Philosophy of Ramanuja-chapter4

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Chapter4- The nature of the jiva

 

The jiva is the finite or individual self. It is distinct from the body, mind and intellect etc. and eternal in nature. The jivas are many and form the sareera of the Lord who is their inner self. To Ramanuja the individual self is the knowing subject unlike in advaita where it is pure consciousness. In vedartha sangraha he describes the nature of the soul thus:

The individual self is subjected to anaadi avidya, beginningless nescience (ignorance) due to accumulation of karma, which is both good and bad , as a result of which the jiva enters into different bodies, devatiryangmanushyaadhi, divine beings, human beings or beasts. The embodied self gets identified with the body it occupies and suffers thepangs of samsara. To get rid of this spiritual knowledge is sought about the nature and attributes of the self, the nature and attributes of Brahman who is its inner self and the way to attain Brahman which frees the individual self from transmigration.

 

Jiva as the knowing subject

 

Ramanuja explains in his comment on the vedantasutra (sribhashya) that the self is of the nature of knower and not mere knowledge nor inert.(SB.2-3-19) This is proved from the sruthi itself. In ChAndhOgya text in the section where prajApathi describes the released and unreleased souls by saying 'aTHa yo vedha jiGHrANeethi sa AthmA, one who knows "I smell" he is the self. Similarly in BrhadhAraNyaka it is said as a reply to the question 'kathama AthmA, who is the self,' that 'yO ayam vijnAnamayah prANEshu hrdhyanthrjyothirpurushah,(Brhd.4-3-7) he who is consisting of knowledge is the light within the heart in the prAnas.' and 'Esha hi dhrashtA srothA GHrAtha rasayithA manthA bOdDHA karthA vijnAnAthmA purushah,(Pras.IV-9) this person is the seer, hearer smeller, taster, thinker, knower, doer and the knowing self.

 

Knowledge ,jnana is the peculiar attribute of the jiva. This is called attributive consciousness, dharmabhutha jnana. It is however contracted in the embodied state and attains its natural all encompassing status when the soul is released from transmigration in mukti.

 

It may be argued that if the jiva is the knower, its real nature being infinite and all pervading, there will always be cognition everywhere. To this Ramanuja replies in Sribhashya thus: (SB.

 

The sruthi mentions the soul going out, and coming in etc. which is not possible if it is all pervading. In BrhadhAraNyaka upanishad '

 

'Esha AthmanishkrAmathi chakshushO VA murDHnO vAanyEbhyO VA sariradhEsebhyah,(Brhad.4- 4-2)

 

This self departs through the eyes or the skull or any other part of the body,' and the return likewise 'thasmAth lokAth punarEthi asmai lOkaya karmaNE, from those worlds, returns to this world for karma.'

 

The all pervasiveness only means that The self though atomic is able to pervade the whole body like the sandalpaste that creates coolness for the whole body though applied in one place or as the light placed in one corner lights up the whole room so does the AtmA in the heart spreads consciousness all over. (SB.2-3-24/26)

 

The individual self as an agent,karthaa

 

In katopanishad it is said

 

 

'hanthA cheth manyathE hanthum hathaschEth manyathE hatham, ubou thou na vijAneethou nAyam hanthi na hanyathE.'(Kata.I-2-19),

 

meaning, one who thinks that the self kills or get killed do not know the truth because the self neither kills nor gets killed .

 

It is said in the Gita also,

 

'prakrthEh kriyamANAni guNairkarmANi sarvasah, ahamkAravimooDAthmA karthAham ithi manyathE, (BG.3-27)

 

All actions are done by the gunas and the one who is deluded by ego thinks that he is the doer.'

 

The Brhamsutra `karthaa SaasthraarThathvaath, the individual self is the agent according to sastra ,' says Ramanuja, refutes this view.

 

.. Only the self is the kartha and not gunas. This is in accordance with the sasthras. It is found in the sruthi texts like 'yajEtha svargakAmah, one desirous of heaven should perform sacrifice ' and 'mumukshurbrahma upAseetha, one aspiring for release should meditate on Brahman,' that the agency of action is ascribed only to the individual self. The word sasthra means scriptural injunction originated from the word sAsana, command. Sasthras induce action by giving certain instructions and it is possible only in the case of a sentient soul and not insentient pradhana, that is, the gunas. That is why the purvamimamsa declares 'sAsthraphalam prayokthari, the fruit of the injunctions is only to the agent.' (III-7-18)

 

Ramanuja clarifies the point by saying that the text about the self not killing or getting killed etc. is to show that it is eternal and not to deny the agency. Similarly the sloka quoted from Gita only means that the activity during the state of bondage is induced by the gunas and not natural to the self as it is mentioned there itself that 'kAraNam gunasangOasya sadhasath yOnijanmasu,' ( BG.18-21) the cause of the embodiment in good and evil wombs is the association of the self with the gunas.' The original nature of the jiva is one of purity and bliss. It gets entangled with the world due to the limitations of embodiment and becomes the doer and enjoyer.

 

To the objection that if the soul is the doer, the instruments of action being always present there will be perpetual action. Ramanuja replies that like a carpenter who has the will to use his instruments or not, the jiva also, being sentient, has the power to act or not to act. ( SB.2-3-39) Being provided with the instruments of action the jiva is free to act or not to act. The jiva is free within certain limits and has the power of choice.

 

There is a text in Kousheetaki upanishad which says

 

'Esha hyEva sAdhukarma kArayathi tham yamEbhyO lOkEshu unnineeshathi, Esha Eva asAdhu karma kArayathi tham yam aDHo nineeshathi,

 

He makes those whom He wishes to raise to the higher worlds to do good deeds and whom He wishes to send down from these worlds He makes them do bad deeds. This may create doubt as to the freewill of the jiva since it means that only the Lord Himself makes one to do good and bad deeds and this goes contrary to the independent effort of the individual self.

 

Ramanuja replies that this does not apply to all beings but only means that when one chooses to proceed along the path approved by the Lord, He helps the soul to rise further and when one pursues the path that leads away from the Lord, He makes the soul descend further so that the propensity for evil will be exhausted.(SB.2-3-41)

 

In the Gita the Lord says

 

'thEshAm sathatha yukthAnAm bajathAm preethipoorvakam dhadhAmi buddhiyOgam tham yEna mAmupayAnthi thE.' (BG.10-10)

 

It means that the Lord gives the wisdom to those who worship Him with love so that they can attain Him. And He hurls those who are evil, He says, into demonical wombs in perpetual transmigration,

 

'thAn aham dvishadhah kroorAn samsArEshu narAdhamAn, kshipAmi ajasram ashubAnAm aAsureeshvEva yOnishu (BG.16-19)