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LIBERATION AND i ITS WAtiS

t X ........................

CHAPTER 31'73

LIEERaTION AND ITS MEANS

The ~ a i t t i r r y a t e x t -

s t a t e s t h a t he who has rea l ized Brahman a t t a i n s the Supreme

buman end, namely, l i b e r a t i o n . We have e a r l i e r said t h a t

Brahman i s al l -pervasive and i s the s e l f of all beings. As

such Brahman cannot be a t t a ined . For at tainment i s possible

in t h e case of something t h a t i s l h i t e d by a n e n t i t y which

too i s l i m i t e d . Brahman which i s a l l -pemas ive and i s the

s e l f o f all beings cannot be an ob jec t of a t t a h - z t ,

as in the case of an e n t i t y which i s l imi ted

the not -se l f (anatma). Hence it may be argued tha: - a t t abmen t of Brahman which cons t i t u t e s l i be ra t ion i s

not possible.

The above contention i s not sound. It i s b e c ~ l s e

in the case of Brahman which i s ever-attained, a t t s m -

ment and non-attainment respect ive ly depend upon i = s

r ea l i za t ion and non-realization. The sou l who r ea l i ze s

Brahman i s r e a l l y o f the nature o f Brahman. But f c s e l y

ident i fy ing i t s e l f with mind which i s the predominat

f a c t o r in the psycho-physical organism, the so-called

soul has l o s t s i g h t o f i t s i den t i t y with i t s e s sens i a l

nature and, therefore , undergoes transmigration. !ELUS

Brahman which i s the e s s e n t i a l nature of the soul

unattained a s i t were oving t o avidyg and i t s prodlct - - mind. And when it a t t a i n s t h e hnowledge of i t s e s s e n t i a l

nature from the in s t ruc t ion of the Upanigadic t e x t s such

a s t a t tvam a s i and the l i k e , a v i d 6 I s remwed an2 - consequently the r e l a t i o n of the miad t o t he soul t oo i s

removed. dnd tbe soul wases t o be a soul as it would

remain then as Brahman which i s liberation. From th i s it

follows t h a t l i be ra t ion which i s identical w i t h Brahman

- t he true nature of the soul i s ever-existent and i s

eternal. Yet i n order tha t there may be the manifestation

of the true nature of the soul as Brhlman, what i s necessary

i s the removal of avidy;. And the l a t t e r could be effected - by the knowledge o f Brahman. This i s as it should be; for ,

avid¶; could be removed only by knowledge and in order tha t - it may be removed by knowledge what i s essential i s that

both must r e f e r t o one and the same content. We have

e a r l i e r saFd t h a t avidy; has for i t s content - Brahman

and so it v i l l be removed by the howledge tha t has for

i t s content - Brat~man. And the knowledge of Brhhrnan i s

the mental s t a t e which ar ises from the texts such as

t a t tvm a s 1 and the l ike and which i s inspired by the

ref lec t ion of Brahman in it. Since the removal of avidya - i s effected by the howledge of Brahman, l iberation too

whrch i s ident ica l w i t h BrdiPnan i s spoken of , by courtesy, 2

as being attained. h d attainment i s only figurative.

drT d d k a r a in h i s commentary on t h e ~rahma-s;tra - -

s t a t e s :

' a s long a s t h e soul i s associated w i t h the

adjunct-mind, so long only i s t h e soul, a soul.

In r e a l i t y , however, there I s nothing l i k e the

s t a t e of a soul ( jyvatva) apar t from what i s - fancied t o be such by reason of t h i s adjunct' .

3

He proceeds t o po in t out:

lThis r e l a t i o n of Brahman with m M has but

avidy: a s i t s source, and t h i s avidy; cannot - - be removed by anything apart from the lmowledge

of Brahman. Hence the r e l a t i o n w i t h such a

l i m i t i n g ad junc t a s the mind does not cease 4

so long a s t h e soul i s not rea l ized as Brahman'.

To sum up t h i s par t o f the discussion:

~ ~ i d ~ i i s t h e source of all e v i l and i t s removal

would n e c e s s a r i l y br ing about the removal of the re la t ion

of mind and i t s q u a l i t i e s l i k e f i n i t u d e , agency, e tc . The

soul then ceases t o be the soul , a s i t would manifest as

Brahman in i t s t r u e n a t u r e of absolute b l i s s and conscious-

ness. And t h i s i s l i b e r a t i o n . In o ther words, l i b e r a t i o n

b e a g i d e n t i c a l v i t h Brahman i s eve+at tained; yet , through

a mistaken no t ion o f i t s no t being a t t a i n e d one longs f o r it

and a t t a i n s it a s i t were unattained through the removal of

avidpa by t h e d i r e c t experience of Brahman.

