Response to "Info Required: Verse from Svetasvataropanishad":Part I

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SrI

 

Srimathe RaamAnujAya namaha

 

Dear SrI Malolan Cadambi:

 

As always, you ask some deep questions.

(The question is at the end of my introductory note)

Your (SrI MalOlan's) qustion is thought provoking.

 

To answer your question, one has to understand

the uniqueness of SvEtAsvatara Upanishad and

how Sage SvEtAsvatara grappled with the complex

doctrines , which some times appear to be close to

Advaita , SaankyA , Dvaita and VisishtAdvaitha

and developed a unique approach to understand them

and gave his own views that fit well in the overall

perspective with the VisishtAdvaithisc darsanam.

Sage SvEtAsvatArA's mind is classified as a synthetic

mind resolving the conflict of discordant views

in vogue at the time of its creation . The Upanishad

has six chapters and 113 manthrams .

 

This Upanishad belonging to Krishna Yajur vedA has to be

studied in its entriety ( all the 113 manthrAs).It is not

as ancient as ChAndhOgya and BruhadAraNya and other

major Upanishads used by the commentators of Brahma Soothrams.

AchArya RaamAnujA refers to passages of this Upanishad

atleast 22 times in His SrI BhAshyam . ChaandhOgyam

gets ofcourse enormous attention in SrI BhAshyam along

with BrahadAraNyakam .

 

"Upanishad BhAshyakArar" has given us the VishishtAdvaithic

intrepretation of this Upanishad. Vaikunta Vaasi

U.Ve. Abhinava Desika UtthamUr Swamy has commented on

this Upanishad following the BhAshyam of Upanishad

BhAshyakArar (SrI Ranga RaamAnuja Muni of 16th century).

UttamUr Swamy's Tamil monograph is known as "Upanishad Saaram".

There is an English commentary by Swamy ThyagIsAnandA of

Sri Raamakrishna Mutt of Mylapore. Dr.S.M.S Chari is

in the middle of writing a monograph on the Upanishads

as intrepreted by different darsanams .That will be

a valuable work just like his comparitive analysis

on the Brahma Soothram commentaries by AchArya

RaamAnuja , Adhi Sankara and Ananda Theertha.

Dr.S.M.S Chari concludes in the above monograph

that SrI BhAshyam of AchArya RaamAnujA reflects

closely the views of Sage BaadarAyaNa.

 

I will summarize the VisishtAdvaithic intrepretation of

SvEthAsvathara Upanishad following closely the text of

SrI Abhinava Desikan in a series of six postings .

 

You referred to the Third manthram of the First chapter

in your query:

 

thE dhyAna-yOgAnugathA: apasyan

dEvAthma sakthim svaguNair-nigUDAm

Ya: kaaraNAni nikhilAni thAni

kaalAthma-yukthAni adhithishtathi yEka:

 

Swamy ThyAgIsA's translates the above manthram this way:

" Practising the method of meditation , they realized

that BEING , who is the God of religions, the Self of

philosophy and the Energy of Science ; who exists as

the self-luminous power in every one; who is the source of

intellect, emotions and will;who is ONE WITHOUT A SECOND;

who presides over all the causes enumerated above,

beginning with time and ending with the individual soul;

and who had been incomprehensible because of the limitations

of their own intellect".

 

The key words here are: "kEna adhishitithA:?"

( by whom or what are we (jeevans) controlled

to experience the laws of happines and misery?).

 

This can be confusing unless one looks at the overall

questions asked in Manthram 1:

 

brahmavAdhInO Vadhanthi

 

kim kaaraNam Brahma:? kutha: sma jaathA ?

jeevama kEna?ka cha samprathishtA?

adhishithA: kEna ? sukhEtharEshu

vathAmahE BrahmavidhO vyavasTAm

 

(Meaning): " Students of Brahma (i-e. the VedAs)

discuss (among themselves): What is the Cause

(Kaaranam )?(Is it) Brahman? Whence are we born?

Why do we live? Where is our final rest ? under whose

orders are we , who know the Brahman , subjected to

the law of hapiness and misery ?".

 

These are powerful questions and provide the VedAnthic

background for the attempts at the answers to these

timeless questions .The supreme cause behind the creaton

of the universe , the mystery of creation , the mystery

of life itself , the mystery of death , the mystery of

the existence of suffering under the most compassionate

providence , all of these questions are raised to seek

answers by the Sage SvEtAsvatAra in this Upanishad.

 

I will take up the six chapters , one at a time and

summarize the VisishtAdvaithic intrepretation following

the text of SrI UthtamUr Swamy's Upanishad Saaram.

 

Dear SrI MalOlan :Thanks for asking the question,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

>Dear Members,

>

>I would like to know the purport of a particular verse which i came across

quite recently. It seemingly implies a "projectory"/"illusory" or a image

nature of the universe. Is creation just defined as a sport or a projection?

If so, how is the universe rationalised into representing the Achit which is

permanent? I would seek clarification from members regarding the same.

>

>"Kim-kAranam brahman" - "What is the cause of the universe, - is it the

brahman?"

>

>"te jnAnayOgAnugata apashyan

>devAtma-shaktim svagunaiirnirgudam"

>

>I am aware that Adi Shankar explains the verse in his Sutra Bhasyam as

"Brahman using his own atma shakti in PROJECTION of the universe"? How ever

this seems to be at odds to the pradhana pratitantram of

visisthadvaitam(atleast as per my understanding - please do correct me if i

am wrong in this regard). Only, Adi Shankara's explanation seem to follow

the shruthi quite closely.

>

>I am not familiar with any Sri Sookthis explaining the cause of creation

from the point of visisthadvaitam. Hence seek some clarification regarding

the same.

>

>Regards,

>

>Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

>

>Malolan Cadambi