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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1and is accepted by authoritative persons, and other Smrztis based on it1; for all of which there would be no room if your interpretation of the Veda were the true one. For they all teach that the non-intelligent pradhana is the independent cause of the world. There is indeed room (a raison d'etre) for Smrttls like the Manu-smrzti, which give information about matters connected with the whole body of religious duty, characterised by injunction2 and comprising the agnihotra and similar performances. They tell us at what time and with what rites the members of the different castes are to be initiated ; how the Veda has to be studied ; in what way the cessation of study has to take place ; how marriage has to be performed, and so on. They further lay down the manifold religious duties, beneficial to man, of the four castes and dramas 3. The K&pila Smrz'ti, on the other hand, and similar books are not concerned with things to be done, but were composed with exclusive refer- ence to perfect knowledge as the means of final release. If then no room were left for them in that connexion also, they would be altogether purposeless ; and hence we must explain the Vedanta-texts in such a manner as not to bring them into conflict with the Smrztis mentioned4. — But how, some- body may ask the purvapakshin, can the eventual fault of there being left no room for certain Smrztis be used as an objection against that sense of 5ruti which — from various 1 The Smn'ti called Tantra is the Sahkhyajastra as taught by Kapila ; the Smrz'ti-writers depending on him are Asuri, Fankasikha, and others. 2 Mimawsa Su. I, 1, 2 : £odanalaksha#o*rtho dharma^. Com- mentary : £odana iti kriyaya^ pravartakaw va^anam dhuA 3 Purushartha; in opposition to the rules referred to in the preceding sentence which are kratvartha, i.e. the acting according to which secures the proper performance of certain rites. 4 It having been decided by the Purva Mima^sa already that Smrrtis contradicted by -Sruti are to be disregarded. U 2 292 VED ANTA-Sti TRAS. reasons as detailed under I, i and ff. — has been ascertained by us to be the true one, viz. that the omniscient Brahman alone is the cause of the world? — Our objection, the pur- vapakshin replies, will perhaps not appear valid to persons of independent thought ; but as most men depend in their reasonings on others, and are unable to ascertain by them- selves the sense of vSYuti, they naturally rely on Smrztis, composed by celebrated authorities, and try to arrive at the sense of 5ruti with their assistance ; while, owing to their esteem for the authors of
2ings on others, and are unable to ascertain by them- selves the sense of vSYuti, they naturally rely on Smrztis, composed by celebrated authorities, and try to arrive at the sense of 5ruti with their assistance ; while, owing to their esteem for the authors of the Smr/tis, they have no trust in our explanations. The knowledge of men like Kapila Smr/ti declares to have been rzshi-like and unobstructed, and moreover there is the following 6ruti-passage, ' It is he who, in the beginning, bears in his thoughts the son, the nshi, kapila *, whom he wishes to look on while he is born ' (.SVe. Up. V, 2), Hence their opinion cannot be assumed to be erroneous, and as they moreover strengthen their position by argumentation, the objection remains valid, and we must therefore attempt to explain the Vedanta-texts in conformity with the Smrztis. This objection we dispose of by the remark, * It is not so because therefrom would result the fault of want of room for other Smr/tis.' — If you object to the doctrine of the Lord being the cause of the world on the ground that it would render certain Smrztis purposeless, you thereby render purposeless other Smrztis which declare themselves in favour of the said doctrine. These latter SnWti-texts we will quote in what follows. In one passage the highest Brahman is introduced as the subject of discussion, * That which is subtle and not to be known ; ' the text then goes on, ' That is the internal Self of the creatures, their soul,' and after that remarks * From that sprang the Unevolved, consisting of the three gu^as, O best of Brahma/zas.' And in another place it is said that {the Unevolved is 1 On the meaning of l kapila ' in the above passage, compare the Introduction to the Upanishads, translated by Max Muller, vol. ii, p. xxxviii ff. — As will be seen later on, Ankara, in this bhashya, takes the Kapila referred to to be some reshi. II ADHYAYA, I PADA, I. 293 dissolved in the Person devoid of qualities, O Brah- ma^a.' — Thus we read also in the Pura;za, ' Hear thence this short statement : The ancient Naraya^a is all this ; he produces the creation at the due time, and at the time of reabsorption he consumes it again.' And so in the BhagavadgitS. also (VII, 6), ' I am the origin and the place of reabsorption of the whole world.5 And Apastamba too says with reference to the highest Self, * From him spring all bodies ; he is the primary cause, he is eternal, he is unchangeable' (Dharma Sutra I, 8, 23, 2).
