Notes on BSB I-i-5-1A

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Notes on BSB I-i-5-1A

 

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

Suutra: iikshaternaashabdam

Suutra: 5-A

 

 

 

Background

 

We have completed the first four suutra-s popularly known as

chatursuutrii. In this, four main topics or adhikaraNa-s have been

discussed. In the first adhikaraNa, it was pointed out that for

moksha one has to gain knowledge of Brahman, or Brahma j~naanam

through Vedantic inquiry. In the second adhikaraNa we learnt that

Brahman is defined as abhinna nimitta upaadaana kaaraNam or

inseparable intelligent and the material cause of the universe. The

third adhikaraNa dealt with the jagat kaaraNam Brahman , Brahma who

is the cause of the universe, is the central theme of the Vedanta

shaastra and all other topics are converging to this particular topic

or they are subservient to this topic. In the fourth adhikaraNa,

there is consistency with regard to the topic of Brahman. There is a

focus with regard to Brahman alone. When we study of these four

suutra-s along with Shankara Bhaashhya, we find that the whole of

Vedanta is comprehensively discussed. Thus Shankara has discussed

all the essentials of Vedanta through his bhaashhya on these four

suutra-s. The rest of Brahmasuutra is considered as the

magnification of these four suutra-s. We are not going to get any

new knowledge, but it will help in clarity and in establishing our

conviction. We will see several systems of philosophy and also learn

how to negate these systems on logical and/or scriptural basis. When

we learn to negate these several systems we also learn in the process

to answer any questions on Vedanta from any angle. No person will be

able to shake ones knowledge. We also learn how to think.

 

5. iikshaternaashabdam

 

The fourth suutra, "tat tu samanvayaat" is the key suutra of the

entire first chapter and it is named as samanvayaadhyaaya. The

following suutra-s 5 to 134 are only commentaries upon the fourth

suutra. These 130 suutra-s forming 35 adhikaraNa-s will be dealing

with two main ideas, 1) establishing the chetana kaaraNa vaada, the

cause for the world is a conscious entity and 2) dismissing the

achetana kaaraNa vaada, the cause for the wold is inert entity.

 

All the Vedanta or upanishad-s talk about, cause of the universe or

jagat kaaraNam Brahma alone. This Brahman is chetana

Brahman-conscious entity Brahman- and this main idea is called

chetana kaaraNa vaadaH. This particular idea which was discussed

with reference to suutra 2, states that the material cause of the

universe is a conscious principle and not matter or jaDam. This is

very important because in all other systems of philosophy, the

material cause happens to be an inert principle. In saa~Nkhya and

yoga - the inert prakR^iti is the material cause. In

Nyaaya-Vasheshika philosophy inert atoms are material cause. All

these philosophies are called achetana upaadaana kaaraNa vaadi-s,

philosophies based on inert cause for the universe, similarly the

current scientific understanding. Puurvamiimaamsa has no problem

with this notion since they say the world is eternally there in this

form, na kadaachit aniidR^isham jagat, and hence it is beginningless

and endless. The kaaraNam is only from the vyaavahaarika point only.

From paaramaarthika dR^ishhTi, Brahman is kaarya-kaaraNa

vilakshaNam, different from cause-effect relationships. In

VivekkachuuDamani Shankara says:

 

ekam eva sadaneka kaaraNam

kaaraNaantara niraasa kaaraNam|

kaarya kaaraNa vilakshaNam svayam

brahma tatvamasi bhaavayaatmani||

 

It is that which is one that is the cause for the many, which is

cause for all but itself has no cause, which is distinct from cause

and effect and exists independently - that Brahman thou art ..

meditate on this in your mind.

