Notes on BSB I-i-4-1G

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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 .- 4

suutra: tat tu samanvayaat.h .-1G

 

Notes on BSB I-i-4-1G

If we recall the puurvamiimaamsaka's definition of pramaaNam is - anadhigata

abaadhita saprayojana arthabodhakam pramaaNam - It should reveal something,

which is new, not negated by other pramaaNam-s and useful.

We have proved above that Vedanta is pramaaNa by their own definition since

it fulfils all the requirements. Now let us examine the karmakaanDa.

Does it fulfil all the above conditions? It reveals new things like puNyam,

paapam, swarga, etc, merits, demerits, heaven etc. It is also useful - since

dharma, artha and kaama purushhaartha are fulfilled. Two requirements are

met.

But does it fulfil abaadhita condition that is it should not be negated by

any other pramaaNa. Shankara says it does not fulfil that requirement since

karmakaanDa is negated by the j~naanakaanDam of the Veda-s. This is because

karmakaanDa reveals duality, which is the main theme of karmakaanDa.

j~naanakanDam says na iha naanaa asti ki~nchana -

there is no plurality at all. What you call as plurality is nothing but

Brahman

 

brahama eva idam amR^itam purastaat brahma pashchaat brahma dakshinataH cha

uttareNa, adhaH cha uurdhvam cha prasR^itam brahma eva idam vishvam idam

varishhTham - MunDaka Upa. 2-2-11

 

Brahma which is changeless is everywhere - in the front, in the back, in the

south, in the north, above, below - all over it is nothing but Brahman.

This entire magnificent universe is nothing but Brahman. What about the

duality - Vedanta says - yatra vaa anyadi vasyaat tatra anyaH anyat

pashyet - where there is a seeming duality then alone a person sees

plurality everywhere - yatra sarvam aatmaa eva abhuut tatra kena kam

pashyet - when a person can recognize the aatman where is the question of

duality? From these two statements it is clear that aj~naana kaale dvaitam,

j~naanakaale advaitam - only when one is ignorant one sees the plurality and

the seeming plurality disappears when one has the knowledge of Brahman.

Whatever one perceives when one is ignorant can be a pramaaNam or

apramaaNam - valid or invalid knowledge. The snake is there at the time of

ignorance and rope is there after gaining the knowledge - then that is valid

knowledge. Hence snake is invalid or mithya. Hence karmakaanDa reveals

invalid duality which is perceived at the time of ignorance. Therefore

karmakaanDa is apramaaNam. Furthermore there is an interesting statement -

anyaH asau anyaH aham iti saH na veda saH devaanam paashuH - the one who

says I am different from others he does not know, he is the most ignorant.

(Devanaam pashuH is a proverb indicating that he is the master in

stupidity.) Thus dvaitam or duality is invalid and karmakaanDa based on

dvaitam is also invalid. If at all it should get validity it has to be

hooked up to j~naanakaanDa. In what way will it be useful to j~naanakaanDa?

Shankara says j~naanakaanDa saadhanatvena karmakaanDasya praamaaNyam. It is

useful as a means to prepare the student to qualify for j~naanakaanDa. How

will it help as a means to come to j~naanakaanDa? saadhana chatushhTaya

sampatti pradhaanena - karmakaanDa is useful by giving four fold

qualifications required to prepare a student for Brahman inquiry - for

details Shankara says refer to the discussion related to the first suutra -

atha ataH brahma jij~naasa. karmakaanDa is not meant for dharma artha kaama

purushaartha, and vedantin does not consider that they are purushhaartha at

all since they are only exalted sa.nsaara. In fact, karmakaanDa and

upaasanaa are all ultimately meant for vairaagya siddhi. dharma, artha,

kaama is only a sugar coating for the medicines to give ultimately the

vairaagya required to turn one's attention to secure moksha. It is like a

chocolate laxative given to children to cleanse the system. After one gets

deeply entangled in sa.nsaara, a time will come in the evolution of a jiiva

when he feels like running away from these attachments - an indication that

the medicine is working!

Hence it is superficially dharma, artha, kaamaartham but in the final

analysis it is meant only for acquiring saadhana chatushhTayam eva.

After acquiring the saadhana chatushhTayam the person comes to Vedanta -

athaH (suutra 1) karmakaanDa dwaara vairaagya siddhi anantaram - through the

path of karmakanDa after acquiring detachment, inquiry into Brahman.

Is there a pramaaNam for this? - or is it just sour grapes of a

brahmachaarii sanyaasin bhaashhyakaara-s!?

pramaaNam 1: pariikshya lokaan karmachitaan brahmaNo ... Mund. Upa. 1-2-12

(the full mantra is explained with reference to suutra 1), having

experienced all the benefits of karma and after one examines the bottom

line, one should get vairaagyam or detachment. How come we see lot of people

not having that vairaagyam? - Well, all it means is that they will continue

taking the medicine until it works - that is the law of nature. Everyone is

seeking aanandam or happiness and it takes lot more for some to learn that

seeker and the sought are one and the same and any search is futile.

 

pramaaNam 2: tam etam vedaanuvachanena brahmaaNaa vividishhanti yaj~nena

daanena tapasaa anaashhakena (Bri. Up. ref? ). Here yaj~na refers to karma,

daana means charity and tapasaa refers to upaasana. The mantra says the

purpose of all these is ultimately for generating interest in Vedanta

(vividishaa) - jij~naasa. Interest in Vedanta is directly proportional to

vairaagyam towards sa.nsaara. Gita says - yoginaH karma kurvanti sa~Nga.n

tyaktvaa aatmasiddhaye. Yogis perform action renouncing the fruits of

actions in order to purify their minds.

Hence karamakaanDa is not useful by itself but only useful for facilitating

the development of saadhana chatushhTaya sampatti which is the requirement

for Vedanta vichaara. In Gita also this is stated as - sarvam karma akhilam

paartha j~naane parisamaapyate - [iV:33]

Thus Shankara makes it clear that karmakaaNDa is only useful when it gets

related to j~naankaaNDa. puurvapakshi-s got it completely ultasiida

(opposite) in claiming that it is the other way. Hence by their own

arguments if utility is the criteria, karamakaaNDa is useless directly and

only useful indirectly. Hence it is not a primary pramaaNa but only a

secondary one.

 

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