Vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja -23. Nature of Brahman

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23. The nature of Brahman

 

SoDhakavaakyaani api niravadhyam sarva kalyaana

guNakaram brahma SoDhayanthi. Sarvaprathyaneekaakaarathaa boDhane api thath thath prathyaneekaakaarathaayaam

bhedhasya avarjaneeyathvaath na nirviSeshathvasidDhiH.

 

Ramanuja examines the texts which determine the

nature of Brahman, called SoDhaka vakyas, such as `sathyam jnanam anantham

Brahma.' The contention of the

advaitin that the SoDhaka vakyas denote only nirviSesha Brahman, that is, Brahman

without attrbutes. Ramanuja refutes this.

 

He says,

 

SoDhakavaakyaani api niravadhyam sarva kalyaana

guNakaram brahma SoDhayanthi

 

Even the texts that define Brahman refer to Brahman

only, as the one with no defect and the abode of all auspicious attributes.

 

Sarvaprathyaneekaakaarathaa boDhane api thath thath prathyaneekaakaarathaayaam

bhedhasya avarjaneeyathvaath na nirviSeshathvasidDhiH

 

Even if the Sodhaka vakyas are taken to mean the

negation in Brahman of everything other than those mentioned, the existence of

the attributes through the negation of their opposites cannot be

dismissed.Hence Brahman is not attributeless.

 

Ramanuja refers to the sruthi text `sathyam

jnanam anantham brahma.' (Thait.2.1), Brahman is real, knowledge and

infinity. According to Advaita this does not denote the attributes in Brahman

but only negates the opposites in Brahman. That is, there is nothing unreal in

Brahman, there is no ignorance and there is nothing that is transcient in

Brahman.Ramanuja says that when the opposites are negated the attributes

mentioned must be present in the entity. That is, a thing which is not unreal

must be real, etc.

 

nanu jnaanamaathram brahma ithi prathipaadhithe

nirviSeshajnaanamaathram brahma ithi nischeeyathe.

na evam. svaroopa niroopaka Dharma sabdhaaH hi

Dharmamukhena svaroopam api prathipaadhayanthi gavaadhisabdhavath. thaThaa aaha

soothrakaaraH- `thadhguNa saarathvaath thdhvyapadhesaH praajnavath.' ( BS.2.3.29-30) `yaavath aathmabhaavithvaath

na dhoshaH" ( BS2.3.) ithi. jnaanena Dharmena svaroopamapi niroopitham,

na thu jnaana maathram brahma ithi.

 

Ramanuja answers an objection ,

 

nanu jnaanamaathram brahma ithi prathipaadhithe

nirviSeshajnaanamaathram brahma ithi nischeeyathe.

 

when Brahman is pure knowledge it must be undifferentiated

knowledge.

 

He says that it is not so.

 

Na evam.

 

svaroopa niroopaka Dharma sabdhaaH hi Dharmamukhena

svaroopam api prathipaadhayanthi gavaadhisabdhavath

 

The terms

which denote the attributes of an entity also denote the entity itself. For

instance the term `cow' not only denotes the form but also the attributes.

 

Ramanuja quotes from brahmasuthra,

 

thaThaa aaha soothrakaaraH- `thadhguNa

saarathvaath thdhvyapadhesaH praajnavath,'

 

The author of Brahmasuthra said, `the entity is

denoted through the mentioning of the attribute as in the case of Brahman, the

omniscient.'

 

`yaavath aathmabhaavithvaath na dhoshaH,' ithi jnaanena Dharmena svaroopamapi

niroopitham, na thu jnaana maathram brahma ithi.

 

 

As knowledge is the quality that persists through

out life there is nothing wrong in denoting the soul by it.

 

Ramanuja explaining the

suthra in Sribhashya, says that in the case of a cow which has lost its horns

the cowness which includes horns as an essential quality is not in any way

affected.Similarly the

text `sathyam jnAnam anantham Brahma,' denotes Brahman as truth, knowledge and infinity

on account of the fact that these are His essential qualities and not that

Brahman is pure knowledge only.

 

kaTham idham avagamyathe ithi cheth , "yaH

sarvajnaH saH sarvavith,"ithyaadhi jnaapthrthva SrutheH.

`paraasya SakthiH viviDhaaScha Srooyathe `svaabhaavikee

jnaanbalakriyaa cha,' `vijnaathaaram are kena vijaaneeyaath,' ithyaadhi

Sruthtisatha samaDhigatahm idham,jnaanasya Dharammaathrathvaath Dharmamaathrasya

ekasya vasthuthva prathipaadhana anupapattheScha.thathaH sathyajnaanaadhipadhaani

svaarThabhootha jnaanaadhi visishtam eva brhma prathipaadhayanthi

 

To the question `How this can be

understood?' kaTham idham avagamyathe Ramanuja replies,

 

"yaH sarvajnaH saH sarvavith,"(Mund.2.2.7)ithyaadhi

jnaapthrthva SrutheH

 

From the text `one who is omniscient cognizes

all,' which shows Brahman as the knower of all. Ramanuja further affirms that

 

`paraasya

SakthiH viviDhaaScha Srooyathe svaabhaavikee jnaanbalakriyaa cha,'( Svet. 6.6.17)

`vijnaathaaram are kena vijaaneeyaath,'(Brhd.4.4.14) ithyaadhi Sruthtisatha

samaDhigatahm idham.

 

Further it is cognized from the hundreds of

sruthi texts such as the one that declares " The supreme and manifold power of Him is heard in the Vedas and His

knowledge , power and action is natural," and also the one which asks, " By what

means the knower can be understood."

 

One who knows all, which is descriptive of

Brahman implies His being knowledge itself. But this means that Brahman has knowledge

as His essential quality and also that Brahman is knowledge itself. Thus

sathyam jnaanam etc. are the svaroopaniroopaka dharmas of Brahman which

refer to the attributes as well as the entity with attributes. There are sruthi

texts which speak about the knowledge , power and action of Brahman as being

natural which are His svaroopa niroopaka Dharma , but nevertheless they are

dharmas which denote the dharmi as well. To say that knowledge being the

attribute of Brahman, it will mar the concept

of Brahman being knowledge itself, is not correct, says Ramanuja. The text that says, `who can know the knower,'

clearly shows that the knower and the knowledge is one. Knowledge and the

knower are separate only as much as the knowledge is not complete. To the one

who is all knowing there is no difference between the knowledge and the knower.

They are inseparable.

thathaH sathyajnaanaadhipadhaani svaarThabhootha

jnaanaadhi visishtam eva brhma prathipaadhayanthi

 

Therefore the terms sathya jnana etc.,

denote only Brahman meant by the meaning of the terms as being qualified with

those attributes.

 

Ramanuja further elucidates this in the

subsequent passages.