Notes on BSB I-i-4-1B

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Notes on BSB I-i-4-1B

 

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- i

samanvaya adhikaraNam.h .

suutra: tat tu samanvayaat.h .

 

 

 

Discussion of samanvaya aspect:

 

First question is therefore what are those six factors or shhat

li~Ngaani? Lingam means an indicator. li~Ngyate iti li~Ngam . That

which indicates is li~Ngam. The shhat li~Ngaani are:

 

upakrama - upasa.nhaarau abhyaasaH apuurvataa-phalam.h |

artha-vaada upapattiH ca li~Ngyam taatparya nirNaye ||

 

To establish the importance of certain topic six indicators are

enumerated. The first one is upakrama upasamhaarau - which means the

identity or oneness of the theme at the beginning and in the end.

The second one is abhyaasaH or repetition - that which is repeated

must be important. Third one is apuurvataa, whatever enjoys newness,

that which is not known. The fourth one is phalam - fruitfulness or

benefit, something is important only if it is fruitful or useful.

The fifth one is arthavaadaH, or stutiH or glorification, whatever

that is glorified must be important. Finally upapattiH, reason or

logic. Whatever fulfills the logic is of importance and whatever is

illogical or irrational or unreasonable cannot be the central theme.

These are the six factors. In tradition the commentators take one

example for analysis and the standard example is the sixth chapter of

Chandogya Upanishad which is called tat tvam asi prakaraNam . It is

considered as the model chapter. When we apply the six factors to

this chapter, we come out with the conclusion that Brahman is the

central theme of the chapter.

 

The first factor is upakrama upasamhaara li~Ngam, that is, the

relation to the topic at the beginning and end of the chapter. The

tat tvam asi prakaraNam begins and ends with the discussion of

Brahman. - sad eva saumya idam agra aasiit . ekam eva advitiiyam -

"Hay good-looking one! Existence alone was there in the beginning and

it is one without the second" - thus the beginning of prakaraNa is

revealing the nature of Brahman. The chapter ends with the

statements - aitad aatmyam idam sarvam | tat satyam | saH aatmaa |

tat tvam asi shwetaketo | This entire universe is Brahman. That is

the truth. That is aatmaa. Oh! Swetaketu! that thou art. Thus

Brahman which is the same as aatman is the theme in the beginning and

the end.

 

The second factor is abhyaasa or repetition. In this chapter of

Chandogya the teacher Uddalaka gives several examples to illustrate

the point and in the end of each example the same statements - aitad

aatmyam idam sarvam | tat satyam | saH aatmaa | tat tvam asi

shwetaketo | - are repeated. It is repeated nine times each time

taking different examples, to indicate that the statements are not a

casual statements but have great significance requiring such extended

repetition. Hence the tat tvam asi is considered as the essential

teaching as mahaavaakya or aphorism.

 

The third factor is apuurvataa - new topic. Vedanta shaastram

reveals Brahman only, which is new entity since it is not only

unknown but also cannot be known by any other means or pramaaNam .

What is considered as new? The definition of what constitutes new or

apuurvataa is pramaaNaantara avedyam, apuurvatvam. A thing is new if

it is not known or cannot be known through all other instruments of

knowledge. na tatra chakshuH gachchhati na vaak gachchhati no manaH

gachchhati , I cannot know Brahman through the eyes, through the

speech nor by process of analysis of thinking. I cannot even know

Brahman through karmakaanDa or puurvamiimaa.nsaa also. Brahman is

outside the scope of karma - na karmanaa na prajayaa dhanena taygena

eke amR^itatva maanasuH - says the shruti. Brahman is revealed only

by Vedanta - Hence it is apuurva vishhayaH or new knowledge that is

not gained by any other means. Hence apuurvata li~Nga or factor is

satisfied. This apuurvata is also indicated in the sixth chapter of

Chandogya.

