vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja- 17. ekavijaanena sarvakvijnanam elucidated

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17. Purport of the statement `ejkavijnanena sarva vijnanam.'

 

thath jnaanena anyasya nikhilasaya jnaathathaam

bruvan loka dhrshtam kaaryakaaranayoH ananyathvam dharSayithum dhrshtaantham

aaha-

 

yaThaa soumya ekena mrthpindena sarvam mrnmayam vijnaantham

syaath, vachaarambhaNam vikaaraH

naamDheyam mrthikethyeva sathyam ithi,

 

ekameva mrdhdhravyam svaikadheSena naanaavyavahaara

aaspadhathvaaya ghatasaraavaadhi naanaavasThaaroopa vikaaraaspadham naanaanaamaDheyam

api mrtthikaasamsThaana viseshathvaath mrdh dhravyam eva itTham avasThitham

ithi,

 

 

yaThaa mrthpindena anena thath samsThaanaviSesha

roopam ghataSaraavaadhi sarvam jnaatham eva bhavathi ithyarThaH.

 

thathaH krthsnasya jagathaH brahmaikakaaranathvam

ajaananputhraH prcChathi, bhagavaan thveva me thath braveethu ithi

 

thathaH sarvajnam sarvaSakthi brahmaiva sarva

kaaraNam ithi upadhiSan sa hovaacha `sadheva soumya idham agra aaseeth," ithi.

 

 

 

 

The father further illustrates with examples.

 

thath jnaanena anyasya nikhilasys jnaaththaam

bruvan,

 

The

knowledge that the Brahman alone is the cause of the world by the will of whom

everything is created , sustained and annihilated, leads to the knowledge of

the world which is the effect of Brahman, the cause.

 

This is not very easy to understand because the

cause may be known but how that can lead to the knowledge of its effects will

be the doubt. By knowing the effect the cause may be known but the effects are

varied and different in characteristics and hence may very well have different

causes.

 

This is because the investigation of the cause is

not carried to the end nut we tend to stop at the intermediate stage. For

instance we know that the pots and all articles of clay are made of mud. Then we have to enquire further that what is the cause of the mud? or gold

etc., in fact of all the things made of the five elements and the answer is

prakrthi. Then further enquiry shows that the cause of prakrthi the insentient matter which is

experienced and purusha, the experiencer must be the one supreme reality,

Brahman. This is the purport of all Upanishad vakyas declaring the unity and

difference of Brahman and the world of sentient and insentient beings. This is

further made clear in the Vedartha sangraha by Ramanuja.

 

loka dhrshtam kaaryakaaranayoH ananyathvam

dharSayithum dhrshtaantham aaha-

 

 

 

Now the father explains by means of an analogy

known in the world, the statement ekavinaanena sarva vijnaanam, the knowledge

of all by knowing the One.

 

yaThaa soumya ekena mrthpindena sarvam mrnmayam vijnaantham

syaath, vachaarambhaNam vikaaraH

naamDheyam mrthikethyeva sathyam ithi,

 

 

Just as all that is made of clay is known by the knowledge

of clay, all modifications are in name only, the clay alone is real. A

potter sees all things made of clay as clay

only and a goldsmith sees all ornaments as gold only because they are aware of

the cause, namely clay and gold, of which the pots and ornaments are only the

effects. Similarly, to a man of knowledge the whole world which is the effect of

Brahman, is Brahman only who is the cause.

 

This is explained further thus:

 

 

ekameva mrdhdhravyam svaikadheSena naanaavyavahaara

aaspadhathvaaya ghatasaraavaadhi naanaavasThaaroopa vikaaraaspadham naanaanaamaDheyam

api mrtthikaasamsThaana viseshathvaath mrdh dhravyam eva itTham avasThitham

ithi,

 

Mud only is the substance in part modifies in to

various forms like pots etc. for various purposes acquiring various names. These

different products are in fact nothing but different forms of the same substance

clay.

 

yaThaa

mrthpindena anena thath samsThaanaviSesha roopam ghataSaraavaadhi sarvam

jnaatham eva bhavathi ithyarThaH.

 

Hence just as by knowing the lump of clay all its modifications

like pots and pans become known.

 

thathaH krthsnasya jagathaH brahmaikakaaranathvam

ajaananputhraH prcChathi, bhagavaan thveva me thath braveethu ithi

 

The son, not knowing the Brahman to be the sole

cause, said " revered sir, you yourself

may tell me ."

 

thathaH sarvajnam sarvaSakthi brahmaiva sarva

kaaraNam ithi upadhiSan sa hovaacha `sadheva soumya idham agra aaseeth," ithi.

 

Then the father started the upadesa, known as

sadhvidhya of the Upanishads, that " sath only existed in the beginning, one

only without a second."