 

Vyasa emphasizes the chetana kaaraNa (cause is conscious entity) for

jagat and in the process refutes all achetana Vaadins (inert entity

as the cause). Among the all achetana kaaraNa vaada-s, saa~Nkhya is

the most powerful one that Vyaasa had to deal with. Hence the second

important topic discussed in the first chapter is achetana prakR^iti

kaaraNa vaada niraasaH, refutation of saa~Nkhya philosophy which says

that the inert prakR^iti is the material cause; and establishing

chetana Brahma kaaraNa vaada shtaapanam, establishing the conscious

entity Brahman is the material cause. In the fourth suutra under the

meaning of the word 'tu' Shankara negated puurvamiimaamsaka as

puurvapaksha, while Vyasa will be negating achetana kaaraNa

puurvapakshii, which includes all theories and philosophies that

attribute the material cause as an inert entity or achetanam rather

than conscious entity, chetana vastu. This include the current

modern theories of universe evolution. In this chapter, saa~Nkhya

matam is negated by showing that it does not have the support of the

shruti - thus it is aviadikam or veda viruddha matam. In the second

chapter saa~Nkhya is negated by showing that it does not have yukti

support or it is illogical or has logical contradictions.

 

Since negation of saa~Nkhya is the main objective of the first and

part of the second chapters, one should have some understanding of

saa~Nkhyan or the philosophy that we are negating. Brief account

of Saa~Nkhyan philosophy follows:

 

The second chapter of Giita contains saa~Nkhya yoga.

 

eshhaa te.abhihitaa saa~Nkhye buddhiH yoge tu imaa.n shR^iNu |

buddhyaa yuktaH yayaa paartha karmabandhaM prahaasyasi || 2.39..

 

Krishna says to Arjuna, what you have heard so far is saa~Nkhya yoga.

 

Again in the fifth chapter -

 

yat saa~NkhyaiH praapyate sthaanaM tad yogaiH api gamyate |

ekaM saa~Nkhya.n cha yoga.n cha yaH pashyati sa pashyati || 5.5..

 

Here in Giita, the word 'saa~Nkhya' is used in a generic sense to

indicate j~naana yoga. Hence in Giita saa~Nkhya stands for Vedanta,

uttaramiimaamsa. This saa~Nkhya is different from the saa~Nkhya

darshana that we are discussing here. Why Vedanta is called

saa~Nkhya - the word saa~Nkhya stands for "samyak khyaayate aatma

tatvam yasmin tat shaastram saankhyam" - that saa~Nkhyam or

scripture in which aatma tatvam or truth about aatma is clearly

revealed is saa~Nkhyam . Even in Bhagavatam Kapila muni who is the

incarnation of MahavishhNu teaches saa~Nkhya yoga to his mother

Devabhuuti. In contrast to this, the saa~Nkhya darshanam or the

philosophy of saa~Nkhya is propounded by another Kapila in the form

of Saa~Nkhya Pravachana Suutraani. These original suutra-s are lost

in history. The source book, saa~Nkhya kaarika, is authored by

Eswara Krishna. Later many other books came into existence.

 

Saa~Nkhya darshanam talks about 25 principles - panchavimshati

tatvaani- To understand these 25 principles we need to know the

creation aspect discussed by saa~Nkhya philosophers. According to

saa~Nkhya, before the creation, there are two principles existing

which are beginningless and nityam. One principle is called

'purushha' which is anaadi, beginningless and antantam, infiniteness,

which is chetana tatvam, conscious entity and of the nature of

asanga, unattached or no internal or external relations. The second

principle which is also beginningless is prakR^iti, which is called

moola prakR^itiH or pradhaanam. Shankara uses most often pradhaanam

only. There is no kaaraNa-kaarya sambandha, cause-effect relation,

between purushha and prakR^iti of saa~Nkhya , since both are

beginningless and eternal. This pradhaanam is triguNaatmakam - has

three guNa-s; satva, rajas and tamas. It may be noted that guNa-s

referred to in the saa~Nkhya philosophy does not correspond to

attributes or qualities, but are constituent substances of pradhaanam

- these three guNa-s are compared to three constituent stands

intertwined to form a single rope of pradhaanam. The pradhaanam is

achetanam or inert in nature and it alone is the material cause of

the universe. There are sequence of steps involved in this

evolution. It is said that these steps evolved from pradhaanam due

to disturbance in the equilibrium (saamyaavasta) of the guNa-s,

GuNaanaam saamyaavastaa pradhaanam. One can see how close this

philosophy is to modern science. At the time of creation, it is said

the pradhaanam gets disturbed or its equilibrium gets disturbed.

