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Jyotishi bhavaccha I.3.32 (95)

And (the gods are not qualified for Vidyas) because (the words ‘sun, moon’ etc., spoken of as gods) are used in the sense of mere spheres of light.

Jyotishi: as mere spheres of light; Bhavat: because used in the

sense; Cha: and.

An ar gu ment in sup port of the ob jec tion raised in Su tra 31 is given.

The Purvapakshin raises an other ob jec tion: The lu mi nous orbs can not pos si bly do acts of med i ta tion. Such and other lu mi nary ob - jects as Agni etc., can not have a bodily form with hands, heart or in tel - li gence. They are ma te rial in ert ob jects. They can not have wishes. We can not place faith on Itihasas and Puranas, as they are of hu man or i gin and as they them selves stand in need of other means of knowl - edge on which to base. The Mantras do not form an in de pend ent means of au thor i ta tive knowl edge. The Arthavada pas sages can not be re garded to con sti tute by them selves rea sons for the ex is tence of the per son al ity of the gods. Con se quently the gods are not qual i fied for any kind of Vidya or knowl edge of Brah man.

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Bhavam tu Baadarayano’sti hi I.3.33 (96) But Baadarayana, on the other hand (maintains) the existence (of qualification on the part of the gods for Brahma Vidya); for there are (passages indicatory of that; body, desires etc., which qualify one for such knowledge do exist in the case of the gods).

Bhavam: the existence (of the qualification to practise the meditation

like Madhu Vidya etc.); Tu: but; Baadarayanah: the sage Baadarayana (maintains); Asti: does exist; Hi: because.

This Su tra re futes the ar gu ments in the pre vi ous two Sutras and con cludes the dis cus sion.

But Baadarayana holds that the gods too have the right to prac - tise Upasana as med i ta tion and Brahma Vidya, be cause there are in - di ca tions in Sruti to that ef fect. He main tains that each lu mi nary orb has a pre sid ing de ity with body, in tel li gence, de sires etc. The gods can as sume any form at will. Indra as sumed the form of a ram and car ried off Medhatithi. Surya as sumed the form of a man and came to Kunti. We read in Chh. Up. VIII-12-6 “The gods in deed do wor ship the At man.” The sun-god may be dis qual i fied for a par tic u lar form of med - i ta tion—Madhu Vidya, as he can not med i tate on the sun him self, but that is no rea son why he should be dis qual i fied for other med i ta tions or for Brahma Vidya or the knowl edge of Brah man. Sim i lar is the case with other gods.

The ex pres sion ‘Tu’ (but, on the other hand) is meant to re but the Purvapakshin.

Scrip ture de clares that the Devas are qual i fied. “What ever Deva was awak ened so to know Brah man he in deed be came that” Bri. Up. 1-4-10. Indra went to Prajapati say ing “well, let us search for that Self by which if one has searched it out, all worlds and all de sires are ob - tained” Chh. Up. VIII-7.

The de scrip tion of the forms of gods is real. How can un real forms of gods be con ceived by our minds for our of fer ing sac ri fices to them? Or di nary peo ple are not able to be hold their forms. But sages like Vyasa have seen them. They spoke to the gods. The Yoga Sutras say “By Svadhyaya one can be in com mu nion with the de ity which we wor ship.” How can you deny the pow ers of Yoga? Rishis had mar vel - lous pow ers.

There fore gods have forms and are el i gi ble for Brahma Vidya.

Apasudradhikaranam: Topic 9 (Sutras 34-38) The right of the Sudras to the study of Vedas discussed

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tadadravanat suchyate hi I.3.34 (97) (King Janasruti) was in grief on hearing some contemptuous words used about him by the sage in the form of a swan; owing to his approaching Raikva, overwhelming with that grief, Raikva called him Sudra; for it (the grief) is pointed at by Raikva.

