sribhashya-adhyaya3-padha3-adhikarana12,13 and 14

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sAmparAyADHikaraNam-3-3-12

 

suthra-27-sAmparAyE tharthavyAbhAvAth thaTHA hyanyE-3-3-27

 

At the departure from the body there is no karma remaining for the

enlightened soul. Other texts also declare so.

 

Kousheetaki upanishad says, 'sa Agacchathi virajAm nadheem;thAm manasA

athyEthi; thath sukrthadhushkrthE dhoonuthE, the soul comes to the river

virajA in brahmalOka (or vaikunta for Vaishnavites) and crosses it by

the mind and sheds its good and bad deeds. The text which tells about

the son getting the inheritance, his friends his good deeds etc.implies

that the deeds are shaken off at the time of the soul leaving the

body.So it appears as though part of the deeds are left behind at the

time of death and the rest during the journey to the world of Brahman.

 

This view is refuted by the suthra. At the time of leaving the body,

sAmparaya, the soul of the enlightened leaves all karma behind because

there is no enjoyment of pleasure and pain after the soul leaves the

body except the attainment of Brahman. this is confirmed by the texts

such as 'asariram vA va santham na priyApriyE sprsathah, (Chan.8-12-1)

pleasure and pain do not touch one who is without body,' and

subsequently 'Esha samprasAdhO asmAth sarirAth samutthAya param

jyOthirupasampadhya svEna rupENa abhinishpadhyE, (Chan.8-12-3) this

serene one rises out of the body reacfhes the highest light and appears

in his own form.'And 'thasya thAvadhEva chiram yAvannavimokshyE aTHa

sampathsyE, for him only so long is the delay as he is not liberated

from the body and then immediately he is merged in being.'

 

 

 

suthra-28-cchandhathah ubhayAvirOdDhAth-

 

3-3-28

 

Scriptural texts must be construed to mean so as not to contradict each

other.

 

The text in Kousheetaki upanishad 'thath sukrthadhushkrthE dhoonuthE, he

shakes off his good and bad deeds,' is to be taken preceding the one

which mentions the soul going on the path of devas,'Etham dhEvayAnam

panThAnam Apadhya ,' in meaning.

 

 

 

suthra-29-gatherarTHavathvam ubhayaTHA anyaTHA hi virODhah-3-3-29

 

The journey of the self will have meaning only if there is shedding of

karma in two stages as otherwise there will be contradiction.

 

The poorvapakshin says that if all the karma is shaken off at the time

of leaving the body there will be no subtle body because of absence of

karma and hence it is not possible for all karma to perish at the time

of the soul's departure from the body.To this the next suthra replies.

 

 

 

suthra-30 upapannasthallakshaNArTHopalabDHEh lOka vath-3-3-30

 

It is justified as a subtle body with similar characterestics is

attained later as seen in the world.

 

The ChandhOgya says 'param jyothirupasampadhyasvEna rupENa

abhinishpadhyE, (Chan.8-12-2) having attained the supreme light the soul

manifests itself in true form,' 'sa thathra paryEthijakshath kreedan

ramamANah,(Chan.7-25-2) he moves about there laughing, playing and

rejoicing,'sa svarat bhavathi,(Chan.7-26-2) he becomes the self

ruler,'All these indicate the presence of a subtle body not through

karma, which has been shed, but by the power of knowledge,

vidhyAmAhAthmya.This subtle body is acquired in order to enable the soul

to attain Brahman by proceeding along the devayAna, path of the devas.

This is akin to the use of a tank which is erected for watering the

fields being later used for storing drinking water.

 

suthra-31-yAvath adhikAram avasTHithihADHikArikANAm-3-3-31

 

Those who hold certain positions have to remain as long as it lasts.

 

It is known that souls like Vasishta entered into other embodiments

after leaving their body and experienced pain and pleasure though they

were enlightened souls. To this point raised, the suthra replies that

the destruction of karma takes place only for those wise souls who

travel along the path of light. For souls like Vasishta they remain till

their particular assigned post lasts. So there is no travel for them

along the path of light. Thus ends the sAmparAyAdhikaraNam.

 

 

 

AniyamADHikaraNam-3-3-13

 

suthra-32-aniyamah sarvEshAm avirODHah sabdhAnumAnAbhyAm-3-3-32

 

There is no restriction and hence no contradiction between sruthi and

smrthi.

 

In the upakosalavidhya (Chan.4-10to15) it is said that those who

meditate on Brahman go through the path of light.Here the doubt is that

whether only those who follow this particular kind of meditation go

along the path of light or all those who meditate on Brahman do so.

