sribhashya-adhyaya-3-padha-1-adhikarana1

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sribhashya

 

 

 

adhyaya-3-padha-1

 

 

 

thadhanantharaprathipathyaDHikaraNam-3-1-1

 

 

 

suthra-1-thadhantharaprathipatthou ramhathi samparishvakthah

prasnanirupaNAhyAm-3-1-1

 

 

 

The soul goes out enveloped by the subtle elements with a view of

obtaining another body which is known from question and answer.

 

 

 

In the first two adhyayas it has been established that Brahman, who is

free from imperfections , abode of infinite auspicious qualities and of

different nature from everything else is the first cause and the views

of the opponents were refuted on the basis of sruthi, smrthi and

reasoning. The next two adhyayas deal with the means and the methods of

attaining Brahman.

 

 

 

The third adhyaya is about the meditation as the means of release which

consists of the absence of desire in anything except the desired

object,namely Brahman. To attain this the imperfections of the

individual self moving about in different states of waking,dreaming ,

deep sleep and swoon and the absence of it in Brahman, the abode of

auspicious attributes, is to be understood, which forms the subject

matter of the first two padhas of the third adhyaya.

 

 

 

The suthra affirms that the soul leaving the body takes with it the

subtle elements from which the new body is created as against the

poorvapaksha view that the soul can produce a new body wherever it goes.

This is known from question and explanation found in the sruthi.

 

 

 

In the instruction of the panchAgnividhya in ChandhOgya upanishad where

PravahaNa. king of PAnchAlas after putting several questions to

SvEthakEthu regarding the destination of the soul after death and the

two paths ,one of which leads to the point of no return and the other by

which the soul returns taking rebirth says 'vEtTHa yaTHA

panchamyAHuthAvApah purushavachasO bhavanthi,(Chan-5-3-3) do you know

how at the fifth oblation he liquid oblations come to be designated as

man.'

 

 

 

The answer is given later in the passage that the heavens is the fire

into which the deities, the prANas(indhriyas) of the sacrificer and

their prsiding deities, namely fire etc offer sraddha, faith as the

oblation.( This means that a sacrificer who is competent and strong in

his faith offers himself as the oblation.)This is the first fire. The

next is parjanya, the rain cloud. Into this fire the deities offer king

Soma, the moon as the oblation. that is the liquid oblation in the form

of faith develops into the form of the moon and when it reaches the

second stage , that of parjanya, it turns into rain. The third fire is

the earth in to which the oblation of rain is offered. The fourth fire

is the man into whom the oblation of food is offered. The fifth fire is

the woman into whom the oblation of the seed is offered. The answer to

the question at the outset is given as 'ithi thu

panchamyAhuthAvApahpurushavachasO bhavanthi,(Chan.5-9-1) thus at the

fifth oblation the waters come to be designated as man because it turns

into a child.

 

 

 

But the opponent raises a doubt that since only water is said to

accompany the soul to the next birth how can it be said that the soul

takes with it the essence of all the elements. The next suthra gives an

answer.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-2-thrayAthmakathvAth thu bhooyasthvAth-3-1-2

 

 

 

Because water consists of three elements but predominantly water.

 

 

 

It is not only water but as shown in the process of tripartite is only

predominantly made up of water consisting of fire and earth in lesser

proportions.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-3-prANagathEscha-3-1-3

 

 

 

Because of the going of the organs with the soul.

 

 

 

In the text 'thamuthkrAmantham prANah anuthkrAmathi; prANam

anuthkrAMantham sarvE prANA anuthkrAmanthi, (Brhd.4-4-2) the organs

leaving with the soul is mentioned and also in Bhagavatgita it is said

that when the soul leaves the body it takes with it the organs.

'manasshashaTAneendhriyANi prakrthisTHAni karshathi; sariram

yadhavApnOthiyadhAPyuthkrAmtheesvarah, grheethvaithAni

samyAthivAyurganDHAnivAsayAth.'(BG.15-8)

 

: 'It draws to itself the organs of sense, with the mind for the sixth.