Suk: grief; Asya: his; Tat: that, namely that grief; Anadarasravanat:

from hearing his (the Rishi’s) disrespectful speech; Tada: then;

Adravanat: because of going to him i.e. to Raikva; Suchyate: is

The dis cus sion on the priv i lege of di vine med i ta tion be gun in Su tra 25 is con tin ued.

The whole of this Adhikarana about Sudras to gether with the pre ced ing one about the Devas ap pears to be an in ter po la tion of some later au thor.

In the pre vi ous Su tra it has been shown that the gods are en ti - tled to the study of Vedas and Brahma Vidya. This Su tra dis cusses whether the Sudras are en ti tled to them or not.

The Purvapakshin says: The Sudras also have got bod ies and de sires. Hence they are also en ti tled. Raikva re fers to Janasruti who wishes to learn from him by the name of Sudra. “Fie, neck lace and car riage be thine, O Sudra, to gether with the cows” Chh. Up. IV-2 & 3. But when he ap pears a sec ond time, Raikva ac cepts his pres ents and teaches him. Smriti speaks of Vidura and oth ers who were born from Sudra moth ers as pos sess ing high est knowl edge. There fore the Sudra has a claim to Brahma Vidya or knowl edge of Brah man.

This Su tra re futes the view and de nies the right to the study of the Vedas for Sudra. The word ‘Sudra’ does not de note a Sudra by birth which is its con ven tional mean ing, be cause Janasruti was a Kshatriya king. Here we will have to take the et y mo log i cal mean ing of the word which is, “He rushed into grief (Sukam abhi dudrava) or as “grief rushed on him” or as “he in his grief rushed to Raikva”. The fol - low ing Su tra also in ti mates that he was a Kshatriya.

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Kshatriyatvavagateschottaratra chaitrarathena lingat I.3.35 (98) And because the Kshatriyahood (of Janasruti) is known from the inferential mark (supplied by his being mentioned) later on with Chaitraratha (who was a Kshatriya himself).

Kshatriyatva: the state of his being a Kshatriya; Avagateh: on

account of being known or understood; Cha: and; Uttaratra: latter on in a subsequent part of the text; Chaitrarathena: with Chaitraratha;

Lingat: because of the indicatory sign or the inferential mark.

An ar gu ment in sup port of Su tra 34 is given.

Janasruti is men tioned with the Kshatriya Chaitraratha Abhipratarin in con nec tion with the same Vidya. Hence we can in fer that Janasruti also was a Kshatriya be cause, as a rule, equals are men tioned to gether with equals. Hence the Sudras are not qual i fied for the knowl edge of Brah man.

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Samskaraparamarsat tadabhavabhilapaccha (I.3.36) (99) Because purificatory ceremonies are mentioned (in the case of the twice-born) and their absence is declared (in the case of the Sudra).

Samskara: the purificatory ceremonies, the investiture with sacred

thread; Paramarsat: because of the reference; Tat: that ceremony;

Abhava: absence; Abhilapat: because of the declaration; Cha: and.

The dis cus sion on the priv i lege of Brahma Vidya on the part of Sudras is con tin ued.

In dif fer ent places of the Vidyas the Upanayana cer e mony is re - ferred to. The Upanayana cer e mony is de clared by the scrip tures to be a nec es sary con di tion for the study of all kinds of knowl edge or Vidya. We read in Prasna Up. I-1 “De voted to Brah man, firm in Brah - man, seek ing for the high est Brah man they, car ry ing fuel in their hands, ap proached the ven er a ble Pippalada, think ing that he would teach them all that.” Upanayana cer e mony is meant for the higher castes. With ref er ence to the Sudras on the other hand, the ab sence of cer e mo nies is fre quently men tioned in the scrip tures. “In the Sudra there is not any sin by eat ing pro hib ited food, and he is not fit for any cer e mony” Manu X-12-6. A Sudra by birth can not have Upanayana and other Samskaras with out which the Vedas can not be stud ied. Hence the Sudras are not en ti tled to the study of the Vedas.