 

The suthra answers that there is no restriction as all those who

meditate on Brahman proceed along the path of light.In chandhOgya where

the meditation on five fires is prescribed it is said that those who do

this go on the path of light. 'thadh ya itthE vidhuryE cha imE araNyE

sraddhA thapa ithyupAsathe thE archisham

abhisambhavanthi,(Chan.5-10-1)those who in the forest meditate on faith

and austerity go on the path of light,' and in BrhadhAraNyaka it is said

'ya EvamEthath vidhuhyE cha amee araNyE sraddhAm sathyam upAsathe thE

archisham abhisambhavanthi (Brhd.6-2-15) )those who in the forest

meditate on faith and truth go on the path of light.'

 

The words 'who know this' refers to the panchAgni vidhya and the said

meditation is that on Brahman as the terms sathyam and thapah mean only

Brahman. Similar description as that found in the upanishads regarding

the progress of an enlightened soul on the archiradhi marga, the path of

light is found in smrithi passage also.The Bhagavatgita says

'agnirjyOthrahah suklahshaNmAsA uttharAyaNam; thathra prayAtha

gacchanthi brahma brahmavidho janAh, (BG.-24) fire, the light, the day,

the bright fortnight, the six months of uttharAyaNa, proceeding by that

road those who know Brahman go to Brahman.' Hence the path by which the

enlightened soul proceeds is common to all meditations.Thus ends

aniyamADHikaraNam.

 

 

 

aksharaDhyaDHIkaraNam-3-3-14

 

suthra-33-aksharaDHiyAm thu avarODHah sAmAnyahthadhbhAvAbhyAm

oupasadhavath thadhuktham-3-3-33

 

The concept of the imperishable (as Given in BrhadhaAraNyaka as

negative attributes) have to be included in all meditations because of

the sameness of meditation and they being the essential nature of

Brahman as in the case of that of upasad which is explained.

 

In BrhadharaNyaka there is a passage 'Ethadhvai thadhaksharam gargi

brAhmaNA abhivadhanthi asthoolam anaNu ahrasvam adheergham,this

imperishable ,O Gargi, is neither gross nor atomic, neither short nor

long .'etc. In Mundaka also we find the following text 'aTha parA yayA

thadgaksharam abhigamyathE yath thadhadhrEsyam agrAhyam agothram

avarNam, (Mund.1-1-5) the imperishable is that which is attained by that

supreme knowledge and it is unperceivable,incomprehensible unoriginated

and formless,' etc.

 

The question now is whether these denied qualities are to be included in

all meditations or only where specified.The suthra affirms that they

have to be included because Brahman is common to all meditations and

these qualities are implied as the essential nature of Brahman. These

qualities are as important as the affirmative ones such as truth

knowledge and bliss because they differentiate Brahman from the world

which is the opposite of the qualities denied in Brahman. And the

meditation on Brahman possessing these qualities is necessary in order

to detach oneself from the world.

 

Ramanuja explains this as follows: 'asADHAraNa AKArENa grahaNam hi

vasthunah grahaNam ;na cha kEvalam AnandhAdhi brahmaNah asAdhAraNam

AkAram upasTHApayathi prathyagAthmanyapi

AnandhAdhirvidhyamAnathvAth;hEyaprathyaneekO hi brahmaNah asADHAraNam

rupam; prathyAgAthmansthu svathah hEya virahiNO api hEyasambhanDha

yOgyathA asthi.

 

The meaning of the passage is this.What gives distinction to an entity

is its special character. Being the nature of bliss alone is not enough

to distinguish Brahman from the individual self as it is also the

essential nature of the indvidual self. The special characterestic

feature of Brahman is its freedom from imperfections. Even though the

individual self also has this attribute in its pristine state it also

has the capacity to get connected with the imperfections in its

transmigratory state.

 

The analogy given in the suthra is that of upasad offering. This

ceremony is prescribed in Yajurveda but the manthras related to it is in

samaveda and as such they are considered as subsidiary to the ceremony

and chanted in undertones to show that they are subordinate to the

upasad offering which is the principal matter.Hence Brahman being the

principal object of meditation the qualities like absence of grossness

etc . which are susidiary must follow the principal matter, that is

meditation on Brahman.

 

suthra-34-iyadhAmananAth-3-3-34

 

This much only on account of meditation.

 

the poorvapakshin comes with an objection that if it is to be accepted

that the subsidiary must follow the principal, then all attributes such

as those given in the text of ChAndhOgya for instance,viz. 'sarvakarmA

sarvakAmah sarvaganDhah sarvarasah, who is all that exists, whose are

the pure desires who possesses all agreeable odours and tastes etc., in

all meditations.

 

The suthra refutes this view.The word Amananam means anuchinthanam,

direct thinking.Only those attributes without which it is not possible

to realize Brahman are only to be included in all meditations.Others

mentioned above are to be included only when specified.This is the end

of aksharaDHyadHikaraNam.