constitute the soul’s essential nature, although it is actually manifested in some states of the soul only.—In Sûtra 32, finally, Sankara sees a statement of the doctrine that, unless the soul had the buddhi for its limiting adjunct, it would either be permanently cognizing or permanently non-cognizing; while, according to Râmânuga, the Sûtra means that the soul would either be permanently cognizing or permanently non-cognizing, if it were pure knowledge and all-pervading (instead of being gñâtri and anu, as it is in reality).—The three Sûtras can be made to fit in with either interpretation, although it must be noted that none of them explicitly refers to the soul’s connexion with the buddhi.

Adhik. XIV and XV (33-39; 40) refer to the kartritva of the gîva, i. e. the question whether the soul is an agent. Sûtras 33-39 clearly say that it is such. But as, according to Sankara’s system, this cannot be the final view,—the soul being essentially non-active, and all action belonging to the world of upâdhis,—he looks upon the next following Sûtra (40) as constituting an adhikarana by itself, and teaching that the soul is an agent when connected with the instruments of action, buddhi, &c., while it ceases to be so when dissociated from them, ‘just as the carpenter acts in both ways,’ i.e. just as the carpenter works as long as he wields his instruments, and rests after having laid them aside.—Râmânuga, perhaps more naturally, does not separate Sûtra 40 from the preceding Sûtras, but interprets it as follows: Activity is indeed an essential attribute of the soul; but therefrom it does not follow that the soul is always actually active, just as the carpenter, even when furnished with the requisite instruments, may either work or not work, just as he pleases.

Adhik. XVI (41, 42) teaches that the soul in its activity is dependent on the Lord who impels it with a view to its former actions.

Adhik. XVII (43-53) treats of the relation of the individual soul to Brahman. Sûtra 43 declares that the individual soul is a part (amsa) of Brahman, and the following Sûtras show how that relation does not involve either that Brahman is affected by the imperfections, sufferings, &c. of the souls, or that one soul has to participate in the experiences of other souls. The two commentators of course take entirely different views of the doctrine that the soul is a part of Brahman. According to Râmânuga the souls are in reality parts of Brahman 1; according to Sankara the ‘amsa’ of the Sûtra must be understood to mean ‘amsa iva,’ ‘a part as it were;’ the one universal indivisible Brahman having no real parts, but appearing to be divided owing to its limiting adjuncts.—One Sûtra (50) in this adhikarana calls for special notice. According to Sankara the words ‘âbhâsa eva ka.’ mean ‘(the soul is) a mere reflection,’ which, as the commentators remark, is a statement of the so-called pratibimbavâda, i.e. the doctrine that the so-called individual soul is nothing but the reflection of the Self in the buddhi; while Sûtra 43 had propounded the so-called avakkhedavâda, i.e. the doctrine that the soul is the highest Self in so far as limited by its adjuncts.—According to Râmânuga the âbhâsa of the Sûtra has to be taken in the sense of hetvâbhâsa, a fallacious argument, and the Sûtra is explained as being directed against the reasoning of those Vedântins according to whom the soul is Brahman in so far as limited by non-real adjuncts 1.

PÂDA IV. Adhik. I, II, III (1-4; 5-6; 7) teach that the prânas (by which generic name are denoted the buddhîndriyas, karmen-driyas, and the manas) spring from Brahman; are eleven in number; and are of minute size (anu).

Adhik. IV, V, VI (8; 9-12; 13) inform us also that the mukhya prâna, i.e. the vital air, is produced from Brahman; that it is a principle distinct from air in general and from the prânas discussed above; and that it is minute (anu).

Adhik. VII and VIII (14-16; 17-19) teach that the prânas are superintended and guided in their activity by special divinities, and that they are independent principles, not mere modifications of the mukhya prâna.

Adhik. IX (20-22) declares that the evolution of names and forms (the nâmarûpavyâkarana) is the work, not of the individual soul, but of the Lord

Footnotes xlix:1 Lokavat, Yathâ loke râgasâsanânuvartinâm ka râgânugrahanigrahakritasukhadukhayoge # pi na sasarîraîvamâtrena sâsake râgany api sâsanânuvrittyativrittinimittasukhadukhayor bhoktrivaprasangah. Yathâha Dramidabhâshyakârah yathâ loke râgâ prakuradandasûke ghore # narthasamkate # pi pradese vartamâno # pi vyaganâdyavadhûtadeho doshair na sprisyate abhipretâms ka lokân paripipâlayishati bhogâms ka gandhâdîn avisvaganopabhogyân dhârayati tathâsau lokesvaro bhramatsvasâmaithyakâmaro doshair na sprisyate rakshati ka lokân brahmalokâdims kâvisvaganopabhogyân dhârayatîti.

lviii:1 Gîvasya kartritvam paramapurushâyattam ity uktam. Idânîm kim ayam gîvah parasmâd atyantabhinnah uta param eva brahma bhrântam uta brahmaivopâdhyavakkhinnam atha brahmâmsa iti samsayyate srutivipratipatteh samsayah. Nanu tadananyam ârambhanasabdâdibhyah adhikam tu bhedanirdesâd ity atraivâyam artho nirnîtah Satyam sa eva nânâtvaikatvasrutivipratipattyâ #kshipya gîvasya brahmâmsatvopapâdanena viseshato nirnîyate. Yâvad dhi gîvasya brahmâmsatvam na nirnîtam tâvag gîvasya brahmano#nanyatvam brahmanas tasmâd adhikatvâm ka na pratitishthati. Kim tâvat prâptam. Atyantam bhinna iti. Kutah. Gñâgñnau dvâv ityâdibhedanirdesât.

