sribhashya-end of first chapter-prakrthyadhikaranam

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prakrthyaDHikaraNam-1-4-7

 

 

 

suthra23-prakrthischa

 

prthijnA dhrshtAnthAnuparODHAth-1-4-23

 

 

 

 

 

Brahman is also the material cause as this view is not contradicting the

promissory statement and the example stated therein.

 

 

 

The preceding suthras refuted the arguments of nirisvara sAnkhya, which

does not accept Isvara above the prakrthi and purusha, and now the view

of the sEsvara sAnkhya is refuted. The sEsvara sankhya known as

atheistic sankhya, accepts Isvara but only as an efficient cause while

they claim that the material cause of the world is PraDHAna, the

premordial nature and they quote vedantha texts to prove this. For

instance the svethasvathara text 'asmAnmAye srjathE visvamEthath' which

means that the ruler of Maya projects this world and the following text

that says 'mAyAm thu prakrthim vidhyAth mAyinam thu mahEsvaram, the

nature is Maya and the supreme Lord is the controller of Maya, show that

the Isvara is only created this universe with the help of prakrthi. The

smrithi also supports this as shown in Gita 'mayA aDhyakshEna prakrthih

sooyathE sacharAcharam,with Me as the supervisor the prakrthi produces

the world of the sentient and the insentient.'

 

 

 

The opponent cites the example in the world where the efficient cause

and the material cause are always different like the potter and the

clay, in making a pot.Therefore, claims the opponent, Brahman is only

the efficient cause.

 

 

 

This suthra refutes the view that Isvara is only the efficient cause by

saying that Brahman is also the material cause in order that there is no

discrepancy between the promissory statement and the analogy given to

substantiate it.The promissory statement, prathijnA, is the EkavijnAnEna

sarva vijnAnam, the knowledge of all by the knowledge of one declared by

'yEna asrutham srutham bhavathi amatham matham avijnAtham vijnAtham,

that is, by the knowledge of which what is unheard become heard, what is

not thought of is thought and what is unknown becomes known. Then the

passage is continued to illustrate the promissory statement by citing

the example of clay, gold and iron,(Chan.6-1-4) that the knowledge of

the effects like pot, ornaments and instruments become known by the

knowledge of their causes, namely, clay, gold and iron. Similarly by the

knowledge of Brahman everything becomes known and hence Braqhman is both

the material and efficient cause of the universe.This is made clear by

the opening text of the section, 'sadhEva soumya idhamagra ASeeth

EkamEva adhvitheeyam' which prohibits any material or efficient cause

other than Brahman.

 

 

 

The word prakrthi in the texts quoted, says Ramanuja, mean only Brahman

in the KaRAnaVAStha, causal state, where everything exists in Brahman

in their subtle state without name and form. That everything is Brahman

is indicated by sruthi texts such as 'sarvE tham parAdhAth yO anyathra

Athmanah sarvam veda,' (Brhd.II-4-6) everything leaves him who sees the

self elsewhere,and 'sarvam khalu idham brahma,'(Chan.3-14-1) all this is

Brahman, and 'EthadhAthmyam idham sarvam,'(Chan.vi-8-7) all this is

ensouled by Brahman,by which it is shown that Brahman is the self of all

both in their causal and effective state.

 

 

 

Even the texts such as 'mahAn avyakthE leeyathE avyaktham akshare

leeyathe, (Subala-2) the great one is merged in the unmanifest,the

unmanifest in the imperishable,' only denotes the manifest gross

universe merging in the unmanifest which is the kAraNAvastha of Brahman,

the imperishable. The text of Subala upanishad continues as 'aksharam

thamasi leeyathe thamah parE dEva Ekee bhavathi, it is not laya, merging

that is denoted but only EkeebhAva, becoming one with Brahman which is

the absence of name and form that is referred to as thamas.This is also

shown in the smrthi as 'Aseedhidham thamO bhaootham aprajnAtham

alakshaNam, apratharkyam avijnEyam prasupthamiva sarvathah,'(Manu-1-5)

this universe existed as darkness, unperceived, indistinct, beyond

reasoning, unknwable and like one in deep sleep.

 

 

 

It is argued that normally the efficient and material cause are seen to

be different through experience and to say that both are the same is

self contradicting statement like the sentence 'sprinkle with fire.' To

this Ramanuja replies 'sakalaitharavilakshanasya parasya brahmanah

sarvasakthEh sarvajnasya Eva sarvam upapadhyathE.' It is quite

appropriate for Brahman who is different from everything , all powerful

and omniscient, to accomplish anything. The absence of intellect in the

case of clay and the lack of power of transformation and absence of

infallible will, are the reasons for the material and efficient causes

being different. Hence Brahman is both the material and efficient cause.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-24-abhiDHyOpadhEsAccha-1-4-24

 

 

 

Brahman is both because of the texts about willing.

 

 

 

In Taittiriya we have the text 'so akAmayatha, bahu syAm prajAyeya,'

(Tait.6-2) and in Chandhogya 'it willed to become many,' from which it

is evident that Brahman is both the material and efficient cause of the

world.

 

 

 

suthra-25-sAkshAccha ubhayAmnAnath-1-4-25

 

 

 

Both being directly mentioned.

