Vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja -22.The identity between the world and Brahman

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22. The identity between the world and Brahman

 

asruthavedhaanthaaH purushaaH sarve padhaarThaaH

sarve jeevaathmaanScha bhrahmaathmakaaH ithi na paSyanthi. Sarvasabdhaanaam cha

kevaleshu thath thath padhaarTheshu vaachyaikadheSeshu vaachyaparyavasaanam

manyanthe. idhaaneem vedhaanthavaakya SravaNena brahmakaaryathayaa

thadhantharyaamikathayaa cha sarvasyabrahmaathmakathvam sarvaSabdhaanaam thath

thath prakaara samsThitha brahmavaachithvam cha jaananthi.

 

Ramanuja accepts

that the denotation of all terms is Brahman is not understood easily. He says,

 

asruthavedhaanthaaH

purushaaH sarve padhaarThaaH sarve jeevaathmaanScha bhrahmaathmakaaH ithi na

paSyanthi.

 

Those who have not learnt the Vedanta sastra do not see that all terms and all beings are

ensouled by Brahman.

 

Sarvasabdhaanaam

cha kevaleshu thath thath padhaarTheshu vaachyaikadheSeshu vaachyaparyavasaanam

manyanthe

 

They seem to think that all terms denote only that entity to which the words have connotation.

 

idhaaneem

vedhaanthavaakya SravaNena

 

Now through the knowledge of the Vedanta vakyas,

 

brahmakaaryathayaa thadhantharyaamikathayaa cha

 

 

which declare Brahman as the cause and the inner

self of all,

 

 

sarvasyabrahmaathmakathvam sarvaSabdhaanaam thath

thath prakaara samsThitha brahmavaachithvam cha jaananthi

 

They come to know that all are ensouled by Brahman

and the denotation of all the terms to be about Brahman, all being the modes of

Brahman.

 

nanu evam gavaadhisabdhaanaam thath thath padhaarThavaachithayaa

vyuthpatthiH baaDhithaa syaath.

na evam; sarve sabdhaaH acith jeevaviSishta

paramaathmanaH vaachakaaH. Ithyuktham "naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi" ithyathra.

thathra loukikaaH thu purushaaH sabdham

vyavaharantha, SabdhavaachyepraDhaanaamSasya paramaatmanaH pratyakshaadhi

aparicChedhyathvaath vaacyaikadhesambhoothe vaachyasamaapthim

manyanthe.vedhaanthaSravanena hi vyuthpatthih pooryathe

 

Ramanuja answers a possible objection

 

nanu evam gavaadhisabdhaanaam thath thath

padhaarThavaachithayaa vyuthpatthiH baaDhithaa syaath.

 

Here an objection is raised.If all the terms

denote only Brahman the words like `cow' will not denote the entity concerned.

 

Ramanuja answers,

 

na evam; sarve sabdhaaH acith jeevaviSishta

paramaathmanaH vaachakaaH. Ithyuktham "naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi" ithyathra.

 

It is not like that. All terms denote only the

Brahman qualified by the individual soul which is its mode. This is what is

implied in the declaration " I Will give them name and forms."

 

thathra loukikaaH thu purushaaH sabdham

vyavaharantha

 

The worldly people (meaning those who are ignorant

of the knowledge of Brahman), see the usage of terms as,

 

SabdhavaachyepraDhaanaamSasya paramaatmanaH

pratyakshaadhi aparicChedhyathvaath

 

because the main denotation of the terms , which is

the Supreme Self, is beyond the perception of the valid means of cognition,

 

vaacyaikadhesambhoothe vaachyasamaapthim manyanthe.

 

they consider the denotation of terms as ending with the entity concerned.

 

vedhaanthaSravanena hi vyuthpatthih pooryathe

 

the knowledge of the vedantha vakyas completes the

understanding of the real denotation of the terms and hence it does not affect

the significance of the word like `cow' which means the entity as well, but

only it does not stop there.

 

evameva vaidhikaaH sabdhaaH sarve paramaatmaparyanthaan

svaarThaan boDhayanthi.vaidhikaaH eva sarve sabdhaaH ; aadhou vedhaath eva

uddhrthya uddhrthya, pareNa eva brahMaNaa sarvapadhaarThaan poorvavath

srshtvaa, theshu paramaatma paryantheshu poorvavath naamathayaa prayukthaaH

 

Ramanuja now proves that all terms have the

ultimate denotation in Brahman only.

 

evameva vaidhikaaH sabdhaaH sarve paramaatmaparyanthaan

svaarThaan boDhayanthi

 

Thus all terms in the Vedas have their ultimate

denotation in Brahman.

 

vaidhikaaH eva sarve sabdhaaH

All terms have their origin in Vedas only.

aadhou vedhaath eva uddhrthya uddhrthya, pareNa eva

brahMaNaa sarvapadhaarThaan poorvavath srshtvaa

 

In the beginning

of creation Brahman created all beings as before and taking the terms

from the Vedas,

 

theshu paramaatma paryantheshu poorvavath

naamathayaa prayukthaaH

 

and they were given

names as before, ending with the

Supreme self

 

thadhaaha manuH

 

sarveshaam thu sa

naamaani karmaaNi cha prThak prthak

vedhaSabdhebhyaH eva

aadhou prThak samsThaaScha nirmame

 

ithi.

 

aaha cha bhagavaan

paraasaraH

 

samsThaaH

samsThaanaani roopaNi cha yaavath

 

naamaroopam cha

bhoothaanaam krthyaanaam cha

prapapanchanam

vedhasabdhebhyaeva

aadhoudhevaadheenaam chakaar saH

 

SruthiH cha,

`Sooryaachandhramasou Dhaathaa yaThaapoorvam akalpayath' ithi.sooryaadheen

poorvavath parikalpya , naamaani cha poorvavath chakaara ithyarThaH

 

Ramanuja now

quotes from sruthui and smrthi to prove his point.

 

thadhaaha manuH

 

sarveshaam thu sa

naamaani karmaaNi cha prThak prthak

vedhaSabdhebhyaH eva

aadhou prThak samsThaaScha nirmame

 

ithi

 

Manu has

said

 

In the beginning He ( Brahman) created all beings

giving them separate names, actions and forms. (Manu- 1.21)

 

samsThaaH

samsThaanaani roopaNi cha yaavath

 

Ramanuja

explains that samsThaa means forms.

 

aaha cha bhagavaan paraasaraH

 

naamaroopam cha bhoothaanaam krthyaanaam cha

prapapanchanam

vedhasabdhebhyaeva aadhou dhevaadheenaam chakaara

saH

 

( Vishnupuranam-1.5.63)

 

Parasara said,

 

In the beginning

the Lord gave names and form and actions to all beings according to the

words of the Vedas.

 

After citing the smrthi texts , Ramanuja now quotes

the sruthi

 

SruthiH cha, `Sooryaachandhramasou Dhaathaa

yaThaapoorvam akalpayath' ithi.

 

There is a

sruthi text " The creator created the

Sun and the Moon as before."

 

sooryaadheen poorvavath parikalpya , naamaani cha

poorvavath chakaara ithyarThaH

 

It means that after creating the Sun and the Moon

as before he gave the names also as before.