Notes on BSB I-i-2-1C

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Notes on BSB I-i-3-1C

 

sadaashiva samaarambhaa.n sha~Nkaraachaarya madhyamam.h |

asmadaachaarya paryantaa.n vande guruparamparaam.h ||

 

I prostrate to the lineage of teachers starting from Lord Shiva who is

ever auspicious and with Bhagavaan Shankara in the middle and all the

way up to my own teacher.

 

vaatsalya ruupa.n triguNairatiitaM

aananda saandram amalairnidhaanam.h .|

shrii chinmayaananda guro praNiitaM

sadaa bhaje.aha.n tava paada pa~Nkajam.h ||

 

Who is the very embodiment of motherly affection who is beyond the

three guNa-s, who is full with bliss, and who is the very source of

purity who is the best among the teachers, Shree Chinmayaananda, to

his lotus feet I (sadaa) always prostrate.

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samanvaya adhyaaya - I

spashhTa brahma li~Nga vaakya samanvaya paada 1

janmaadi adhikaraNam 2

suutra 1 : janmaadyasya yataH |

 

Next the Analysis of the word - asya:

 

The word -asya - is a pronoun meaning, of this’. Vyasacharya does not

specify what noun this pronoun stands for. It can be any noun, noun

being that which can be conscious or unconscious entity or object.

Since Vyasa has not specified any particular noun, we should include

all the nouns in the universe as indicated object of the pronoun,

asya. That is, the word asya should denote -sarvasya jagataH. Further

Vyasacharya used the pronoun -of this - and not -of that or (tasya).

According to grammar the pronoun -this- is used for something

available or accessible in front. Hence this indicates - pratyaksha

gocharasya - or pratyaksha prapanchasya -of the world that is seen in

front.

 

The sixth case or shhashhTi (of this’) should be connected with the

previous word - janmaadi or sR^ishhTi, sthiti and laya. Hence

combining with the previous word we get the meaning -pratyaksha

prapanchasya sR^ishhTi, sthiti, layaH - the origin, sustenance and

annihilation of the visible or objectifiable universe.

 

This completes the meaning of the word -asya.

 

The next word is -yataH:

 

Shankara gives the meaning for yataH as yasmaat kaaraNaat, from which

cause all these (the origin, sustenance and annihilation of the

objectifiable universe) take place. Now the question comes, which

kaaraNam the shruti is referring to? We know that cause or kaaraNam

is two-fold; nimitta kaaraNam, and upaadaana kaaraNam, the

intelligent, and material cause. Since Vyasacharya is talking about

sR^ishhTi, sthiti and laya kaaraNam, we can say that word kaaraNam

should refer to upaadaana kaaraNam or material cause. This can be

seen readily as follows:

 

We find in general nimitta kaaraNa or the intelligent cause is only

responsible for the creation of a thing. It is not responsible for

the existence and annihilation. For example, if kulaalaH, the potter,

is responsible for the existence or for the survival of the pot, then

one has to buy potter along with pot. If so every maker of an object

then will come with the material object for its existence. Since that

is not the case, nimitta kaaraNam is defined as sR^ishhTi maatra

kaaraNam or cause for the creation only. Whereas the material cause

is defined as sR^ishhTi, sthiti, laya kaaraNam. It is the material

cause that sustains the object and into which the object merges

during its destruction. In this particular suutra the word janmaadi

refers to sR^ishhTi, sthiti and laya and not just to sR^ishhTi alone,

the kaaraNam or cause should therefore refer to the material cause or

upaadaana kaaraNam. The primary meaning of the yataH is upaadana

kaaraNam.

 

Now to give complete meaning of the suutra we can say - yasmaat

upaadaana kaaraNaat, pratyaksha prapanchasya sR^ishhTi sthiti layaaH

sambhavanti, tat upaadaana kaaraNam brahma. Because of which material

cause, the origin, sustenance and annihilation of the objectifiable

universe occurs, that material cause is Brahman.