Gñâgñayor abhedasrutayas tv agninâ siñked itivad viruddhârthapratipâdanâd aupakârikyah, Brahmano#mso gîva ity api na sâdhîyah, ekavastvekadesavâkî hy amsassabdah, gîvasya brahmaikadesatve tadgatâ doshâ brahmani bhaveyuh. Na ka brahmakhando gîva ity amsatvopapattih khandanânarhatvâd brahmanah prâguktadoshaprasangâk ka, tasmâd atyantabhinnasya tadamsatvam durupapâdam. Yadvâ bhrântam brahmaiva gîvah. Kutah. Tat tvam asi ayam âtmâ brahmetyâdibrahmâtmabhâvopadesât, nânâtmatvavâdinyas tu pratyakshâdisiddhârthânuvâditvâd ananyathâsiddhâdvaitopadesaparâbhih srutibhih pratyakshâdayas ka avidyântargatâh khyâpyante.—Athavâ brahmaivânâdyupâdhyavakkhinnam gîvah. Kutah. Tata eva brahmâtmabhâvopadesât. Na kâyam upâdhir bhrântiparikalpita ita vaktum sakyam bandhamokshâdivyavasthânupapatter.

Ity evam prâtpte#bhidhîyate. Brahmâmsa iti. Kutah. Nânâvyapadesâd anyathâ kaikatvena vyapadesâd ubhayathâ hi vyapadeso drisyate. Nâvâvyapadesas tâvat srashtritvasrigyatva—niyantritvaniyâmyatva—sarvagñatvâgñatva—svâdhînatvaparâdhînatva—suddhatvâsuddhatva—kalyânagunâkaratvaviparîtatva—patitvaseshatvâdibhir drisyate. Anyathâ kâbhedena vyapadeso # pi tat tvam asi ayam âtmâ brahmetyâdibhir drisyate. Api dâsakitavâditvam apy adhîyate eke, brahma dâsâ brahma dâsâ brahmeme kitavâ ity âtharvanikâ brahmano dâsakitavâditvam apy adhîyate, tatas ka sarvagîvavyâpitvena abhedo vyapadisyata ity arthah. Evam ubhayavyapadesamukhyatvasiddhaye gîvo#yam brahmano#msa ity abhyupagantavyah.

THIRD ADHYÂYA. PÂDA I. Adhik. I (1-7) teaches that the soul, when passing out of the body at the time of death, remains invested with the subtle material elements (bhûtasûkshma) which serve as an abode to the prânas attached to the soul.

Adhik. II (8-11) shows that, when the souls of those who had enjoyed the reward of their good works in the moon descend to the earth in order to undergo a new embodiment, there cleaves to them a remainder (anusaya) of their former deeds which determines the nature of the new embodiment.

Adhik. III (12-21) discusses the fate after death of those whom their good works do not entitle to pass up to the moon.

Adhik. IV, V, VI (22; 23; 24-27) teach that the subtle bodies of the souls descending from the moon through the ether, air, &c., do not become identical with ether, air, &c., but only like them; that the entire descent occupies a short time only; and that, when the souls finally enter into plants and so on, they do not participate in the life of the latter, but are merely in external contact with them.

PÂDA II. Adhik. I (1-6) treats of the soul in the dreaming state. According to Sankara the three first Sûtras discuss the question whether the creative activity ascribed to the soul in some scriptural passages produces things as real as those by which the waking soul is surrounded, or not; Sûtra 3 settles the point by declaring that the creations of the dreaming soul are mere ‘Mâyâ,’ since they do not fully manifest the character of real objects. Sûtra 4 adds that dreams, although mere Mâyâ, yet have a prophetic quality. Sûtras 5 and 6 finally reply to the question why the soul, which after all is a part of the Lord and as such participates in his excellencies, should not be able to produce in its dreams a real creation, by the remark that the soul’s knowledge and power are obscured by its connexion with the gross body.

The considerably diverging interpretation given of this adhikarana by Râmânuga has the advantage of more closely connecting the Sûtras with each other. According to him the question is not whether the creations of a dream are real or not, but whether they are the work of the individual soul or of the Lord acting within the soul. Sûtras 1 and 2 set forth the pûrvapaksha. The creations of dreams (are the work of the individual soul); for thus Scripture declares: ‘And the followers of some sâkâs declare (the soul to be) a creator,’ &c. The third Sûtra states the siddhânta view: ‘But the creations of dreams are Mâyâ, i. e. are of a wonderful nature (and as such cannot be effected by the individual soul), since (in this life) the nature (of the soul) is not fully manifested.’ Concerning the word ‘mâyâ,’ Râmânuga remarks, ‘mâyâsabdo hy âskaryavâkî ganakasya kule gâtâ devamâyeva nirmitâ ityâdishu tathâ darsanât.’ The three remaining Sûtras are exhibited in the Srî-bhâshya in a different order, the fourth Sûtra, according to Sankara, being the sixth according to Râmânuga. Sûtras 4 and 5 (according to Râmânuga’s numeration) are explained by Râmânuga very much in the same way as by Sankara; but owing to the former’s statement of the subject-matter of the whole adhikarana they connect themselves more intimately with the preceding Sûtras than is possible on Sankara’s interpretation. In Sûtra 6 (sûkakas kâ hi) Râmânuga sees a deduction from the siddhânta of the adhikarana, ‘Because the images of a dream are produced by the highest Lord himself, therefore they have prophetic significance.’

Adhik. II teaches that in the state of deep dreamless sleep the soul abides within Brahman in the heart.

Adhik. III (9) expounds the reasons entitling us to assume that the soul awakening from sleep is the same that went to sleep.—Adhik. IV (9) explains the nature of a swoon.