Reply to Sri Balaji's query on 'seeing' from VedhArtha Sangraha (part-3)

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SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

 

Now the third part of Sri Balaji Sundarrajan’s mail

about ‘seeing’.

 

 

> Does athma has eyes ? i am aware that athma has (&

may carry ) knowledge during salvation.

> how can our aathma can see him without eyes.

> am i imagining my aathma like a dust in the air --

> (anur-brihat..krisha-sthoolaa)

 

>From VedArtha Sangraha:-

(Verse 252) :-

“He (Bhagavan DvaipAyana) says, ‘His form does not

fall within the range of perception. No one sees Him

with his eyes. He, whose mind has been brought to the

state of samAdhi by determined effort, sees him who is

of the nature of knowledge, through bhakti.’ The

meaning is that one who by determined effort fixes his

whole mind on the Supreme Purusha, sees him through

bhakti. Here ‘seeing’ means direct perception and

‘direct perception’ means attainment. It is thus the

passage would be one in meaning with the Lord’s

declaration., “I am attainable only through undivided

bhakti (Gita XI 54)”. Bhakti, therefore is only a form

of knowledge. Thus the explanation is complete and

satisfactory.”

 

Note:- To know what ‘perception’, ‘knowledge’ and

‘bhakti’ spoken in the above verse are all about, one

has to sail through the import of the verses 245, 246,

247, 250 & 251. It is servitude (seshatwa) in the form

of bhakti that is spoken as knowledge by texts. “It

has already been elucidated (in the verses from 245 to

247) that it is this service of the form of bhakti

that is spoken of as knowledge.” (251).

 

What is this service and servitude?

(Taking cue from verse 245, swami AdidevAnanda has

this to say in the Foreword to the translated version

of VedArtha Sangraha by Sri S.S. Raghavachar.)

“Sri Ramanuja enunciates a principle ‘that what an

individual pursues as a desirable end depends upon

what he conceives of himself to be.’ (245) Different

people pursue different and mutually conflicting

values. Hence the notion that independence is

happiness proceeds from the mis conception that one is

identical with the body, mind etc. This attachment to

the body is a sort of dependence itself. Instead of

dependence on God, it is dependence on matter. The

metaphysical fact is that he is not the body and

consequently there must be something else with which

his self is related. There can not be relation of the

principal entity and the subsidiary (sEshin and sEsha)

between any finite objects. The only object with which

such a relation can exist is God. Hence dependence on

anything other than God is painful and subservience to

God is joy and freedom. Similarly bondage is indeed a

dog’s life (Manu says) when one serves those who are

unworthy of service. The only entity which is worthy

of love, adoration and service is God. Sri Ramanuja

clinches the issue by quoting the text, ‘He is to be

served by all.’ (150) The emancipation consists in

service of God, and true bondage is independence of

God and service of body.”

 

To continue the logic, let us go into verse 250, “

“..the only one that ought to be served by all who are

enlightened about the fundamental nature of the self,

is the Highest Purusha. ‘He is to be served by people

in all stages of life. He alone is to be served by

all.’ The lord says, ”he who serves me, following the

path of undivided bhakti, transcends these qualities

(of prakriti) and will attain self-realisation.’ (Gita

XIV 26)

 

In verse 251 Sri Ramanuja speaks of this service as

bhakti which is spoken as ‘knowledge’ by texts. “Only

knowledge that is of the nature of supreme bhakti is

the means of attaining Bhagavan.” This ‘attainment’ is

‘direct perception’ which is equated to ‘seeing’ is

what the last verse (252) of VedArtah sangraha is all

about.

 

More detailed description of this ‘seeing’ is found in

Ramanuja Bhashya to Badarayana’s Vedanta Sutras.

(concluded)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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