Vedarthasangraha of Ramanuja -21. The real import of the mahavakya- thath thvam

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21. The real import of the mahavakya- thath thvam

asi

 

evam abhihithe sathi ayam arThah jnaayathe. thvam

ithi

yaH poorvam

dhehasya aDhishtaathrthayaa pratheethiH, saH paramaathmaSareerathayaa

pramaathmaprakaarabhoothaH paramaathmaparyanthaH. athaH thvam ithi sabdhaH

thathprakaaraviSishtam thadhantharyaaminam eva aachashte ithi. "anena jeevena

aathmanaa anupraviSya naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi" ithi brahmaathmakathayaa eva

jeevasya SareeriNaH svanaamabhaavathvaath.

 

Ramanuja explains the import of the mahavakya

`thathathvam asi.'

 

evam abhihithe sathi ayam arThah jnaayathe

 

From what was made out earlier this is the meaning

of the sentence thath thavam asi.

 

thvam ithi yaH poorvam dhehasya aDhishtaathrthayaa

pratheethiH

 

The word thvam, meaning `thou' which has been shown earlier as the

individual self which controls the body,

 

saH paramaathma Sareerathayaa paramaathma

prakaarabhoothaH paramaathma paryanthaH.

 

 

That individual self being the body of Brahman and

hence the mode of Brahman has denotation which ends in Brahman, (who is the

inner self)

 

athaH `thvam' ithi sabdhaH thathprakaaraviSishtam

thadhantharyaaminam eva aachashte ithi."

 

Therefore the word `thou,' denotes only Brahman who

is qualified by the individual self as its mode and who is the inner self of the individual self.

"anena jeevena aathmanaa anupraviSya naamaroope vyaakaravaaNi" ithi

brahmaathmakathayaa eva jeevasya SareeriNaH svanaamabhaavathvaath.

 

By the declaration "I will enter into these beings

as their innerself and give them name and form," it is made clear that the

individual self acquires its name (and form) only through the indwelling self ,

that is Brahman.

 

thath thvam ithi samaanaaDhikaraNa pravrtthayoH dhvayoH

api

padhayoH brhamaiva vaachyam. thathra `thath' padham

jagathkaaranabhootham sarvakalyaaNa guNaakaram niravadhyam nirvikaaram

aachashte. thvam ithi cha thadheva brahma jeevaantharyaamiroopam

saSareeraprakaaravisishtam aacachashte.thadhevam prkrthinimittha bhedhena

ekasmin brahmaNi eva `thath, thavam' ithi dhvayoh padhayoh vrtthiH ukthaa.

brahmaNaH niravadhyathvam nirvikaarathvam sarvakalyaana guNaakarathvam

jagathkaaraNathvam cha abaaDhitham.

 

Thus Ramanuja explains the identity of Brahman with

jeeva through the principle of sammanadhikaranya. This is explained further in

a subsequent passage.

 

thath thvam ithi samaanaaDhikaraNa pravrtthayoH

dhvayoH api

padhayoH brhamaiva vaachyam

 

Thus the tow words, `that,' and `thou,' in the

Mahavakya `that thou art,' denote only Brahman through the principle of

samaanaadhikaranya.

 

thathra `thath' padham jagathkaaranabhootham

sarvakalyaaNa guNaakaram niravadhyam nirvikaaram aachashte

 

There in the Mahavakya , the word `that,' signifies

the Brahman who is the cause of the world, the abode of all auspicious

qualities, blemishless and immutable.

 

thvam ithi cha thadheva brahma

jeevaantharyaamiroopam saSareeraprakaaravisishtam aacachashte

 

The word `thou' denotes the same Brahman who is the innerself of the jeeva of whom the jeeva is

the mode.

 

thadhevam

pravrtthinimittha bhedhena ekasmin brahmaNi eva `thath, thavam' ithi dhvayoh

padhayoh vrtthiH ukthaa

 

Thus by different connotations the Brahman is

denoted by the two words, `that' and `thou.'

 

brahmaNaH niravadhyathvam nirvikaarathvam

sarvakalyaana guNaakarathvam jagathkaaraNathvam cha abaaDhitham

 

By this the attributes of Brahmann such as

being the cause of the world and the abode of all auspicious qualities,

blemishlessness and immutability are not affected.

 

Samanadhikarnya is translated as coordinate

predication. The definition and elucidation comes later in the text. In simple

words it can be explained as follows.

 

The word pot has connotation of the form, colour

etc and also the substance of which it is made of, namely the mud. But when one

refers to the form and use of the pot, like "there is a pot to carry water,"

they do not mean the substance of which it is made of. But when a potter

mentions that it is a good pot he means

the quality of the mud. So the word pot has different connotation for different

people. Just as the word has its connotation which reaches till the substance

of which it is made up of , in other

words, its inner self, the jeeva has connotation to its inner self , that is

Brahman. Ramanuja ends the passage by saying that the attributes of Brahman in

its pristine form is not affected by the identity with the individual self just

as the mud inside the pot is not affected by the shape or colour etc. which can

be seen that when the pot is broken and powdered it merges with the mud.