3(VII, 6), ' I am the origin and the place of reabsorption of the whole world.5 And Apastamba too says with reference to the highest Self, * From him spring all bodies ; he is the primary cause, he is eternal, he is unchangeable' (Dharma Sutra I, 8, 23, 2). In this way Smrzti, in many places, declares the Lord to be the efficient as well as the material cause of the world. As the purvapakshin opposes us on the ground of Smrzti, we reply to him on the ground of Smrzti only ; hence the line of defence taken up in the Sutra. Now it has been shown already that the 5ruti-texts aim at con- veying the doctrine that the Lord is the universal cause, and as wherever different Smrztis conflict those maintaining one view must be accepted, while those which maintain the opposite view must be set aside, those Smrztis which follow vSruti are to be considered as authoritative, while all others are to be disregarded ; according to the Sutra met with in the chapter treating of the means of proof (Mim. Sutra I, 3, 3), ' Where there is contradiction (between vSruti and Smrzti) (Smrzti) is to be disregarded ; in case of there being no (contradiction) (Smrzti is to be recognised) as there is infer- ence (of Smrzti being founded on vSruti).' — Nor can we assume that some persons are able to perceive supersensuous matters without 5ruti, as there exists no efficient cause for such per- ception. Nor, again, can it be said that such perception may be assumed in the case of Kapila and others who possessed supernatural powers, and consequently unob- structed power of cognition. For the possession of super- natural powers itself depends on the performance of religious duty, and religious duty is that which is characterised by injunction * ; hence the sense of injunctions (i. e. of the Veda) 1 I.e. religious duty is known only from the injunctive passages of the Veda. 294 VEDANTA- SUTRAS. which is established first must not be fancifully interpreted in reference to the dicta of men 'established' (i.e. made perfect, and therefore possessing supernatural powers) after- wards only. Moreover, even if those 'perfect' men were accepted as authorities to be appealed to, still, as there are many such perfect men, we should have, in all those cases where the Smr/tis contradict each other in the manner described, no other means of final decision than an appeal to 5ruti.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1and is accepted by authoritative persons, and other Smrztis based on it1; for all of which there would be no room if your interpretation of the Veda were the true one. For they all teach that the non-intelligent pradhana is the independent cause of the world. There is indeed room (a raison d'etre) for Smrttls like the Manu-smrzti, which give information about matters connected with the whole body of religious duty, characterised by injunction2 and comprising the agnihotra and similar performances. They tell us at what time and with what rites the members of the different castes are to be initiated ; how the Veda has to be studied ; in what way the cessation of study has to take place ; how marriage has to be performed, and so on. They further lay down the manifold religious duties, beneficial to man, of the four castes and dramas 3. The K&pila Smrz'ti, on the other hand, and similar books are not concerned with things to be done, but were composed with exclusive refer- ence to perfect knowledge as the means of final release. If then no room were left for them in that connexion also, they would be altogether purposeless ; and hence we must explain the Vedanta-texts in such a manner as not to bring them into conflict with the Smrztis mentioned4. — But how, some- body may ask the purvapakshin, can the eventual fault of there being left no room for certain Smrztis be used as an objection against that sense of 5ruti which — from various 1 The Smn'ti called Tantra is the Sahkhyajastra as taught by Kapila ; the Smrz'ti-writers depending on him are Asuri, Fankasikha, and others. 2 Mimawsa Su. I, 1, 2 : £odanalaksha#o*rtho dharma^. Com- mentary : £odana iti kriyaya^ pravartakaw va^anam dhuA 3 Purushartha; in opposition to the rules referred to in the preceding sentence which are kratvartha, i.e. the acting according to which secures the proper performance of certain rites. 4 It having been decided by the Purva Mima^sa already that Smrrtis contradicted by -Sruti are to be disregarded. U 2 292 VED ANTA-Sti TRAS. reasons as detailed under I, i and ff. — has been ascertained by us to be the true one, viz. that the omniscient Brahman alone is the cause of the world? — Our objection, the pur- vapakshin replies, will perhaps not appear valid to persons of independent thought ; but as most men depend in their reasonings on others, and are unable to ascertain by them- selves the sense of vSYuti, they naturally rely on Smrztis, composed by celebrated authorities, and try to arrive at the sense of 5ruti with their assistance ; while, owing to their esteem for the authors of