When the ruler (soul) obtains a new body, and passes out of another, he

takes with him those organs and then moves on, as the wind takes the

odours from their abodes.'

 

 

 

suthra-4-agnyAdhigathisruthEh ithi cheth na bHakthathvAth-3-1-4

 

 

 

The organs entering into fire etc is to be taken in the secondary sense.

 

 

 

'yathrAsya purushasya mrthasya agnim vAk apyEthi,'(Brhd.3-2-13) Since it

is said that when a man dies his speech enters into the fire, it is

objected that the soul carries the subtle elements with it but the

suthra refutes it saying that this statement is to be taken in the

secondary sense as in the later text 'oushadheerlOmAni vanaspatheen

kEsAh, the hairs of the body enters the herbs and the hairs of the head

enter the trees.'

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-5-prathamE asravaNAth ithi cheth nathA EVa hyupapatthEh-3-1-5

 

 

 

If it is said that there is no mention of water, it is not so because

water is that which is meant.

 

 

 

 

 

The opponent says that in the first oblation it is sraddha which is the

orffering and not water and sraddha is known to be an attitude of mind.

Hence it is not correct to say that the soul goes out carrying the

subtle element of water.

 

 

 

The suthra refutes this saying that by sraddha only water is meant as

otherwise there will be discrepancy between the question and the answer.

sraddha is mentioned as transformed into moon, rain etc and finally

becoming the foetus and in the end it is said

'EvamApahpurushavachasah.' Moreover the word sraddha has been used in

the sense of water in the scriptures, ' apah praNayathi, sraddhAvA Apah

ithi, (Tait.sam.I-vi-8-1) he carries water sraddha is water.'

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-6-asruthathvAth ithi chEth na,ishtADHIkAriNAm pratheethEh-3-1-6

 

 

 

If it is said that the jiva is not mentioned in the passage ,it is not

so because the sacrificer is jiva only. Later in the same chapter it is

said that those who perform meritorious deeds go to the world of devas

and become Somaraja, (king moon) and on the exhausion of their merits

return to the earth. This is exactly what has been described in the

previous section by mentioning the offering of sraddha from which arises

king sOma etc. So the entity which is denoted as having the body of

sraddha is the same which becomes the nature of the moon, both denoting

the individual soul.

 

 

 

 

 

suthra-7-bhAktham vA anAthmavithvAthn thaTHA hi dharsayathi-3-1-7

 

 

 

Soma being food of the devas is meant in the secondary sense because of

not knowing the self and so the sruthi declares.

 

 

 

The opponent argues that from the text 'Esha sOmO rAjA thaddhEvAnAm

annam ;tham dhEvA bakshayanthi, (Chan.5-10-4) this king soma is the food

of devas and they eat him,' it is evident that the individual soul

cannot be denoted as king soma.

 

 

 

The suthra refutes the above saying that because of the absence of

knowledge on the part of the sacrificer regarding his real nature he is

said to be the food of the devas. By the sacrificial offerings ,worship

etc the devas are pleased and they enjoy them and hence the word food is

used in the sense of that which is enjoyed. As a result of sacrifice etc

the individual self is also able to enjoy the company of devas, the one

devoid of the knowledge of Self is mentioned as 'yaTHA pasuh EVam sa

dhEvAnAm, (Brhd.1-4-10) he is like a beast to the devas, meaning object

of enjoyment. Eating for the devas mean satisfaction and not actual act

of eating which is shown from the text,' 'na vai dhEvA asnanthi na

pibanthi;EthadhEvAmrtham dhrshtvA thrpyanthi,(Chan.3-6-1)

 

Ramanuja concludes by saying that it is settled that the soul moves

from one body to another taking the subtle elements with it. 'thasmAth

bhoothasukshmaih samparishvakthah jivo ramhathiithi siddham.'

 

Thus ends the thadhantharprathipatthyadDhikaraNam.