This disturbance in the equilibrium leads to transformation of

pradhaanam which is termed shrushhTi or creation. guNa saamya

avastha will change into guNa vaishamya avastha. (This in fact is

analogous to the modern theory of transformation involving

thermodynamic principles - driving force for any transformation is

caused by the disturbances in the thermodynamic equilibrium state,

which leads to its instability).

 

Sequentially, first pradhaanam evolves into mahat or mahat tatvam, a

second stage in the evolution. From mahat, ahankaara evolves. This

ahankaara is different from ahankaara or ego at an individual level

that we are familiar with in Vedanta. Here ahankaara refers to the

total matter or prakR^iti in the third stage, or it is in the cosmic

level. For each step in the evolution, which is kaaryam or effect,

the principle in the previous step is the kaaraNam or cause. From

ahankaara three streams flow - one is manas tatvam, second stream

gives rise to ten senses (five sense are j~naana indriya-s and five

karma indriya-s or organs of action). Saa~Nkhyan-s do not enumerate

praNa's separately. - From the third stream, five subtle elements

(five tanmaatra-s) evolved from which five gross elements are

created. Thus there are total 25 principles counting from

pradhaanam. These 25 principles are grouped into four padaartha-s or

entities- 1.prakR^iti 2. vikR^iti, 3 prakR^iti-vikR^iti, 4.

aprakR^iti-vikR^iti - in this context prakR^iti means cause or

kaaraNam. vikR^iti means kaaryam. The four divisions therefore are:

1. kaaraNam 2. kaaryam 3. kaaraNa-kaaryam 4. akaaraNa-kaaryam.

KaaraNam means it is only a cause and never an effect. Kaaryam means

that which is only an effect and never a cause. kaaraNa-karyam is

that which is both a cause (from one reference) and also a kaaryam,

an effect from a different reference. akaaraNa-kaaryam is that

which is neither cause nor an effect. Purushha is kaaraNam only and

is not kaaryam since it is beginningless. Mahat, Mind, ahankaara and

subtle elements are kaaraNa-kaaryam since they are effects form one

angle and cause from another angle. Finally mind, ten indriya-s,

gross elements are only kaaryam or vikR^iti, since they do not

undergo further modifications. Saa~Nkhyan-s use the word 'prakR^iti'

instead of kaaraNam to denote a material cause, as in the example

that gold is the prakR^iti for ornaments. Similarly they use the

word vikR^iti for kaaryam or effect. Thus ornaments are vikR^iti of

prakR^iti which is gold. prakR^iti word is used for material cause

and not for instrumental cause. prakarshena kr^iti yogyatvaat

prakR^itiH, that which is available for molding into various forms.

VikR^iyate iti vikR^itiH, that which is molded or shaped - final

product of any modification. This is summarized in a sloka form:

 

muula prakR^itiH avikR^itiH

mahaadaadyaaH prakR^iti vikR^itayaH saptaa|

shhoDashha kastu vikaaraH

na prakR^itiH na vikR^itiH purushhaH||

 

But the essential feature to note is that the whole creation is born

out of pradhaanam which is inert or jaDam or achetanam. - achetana

pradhaanam jagat kaaraNam. This is in contrast to what Vedantins say

- etova imaani bhuutani jaayante...... ...- tat brahmeti | that jagat

kaaraNam Brahma which is satyam j~naanam anantam is chetanam or

conscious entity. ( We note that among the vedantin-s Shree Madhva

does subcribe to Brahman as material cause for the universe).