 

Here the teacher asks the student to bring a lump of salt and

dissolve it in a cup of water. Then he asks the student to taste the

water at the top, in the middle and from the bottom of the cup. The

student after tasting, says the water is saltish everywhere. When

the teacher asks the student if he can see the salt in the water, the

students says no. He knows that there was the lump of salt in water

since he himself added it but he can see where the salt is. Since he

could taste salt all-over, the water is pervaded by something other

than water, since he is experiencing it yet he cannot see it any

where in the water and it is imperceptible to the eyes. Having given

this example the teacher says to the student - one knows the body is

bundle of matter, just like a statue which is also made up of

pa~nchabhuutaa -s. Yet one experiences the body as conscious entity

unlike the statue out there, just as the water is saltish. Just as

the water is pervaded by something other than water to make it

saltish, the body is pervaded by something other than matter to make

it conscious. That extra something makes the water saltish, there is

extra something that makes the body alive and conscious. Just as one

can not see that lump of salt that makes the water saltish, similarly

one cannot see that which makes the body alive and conscious. What

is that something that makes the matter enliven. The teacher says -

sad eva saumya idam agra aasiit , ekam eva advitiiyam - that which

exists that which is conscious is there from the beginning before the

creation. It is one with out the second. That Brahman you are - tat

tvam asi swetaketo. So Brahman pervades the body - atra eva khila

sat - na nibhaalayate - My dear boy - there is no need to go in

search of Brahman. He is right inside you as the very essence of

your life, the essence of your existence and consciousness and is

imperceptible to the senses, mind and intellect. You are that. Thus

by this example, the teacher proves that Brahman is pratyaksha

agocharam or pramaaNaantara agamyam hence apuurvam brahman. Brahman

cannot be perceived or thought about. He cannot be known by any other

pramaaNa and can be known only through Vedanta pramaaNa. This is the

apuurvataa li~Ngam or factor that is established.

 

Thus Vyasa established that 1. Brahman is the subject matter of

Vedanta, 2) it is unique subject matter and 3) Brahman is known

through Vedanta alone and not by any other pramaaNam. Conversely,

looking from Vedanta point, it is the unique pramaaNam for Brahman.

The converse is established because other than shabda pramaaNa the

other pramaaNa essentially rests on pratyaksha in one way or the

other. Since Brahman cannot be perceived, it can be known only by

shabda pramaaNa and Vedanta is the rightful shabda pramaaNa . Thus

Vedanta is unique pramaaNam and Brahman is unique prameyam . The

first part, Vedanta is unique pramaaNam is established by shaastra

yonitvaat and the second part Brahman is the unique prameyam is

established by tat tu samanvayaat , since samanvaya requires as a

part of the shhad li~Nga, uniqueness aspect. Thus the fourth suutra

' tat tu samanvayaat ' is the converse of the third suutra ' shaastra

yonitvaat '. Thus fourth suutra corroborates the third suutra.

 

The fourth li~Ngam is phalam . It is common understanding that

wherever phalam is mentioned that aspect should get primary

importance otherwise it is of secondary importance. It is like the

bottom line. In the Upanishads we find the statement ' brahmavit

aapnoti param ' if one knows Brahman one gets eternal liberation or

moksha. Hence the importance is given to brahmaj~naanam . If we

examine the sixth chapter of Chandogya, there is a statement 'tasya

taavad eva chiram yaavat na vimokshye atha sampatsya iti |' That is

brahmaj~naani will get jiivan mukti and at the time of death he will

get videha mukti . Thus both jiivan mukti phalam and videha mukti

phalam are mentioned from brahmaj~naanam. Hence Brahman is central

theme of Vedanta.

 

The fifth factor is arthavaadaH or glorification. In the Upanishad-s

the advaitic understanding is glorified by pointing that ' eka

vij~naanena sarva vij~naanam bhavati ', by knowing one, one knows

everything. brahma j~naani will become sarva j~naani. The word '

sarvaj~naani ' has to be understood. It does not mean he will start

knowing immediately quantum mechanics or C++ language etc.

sarvaj~naanam means sarva aatma j~naanam . He gets the knowledge of

the essence of everything, which is as good as knowing everything.