Fmm t h e above it emerges t h a t by t h e word apnoti in - the t e x t -

brahmavid apno t i param

what i s conveyed i s t h e removal of t h e l imi t ing adjuncts - avidya and t h e psycho-physical organism t h a t a re responsible 7

fo r t h e appearance of t h e s t a t e of being a soul in the case

of Brahman. Th is has been ascertained in the adhikarapa c

e n t i t l e d ~ r a t i ~ e d h i d h i k a r a p a ~ l n the Second Sect ion of the

Fourth Chapter of the Brahaa-sitra. This adhikarapa t r e a t s

of t h e Upanigadic t e x t s t h a t dea l with the knower of Brahman

when h i s body f a l l s off . The ~ G v a recension of the

~ r h a d a r ~ ~ a k a t e x t - 6

n a t a s y a pr&ar utkramanti

s t a t e s t h a t t h e v i t a l a i r s of the knower of Brahman do not

depar t when t h e body of t h s l a t t e r f a l l s o f f . The prima fac ie

yiev is t h a t t h i s t ex t s t a t e s t h a t t h e v i t a l a i r s do not

depar t from the soul of the knowr of Brahman. It does not

meau t h a t i t does not depar t from t h e body; for , in t h a t

case t h e r e w i l l not be the f a l l i n g o f f of the body. This i s

c l e a r from t h e Gdhyandlna reoension of the Upanisad which

s t a t e s - 7

n a tasmgt pr&& utkrknanti .

T h i s means t h a t from him the v i t a l a i r s do not depart.

Therefore t h e soul of the bower of Brahman passes out of

the body with the v i t a l a i r s . The view s e t forth so f a r i s

the import o f the aphorism - , - - - 8

pra t igedhit iti cet , na , s a r i r a t

The aphorism -

r e f u t e s t h e contention s e t fo r th in the foregoing paragraph

by connecting the den ia l of the departure of the v i t a l a i r s

t o t h e body and not t o the soul. This aphorism discusses the

import o f t h e t ex t - ya t raya i purugak mriyate udasmat pr$r

This t e x t means: ' the Sage L t a b h k a asked ~ i j i i a ~ a l k y a

as t o whether the v i t a l a i r s go out from the knover of

Brahman when the body of the l a t t e r f a l l s off or not.

~aj?lavalkya replied Fn the negative and said that they

merge in him only'. We have therefore t o take even the

reading Ln the gdhyandina recension lfrom himf (tasmh) - as refer r ing t o the body.

It has been said tha t I f the v i t a l a i r s do not

depart from the body then there w i l l not be the fall ing

off of the body. It i s not so. The v i t a l a i r s do not

remain in the body; on the other hand they get merged in

the body I t s e l f . Further, i f the v i t a l a i r s did depart

w i t h the soul fmm the body of the knower of Brahman, then

the soul would experience a fresh b i r t h and consequently

there would be no poss ib i l i ty of l ibera t ion . It comes to

t h i s t h a t t he v i t a 3 a i r s do not depart from the body in the

case of the bower of Brahman but get removed here i t s e l f .

Moreover, the t e x t ,

tam u t k & a n t d pr$ab a n i t k r b a t i pGamanii tkr i- 4 4 I I

mantam s a m e pr*& an&kr&anti

s t a t e s t h a t when the sou l departs from the body, the ~ i t a l

a i r s follow; when the v i t a l a i r s follow, a l l the organs

fo l lov . And t h e t e x t -

s t a t e s t h a t t h i s p e r t a i n s t o the man who des i res , t h a t i s ,

he vho i s under the realm of avidy;.

The t e x t - a tha ak%iayam%& ..[. na t asya pr&& utkrLant.1,

brahmaiva san brahinapyeti 13

s t a t e s t h a t t h e man who does not d e s i r e , t h a t i s , he who

bas rea l i zed his t r u e na tu re as Brahman, never transmigrates.

