sribhashya-eekshathyadhikaranam-1-1-5

August 6, 2006

EEkshathyaDHikaraNam

EekshathernAsabdhAth-1-1-5

It is not, not being found in the scriptures asabdham because of the

word 'eekshathe' etc, eekshatheh.

After establishing that Brahman shown as the cause of the world by

sruthi texts like 'yatho vA imAni bhoothAni jAyanthe,' the enquiry of

Brahman,who is omniscient, possessing of infinite auspicious

qualities has been affirmed by the first four suthras. Now the view

of the sAnkhya school of philosophy who ascribe, the causality of the

world through inference, to the inanimate pradhana,the premordial

nature, is taken up for refutation.

In the Chandogya text, 'sadhEva soumya idham agra Aseeth ekamEva

adhvitheeyam, thadhaikshatha bahusyam prajAyEya ,thatthejo

asrjatha, 'sath' , 'Being,' alone was in the beginning ,one only

without a second; it willed to become many and created fire,' the

word 'Being' is defined as Brahman by the vedantic schools. But here

the opponent, sAnkhyan raises a doubt as to whether the word 'sath'

refers to the pradhAna , inferred as the cause of the world.

The view of the sankhya is as follows:

All this world except the sentient self is made up of prakrthi which

is constituted of three guNas satthva,rajas and thamas.When the three

gunas are in equilibrium,sAmayAvastha there is no creation but the

premordial prakrthi exists in its unmanifest state.This is denoted by

the word 'sath' in the Chandogya passage. Then, (in the proximity of

purusha, the individual self) the gunas start combining and the

evolution when, from mahat or buddhi till the gross elements takes

place. This is indicated by the sentence 'it willed to become many.'

Sankhyan justifies his stand by saying 'karaNabhootha dravyasya

avstTHAnthara ApatthirEva kAryatha.' The effect is non-different

from the cause, being another state of existence of the cause. The

fact that the world came from prkrthi is proved by the subsequent

text,'vachArambhaNam vikarah namaDHEyam mrthikEthyEva sathyam, that

is, the mud alone is true and the various forms like pot etc are only

modifications like the gold ornaments or articles made of iron in

which only the gold and iron are the real essence. Further the

opponent argues that the promissory statement of 'ekavjnAnEna sarva

vijnAnam' will be meaningful only if the material cause of the world

is prakrthi made up of three gunas, the modifications of which, is

everything in this world. Therefore the text referring to the

origination of the world from 'sath,' points out only to pradhAna,

the premordial nature, that is the unmanifest prakrthi, to be the

cause of the world.

This view, says Ramanuja, is refuted by this

suthra 'eekshathErnAsabdhAth.' PradhAna which is AnumAnikam,

established through inference, and not a valid testimony, is not

mentioned by the sruthi as the cause of the world because of the use

of the verb 'eeksh, to will ' in the passage in connection with the

activity of 'sath,' the 'Being.' The action of willing can be

ascribed only to a sentient entity, which the pradhAna is not.

Therefore the term 'sath' can denote only the omniscient omnipotent

Supreme Person, the Brahman. Thus in all places where creation is

mentioned we find texts like ' sa eekshatha lOkAnnu srjAa ithi,sa

imAn lo kAn asrjatha,'(Aitr.Aran.II-4-1-2) and 'sa eekshAm chakre sa

prANam asrjatha,(pras.6-3) He created them and He willed to create

the worlds and He willed and created the vital air.'

It is true ,says Ramanuja , that the effect must be of the nature of

the cause. That is why the omniscient , omnipotent Supreme Being of

infallible will ,the inner Self of all is cited as the cause with the

sentient and insentient beings in their subtle state forming His

sarira. This is illustrated by the texts such as 'parAsya sakthih

viviDHAiva srooyathe svAbhAvikee jnanabalkriya cha,(svet.6-8) His

supreme power is manifold and His action, power and knowledge is His

inherent nature.' and 'yasya avyaktham sariram yasya aksharam sariram

yasya mrthyussariram Esha sarvabhoothAntharathma,(subal.VII) of whom

the unmanifest is the body, of whom the imperishable is the body, of

whom death is the body,He is the innerself of all.'

The argument that the promissory statement and the example given

point out only to pradhAna as the cause of the world through

inference is refuted by Ramanuja saying that there is no reason

given for the inference to make it valid. The example given is only

to confirm the possibility of 'EkavijANena sarva vijnAnam,' the

knowledge of everything by knowing about one thing, which is the

effect of the cause like everything else.

The next suthra is in answer to the argument of the opponent that

the word 'eekshatha, willed' can be taken, not in the primary sense,

but in the secondary sense, gouNA, as in the case of the expressions

like 'thathEja aikshatha, thA Apah aikshantha, the fire willed and

the water willed, ' in which the activity of the sentient being is

ascribed to the nonsentient figuratively. Thus the action of willing

can refer to pradhAna also.

August 6, 2006

Please read the suthra 1-1-5 as 'eekshthEr nAsabdham' instead of 'nAsabdhAth.' It should be broken into 'eekshatheh na asabdham.' Sorry for the error.

Saroja Ramanujam

sarojram18 <sarojram18 > wrote: