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 the pangs 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: ghra:tha

rasayitha: mantha: bo:ddha: kartha: vijna:na:thma: 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.

 

The sruthi mentions the soul going out, and coming in etc. which is not possible

if it is all pervading. In BrhadhAraNyaka upanishad'

 

'e:sha a:thmanishkra:mathi chakshushO va: murdhno: va:anye:bhyo: 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 'thasma:th loka:th punare:thi asmai lo:kaya 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 hathasche:th manyathe: hatham, ubou thou na

vija:neethou na:yam 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,

'prakrthe:h kriyama:na:ni gunairkarma:ni sarvasah, ahamka:ravimooda:thma:

kartha:ham 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 'yaje:tha svargaka:mah, one

desirous of heaven should perform sacrifice ' and 'mumukshurbrahma upa:seetha,

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 sa:sana, 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 'sa:sthraphalam 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 'ka:ramam gunasango:asya sadhasath yo:nijanmasu,'

(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

'e:sha hye:va sa:dhukarma ka:rayathi tham yame:bhyo: lo:ke:shu unnineeshathi,

e:sha e:va asa:dhu karma ka:rayathi 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

'the:sha:m sathatha yuktha:na:m bajatha:m preethipoorvakam dhadhAmi

buddhiyo:gam tham ye:na ma:mupaya:nthi 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,

 

'tha:n aham dvishadhah kroora:n samsa:re:shu nara:dhama:n,

kshipa:mi ajasram ashuba:na:m aa:sureeshve:va yo:nishu (BG.16-19)