Veadarthasangraha of Ramanuja contd.

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5.Aim of the vedanta vakysas of the

upanishads

 

asya

jeevaathmanoH-anaadhyavishyaasamchitha-puNyapaaparoopa-karmapravaahahethuka-brahmaadhi-sura-nara-thiryak-sThaavaraathmaka-chathurviDha

dheha-praveSakrtha-thaththath-aathmaabhimaana-janitha-avarjaneeya-bhavabhayavidhvamsanaaya

dhehaathiriktha –aathmasvaroopa-thathsvabhaava-thadhantharyamibhootha

paramaathma svaroopa-thathsvabhaava-thadhupaasana-thathphalabhootha

aathmasvaroopaavirbhaava-poorvaka-

anavaDhika-athiSaya-aanandhabrahmaanubhavajnaapane pravrttham hi

vedhaanthavaakyajaatham.

 

asya jeevaathmanoH- of the individual self

 

anaadhi avidhyaa samchitha- who has collected through the beginning-less

ignorance

 

puNyapaaparoopakarmapravaahahethuka- resulting in the flow of karma of the nature of

both puNya and papa, merit and sin

 

brahmaadhi-sura-nara-thiryak-sThaavaraathmaka-chathurviDhadheha-praveSakrtha- which

causes the entry into the bodies of deva, human, animal and plants

 

thaththath-aathmaabhimaana-janitha

avarjaneeya-bhavabhayavidhvamsanaaya –

resulting

in the attachment of that body inhabited at that time and creates the fear of

the ills of samsara, which can be destroyed

 

 

dhehaathiriktha

–aathmasvaroopa-thathsvabhaava- only

through the knowledge of the Self which is beyond the embodiment and its nature

 

 

thadhantharyamibhootha paramaathma

svaroopa-thathsvabhaava- Knowing about the Lord who is the inner self and His nature

 

thadhupaasana-thathphalabhootha

aathmasvaroopa aavirbhaava-poorvaka- realizing

the Self through the worship of Him which will result in the manifestation of

the real self

 

anavaDhika-athiSaya-aanandhabrahma

anubhavajnaapane pravrttham hi vedhaanthavaakyajaatham

 

and

the experience of infinite and wonderful bliss of Brahman is the purport of the

vedantavakyas.

 

Ramanuja explains the purport of the Vedanta vakyas

such as thaththvam asi etc. in this passage. As a result of beginning-less ignorance the individual soul

accumulates karma which gives rise to merit and demerit. According to the

nature of karma the soul gets embodies in various bodies ranging from deva, the

highest order of beings who have dominance of punyakarma down to plant life,

the lowest rung of evolution. The individual gets attached to the respective

bodies and undergoes the ills of samsara. This gives rise to fear from samsara

and the individual soul strives to get free of the cycle of birth and death.

For this the knowledge of the real nature of the soul and that of the Supreme

Self, Brahman, who is the inner self is to be understood by contemplating on

and the worship of the Supreme self. By

this the real Self manifests and the

experience of the infinite bliss of Brahman is experienced. . The Vedanta

vakyas denote only this by the mahavakyas such as thath thavam asi.

 

The

word upasana means contemplation and worship, including all forms of worship

kaayikam, physical, like observing austerities and rituals, vaachika , like

singing His praise, namasankeerthana and dhyana , the continous stream of

thought directed on the Lord like the dripping of oil, thailadhaaravath, which

is maanasika.

 

The

karma consists of both punya and papa. The ignorance avidhya is the cause of

both. Even punya is to be got rid of like papa as it also gives rise to further

embodiment. By the identification with the body, the attachment arises

which induces further karma. Thus the

fear of the ills of samsara, like old age, disease and death, is unavoidable,

To be free from it the contemplation etc. on the Supreme self is necessary.

This leads to the manifestation of Brahman resuting in the experience of the

infinite and wonderful bliss of Brahman. This is enjoined by the vedantic

passages such as ‘thathavamasi.’

 

6. vedic texts and their implications

 

Ramanuja

cites the passages from the vedic texts which deal with the above topics.

 

thath thavam asi- That thou Art(Chan.6.9.4)

 

According

to Ramanuja the text thath thavam asi does not imply total identity but only

the sareera sareeri bhava of Brahman and the individual self. This he

elucidates in a later passage.

 

ayam aathmaa brahma- This Self is Brahman(Brhd.6.4.5)

 

Denotes

that Brahman is the real Self.