2ings on others, and are unable to ascertain by them- selves the sense of vSYuti, they naturally rely on Smrztis, composed by celebrated authorities, and try to arrive at the sense of 5ruti with their assistance ; while, owing to their esteem for the authors of the Smr/tis, they have no trust in our explanations. The knowledge of men like Kapila Smr/ti declares to have been rzshi-like and unobstructed, and moreover there is the following 6ruti-passage, ' It is he who, in the beginning, bears in his thoughts the son, the nshi, kapila *, whom he wishes to look on while he is born ' (.SVe. Up. V, 2), Hence their opinion cannot be assumed to be erroneous, and as they moreover strengthen their position by argumentation, the objection remains valid, and we must therefore attempt to explain the Vedanta-texts in conformity with the Smrztis. This objection we dispose of by the remark, * It is not so because therefrom would result the fault of want of room for other Smr/tis.' — If you object to the doctrine of the Lord being the cause of the world on the ground that it would render certain Smrztis purposeless, you thereby render purposeless other Smrztis which declare themselves in favour of the said doctrine. These latter SnWti-texts we will quote in what follows. In one passage the highest Brahman is introduced as the subject of discussion, * That which is subtle and not to be known ; ' the text then goes on, ' That is the internal Self of the creatures, their soul,' and after that remarks * From that sprang the Unevolved, consisting of the three gu^as, O best of Brahma/zas.' And in another place it is said that {the Unevolved is 1 On the meaning of l kapila ' in the above passage, compare the Introduction to the Upanishads, translated by Max Muller, vol. ii, p. xxxviii ff. — As will be seen later on, Ankara, in this bhashya, takes the Kapila referred to to be some reshi. II ADHYAYA, I PADA, I. 293 dissolved in the Person devoid of qualities, O Brah- ma^a.' — Thus we read also in the Pura;za, ' Hear thence this short statement : The ancient Naraya^a is all this ; he produces the creation at the due time, and at the time of reabsorption he consumes it again.' And so in the BhagavadgitS. also (VII, 6), ' I am the origin and the place of reabsorption of the whole world.5 And Apastamba too says with reference to the highest Self, * From him spring all bodies ; he is the primary cause, he is eternal, he is unchangeable' (Dharma Sutra I, 8, 23, 2).
3(VII, 6), ' I am the origin and the place of reabsorption of the whole world.5 And Apastamba too says with reference to the highest Self, * From him spring all bodies ; he is the primary cause, he is eternal, he is unchangeable' (Dharma Sutra I, 8, 23, 2). In this way Smrzti, in many places, declares the Lord to be the efficient as well as the material cause of the world. As the purvapakshin opposes us on the ground of Smrzti, we reply to him on the ground of Smrzti only ; hence the line of defence taken up in the Sutra. Now it has been shown already that the 5ruti-texts aim at con- veying the doctrine that the Lord is the universal cause, and as wherever different Smrztis conflict those maintaining one view must be accepted, while those which maintain the opposite view must be set aside, those Smrztis which follow vSruti are to be considered as authoritative, while all others are to be disregarded ; according to the Sutra met with in the chapter treating of the means of proof (Mim. Sutra I, 3, 3), ' Where there is contradiction (between vSruti and Smrzti) (Smrzti) is to be disregarded ; in case of there being no (contradiction) (Smrzti is to be recognised) as there is infer- ence (of Smrzti being founded on vSruti).' — Nor can we assume that some persons are able to perceive supersensuous matters without 5ruti, as there exists no efficient cause for such per- ception. Nor, again, can it be said that such perception may be assumed in the case of Kapila and others who possessed supernatural powers, and consequently unob- structed power of cognition. For the possession of super- natural powers itself depends on the performance of religious duty, and religious duty is that which is characterised by injunction * ; hence the sense of injunctions (i. e. of the Veda) 1 I.e. religious duty is known only from the injunctive passages of the Veda. 294 VEDANTA- SUTRAS. which is established first must not be fancifully interpreted in reference to the dicta of men 'established' (i.e. made perfect, and therefore possessing supernatural powers) after- wards only. Moreover, even if those 'perfect' men were accepted as authorities to be appealed to, still, as there are many such perfect men, we should have, in all those cases where the Smr/tis contradict each other in the manner described, no other means of final decision than an appeal to 5ruti.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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