The next Su tra fur ther strength ens the view that a Sudra can have no Samskara.

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Tadabhavanirdharane cha pravritteh I.3.37 (100) And because the inclination (on the part of Gautama to impart knowledge is seen only) on the ascertainment of the absence of Sudrahood (in Jabala Satyakama).

Tad: that, namely the Sudrahood; Abhava: absence; Nirdharane: in

ascertainment; Cha: and; Pravritteh: from inclination. The same dis cus sion on the Sudras’ right is con tin ued.

Gautama, hav ing as cer tained Jabala not to be a Sudra from his speak ing the truth pro ceeded to ini ti ate and in struct him. “None who is not a Brahmana would thus speak out. Go and fetch fuel, friend, I shall ini ti ate you. You have not swerved from the truth” Chh. Up. IV-4-5.

This scrip tural text fur nishes an in fer en tial sign of the Sudras not be ing ca pa ble of ini ti a tion.

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Sravanadhyayanarthapratishedhat smritescha I.3.38 (101) And on account of the prohibition in Smriti of (the Sudras) hearing, studying and understanding (the Veda) and performing Vedic rites (they are not entitled to the knowledge of Brahman).

Sravana: hearing; Adhyayana: studying; Artha: understanding; Pratishedhat: on account of the prohibition; Smriteh: in the Smriti; Cha: and.

The same dis cus sion on the Sudras’ right is con cluded here. The Smriti pro hib its their hear ing the Veda, their study ing and un der stand ing the Veda and their per form ing Ve dic rites. “The ears of him who hears the Veda are to be filled with mol ten lead and lac.” For a Sudra is like a cem e tery. There fore the Veda is not to be read in the vi cin ity of a Sudra. “His tongue is to be slit if he pro nounces it; his body is to be cut through if he pre serves it.” Sudras like Vidura and the re li - gious hunter Dharma Vyadha ac quired knowl edge ow ing to the af ter ef fects of for mer deeds in past births. It is pos si ble for the Sudras to at tain that knowl edge through the Puranas, Gita and the ep ics, Ramayana and Mahabharata which con tain the quin tes sence of the Vedas.

It is a set tled point that the Sudras do not pos sess any such qual i fi ca tion with re gard to the Veda.

The di gres sion be gun from Su tra 26 ends here and the gen eral topic is again taken up.

Kampanadhikaranam: Topic 10

The Prana in which everything trembles is Brahman

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Kampanat I.3.39 (102)

(Prana is Brahman) on account of the vibration or trembling (spoken of the whole world).

Kampanat: on account of shaking or vibration.

Af ter dis cuss ing the side is sues in Su tra 25-38 the Sutrakara or the au thor of the Sutras re sumes the ex am i na tion of the main is sue.

An ar gu ment in sup port of Su tra 24 is given here.

The dis cus sion of qual i fi ca tion for Brahma Vidya or knowl edge of Brah man is over. We re turn to our chief topic i.e., the en quiry into the pur port of the Vedanta texts.

We read in Kathopanishad II-3-2 “What ever there is in the whole world has come out of Prana and trem bles in the Prana. The Prana is a great ter ror, a raised thun der bolt. Those who know it be come im - mor tal.”

The Purvapakshin main tains that the term Prana de notes the air or the vi tal force with its five mod i fi ca tions. The Siddhantin says: Here Prana is Brah man and not the vi tal force, be cause Brah man only is spo ken of in the pre ced ing as well as in the sub se quent part of the chap ter. How then can it be sup posed that all at once the vi tal force should be re ferred to in the in ter me di ate part?