 

ya aathmani thishTan aathmanaH

antharaH yam aathmaa na vedha , yasya aathmnaa Sareeram ya aathmaanam antharo

yamayathi, sat tha aathmaa antharyami amrthaH – He who being inside the Self whom the Self does not

know whose body is the Self, who controls the Self from within, That is the

real Self the inner Self and immortal.

(Brhd.Madh. 5.7)

 

This

clearly brings our the visishtaadhvaitha siddhantha that Brahaman is the inner

self of all.

 

esha sarvabhoothaantharaathmaa

apahatha paapmaadhivyo dheva eko naaraayaNaH-

He is the inner Self of

all, free from all imperfections, the sole Lord

Narayana (subala-7)

 

Narayana

being the inner Self is not affected by the imperfections of the jeevathma, the

embodied self.

 

tham

etham vedha anuvachanena braahmaNaa vividhishanthi, yajnena dhaanena thapasaa

anaaSakena – Brahmanas( those who seek Brahman) wish to know Him through

the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, charities, austerities and fasting.(Brhd.6.4.22)

 

The

disciplines mentioned enjoin the varnasrama dharma which when done as an

offering to the Lord, produces jnana

through which the Lord Narayana is

known.

 

brahmavidh aapnothi param- The

knower of Brahma attains the Supreme.(Thaitt.2.1)

 

The

jnana that comes from dhyana upasana etc. aalone is the means of salvation,

moksha saadhanam.

 

tham evam vidhvaan amrtha iha

bhavathi, naanyaH panThaa vidhyathe ayanaaya –

 

One

who knows Him thus become immortal while being here. There is no other path to

this goal.(purusha suktham 7)

 

This

reiterates what has been said above.

 

Ithyaadhikam- and so on.

 

7.

The nature of the individual self

 

 

jeevaathmanaH svaroopam

dhevamanushyaadhi prakrthi pariNaamviSesha naanaaviDhabhedha rahitham,

jnaanaanandhaikaguNam, thasya ethasya karmakrtha dhevaadhibhedhe viDhvasthe

svaroopabhedhaH vaachaam agocharaH. svayamvedhyaH jnaanasvaroopam ithi

ethaavath eva nirdheSyam. Thath cha sarveshaam aathamnaam samaanam.

 

jeevaathmanaH svaroopam

dhevamanushyaadhi prakrthi pariNaamviSesha naanaaviDhabhedha rahitham

jnaanaanandhaika guNam,

 

The

essential nature of the individual self is devoid of the differences such as

deva and manushya, which are only due to the modifications of prakrthi and it

is of pure knowledge and bliss.

 

thasya ethasya karmakrtha

dhevaadhibheDhe viDhvasthe svaroopabhedhaH vaachaam agocharaH, svasamvedhyaH,

‘jnaanasvaroopam’ ithi ethaavath eva nirdheSyam

 

When

the differences due to being deva manushya etc. is destroyed (by knowledge of

the Self) the essential nature being different (from everything that could be

described by words) it is indescribable but could be cognized by self alone,

and can only be defined as being the nature of

knowledge.

 

The

differences between a deva and a human is cognized by their form, similarly the

difference between an animal and a man. But this distinction pertains only to

the body assumed due to the respective

karma and does not extends to the soul, which experiences the

differences because of its identification with body, resulting in ego-centric

impulses. The Self is of the nature of knowledge and bliss in which the

opposites namely, ignorance and sorrow cannot be present. Hence these qualities

experienced by the jeeva in its embodied state is not real.

 

The

distinguishing features of jeevas in embodied state is of three kinds. First,

the egoistic attachment such as I am a man I am a deva etc. Secondly that of

the form as man, deva animal etc.,

thirdly the difference in knowledge, as the knowledge of a deva is superior to

that of man, whose knowledge in turn is higher than that of an animal. But these differences are due to karma and when

the karma is destroyed by the knowledge

of Brahman, all the differences vanish because the knowledge expands to its

utmost state which is described by the Lord in the Gita as samadharsana.

‘Vidhyaavinaya sampanne braahmaNe gavi hasthini Suni chaiva Svapaake cha

pandithah samadharSinah.’ The wise see a learned Brahmin who is humble, a cow,

an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater

equally, because the difference is only external and the Self is the same in

all. Hence Ramauja says,

thath cha sarveshaam aathmanaam

samaanam. The Self which has pure

knowledge as its essential nature is the same in all.

