Brahma Sutras; Shankara Bhasyam pt2

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Shankaram ShankarAchAryam KEshavam BAdarAyanam

SUtrabhAshya kritau vandE Bhagavantau punah punah

>>>>>>>>>

Athato Brahma Jijnasa

 

Therafter(now) Therefore an enquiry into Brahman.

 

Now we shall briefly try to understand what is referred to as

thereafter and therefore.

 

The Vedas in general deal with ways and means for achieving specific

desirable ends. The Purvamimamsa Dharmasutras by Jaimini start with

Athato Dharma jijnasa. In this work what is analyzed is the entire

karmakanda portion of the Vedas, what is dharma/adharma, the correct

performance of various rituals – both principal rituals, and satellite

rituals, and utpatti, karmaphalas, apoorva etc.

 

However the Vedas themselves acknowledge that any karma can only

produce anitya phalam – finite result. And this law applies to the

entire srshti – it is not that if one is able to get to a better loka,

perhaps Vaikuntha, that these laws may not apply, that somehow in

another place such as heaven I can enjoy unlimited unalloyed bliss for

eternity.

 

Yat yathaa iha karmachitolokakshiyate tat tathaa

amutrapunyachitolokakshiyate

 

What is true " here " on earth also hold good " there " in the Heavens.

The Smrti also supports this – Krishna Himself in te BG talks about

 

" te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam ksine punye martya-lokam visanti

 

evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna gatagatam kama-kama labhante "

 

So now then, the question is, is there anything that can give you

permanent happiness? Something besides karma and heaven-going or

loka-travelling that is talked about in the Vedas. And the answer is

yes. The very Shruti that details all of these rituals and their

results, also talks about a special kind of seeker, and a special kind

of result or fruits for him - mukti, which is unobtainable by any

action – nAsti akrtah krtena.

 

" Pareekshy lokan karmachitAnbrAhmana: nirvedamayatastiakruthkruthena,

 

Ta vignanartham s gurumevabhigached samidpani: srotriyambrahmanishtam. "

 

An viveki, a person endowed with a discerning intellect, and who is

gunataha Brahmin, in other words has a sattvic disposition, should

discover by analysis, by vichAra, that even the heavens, etc that one

obtains even by the highest type of karma are only `anitya'

(impermanent); they do not provide any lasting or eternal happiness, -

and he should get the knowledge of that Brahman which is actionless -

cannot be obtained by any action; and thus get *nirvedaM* , that is,

he should get vairAgyaM. Thereafter he should seek a Guru, and get

himself this teaching.

 

So the conclusion is that there indeed is something more that the

Vedas are pointing to that is yet left uncovered – something that does

not involve karma or rituals, - and the whole purpose of the

karmakAnda is to help this particularly blessed seeker, this viveki,

to develop vairagya or dispassion – nirvedam kuryAt – why? Nasti

akrtah krtena – whatever can be gained is anityam – will be lost -the

only thing that can give permanent freedom would have to be

swayamsidha, something already gained. Hence alone the Shruti mentions

about a veda-vid like Narada, who tells Sanatkumara

 

" So'ham, bhagavah, mantra-vid-evasmi na'tma-vit;

 

srutum hyeva me bhagavad-drsebhyah, tarati sokam, atmavid-iti;

 

so'ham bhagavah, socami, tam ma, bhagavan, sokasya param tarayatviti;

 

" I have a lot of information about every aspect of the Vedas. I have

heard that knowing the Self alone gives one freedom from sorrow. But I

do not know the Self and I am a specimen of sorrow. Take me across

this sea of sorrow. "

 

Another example is also given of Shvetaketu who after a study of the

entire vEdhas under a scholar for several years returns to his

father's house, fluffed with pride - he thought that he has finished

studying everything. On seeing this nature of the son, his father

called him and thoughtfully asked a question - " O my son! Have you

studied that thing (Adesa) through which the unheard of becomes heard,

the unthought of becomes thought of, and knowing which everything

becomes known? " Swetaketu was of coursed surprised that after all this

study, there could be such a important thing he had yet not yet heard

of and replied " Father! In what way is that instruction imparted?! "

The Kaivalya Up also talks about the same thing - " Na karmana na

prajaya …tyage naike amrtatvamanushu " .

 

So it is clear that beyond the subject matter of the karmakanda

portion of the Vedas there is still something vital that is left

unsaid, something still to be taught. So therafer and therefore,

alone, with viveka, with vairagya born out of such viveka, such a

special seeker, a mumukshu, becomes fit for this portion of the Vedas

– the Jnanakanda or Vedanta and, he becomes a jijnasu, a adhikari.

This jnatum iccha is very important – merely having dispassion or

nirvedam is not enough – the word jijnasu reflects a total commitment

on the part of the seeker towards seeking this knowledge.

 

So we have a special adhikari, we have a phalam – in the form of mukti

– that too the ultimate purushartha or moksha – which alone leads to

dukha nivrtti – freedom from sorrows; and we have a vishayam – a

subject matter – which is jiva-ishwara aikyam – it is a subject that

requires vichara – because like any other aikya-jnanam – it deals with

entities which appear different.

 

Hence alone " therefore " " therafter " – athato – may there be an enuiry

into Brahman - brahmajijnasa –with the help of the pramana which is

the Shruti. Let the adhikari mumukshu do vichara. Hence let us begin

our study – shastram Arambhaniyam. At this point the purvapakshi or

the opponent throws up a interesting question.

 

To be continued..

 

Hari OM

Shri GUrubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

This has also been uploaded at:

http://poornamadam.blogspot.com/2008/03/brahma-sutra-shankara-bhashya-2.html