[Two humble questions ]

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI Suresh Srinivasamurthy,

 

I answer your questions briefly as follows. You may also search the archives -

similar/same question might have been already answered.

 

You wrote:

> 1.In the SrimadRamayanam Sri Ahalyadevi was said to be in the form a

> Stone/Rock due to some Shapam and was liberated by SriRamar by His

> Padsparshanam.Does it mean that Jiva or Chit can become Achit and

> Vice versa?

 

In the instance that you have quoted, the jeeva swarUpam

has NOT undergone any transformation/change. No where we find in the SAstra

that chit became achit and vice versa. It is not possible

for chit to become achit and vice verse. By curse, a

man is known from the purANams to have born as a snake, tree, stone etc.

In these cases, the chit (jeeva) which was having the form " man " (achit

form as we see) took the form " snake " etc (another achit form as we see). The

chit (jeeva) inside the body as " Aatma " has not undergone any change in its

swarUpam. Only the jeeva's attribute (form - achit body) has changed. Hope

this clarifies. If you want, I will write to you more in

detail about the jeeva swarUpam.

 

> 2.If Jiva and Karma are eternal/Anadi, how is Brahman the material

> cause of the same.

 

The SAstra confirms that the Jeevas, the karma of badhda-jeevas are all anAdi.

Refer the brahma sUtra (prayOjanavatvadhikAram)- " na

karma-avibhagadithi chenna anAditvAduppadyatE capyupalabhyatE cha " . Not

only this, even the prakruthi is anAdi. These are confirmed by Sruti as " ajAm

EkAm lOhita Sukla krushNAm pagvIm prajAm janayantIm sarUpAm ajO hEyEkO

jushamANa: anuSEtE jahAtyEnAm bhukta-bhOgAmjO(a)nya: Therefore, your question

is equally applicable for prakruthi (an achit) also. But is your doubt

regarding brahman's nimithta kAraNatvam in this case? Your question is clearly

regarding upAdAna kAraNatvam (material cause). There is no contradiction in

understanding the Sruthi in this case. The brahma sUtras clearly establish

that the Brahman is the upAdAna kAraNam (material cause) as well as the

nimitta kAraNam (instrumental (efficient) cause) of anAdi jeevas and

prakruthi.

 

Bhagavath rAmAnuja in his celebrated SrI VedArtha sangraham says -

" tathA cha sati kAraNA(a)vastha Iswara Eva tadupAdAnakajagath kAryAvasthO(a)pi

sa EvEthi kArya-kAraNayOrananyatvam sarva SruthyavirOdhaSca bhavathi | nAma

rUpa vibhAgAnarha sUkshma daSapnna prakruthi purusha SarIram braham

kAraNAvastham | jagata: tadAvattirEva cha pralaya: | nAma rUpa vibhAga

vibhakta sthUla chit-achit vastu SarIram brahma kAryAvastham | brahmaNa:

tathAvidha sthUla bhAva: Eva SrushTi: ithyuchchatE "

 

First of all, let me outline two states as follows:

1) sUkshma-avasta - a state of an entity when the characteristics like form,

name, species identity etc are very subtle

2) stUla-avasta - a state of an entity when the above characteristics are well

distinguished

 

Now please note the following explanation:

The Brahman (SrIman nArAyaNa) who is having sUkshma (subtle) chit-achit

(anAdi) tatvams as his SarIram is said to have kAraNAvasta (being the material

cause). The same brahman, expands his SarIram into stUla chit-achit tatvams

and having these stUla-chit-achit tatvams as his SarIram, he becomes to be

known to have kAryAvasta (begin the effect). The brahma-swarUpam does not

undergo any changes. As the Brahman wishes and creates by expanding his

sUkshma-chit-achit SarIram to stUla-chit-achit SarIram, he is not only

material cause (upAdAna kAraNam) but also the nimitta kAraNam (instrumental

efficient cause). He is not having any partiality in creating the jagath

because, the status given by him to each chit (jeeva) is as per the

individual chit's (jeeva's) anAdi-karmam's balance. SrI parASara says that

" pradhAna pumsO: ajayO: kAraNam kArya bhUtayO: " . This confirms that the

eternal (anAdi) chit and eternal achit directly gets these stUlAvasta and

sUkshmAvasta while these are applicable for brahman only by means of these

tatvams existing as inseparable attribute (aprutak sidhda viSeshaNam) SarIram

of Brahman. Also, these avastAs for chit (jeevan) do not make the chit to

undergo changes in its swarUpam but only in the attribute of chit. The

aprutak-sidhda-viSEshaNatvam of chit and achit ensures that the upAdAna

kAraNatvam of brahman is not treated with lesser importance (gowNam) but only

taken to mean with appropriate importance in terms of chit and achit (in these

two states) being SarIram of Brahman. Thus the eternal brahman is the upAdAna

kAraNam as well as nimithta kAraNam of eternal chit and achit tatvams. Please

refer nyAya-sidhdAnjanam for more

details regarding this subject.

 

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari)