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

the word we at once infer Brahman's chief attributes.

p. 5

that that being is enjoying only, not acting ; others believe that in addition to the individual souls, there is an all-knowing, all-powerful Lord1. Others, finally, (i. e. the Vedantins) maintain that the Lord is the Self of the enjoyer (i. e. of the individual soul whose individual existence! is apparent only, the product of Nescience).

Thus there are many various opinions, basing part of them on sound arguments and scriptural texts, part of them oil fallacious arguments and scriptural texts mis- Understood 2. If therefore a man would embrace some one of these opinions without previous consideration, he would bar himself from the highest beatitude and incur grievous loss. For this reason the first Sutra proposes, under the designation of an enquiry into Brahman, a disquisition of the Vedanta-texts, to be carried on with the help of Conformable arguments, and having for its aim the highest beatitude.

So far it has been said that Brahman is to be enquired into. The question now arises what the cftaractexifi*tcs-of ■ ^ that Brahman are, and the reverend author of the Sutras therefore propounds the following aphorism.

• 2. (Brahman is that) from which the origin, &c.
• (i. e. the origin, subsistence, and dissolution) of this (world proceed).

The term, &c. implies subsistence and re-absorption. That the origin is mentioned first (of the three) depends on the declaration of Scripture as well as on the natural development of a substance. Scripture declares the order

1 The three last opinions are those of the followers of the Nyaya, the Sahkbya, and the Yoga-philosophy respectively. The three opinions mentioned first belong to various materialistic schools ; the two subsequent ones to two sects of Bauddha philosophers.

2 As, for instance, the passages 'this person consists of the essence of food ; ' ' the eye, &c. spoke ; ' ' non-existing this was in the beginning,' &c.

1 6 vedanta-s6tras.

of succession of origin, subsistence, and dissolution in the passage, Taitt. Up. Ill, t, 'From whence these beings are born,' &c. And with regard to the second reason stated, it is known that a substrate of qualities can subsist and be dissolved only after it has entered, through origination, on the state of existence. The words 'of this' denote that substrate of qualities which is presented to us byperception and the other means of right knowledge ; the genitive case indicates it to be connected with origin, &c. The words ' from which ' denote the cause.

ate of existence. The words 'of this' denote that substrate of qualities which is presented to us byperception and the other means of right knowledge ; the genitive case indicates it to be connected with origin, &c. The words ' from which ' denote the cause. The full sense of the Sutra therefore is : That omniscient omnipotent cause from which proceed the origin, subsistence, and dissolution of this world— which world is differentiated by names and forms, contains many agents and enjoy ers, is the abode of the fruits of actions, these fruits having their definite places, times, and causes1, and the nature of whose arrangement cannot even be conceived by the mind, — that cause, we say, is Brahman. Since the other forms of existence (such as increase, decline, Sec.) are included in origination, subsistence, and dissolution, only the three latter are referred to in the Sutra, As the six stages of existence enumerated by Yaska2 are possible only during the period of the world's subsistence, it might — were they referred to in the Sutra — be suspected that what is meant are not the origin, subsistence, and dissolution (of the world) as dependent on the first cause. To preclude this suspicion the Sutra is to be taken as referring, in addition to the world's origination from Brahman, only to its subsistence in Brahman, and final dissolution into Brahman.

The origin, &c. of a world possessing the attributes stated above cannot possibly proceed from anything else but a Lord possessing the stated qualities ; not either from a non-intelligent pradhana3, or from atoms, or from nonI ADHYAYA, I PAD A, 2. I J-being, or from a being subject to transmigration1; nor, again, can it proceed from its own nature (i.e. spontaneously, without a cause), since we observe that (for the production of effects) special places, times, and Causes have invariably to be employed.

1 So the compound is to be divided according to An. Gi. and Go. ; the Bha\ proposes another less plausible division.

2 According to Nirukta I, 2 the six bhavavikara^ are : origination, existence, modification, increase, decrease, destruction.

3 The pradMna, called also prakrz'ti, is the primal causal matter of the world in the Sahkhya-system, It will be fully discussed in

(Some of) those who maintain a Lord to be the cause of the world2, think that the existence of a Lord different from mere transmigrating beings can be inferred by means of the argument stated just now (without recourse being had to Scripture at all).

loyed.

(Some of) those who maintain a Lord to be the cause of the world2, think that the existence of a Lord different from mere transmigrating beings can be inferred by means of the argument stated just now (without recourse being had to Scripture at all). — But, it might be said, you yourself in the Sutra under discussion have merely brought forward the same argument! — By no means, we reply. The Sutras (i. e. literally ' the strings ') have merely the purpose of stringing together the flowers of the Vedanta-passages. In reality the Vedanta-passages referred to by the Sutras are discussed here. For the comprehension of Brahman is effected by the ascertainment, consequent on discussion, of the sense of the Vedantatexts, not either by inference or by the other means of right knowledge. While, however, the Vedanta-passages primarily declare the cause of the origin, &c, of the world, inference also, being an instrument of right knowledge in so far as it does not contradict the Vedanta-texts, is not to be excluded as a means of confirming the meaning ascertained. Scripture itself, moreover, allows argumentation ; for the passages, Bri. Up. II, 4, 5 (' the Self is to be heard, to be considered '), and Kh. Up. VI, 14, % (' as the man, &c, having been informed, and being able to judge for himself, would arrive at GandMra, in the same way a man who meets with a teacher obtains knowledge'), declare that human understanding assists Scripture 3.

Scriptural text, &c.4, are not, in the enquiry into Brahman, later parts of this work. To avoid ambiguities, the term pradhSna has been left untranslated. Cp. Sankhya Karika 3.

1 Keât tu hirawyagarbhaw sawsâri«am evagama^ ^agaddhetum a^akshate. Ananda Giri.

2 Viz. the Vaueshikas.

3 Atmana^ jruter ity artha^. Ananda Giri.

4 Text (or direct statement), suggestive power (linga), syntactical

[34] Cp. 1 the only means of knowledge, as they are in the enquiry into active duty (i. e. in the Purva Mima//zsa), but scriptural texts on the one hand, and intuition 1, &c, on the other hand, are to be had recourse to according to the occasion : firstly, because intuition is the final result of the enquiry into Brahman; secondly, because the object of the enquiry is an existing (accomplished) substance. If the object of the knowledge of Brahman were something to be accomplished, there would be no reference to intuition, and text, &c, would be the only means of knowledge.