vedartha sangraha of Ramanuja-15. Question to Svetha kethu

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15. The question put to

Svetha kethu in the passage referred.

 

ayam arThaH.

Svethakethum prathi aaha-

 

sthabDho asyutha

thamaadhesam apraakshya ithi paripoorna iva llakshyase thaan aachaaryaan prathi

thamaadhesamprshtavaan asi ithi aadhesaH praSaasanam

 

" ethasya vaa aksharasya prasaasane gaargi sooryaachandhramasou

viDhrthaH thishTathaH"

ithyaadhibhiH

ekaarThayaathi.

thaThaa

cha maanavam vachaH praSaasithaaram

sarveshaam ithyaadhi.

 

ayam arThaH.

 

This is the meaning.

 

Svethakethum prathi

aaha-

 

The father Uddhalaka

AaruNi asked his son who returned from

his gurukulam

 

sthabDho asi utha

thamaadhesam apraakshya ithi

 

"You look arrogant. Did

you ask about that knowledge?

 

paripoorna iva

llakshyase

 

You look as though you

have reached perfection.( meaning that you are really not so)

 

thaan aachaaryaan prathi thamaadhesam prshtavaan

asi ithi

Have you asked your

acharya about that knowledge.

 

aadhesaH praSaasanam

 

aadhesa

means advice, or precept or rule. praSaasanam means command or enjoining.

Ramanuja means that the word aadhesa in the Upanishadic text (chand.6.1.3) means praSaasnam,enjoining

as vedic declaration are commands which enjoin the precepts leading to

salvation.

 

" ethasya vaa aksharasya prasaasane gaargi

sooryaachandhramasou viDhrthaH thishTathaH" (Brhd.5.8.9)

ithyaadhibhiH ekaarThayaath.

 

The

praSaasanam referred to, meaning ekavijnaanena sarva vijnaanam as mentioned

earlier has the same implication as the text elsewhere which is as follows. "

following the command of the imperishable Brahman the Sun and the Moon stand

apart as ordained", meaning that the sun , Moon and all other heavenly bodies

are functioning within their orbits as ordained by Brahman.

 

thaThaa

cha maanavam vachaH "praSaasithaaram

sarveshaam" ithyaadhi

 

Likewise

the words of Manu "the one who commands all" (Manu-12.122)

 

How

does the passages quoted conform with the passage in chandhogya which is taken

here for consideration? Ramanuja explains further.

 

athra

api ekam eva ithi jagadhupadhanathaam prathipaadhya adhvitheeyapadhena

aDhishtaathranthara nivaaraNaath asyaiva adhishtaathrthvam api

prathipaadhyathe, athaH tham praSaasithaaram jagadhupaadhanabhoothamapi

prshtavaan asi, yena Sruthena mathena vijnaathena aSrutham amatham

avijnaatham Srutham matham vijnaatham

bhavathi ithyuktham syaath

 

 

In

accordance with the texts quoted which show the Brahman as the who commands

all, this passage from Chandhogya also confirms that the one who commands all is the sole cause of the

world.

 

athra

api ekam eva ithi jagadhupadhanathaam prathipaadhya adhvitheeyapadhena

aDhishtaathranthara nivaaraNaath asya eva adhshtaathrthvam api prathipaadhyathe

 

 

Here

also by the words `one only,' it is propounded that the Brahman is the material

cause and by the words, `without a second,' the existence of the efficient

cause other than Brahman is denied. Hence the Brahman itself is shown to be the

efficient cause.

 

In

the passage referred to, the father asks the son,

 

tham aadheSam utha appraakshyaH

 

did

you ask for that knowledge,

 

yena aSrutham Srutham bhavathi amatham mathamavijnaatham

vijnaatham ithi.

 

By which what is unheard becomes heard, what is unthought of becomes thought

of what is unknown becomes known." Then he explains it as

yaTHaa soumya ekena mrthpindena

sarvam mrnmayam vijnaatham syaath

 

Dear one, Just as knowing the lump of clay all

things made of clay becomes known,

 

vaachaarambhaNam vikaaraH naamaDheyam

mrtthikethyeva sathyam

 

all

modifications are in name only and the clay alone is real.

 

By this, Ramanuja says that the Brahman is established

as the material cause as the clay which when known all its effects become

known. But this does not make the effects unreal by the claim mrtthikethyeva

sathyam, clay alone is real. That we shall see later.

 

 

Then

the father continues to say,

 

evam somya sa aadheSo bhavathi ithi

 

That teaching goes like this.

 

And he , being asked by his son to tell him what

was the aadheSa, embarks on what came to known as sadhvidhya of the Upanishads.

 

 

He says,

 

Sadheva

soumya idham agra

aaseeth. ekam eva adhvitheeyam.

 

My dear in the beginning, agre, this universe, idham

existed. aaseeth, as Being, sath,

one only, ekam eva, without a second, adhvitheeyam.

 

 

This is the passage referred to by Ramanuja

in this section.

 

Hence the question of the father is ,

 

athaH tham praSaasithaaram jagadhupaadhanabhoothamapi prshtavaan asi,

 

Therefore have you enquired about that one who

commands all and is the material cause of the universe.

 

yena

Sruthena mathena vijnaathena aSrutham amatham avijnaatham Srutham matham vijnaatham bhavathi ithyuktham

syaath

 

By hearing about which, thinking about which,

understanding which all that which are not heard, not thought of and not

understood become heard, thought of and understood.

 

Then Ramanuja proceeds to explain the term `sath'

meaning Brahman who is the material and efficient cause of the world which is

the effect, both cause and the effect being real.