Notes on BSB I-i-4-1H

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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.

------------------

samanvaya adhyaaya - I

spashhTa brahma li~Nga vaakya samanvaya paada - i

samanvaya adhikaraNam.h .- 4

suutra: tat tu samanvayaat.h .-1H

 

Notes on BSB I-i-4-1H

We are discussing Shankara's commentary related to the word 'tu'. With

this the answers to puurvamiimaa.nsaa puurvapaksha-s that include Prabhakara

and Bhatta matams are over.

 

Shankara next introduces one more important matam in his commentary

related to the word 'tu'. Shankara discusses that here since this matam

is very close to puurvamiimaa.nsaka matam. That matam is called

'vR^ittikaara matam'.

 

vR^ittiH here means a small commentary like Notes. vyaakhyaanam and

bhaashhyam are also commentaries but they are elaborate. Hence

vR^ittikaara means a commentator. So vR^ittikaara matam means the

philosophy or view of one of the brahmasutra commentators. There were

several bhaashyakaara-s before Shankara. We do not know who this

commentator was. In English we use the expression 'some Tom, Dick or Harry'

for the unknown person. In Sanskrit (it is not "TomaH, DickkiH or HarryH"!!)

- some times they use devadattaH, yaj~nadattaH or vishhNudattaH for the

general name or ditta davittadayaH - dittaH or davittaH etc.

 

Shankara discusses two vR^ittikaara-s through his commentary - one is called

j~naanakarma samuchchhya vaadii (who claims that j~naana and karma should

be judiciously integrated) - this is heavily discussed in his Gita Bhashya.

(Some aspects of this VR^itti we discussed with reference to suutra 1).

Here Shankara extensively discusses as puuurvapaksha another vR^ittikaara

matam and dismisses it establishing his siddhanta. This vR^ittikaara must

have been very popular during Shankara's time to consider his matam as

puurvapaksha. He does not come under puurvamiimaa.nsaa but some of his views

are very close to it. Hence Shankara discusses his philosophy along with

the discussion of puurvamiimaa.nsaka matams.

 

What is vR^ittikaara matam?

 

Most importantly he differs from puurvamiimaa.nsaka-s in saying that

Brahman is existent and is revealed by the upanishhad-s. That is he accepts

brahma

asti and brahmanaH shaastrayonitvam. He also agrees that the

upakramaadi shhaD-li~Nga vichaara proves the existence of Brahman as

revealed

by the upanishhad-s; that is he accepts tat tu samanvayaat. Up to now he is

one with vedantin. But he differs from Vedantin by saying that even though

Brahman is existent as revealed by the upanishhad-s, mere Brahma j~naanam

cannot give moksha. Here he goes along with puurvamiimaa.nsaka to say that

kevala j~naanam cannot give any purushhaartha. He says after gaining brahma

j~naanam one has to do brahma upaasanam to gain moksha. Vedanta reveals

Brahman and asks you to do brahma upaasanaa. Through this brahma

upaasanaa karma - that is through meditation on brahman - one will get

extraordinary

puNyam or merit which helps to secure moksha. In support of this he

quotes the same puurvamiimaa.nsaa suutra - aamnaayasya kriyaarthatvaat

aanarathakhyam athadarthaanaam. The whole veda asks you to do some thing

or other - mere learning Veda is not enough, one has to apply that knowledge

to something or other. vidhinaa tu ekavaakyarthvaat stutyarthena vidhiinaam

syuH - brahmaj~naanam by itself is of no use therefore it should be put into

upaasana vidhi.

 

In support of his statement he gives upanishhat pramaaNam also. In Bri Upa.

there are two statements - aatmaa ityeva upaasiita - it is called vidyaa

suutram. In another statement that says aatmaanam eva lokam upaasiita. In

both cases there is clear expression - upaasiita. From this it is very clear

that brahma upaasanam or paramaatma upaasanam gives puNyam and that in turn

gives moksha. Then what about the Upanishad statements that say through

j~naanam one can attain moksha - aatmavit shokam tarati brahma veda

brahmaiva bhavati - the knower of aatmaa crosses the ocean of sa.nsaara,

the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman and all those upanishad mantras that

we have quoted before? For that he says, one should carefully interpret

upanishhadic mantra-s. Everyword indicating j~naanam has got the

meaning of upaasanam also.

 

For example, in shikshaavalli -

 

ya evam etaa

mahaasa.nhitaa vyaakhyaataa veda | sandhiiyate prajayaa pashubhiH

brahmavarchasena annaadyena suvargeNa lokena | Taitt. Up. 1-2-6

 

The word veda here is interpreted as upaasiita. Thus veda has two meanings

one

is j~naanam and the other is upaasanam. In bhR^iguvalli also -

 

ya evam veda |

kshema iti vaachi |

yogakshema iti praaNaapaanayoH |

karmeti hastayoH | 3-10-2.

 

In this context also we take the meaning of veda as upaasanam. Hence brahma

veda brahmaiva bhavati - in this statement also brahma j~naanii does not

become

Brahman, brahma upaaste saH brahma bhavati. One who does upaasanaa on

Brahman

becomes Brahman.