Thus by glorifying brahmaj~naani as sarvaj~naH , the sixth chapter

indirectly glorifies Brahman only. Glorification of brahmaj~naani is

the same as the glorification of Brahman since ' brahmavit brahma eva

bhavati ' knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. Not only brahma j~nanam

is glorified, the knowledge of all others are condemned in the sense

that they do not give moksha or freedom from ignorance. In

Kathopanishad (2-1-10) it was said " mR^ityoH saH mR^ityum aapnoti

yaH iha naanaa eva pashyati ", one who is in duality he will travel

from death to death. The one who dies without gaining brahma

j~naanam he is considered as unfortunate person, saH kR^ipaNaH .

Whereas one who dies after brahmaj~naanam he alone is braahmaNaH ( sa

eva braahmaNaH - Bri. Upa.), implying that all the aj~naanii -s are

called abrahmaNaH. In fact in all other knowledge, the more one

knows the more alpa j~naani one becomes. The more and more one

specializes in any objective sciences the more and more one

recognizes that what he knows is very very small in comparison to

what is left to know. He feels more and more ignorant in relation to

what he knows. He will never feel that there is nothing more to

learn. He will feel more and more inadequate and hence feels more

and more humble. On the other hand a brahma j~naani feels he has

learned what need to be learned and that there is nothing more to

learn. - yat j~naatvaa na param j~neyam'. He has accomplished what

need to be accomplished in life, kR^ita kR^ityaH. Thus

brahmaj~naanam is glorified and in contrast anyaj~naanam is

criticized - both come under arthavaadaH , glorification of

brahmaj~naanm. It includes brahmaj~naana stuti and anyaj~naana

nindaa .

 

Final factor is upapattiH - the upanishhat wants to show that it is

not illogical. It is not dogmatic or irrational or based on blind

belief. Brahma satyam and jagat is mithya giving a logical support.

The upanishad -s reveal Brahman is kaaraNam and the jagat or the

world is kaaryam. It logical shows kaaraNam alone is satyam because

it has independent existence. Whereas kaaryam has no independent

existence. Hence upanishhat makes an anumaana vaakyam - brahma

satyam kaaraNatvaat , jagat mithyaa kaaryatvaat . Upanishad gives an

example also for this in the same sixth chapter of Chandogya Up. -

vaachaarambhaNam vikaaro naamadheyam mR^ittikaa eva satyam , when

there is a pot, we know that clay alone is satyam and there is no

such substance called pot. Pot is mere name and form ( naama and

ruupa ). We need to note mR^ittika eva satyam - eva meaning alone -

the clay alone is satyam - by using the word eva or alone, the

upanishhat indirectly says the pot is mithyaa. If there are two

people and if I say pointing to one of them, this one alone is

intelligent, it implies that the other one is not intelligent or he

is dumb. mR^ittika eva satyam means the pot etc mR^itpinda -s are

only mR^ittikaa vikaaraaH , the products of clay. The products etc.

are vaachaarambhanam naamadheyam , they are only name-sake existent.

Thus Upanishads logically shows using several examples like this

(actually three examples are given) the kaaraNa satyatvam and kaarya

mithyaatvam . Through that upanishads reveal the brahma satyatvam and

jagat mithyaatvam - and that is upapattiH , the sixth factor which is

the logical factor.

 

Thus by taking the sixth chapter of Chandogya Upanishad as the model,

it is clearly established that all the shad li~Ngaani or six factors

reveal Brahman alone. Hence brahmaNi samanvyaH |. Hence the

conclusion is tat - that Brahman is shaastra prameyam . Brahman is

the central subject matter of shaastram - samanvayaat, because of

consistency or importance. Conversely the Vedanta is the pramaaNam

for Brahman, corroborating the third suutra.

 

With this we conclude the analysis of the word samanvayaat .

 

Next we take up the analysis of the word 'tu'.

 

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