“The whole world trem bles in Prana.” We find here a qual ity of Brah man viz., its con sti tut ing the abode of the whole world. That the word ‘Prana’ de notes the high est Self ap pears from such pas sages as ‘the Prana of Prana’ Bri. Up. IV-4-18. The scrip ture de clares “No mor tal lives by the Prana and the breath that goes down. We live by an other in whom these two re pose” (Katha Up. II-5-5). In the pas sage sub se quent to the one un der dis cus sion “From ter ror of it fire burns, from ter ror the sun shines, from ter ror Indra and Vayu and Death as the fifth run away.” Brah man and not the vi tal force is spo ken of as the sub ject of that pas sage, which is rep re sented as the cause of fear on the part of the en tire uni verse in clu sive of the Prana it self. Brah man only is the cause of the life of the en tire uni verse in clud ing the vi tal force.

Brah man is com pared to a thun der bolt be cause he in spires fear in fire, air, sun, Indra and Yama. Fur ther Im mor tal ity is de clared to him who knows this Prana. “A man who knows him only passes over death, there is no other path to go.” (Svet. Up. VI-15). Prana is also of - ten used to de note Brah man in the Sruti.

Jyotiradhikaranam: Topic 11 The ‘light’ is Brahman

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Jyotirdarsanat I.3.40 (103)

The light (is Brahman) on account of that (Brahman) being seen (in the scriptural passage).

Jyotih: light; Darsanat: on account of (Brahman) being seen.

The ar gu ment in sup port of Su tra 24 is con tin ued.

We read in the Sruti “Thus does that se rene be ing aris ing from this body, ap pear in its own form as soon as it has ap proached the High est Light” (Chh. Up. VIII-12-3).

Here the doubt arises whether the word ‘light’ de notes the phys - i cal light which is the ob ject of sight and dis pels dark ness, or the High - est Brah man.

The Purvapakshin or the op po nent says: The word light de notes the well-known phys i cal light be cause that is the con ven tional sense of the word.

To this we have the fol low ing re ply. The word ‘light’ can de note the High est Brah man only. Why? Be cause in the whole chap ter Brah - man is the topic of dis cus sion. The High est Light is also called the ‘High est Per son’ in that text it self later on. Free dom from body is said to be long to that be ing which is one with this light. Sruti de clares “When he is free from the body then nei ther plea sure nor pain touches him” (Chh. Up. VIII-12.1). Free dom from body is not pos si ble

out side Brah man. One can at tain free dom or the bodi less state when he iden ti fies him self with Brah man.

Arthantaratvadivyapadesadhikaranam: Topic 12 The Akasa is Brahman

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Akaso’rthantaratvadivyapadesat I.3.41 (104) Akasa (is Brahman) because it is declared to be something different etc., (from names and forms).

Akasah: Akasa; Arthantaratvadi-vyapadesat: because it is

declared to be something different; Artha: with a meaning;

Antaratva: differentness. Adi: etc.; Vyapadesat: from statement on

account of designation.

An other ex pres sion from the Chhandogya Upanishad is now taken up for dis cus sion. We read in Chhandogya Upanishad VIII-14-1 “That which is called Akasa is the revealer of all names and forms. That within which these names and forms are con tained is Brah man, the Im mor tal, the Self.”

Here a doubt arises whether that which here is called Akasa is the High est Brah man or the or di nary el e men tal ether.

The Purvapakshin or the ob jec tor says that Akasa means here the el e men tal ether, be cause this is the con ven tional mean ing of the word.

To this the Siddhantin gives the fol low ing re ply. Here ‘Akasa’ is Brah man only, be cause it is des ig nated as a dif fer ent thing etc. Names and forms are said to be within this Akasa, which is there fore dif fer ent from these.

The term Akasa sig ni fies Brah man be cause it is stated to be the source of all names and forms, also be cause it is qual i fied by such ep - i thets as ‘In fi nite’ ‘Im mor tal’ ‘Self’. The word Akasa, re fers to Brah man be cause the de scrip tion “be yond name and form” ap plies only to Brah man.

Sushuptyutkrantyadhikaranam: Topic 13 (Sutras 42-43) The Self consisting of knowledge is Brahman

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Sushuptyutkrantyorbhedena I.3.42 (105)