 

Similarly the other statements - brahmavit aapnoti paramam

means brahma upaasakaH aapnoti param; aatmavit shokam tarati means aatma

upaasakaH shokam tarati. Hence wherever j~naanam word comes one has to

translate

as upaasanam. yastu sarvaaNi bhuutaani aatmaivaabhuut vijaanataH .... Here

too vijaanataH means the one who does upaasanaa. aatmaanam chet vijaaniiyaat

ayam asmiiti purushhaH - vijaaniiyaat means upaasiita. In short if we take

all the ten quotations given before wherever the word j~naanam comes it has

to be translated as upaasanam. Hence upaasanena puNya dwaara moksham

siddhyati, by upaasana one acquires the merits by which one attains

moksha. -

says vR^ittikaara. According to him, there are exceptions like knowledge

that give

results as in the case of rajju j~naane phalam vartate - this is acceptable.

But

brahmaj~naanam does not come under that exception. Therefore after

brahmaj~naanam one should do upaasanam.

 

In support of his statement he shows that there are many people who are

experts in the upanishads. Look at them - are they muktapurushha-s? They

continue to be sa.nsaarii-s even after the thorough study of Vedanta. Hence

vR^ittikaara argues shR^ita brahmaNaH

api yathaa puurvam sa.nsaaritva darshanaat - Thus there are many people

who know Vedanta thoroughly and still are sa.nsaari-s. They are all Vedantic

educated sa.nsaari-s. Therefore it is evident that brahmaj~naanena eva

mokshaH na sidhyati - by mere knowledge of Brahman one cannot gain moksha.

 

This particular argument should convince anyone to side with the

vR^ittikaara.

We have seen this as well in the advaitin list serve in terms of

discussions that cause us to conclude that we have had enough of this

intellectual analysis, it is of no use- we want to withdraw and spend our

time in saadhanaa! That is

exactly what the vR^ittikaara says - brahma j~naana anantaram upaasanam

kartavyam , after studying Vedanta one has to do upaasana. He gives one more

argument - the upanishad very clearly says aatmaaa vaa are drashhTavyaH,

shrotavyaH, mantavyaH, nididhyaasitavyaH | Atmaa should be clearly

understood

through shravanam and mananam. Thus through shravanam and mananam one gets

brahma j~naanam. If j~naanam is enough then shrotavyaH and manthavyaH must

be

sufficient . But upanishad clearly prescribes after shravanam and

mananam, nididhyaasitavyaH - constant dwelling upon that - it is derived

from

the root dhyai - dhyaayati - hence nididhyaasana means repeated dhyaanam

-that is what is called upaasanam. Hence upaasanam kartavyam which is a

clean

action, since according to Sanskrit grammar, a suffix tavyaH indicates

a compulsory action. Hence the word nididhyaasitavyaH indicates a vidhi,

a vidhi indicates a compulsory action. Hence upaasanam action gives the

result or prayojanam of moksha and not brahmaj~naanam. Hence the conclusion

of

vR^ittikaara is brahma upaasanena mokshaH, na tu brahma j~naanena. Only

action involving brahma upaasanaa will give moksha and not mere knowledge of

Brahman. This puurvapakshii differs from puurvamiimaa.nsaka-s who do not

accept the existence of even Brahman leave alone Brahma upaasanam.

 

********

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New Words for Glossary: -

 

aanarathakhyam = ???

aatmaivaabhuut = [aatmaa eva abhuut]become one with his own self

annaadyena = with food to eat

bhaashhyakaara = a commentator

bhR$iguvalli = [bhR$igu + valli] the chapter in Tait. upan. named after

Rishi Bhrigu.

brahmaiva = [brahma eva] brahman only

brahmaj~naanena = by the knowldge of brahman

brahmaNo = of brahman

brahmavarchasena = splendor of brahman-knowledge

chet = if

darshanaat = by philosophical studies

davittadayaH = anyone [unqualified] [eg Tom, Dick, and Harry]

davittaH = anyone [unqualified]

devadattaH = anyone [unqualified]

dhyaanam = meditation

dhyaayati = meditates

dhyai = [root verb] to meditate

dittaH = anyone [unqualified]

ekavaakyarthvaat = by the meaning of the statement

etaa = these

hastayoH = by the hands

ityeva = [iti eva] thus only

j~naanakarma = combining knowledge and action

karmeti = [karma iti] acting thus

kartavyam = duty

kshema = welfare

lokam = world

mahaasa.nhitaa = the great combinations

mananam = concentrated mind

mantavyaH = ought to be concentrated on

matams = opinions

moksham = salvation

muktapurushha = a liberated person

nididhyaasana = constant meditation

paramam = supreme

pashubhiH = by the beasts

praaNaapaanayoH = by in- and out- breaths

puurvam = prior

puurvamiimaa.nsa = inquiry into the ritual duties ;section of Vedas]

puuurvapaksha = objector

sa.nsaaritva = being in the cycle [creation-dissolution]

samuchchhya = combination

sandhiiyate = becomes edowed with [prosper]

shaastrayonitvam = originating in the scriptures

shhaD-li~Nga = six indicators

shikshaavalli = the chapter on Instruction [in Taitt. upan.]

shokam = sorrow

shR$ita = learned in scriptures

shravanam = listening

siddhyati = acquires

suvargeNa = by heaven

upaasakaH = devotee

upaasanaa = worship

vaachi = speech

vaadii = one holding the opinion

vidhiinaam = rituals

vijaanataH = the knowers

vishhNudattaH = any unqualified person

vR$ittikaara = a commentator.annotator

vyaakhyaanam = expounding

yaj~nadattaH = any unqalified person

yastu = [yaH + tu] who verily

yogakshema = safety and gain

 

Dennis posting on behalf of Sadananda and Sunder