 

Differences between Saa~Nkhya and Vedanta: This has to be clear

since many words are commonly used by both darshhana-s - such as

purushha, prakR^iti, mahat, ahankaara, etc., including the word

saa~Nkhya while the intended meanings in both are not the same. This

is one of the importance of studying Brahmasuutra. One will have a

very firm understanding of Vedanta - what it says and what it does

not say and any new philosophy that comes along or philosophy of

so-called neo-advaitins - one will be able to see clearly the fallacy

in those if and when they claim they are new or different from

Vedanta - or if they claim they are the same as Vedanta but sound

different - words may involve new and modern jargon instead of the

old, but in essence the truth that Vedanta points out cannot be

different.

 

PurushaH - in both saa~Nkhya and Vedanta it means chaitanyam,

conscious entity, asangham, unattached, triguNaatiitam, beyond the

three guNa-s, akarthaa, non-doer. The difference is - saa~Nkhya says

purushha is bhokta-enjoyer, while in Vedanta purusha is abhokta. On

the other hand in saa~Nkhya prakR^iti is karta. Thus we find a

peculiar situation where kartaa and bhokta are not identical in

saa~Nkhya. This defect is called vaiyyadhikaranyam since a non-doer

is bhokta resulting in experiencing the results of actions which he

has not done. In Vedanta Purusha is both akarta and abhokta. In

saa~Nkhya purusha-s are many in number - aneka purushaH vartante -

in Vedanta(Advaita) PurushaH is ekaH or non-dual and plurality of

purushaH is unreal or is an adhyaasa. Since purushaH is a bhokta,

every purushaH is a sa.nsaari or jiivaH. In Vedanta every purushaH

is an apparent sa.nsaari but in reality he is not. Sa.nsaara is due

to adhyaasa. PurushaH is j~naata or pramataa or knower but in

Vedanta he is not a pramataa When purusha gains the knowledge, he

will be relieved from sa.nsaara since prakR^iti gets detached from

him.

 

PrakR^iti - or Common factors -Pradhaanam is jaDam or inert,

triguNaatmika or has three guNa-s. PrakR^iti evolves to become

universe. In Vedanta also prakR^iti evolves to become universe -

maayaantu prakR^itim vidyaat maayinantu maheswaram (Swe.. Up.) The

difference is for saa~nkhyan, prakR^iti is an independently real

entity. prakR^iti alone becomes creation and purusha has no role

since he is akarta. This is called swatantram pradhaanam concept of

saa~Nkhya. In Vedanta prakR^iti cannot exist independently. It is

not a separate substance. If purusha is like a clay, prakR^iti is

like a pot in the sense that it has no independent existence. Hence

in Vedanta prakR^iti is like a shakti of purushha - since it does not

exist independently from shakta purushha. My seeing, speaking,

hearing, tasting, feeling, thinking powers cannot exist separate from

me - essentially I, the enlivening entity that lend the support for

them. Even though Krishna says - prakR^ityaiva cha karmaaNi

kriyamaaNaani sarvashaH (13. 30) - all actions are being done by

prakR^iti, He makes it clear that - mayaa adhyakshena prakR^itiH

suuyate sa charaacharm - under my governership alone the prakR^iti

manifests the plurality. PrakR^iti becomes the creative power of the

Lord - one should therefore assume that the creation is done by the

Lord or purusha using his power of prakR^iti. Shankara says in

VivekachuuDaamani (108)

 

avyakta naamnii paramesha shaktiH

anaadyavidyaa triguNaatmikaa paraa|

kaaryanumeya sudhiyaiva maayaa

yayaa jagat sarvam idam prasuuyate||

 

The beginningless avidya or maaya, comprising of three guNa-s which

is also called unmanifest, is the power of the Lord, which is the

cause for the projection of the entire universe, can only be inferred

by the wise through its effects.

 

In addition if we say that prakR^iti is the upaadaana kaaraNam which

lends its existence to the kaaryam or effects, then it means

prakR^iti is lending its existence to the world. According to

Vedanta it cannot because prakR^iti has no independent existence and

has only a borrowed existence.

