Vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja - 20.Sareere sareeri bhava in reference to other t

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20. Sareera Sareeri bhava in reference to other

texts.

ethath uktham bhavathi. "aithadhaathmyam idham

sarvam" ithi,cethanaachethanaprapancham `idham sarvam ithi nirdhiSya,thasya

prapanchasya eshaH aatmaa ithi prathipaadhithaH. Prapancha udDheSena

brahmaathmakathvam prathipaadhitham ithyarThaH. thadhidham brahmaathmakathvam,kimu

aathmasareerabhaavena utha svaroopeNa ithi vivechaneeyam.

 

The statement "aithadhaathmyam idham sarvam" `all

this is ensouled by Brahman,' the word ethath referring to Brahman and idham

refers to the world of sentient and insentient beings, cethanaachethanaprapancham.

 

 

thasya prapanchasya eshaH aatmaa ithi

prathipaadhithaH, Prapancha udDheSena brahmaathmakathvam prathipaadhitham ithyarThaH

 

Thus Brahman being the innerself of all is

established.

 

thadhidham brahmaathmakathvam,kimu aathmasareerabhaavena

utha svaroopeNa ithi vivechaneeyam

 

Brahman as the inner self should be clarified as to

whether it is by sareera-sareeri bhava or through identity.

 

svaroopena ithi cheth brahmaNaH

sathyasankalpathvaadhayaH "thadhaikshatha

bahu syaam prajaayeya," ithi upakrama avagathaa baaDhithaa

bhavanthi.Sareeraathma bhaavena cha thadhaathmakathvam Sruthyantharaath

viseshathaH avagatham.

 

If the identity is assumed then the decaration `thadhaikshatha

bahu syaam prajayeya,'(Chand.6.2.3)"it willed to become many" will be proved false. Hence the Sareeraathma bhava,

the raltionship netween Brahman and the world through the body-soul

relationship alone holds good and it is specially affirmed by sruthi text as

well,Sruthyantharaath viseshathaH avagatham.

 

The statement aithadhathmyam idham sarvam (

chand.6.8.6) can be interpreted in two ways. According to advaita doctrine.

The world is nothing but Brahman which alone is real and the world as it

appears is an illusion. This is the implication of the declaration of the identity between the

individual self and Brahman. The word aathmyam ensouled is used

regarding Brahman in the same sense as the individual self and the body. The

world is the illusion of the individual self due to the embodiment through

ignorance. When the identity between the individual self and Brahman is known

then the ignorance is removed and the world is understood as being an illusion.

If this view is accepted then the statement thath aikskhatha bahu syaam

parajaayeya (Chand.6.2.3) will have no meaning.

 

The second way of interpreting it is through the

sareera-sareeribhava.Brahman is the inner self of all, which constitutes the

body of Brahman. Rasmanuja cites the evidence of upanishadhic texts to affirm

this.

 

"anthaH pravishtaH

Saasthaa janaanaam sarvaathmaa ithi." (Aithreyaup.

3.24) praSaasithrthva roopaathmathvena sarveshaam janaanaam anthaH pravishtaH.

athaH sarvaathmaa sarveshaam jnaanaam aathmaa.sarvam cha asya sareeram ithi viSeshathaH jnaayathe

brahmaathmakathvam.

 

The text quoted above , 'He has entered into all beings

and is the ruler of all and their inner self,'

Entering in and controlling the beings denotes that Brahman is their inner

self, as the self controls the body. Hence all beings constitute the body of

Brahman.

 

There is another text,

 

Ya aathmani thishTan aathmanaH antharaH, yam

aathmaa na vedha, yasya aathmaa sareeram,aathmaanam antharaH yamayathi, sa

aathmaa anatharyaami amrthaH ( Brhd. Up.- maadhayandhina 5.7.22) ithi cha.

 

He who stands inside the self, ( meaning the

individual self) and is in the self, , whom the self does not know,whose body

is the self and who controls the self from within, He is the controlling inner self (meaning Brahman) and immortal.

 

athra api 'anena jeevena aathmanaa' ithi idhameva

jnaayatha ithi poorvameva uktham.athaH sarvasya chidhachith vasthunaH

brahmasareerathvaath sarvasareeram sarvaprakaaram brahmaiva abhiDheeyathaithi

thath thvam asi saamaanaaDhikaraNyena jeevaprakaaram brhamaiva abhihitham.

 

In this context also the words "I will enter in

these as their self and give them name and form," (Chand.6.3.2), the purport is

the same which has been already discussed.(refer to section 17)

 

Therefore due to the fact that all sentient and

insentient beings, are ensouled by Brahman, sarvasya chidhachith vasthunaH

brahmasareerathvaath, the Brahman which has all beings as its body, sarva

sareeram, or modes,sarvaprakaaram, is what has been denoted by the

word thath. Hence the declaration thath thvam asi the Brahman

itself is indicated by

both terms thath and thavam, through the principle of

saamanaadhikarnaya.

 

This will be eluicidated further in the forth coming

passages.