 

 

 

There is direct reference to Brahman being the material as well as the

efficient cause in the scripture. ' kim svidvanam ka u sa vrkshaAseeth

yathO dhyAvA prthivee nishTathakshuh,'(Tait.2-8-9) what was the woods

what was the tree by which the heaven and the earth was shaped and where

it stood,' was the question asked to which the answer given was 'brahma

vanam brahma sa vriksha AseethyathO dhyAvAprthivee

nishTathakshuh;maneeshiNO manasA vibraveemi vO brahma aDHyathishTath

buvanAni DHArayan,' meaning that Brahman is the woods,the tree which

shaped the world and which stood on Brahman, the supporter of the

worlds..Thus it is directly said that Brahman created the world out of

Himself.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra26-AthmakrthE-1-4-26

 

 

 

Because it created itself.

 

 

 

The Taittiriya text 'thadhAthmAnam svayam akurutha,' (Tait.2-7) that

itself manifested itself, shows that Brahman manifested Himself as the

world. Hence it is the material and efficient cause.

 

 

 

To the objection that if Brahman created the world out of Himself the

imperfections of the world will mean that the Brahman is not as

indicated by the texts 'sathyam jnAnam anantham,(Tait-Anan.1-1) truth

knowledge and infinity ,' AnandhO brahma,(Tait.brg.6) brahman is bliss,'

'apahathapApmA,(Chan.8-1-2).free from evil' and 'sa vA Esha mahAnaja

AthmA ajarO amarah,'etc.(Brhd.6-4-25) The next suthra answers this.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-27-pariNAmAth-1-4-27

 

 

 

Because of modification it is possible.

 

 

 

This is explained by Ramanuja in his own special way as follows:

 

'asEsha hEya prathyaneekakalyANaika thAnam svEtharasamastha

vasthuvilakshaNam sarvajnam sathya sankalpam avAptha samasthakAmam

anavaDHIkAthisayAnandham svaleelA upakaraNabhootha samastha

chcidhachitvasthujAthasarirathayA thadhAthmabhootham param Brahma

svasarirabhoothE prapanchE thanmAthrAhamkArAdhikAraNaparamparayA

thamassabdhavAchya athisookshma achidvasthvEkaseshE sathi, thamasi cha

svasarirathayA api prthangnirdhEsa anarha athisookshmadashApatthyA

svasmin EkathAm ApannE sathi thaTHA bhootha thamassariram brahma

poorvavadh vibhakthanAmarupachidhachnmisraprapanchasariram syAm ithi

sankalpya apyayakramENa jagccharirathayA AthmAnam pariNamayathi ihti

sarvEshu vEdAnthEshu pariNAma upadhEsah.'

 

 

 

What this long passage means is this:

 

Brahman who is free from imperfections, abode of auspicious

qualities,unparalleled,omniscient, of infallible will,of the nature of

infinite bliss,is the self of the sentient and the insentient, which are

His sarira , used for His sport. When all this world was absorbed in Him

what remained was darkness ,so called because of its highly subtle state

not distinguishable by name and form, inseparable from Brahman being its

sarira, becomes one with Brahman. Then Brahman willing to become many

gives forth the world of name and form again in the reverse order in

which the involution took place. This is shown by the texts in

BrahadhAraNyaka upanishad which mentions Brahman as the inner self and

controller of all, enumerating earth, and other elements and indhriyas

etc. one by one, and finally mentioning the indidual self. In Subala

upanishad the process of involution is described as the earth merging in

water, water in fire,fire in wind, wind in AkAsa, AkAsa in indhriyas,

indhriyas in thammAthras, which merge in their turn in the elements

which merge in mahath, which merges in avyaktha while avyaktha merges in

akshara and akshara in thamas which merges in the supreme divinity,that

is Brahman.

 

 

 

But eventhough brahman Himself became the world as stated in Taittiriya

anandhavalli text 'thath srshtvA thadhEva anuprAvisath, thadhEva

anupravisya sathcha thyath cha abhavath.(Tait.6-3) Having created it He

entered into it and became real and unreal.' This means that the supreme

self who remained as the Self of all in the causal state, became the

world in the state of effect. But eventhough Brahman Himself became the

world, the imperfections of the world do not adhere to Brahman who

remains in the the same unlimited nature of bliss , for whom the

creation is a matter of play. All the sentient and the insentient being

His modes, neither the defects of the sentient soul nor the changes of

the insentient matter touch Him as they are the modifications of the

body only, of which He is the inner self.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-28-yOnischa hi geeyathe-1-4-28

 

 

 

Because Brahman is called the origin.

 

 

 

Brahman is mentioned as the source of all by the sruthi texts such as

'karthAram Isam purusham brahmayOnim,'(Mund.3-1-3) meaning, He is the

creator and the source, 'yadhbhoothayOnim paripasyanthi dheerAh,'

(Subal.1-1-7) whom the wise see as the origin of the world,and 'yathA

oornanAbhih srjathE grhnathe cha ,(Mund.1-1-7) as a spider creates and

absorbs,etc.

 

Therefore Brahman is the material and efficient cause.

 

Thus ends the prakrthyaDHikaraNam.

 

 

 

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1-4-29

 

 

 

By this all texts are explained.

 

 

 

In the four pAdhAs of the chapter all vedanta texts that refer to the

origin of the world are explained to denote only the Brahman who is

chEthanAchEthana vilakshaNah, different from sentient and insentient

beings, sarvajna sarvashakthi, omiscient and omnipotent.

 

 

The end of the first adhyaya of Sribhashya of Ramanuja