 

Another difference is according to saa~Nkhya prakR^iti alone is the

cause and it is jaDam. But for any creation one needs not only the

material cause but efficient cause or intelligent cause or nimitta

kaaraNam as well. And that nimitta kaaraNam has to be a chetana

vastu or conscious entity. Saa~Nkhya philosophers has no

nimittakaaraNam and do not accept Iswara. There is no intelligent

principle to convert matter into universe. They cannot invoke

purushha as the nimittakaaraNam since for them purushha is a jiiva

who is not omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent to create the

universe. Hence for them prakR^iti becomes universe naturally by

itself. (It is in a way modern scientific theory of Big Bang where

the Bang and the subsequent modifications forming galaxies and solar

systems, planetary systems occur naturally by the natural laws). Thus

according to saa~Nkhya, 1. pradhaanam exists independently and 2.

pradhaanam becomes the universe independent of any need of creator.

There are also other minor differences, particularly in the order of

creation process. For example the ahankaara alone becomes the mind

etc, whereas according to Vedanta the mind is the product of the five

subtle elements. Thus although Saa~Nkhya philosophers accept veda

pramaaNam or are aastika-s, their postulates are against vedic

teaching and the philosophy is called avaidikam, not consistent with

Veda-s. (Incidentally, Dvaitins call Advaita as avaidikam and

considere it as prachchhanna or disguised Buddhism, since according

to them its teachings are contradictory to Vedic teachings and more

parallel to Buddhism and Shankara is called prachhanna-Bouddha - or

disguised Buddhist).

 

To establish that chetana Brahman is the material cause of the

universe and to dismiss the achetana vaada of saa~Nkhya, in the

following adhikaraNa, we will be examining the shruti vaakyam in

which chetana Brahman is presented as the material cause. In

establishing the chetana Brahman as the material cause, we have at

least proved that saa~Nkhya does not follow veda pramaaNa or it is

avaidikam. Thus in this chapter, shruti pramaaNa is used to dismiss

saa~Nkhya. In the next chapter, anumaana pramaaNa will be used to do

the same thing. We say chetana Brahman is the material cause, it is

to be understood that we are not referring to nirguNa Brahman since

nirguNa Brahman is kaarya-kaaraNa vilakshaNam or beyond the

cause-effect relationships. We are referring to saguNa Brahma or

IswaraH. Iswara is nothing but Brahman but (as if) with the clothing

of maaya. (Bhagavaan Ramana says - Isha jiivayoH vishadhiibhida,

satva bhaavato vastu kevalam - the vesha or clothing is different for

Iswara and jiiva but from the point of existence or truth, they are

the same) Hence both Shankara and Vyasa use Brahman and Iswara

interchangeably when they refer to as the material and efficient

cause of the universe. (This is from Advaitic point but according to

Ramanuja, Brahmasuutra-s do not to the duel aspect of

Brahman, that is nirguNa and saguNa Brahman or Brahman or Iswara.

Absolute is the suguNa Brahman, who is none other Vshnu, who is the

jagat kaaraNam using maaya as His shakti.) Hence we take from shruti

the statements that point out that the Iswara as upaadana kaaraNa of

the jagat. There are also statements from shruti that indicate that

Iswara is the nimitta kaaraNam for jagat - those statements are also

taken since saa~Nkhya does not accept Iswara as the nimitta kaaraNam.

Thus we have provided brief synopsis of the first chapter.

 

These shruti statements or vishhaya vaakyaani that are taken for

analysis are broadly classified into two types of statements. 1.

spashhTa brahma linga vaakhyaani or those shruti statements in which

Brahman as the cause is revealed through clear indications; and 2.

aspashhTa brahma linga vaakyaani or those shruti statements in which

Brahman as the cause is not directly evident but needs to be

extracted by analysis. In the first section of this chapter we are

going to analyze the first ones, the spashhTa brahma linga vaakyam-s.

In the second and third sections we will analyze the aspashhTa brahma

linga vaakyaani. Hence the first paada or section in this chapter is

called spashhTa brahma linga samanvaya paadaH, as is pointed in the

title of the notes. With this background we will go into the

analysis of the fifth suutra. Following our format we will do

general analysis, word by word analysis and then conclusion.

 

End of the post

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