BrahmasUtra 1:1:5

[Guest guest]

Dear VishvamAdhvas & shrI Mani:

 

BhagavAn BAdarAyaNa-VedavyAsa is a rational and methodical

individual. One can know this by the sheer organization and

symmetry of his work, the BrahmasUtras. Here 4 adhyAyas

(chapters) are divided into 4 pAdas (sections) each.

 

Given this, ShrImadAcArya takes cue from the very first sUtra

" athAto brahmajijn~AsA " ( " Now therefore inquiry into Brahman " )

and points out that the entire first chapter called the

samanvaya adhyAya is in consonance with this first sUtra.

 

Afterall, this is the BrahmasUtras and it is only logical that

Brahman must be first known and understood (to the extent we

can thru the medium of words) before any refutations of rival

views are indulged in.

 

Shankara has ignored this inner organization and consistency of

the sUtrakAra and all of a sudden goes off on a tangent to

refute the SAnkhya-Yoga system of Hindu thought. RAmAnuja

without giving much thought to this has blindly followed

Shankara as he has in many other cases of sUtra

interpretation.

 

ShrImadAcArya with his refreshing boldness has pointed out that

it would be meaningless for the sUtrakAra to go off on the

side to refute SAnkhya-Yoga when the nature of Brahman is

being inquired into. Moreover, it would be meaningless for the

sUtrakAra to again go and refute SAnkhya-Yoga in the avirodha

adhyAya (second chapter) all over again (BrahmasUtras 2:2:1-9).

How many times would you want to refute the SAnkhya-Yoga which

was dialectically the quietest system in Indian thought? This

would be clearly both redundant and meaningless.

 

So 2 charges the Madhva sampradAya brings against Shankara &

RAmAnuja on their interpretations of BrahmasUtras I:I:5

1. out of context

2. redundancy

 

Therefore AcArya Madhva's interpretation is the most well

thought out interpretation of the sUtras.

 

In a sequel to this, I will point out why the RAmAnujites

can ill-afford to be against PrakRti the topic content

(according to them) of BrahmasUtras 1:1:5.

 

regards,

Hari-vAyu smaraNa,

B.N.Hebbar