 

The

limited knowledge in the embodied state is termed as dharmabhoothajnana in

visishtadvaita while the knowledge in its natural state of the Self is

svaroopajnana.

 

8. The nature of Eesvara

 

atha eesvarasvaroopam uchyathe. evam

viDha chidhachidhaathmaka prapanchasya udhbhava sThithi pralaya samsaaranivarthanaika

hethu bhoothaH. Samastha heya prathyaneekathayaa ananthakalyaaNaikathaanathayaa

cha svaitharasamasthavasthuvilakshaNa svaroopaH anavaDhika athisaya asankhyeya

kalyaaNa guNa gaNaH sarvaathmaparabrahma parajyothiH parathathava paramaathma

sadhaadhi Sabdha bhedhaiH nikhilavedhaanthavedhyaH bhagavaan naaraayaNaH

purushotthamaH ithi antharyaami svaroopam.

 

asya cha vaibhavaprathipaadhanaparaaH

SruthayaH svaitharasamastha chaidhachithvasthujaathaanthraathmathayaa nikhila

niyamanam thath Sakthi thadhamSa thadhvibhoothi thadhroopa thathSareera

thatthanuprbhrthibhiH sabdhaiH thathsaamaanaaDhikaraNyena cha prathipaadhyanthi

 

aTha eesvara roopam uchyathe- Then the nature of the Supreme Self is described

thus:

 

evam viDha chidhachidhaathmaka

prapanchasya udhbhava sThithi pralaya samsaaranivarthanaika hethu bhoothaH

 

1.

Esvara is the sole cause of creation, sustenance and annihilation and also of

the liberation from samsara, of the

world of sentient and insentient beings. This denotes His being the uppaya and

upeya, both the means and the goal.

 

The

word ekahethuH, sole cause, of creation

sustenance and annihilation of the universe comprising of sentient and

insentients beings, means that the

Brahman is both material as well as instrumental cause of the universe. This is

discussed in later passages in detail.

 

2.

Samastha heya prathyaneekathayaa ananthakalyaaNaikathaanathayaa cha

svaitharasamasthavasthuvilakshaNa svaroopaH. anavaDhika athisaya asankhyeya

kalyaaNa guNa gaNaH

 

 

He

is of the nature distinct from all else because He is free from all defects

being the sole abode of eternal bliss, and

possessed of unlimited,anavaDhika, wonderful, adhbutha, innumerable, asankhyeya, auspicious, kalyaaNa, qualities guNagaNaH, .

 

The

svethara smastha vasthu vilakshanathva,

being distinct from everything else consists in His being the counter-correlate

of all imperfections such as sorrow, ignorance, delusion etc. because of His

anantha kalyana ekathaanthaa, being the abode of eternal bliss.

 

3.

sarvaathmaparabrahma parajyothiH

parathathava paramaathma sadhaadhi Sabdha bhedhaiH nikhilavedhaanthavedhyaH

 

He

is the inner Self of all, the Supreme Brahman,parabrahma, the Supreme light,

parmajyothiH, the Supreme Self , paramaathmaa, and the Supreme Being, sath.

Thus He is expaline in the vedantic texts by different terms.

 

bhagavaan naaraayaNaH purushotthamaH

ithi antharyaami svaroopam.

 

He

is the Lord Narayana, the Supreme Purusha , the indweller of all as the inner

Self.

 

The

above passage denotes the transcendence and

immanence of the Lord.

 

asya cha vaibhavaprathipaadhanaparaaH

SruthayaH- The sruthi texts

expounding His glory,

 

svaitharasamastha

chaidhachithvasthujaathaanthraathmathayaa nikhila niyamanam

 

as the controller of all, sentient and

insentient as their inner self, (denotes immanence)

thath Sakthi thadhamSa thadhvibhoothi

thadhroopa thathSareera thatthanuprbhrthibhiH sabdhaiH

 

and

describe all beings as His power, His part, His splendour, His form, His body

and His limbs etc.( denotes the transcendence )

 

thathsaamaanaaDhikaraNyena cha

prathipaadhyanthi

 

and

also their oneness with Him thorough the principle of coordinate predication,

saamaanaaDhikarNya.

 

The

principle of saamaanadhikaraNya through which Ramanuja explains the unity as

opposed to that of advaita is explained later in the work.