Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 34 — The Vedanta-Sutras, Part I (Sankara/Thibaut, page scans)

supposed to be contained in Bri. Up. IV, 4, 5 ; the reply is that the sense of the tasya there is £ jarirat ' (so that the passage means, ' from him, i. e. the £"iva, the pra^as do not depart ') ; for this is clearly shown by the reading of some, viz. the Madhyandinas, who, in their text of the passage, do not read ' tasya ' but ' tasmat' — With reference to the instruction given by Ya^avalkya to Artabhaga, it is to be remarked that nothing there shows the ' ayam purusha ' to be the sage who knows Brahman. — And, finally, there are Smrzti passages declaring that the sage also when dying departs from the body.

Adhik. VII and VIII (15, 16) teach, according to Sankara, that, on the death of him who possesses the higher knowledge, his pra;zas, elements, &c. are merged in Brahman, so as to be no longer distinct from it in any way.

According to Ramanu^a the two Sutras continue the teaching about the pra;zas, bhutas, &c. of the vidvan in general, and declare that they are finally merged in Brahman, not merely in the way of conjunction (sawyoga), but completely1.

Adhik. IX (17). — 5ankara here returns to the owner of the apara vidya, while Ramanu^a continues the description of the utkranti of his vidvan. — The £*iva of the dying man

1 When the £"iva has passed out of the body and ascends to the world of Brahman, it remains enveloped by the subtle body until it reaches the river Vi^ara. There it divests itself of the subtle body, and the latter is merged in Brahman,

[34] f lxxxii vedanta-s6tras.

passes into the heart, and thence departs out of the body by means of the nadis ; the vidvan by means of the naaft called sushum^cl, the avidvan by means of some other nadt

Adhik. X (18, 19). — The departing soul passes up to the sun by means of a ray of light which exists at night as well as during day.

Adhik. XI (20, 21). — Also that vidvan who dies during the dakshkayana reaches Brahman.

Pada III.

Adhik. I, II, III (1-3) reconcile the different accounts given in the Upanishads as to the stations of the way which leads the vidvan up to Brahman.

Adhik. IV (4-6).— By the ' stations' we have, however, to understand not only the subdivisions of the way but also the divine beings which lead the soul on.

The remaining part of the pada is by Sankara divided into two adhikara/zas. Of these the former one (7-14) teaches that the Brahman to which the departed soul is led by the guardians of the path of the gods is not the highest Brahman, but the effected (karya) or qualified (sagu/za) Brahman.

is by Sankara divided into two adhikara/zas. Of these the former one (7-14) teaches that the Brahman to which the departed soul is led by the guardians of the path of the gods is not the highest Brahman, but the effected (karya) or qualified (sagu/za) Brahman. This is the opinion propounded in Sutras 7-1 1 by Badari; and, finally, accepted by .Sankara in his commentary on Sutra 14. In Sutras 12-14 Gaimini defends the opposite view, according to which the soul of the vidvan goes to the highest Brahman, not to the karyam brahma. But Gaimini's view, although set forth in the latter part of the adhikara^a, is, according to Sankara, a mere purvapaksha, while Badarfs opinion represents the siddhanta. — The latter of the two adhikara^as (VI of the whole pada ; 15, 16) records the opinion of Badaraya/za on a collateral question, viz. whether, or not, all those who worship the effected Brahman are led to it. The decision is that those only are guided to Brahman who have not worshipped it under a pratika form.

According to Ramanu^a, Sutras 7-16 form one adhikara/za only, in which the views of Badari and of Caimini represent two purvapakshas, while Badaraya/za's opinion is adopted

INTRODUCTION. Ixxxiil

as the siddhanta. The question is whether the guardians of the path lead to Brahman only those who worship the effected Brahman, i. e. Hira?/yagarbha, or those who worship the highest Brahman, or those who worship the individual soul as free from Prakrzti, and having Brahman for its Self (ye pratyagatmana/^ prakrztiviyukta/^ brahmatmakam upasate). — The first view is maintained by Badari in Sutra 7, ' The guardians lead to Brahman those who worship the effected Brahman, because going is possible towards the latter only;' for no movement can take place towards the highest and as such omnipresent Brahman. — The explanation of Sutra 9 is similar to that of Sankara ; but more clearly replies to the objection (that, if Hira^yagarbha were meant in the passage, 'purusho*manava^ sa etan brahma gamayati,' the text would read {sa etan brahma^am gamayati') that Hira^yagarbha is called Brahman on account of his nearness to Brahman, i.e. on account of his prathama^atva. — The explanation of 10, 11 is essentially the same as in 6ankara; so also of 12-14. — The siddhanta view is established in Sutra 13, ' It is the opinion of Badaraya^a that it, i. e. the ga/za of the guardians, leads to Brahman those who do not take their stand on what is pratika, i. e.

sentially the same as in 6ankara; so also of 12-14. — The siddhanta view is established in Sutra 13, ' It is the opinion of Badaraya^a that it, i. e. the ga/za of the guardians, leads to Brahman those who do not take their stand on what is pratika, i. e. those who worship the highest Brahman, and those who meditate on the individual Self as dissociated from prakrz'ti, and having Brahman for its Self, but not those who worship Brahman under pratikas. For both views — that of Gaimini as well as that of Badari — are faulty/ The karya view contradicts such passages as ' asma£ Marirat samutthaya para/^ ^yotir upasampadya,' &c. ; the para view, such passages as that in the pa^agni-vidya, which declares that ya ittha^ viduA, i. e. those who know the pa^agni-vidya, are also led up to Brahman.

Pada IV.

Adhik. I (1-3) returns, according to 6ankara, to the owner of the para vidya, and teaches that, when on his death his soul obtains final release, it does not acquire any new characteristics, but merely manifests itself in its true nature. — The explanation given by Ramanu^a is essentially f2 lxxxiv vedanta-sOtras.

the same, but of course refers to that vidvan whose going to Brahman had been described in the preceding pada.

Adhik. II (4) determines that the relation in which the released soul stands to Brahman is that of avibhaga, non-separation. This, on vSarikara's view, means absolute non-separation, identity. — According to Ramanu^-a the question to be considered is whether the released soul views itself as separate (przthagbhuta) from Brahman, or as non-separate because being a mode of Brahman. The former view is favoured by those Sruti and Smriti passages which speak of the soul as being with, or equal to, Brahman ; the latter by such passages as tat tvam asi and the like1.

Adhik, III (5-7) discusses the characteristics of the released soul (i.e. of the truly released soul, according to vSankara). According to Gaimini the released soul, when manifesting itself in its true nature, possesses all those qualities which in;0. Up. VIII, 7, 1 and other places are ascribed to Brahman, such as apahatapapmatva, satyasa^/kalpatva, &c, auvarya. — According to Audfalomi the only characteristic of the released soul is ^aitanya. — According to Badarayana the two views can be combined (5afikara remarking that satyasa;/zkalpatva, &c. are ascribed to the released soul vyavaharapekshaya).

Adhik.