 

Later upon inquiry, we find that the cause of the universe or jagat

kaaraNam is and has to be only one. In the case of worldly objects

one can afford to have a separate nimitta kaaraNam and a separate

upaadaana kaaraNam. Since we are discussing about the entire universe

that includes desha and kaala, time and space, it cannot have two

separate causes. (maayaakalpita desha kaala kalanaa vaichitrya

chitrii kR^itam ... - Shankara's dakshiNamuurti shloka). That cause

which is beyond desha kaala the cause should be - ekam eva advitiiyam

- one only without a second. If it has to be one, it itself should

serve as upaadaana kaaraNam and nimitta kaaraNam. Hence the second

implied meaning for yataH is - nimitta kaaraNam cha - the intelligent

cause also. Hence the final meaning of yataH is - abhinna nimitta

upaadaana kaaraNaat - non-differentiable intelligent and material

cause - To put in a complete statement (one can skip this if one

wants) - yasmaat abhinna nimitta upaadaana kaaraNaat asya pratyaksha

prapanchasya sR^ishhTi sthiti layaaH sambavanti, tat abhinna nimitta

upaadaana kaaraNaM brahma. That from which the origin, sustenance,

annihilation takes place, that undifferentiable intelligent and

material cause is Brahman.

 

In the upanishhad statement that this suutra refers to varuNa, the

teacher, told his student, bhR^igu, that (X) from which this universe

originated, that (X) by which this universe is sustained and that (X)

into which this universe dissolves is to be known - that is Brahman.

Thus the teacher gave only taTastha lakshaNa and not swaruupa

lakshaNa and it is up to bhR^igu as his homework to solve for that X.

That is left for the student to inquire and find out what is that X.

bhR^igu being an intelligent student (like us!) he goes through the

process of inquiry - First he comes up with a solution -annam

brahmeti vyajaanaat -annam or food is Brahman since scripture says -

annaat purushhaH - since all beings are born out of food, sustained

by food and goes back into food. But the teacher sends him back to

inquire further. Upon further inquiry he comes up with another

answer- praaNo brahmeti vyajaanaat - All these beings are born of

life, sustained by life and go back into life. Further inquiry leads

to - mano bramheti vyajaanaat - mind is the cause for the creation,

sustenance and dissolution since when there is the mind there is the

world. - vij~naanam brahmeti vyajaanaat - Intelligence is the root

cause for the universe, since without intelligence universe cannot be

created - But teacher sends him back to further inquiry. Ultimately

this inquiry culminates with the knowledge that (T.U. 3-6)

aanando brahmeti vyajaanaat.h | aanandaat hi eva khalu imaani

bhuutaani jaayante | aanandena jaataani jiivanti | aanandam prayanti

abhisamvishanti iti | saishhaa bhaargavii vaaruNii vidyaa | parame

vyoman pratishhTitaa | ya evam veda pratitishhTati | Determined that

happiness, fullness or limitlessness, aananda, is Brahman. From the

limitlessness these beings are born, these beings are sustained, and

into which these beings get dissolved. This is the knowledge

belonging to bhR^igu and varuNa. This is established in the supreme

space (its very basis). Those who know it, are fully established (in

knowledge).

 

Thus finally bhR^igu discovered that the X-factor, because of which

origin, sustenance and dissolution takes place, is of the form

aananda swaruupam brahma, is limitlessness or infiniteness or pure

bliss. This is the swaruupa lakshaNam of Brahman. (Pl. Refer to the

discussion before of the difference between swaruupa and taTastha

lakshaNa). jagat kaaraNam is the taTastha lakshaNam of Brahman,

aanandaH is the swaruupa lakshaNam of Brahman. Hence the word yataH

in the suutra further means - aananda swaruupaH brahma.

 

Thus three meanings are provided for the word yataH - first as the

upaadaana kaaraNam, material cause then as the nimitta kaaraNam,

intelligent cause and now aananda swaruupam cha, limitlessness or

bliss state.

 

Now recapitulating the whole meaning of the suutra - yasmaat

prapanchasya abhinna nimitta upaadaana kaaraNaat aananda swaruuupaat

prapanchasya sR^ishhTi sthiti layaaH sambhavanti tat abhinna nimitta

upaadaana kaaraNam aananda swaruupam brahma bhavati. Thus the word

yataH refers to abhinna nimitta upaadaana kaaraNam

(non-differentiable material and intelligent cause) which is the

taTastha (incidental) lakshaNam and aananda swaruupam which is the

swaruupa (intrinsic) lakshaNam of Brahman. Primarily it indicates the

taTastha lakshaNam, but indirectly it indicates the swaruupa

lakshaNam also. Hence the suutra is called Brahma lakshaNa suutra.

 

With this we conclude the analysis of the word yataH.

 

Now two more words are left which are supplied to complete the suutra

- tat brahma, that is Brahman. We have already seen three features -

upaadaana kaaraNam, nimitta kaaraNam and aananda swaruupam. To this,

Shankaracharya adds one more feature of Brahman. Once we know that

there is an intelligent cause, the extent of intelligence involved

can be inferred from the nature of the product. The more intricate

and sophisticated the product is, the more the intelligence involved

in creating that product. For example, seeing the sophisticated

computer we can infer the intelligence that was behind the creation

of that computer. Shankara says, if one sees the nature of the world,

its vastness, its wonders, its vibhuuti, then one can definitely

conclude that Brahman or the intelligent cause for this whole

creation must be sarvaj~naH, omniscient and sarva shaktimaan,

omnipotent. All laws that are discovered and that are yet to be

discovered by scientists are within the creation. A scientist does

not invent a law, he only discovers the laws that are already there.

In an absolute sense, there is nothing really that is man-made, since

the possibilities for a man to make already exists within the

creation. Incidentally when Brahman is seen as the cause, he gets

named as IswaraH. To establish the sarvaj~natvam, sarveshwaratvam

(supreme Lordship) and sarvashaktitvam, Shankara beautifully

expresses in his bhaashyam about the glory of this universe by giving

four adjectives. From the glory of the universe the glory of the

creator of such universe can be inferred. Shankara says:

 

asya jagataH naama-ruupaabhyaam vyaakR^itasya,

aneka kartR^i bhoktR^i samyuktasya,

prati niyata desha kaala nimitta kriyaa phala aashrayasya,

manaso.api achintya rasanaa ruupasya,

janma sthiti bha~Ngam, yasmaat sarvaj~naat sarva shakteH

kaaranaat bhavati tat brahmeti vaakya cheshaH |

 

This will be explained below, step by step. Shankara says, it is a

well-designed universe (naama-ruupaabhyaam vyaakR^itasya), which

means it cannot be explained that it accidentally formed by some big

bang. Hence an intelligent being is required for such an ordered

thermodynamically well behaved system with universal laws governing

the system. Furthermore this universe consists of- aneka kartR^i

bhoktR^i samyuktasya - countless jiiva-s who are karta-s and

bhokta-s. By this Shankara indicates that all the varieties and

countless jiiva-s fall within the creation as a product, and hence

the creator must be a non-jiiva. Thus jiiva-bhinnatvam (Iswara

different from jiiva) is indicated by the statement. He must also be

omniscient because - prati niyata desha kaala nimitta kriyaa phala

aashrayasya - there are no accidents in the creation. Every event is

an incident triggered by specific time, place and reason. Hence it is

a cosmos and not chaos, as every event depends on - prati niyata

desha kaala nimitta - specific place, time and reason. Thus we call

an incident as an accident only when we, with limited intelligence,

cannot comprehend the reason. If we take countless number of jiiva-s

present, every jiiva is going through a series of experiences with

every experience is conditioned by desha, kaala and nimitta. One

cannot imagine the amount of intelligence and data base required to

run this master show in insuring that every experience of every jiiva

is not randomly based but in tune with specific desha, kaala and

nimitta. In addition we find that there are certain events which are

common to many jiiva-s that Lord has to design the event in such a

way that one and the same event should give punya phalam (results of

merits) and paapa phalam for another jiiva-s (result of demerits).

For example, for some people this posting of these notes is a

blessing indeed while some people felt and even complained that it

was nuisance thrust on their heads. Thus Bhagavan has to design each

event in such a way that He has to gather some to exhaust their

merits and some others to exhaust their demerits by the same event.

As the story goes, in the Air India accident that occurred few years

ago, many passengers who were originally scheduled to fly in a

different flight ended up in that flight since they missed their

original flight. At the same time some that were originally scheduled

in that flight missed that flight due to delays in their connecting

flights. When the flight took off, those who made must have been

happy and those who missed the flight must have been cursing their

fate. But the fates turned around when accident took place. Bhagavan

has to make sure only those that are qualified, enter into that

flight. This is just an example. This is true with every experience

that involves more than one jiiva. Thus every experience is from one

reference a result of punya or merits and some other reference result

of paapa or demerits. Thus every event is designed according to karma

phala of not just one jiiiva but countless number of jiiva-s. It is

not only the human beings but Lord has to take into consideration the

merits and demerits of innumerable jiiva-s, including the karma phala

of a mosquito which is trying to collect its hard-earned quota of

delicious food in a serene spiritual environment when you are trying

to meditate on the Lord, in the very early morning.

 

Rest of the analysis in the next post.

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End of Notes on BSB I-i-2-1C

 

--

K. Sadananda

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Naval Research Laboratory

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