In h i s case the v i t a l a i r s do not depart . BeFng of the nature

o f Brahman, he remains one with Brahman.

i r i 6 d k a r a s t a t e s t h a t the Upanigad f i r s t s t a t e s

trctnsmigration in t h e form of g o h g out of t h e body along

wi th v i t a l a i r s in t h e case of the one who d e s i r e s . And by

r e f e r r i n g t o the b o w e r of Brahman too who i s f ree from

a l l d e s i r e s , i f it S t a t e s t ransmigrat ion then it would be 14

high ly incongmous. Hence departure of the v i t a l aLrs from

t h e body o f t h e b o w e r of Brahman i s negated in the Upanigads,

Our au thor c i t e s the re levan t ve rses from the ~ a i ~ a s a k ? ~ a -

15 n y & a n z i t o subs tan t i a te t h e above,

In the subsequent adhikarapa e n t i t l e d parasdpatya- 16

dhikarapa , i t i s sa id t h a t t h e v i t a l a i r s and the sense-

organs l apse back i n t o Brahman in the case o f the knower

o f Brahman, while they remain in t h e i r subtle forms in t h e 17

case o f the ignorant . The t e x t of the hQQako'pani$ad - yatha nadyap syandam&p sanudre ---

astam gacchanti nLar;pe vih;ya

t a t h a v i d v k n&ar<p;dv imukt ab 18

para t p a r d p u r u g d u p a i t i divyam

s t a t e s t h a t j u s t a s the r i v e r s which flow in to the ocean,

leave o u t t h e i r names and forms and become one with the

ocean in the same way the mower of Brahman leaves out

h i s name and form and becones one with Brabran. This t e x t

a f f i m s t h a t by the howledge of Brahman t b r e r e s u l t s the

removal o f the fac tors such a s the v i t a l a i r s and the l i k e

t h a t i u u s o r i u Project the s t a t e of being a soul ( j h a t v a ) . - It might be said tha t the t e x t -

s t a t e s t h a t the v i t a l a i r s , mind, etc., denoted b the word

k a l i a r e resolved in to ea r th , e ta . It i s not s tated herein - t h a t t h e y lapse back Fnto the knower of Brahman. Thus there

seems t o be contradiction between the two texts .

Our author s t a t e s tha t t h i s text r e f e r s t o the cogni-

t i o n of t h e ignorant one who thinks, when a knower of Brahman

leaves h i s mortal co i l s , t h a t his body, e to . , too are resolved

in to e a r t h , eta . , i n the same way as a pot tha t i s destroyed, 20

Hence t h e r e i s no contradiction between the two texts .

It comes t o t h i s t h a t in the case of the !mower of

Brahman all his lFmiting adjuncts are removed by the knowledge

o f Brahman. Our author c i t c s the relevant verses from the 21

' J a iy~sak~yanyiyan& t o substant iate the above view.

It would be clear from the foregoing discussion tha t

l ibera t ion consists in the s o u l realizing i t s true nature

as Brahman thereby becoming freed from the psycho-physical

organism i l l u s o r i l y projected by avidyz. The concept of - l ibera t ion thus has a v i t a l bearing upon the removal of

the psycho-physical Organism which would ensue as a matter

of course by the removal of avidya. And avidy; could be - - removed only by the d i rec t howledge of Braban.

Liberation vhich i s identical v i th Brahman - the

essent ia l nature of the soul cannot be achieped by karma. - I t i s because the f r u i t s of karma may be classified into - four d iv is ions as origination, attainment, modification

and ceremonial purification. I f l ibera t ion identical v i th

Brahman vere admitted t o be the resul t of karma then it must

be admitted t o be e i ther originated or attained or toedified

or ceremonially purified. $r? S d k a r a points out that none

of these would be applicable in the case of l iberation vhioh

i s i den t i ca l with Brahman. His arguments may be summed up

as followsr

Liberation cannot be regarded e i ther as originated

o r md i f i ed . It is because if it i s held t o be so then

it vonld have t o be viewed as non-eternal. In ordinary

experienoe sour milk and the like which are modifications

and pot and the l i ke which are ef fec ts are noticed t o be

non-eternal. Liberation cannot be regarded as something

to be attained. It i s because i t i s identical with Brahman

which i s all-pervasive and which i s the se l f of every being.

bs such being the essent ia l nature of the soul and being

all-pervasive i t i s ever attained. Further l iberation cannot

be regarded as ceremonially purified. It i s because cere-

monial purification bvolves addition of certain excellences

and removal of certain blemishes. Liberation i s identical

with Brahman which i s eternally free from any blemish and

which i s absolute perfection. It comes t o t h i s that karma 22-

cannot be viewed as the d i r ec t means of liberation.

Our author examines the vievs of the schools which do

no t consider bowledge as thesole mems of l iberation. The

Furvam&&isa school t o begin with asser ts tbat it i s only

karma tba t i s the sole menns t o l iberation. lzcording t o -

t h i s school bondage in the case of the soul consists in

i t s association with the bcdy-mind complex and l iberation

in i t s dissociation from it. Since dissociation from body-

mad complex alone i s t o be achieved in order to a t t a in

l ibera t ion t h i s school i s of the view t h a t karma i t s e l f i s - efficacious enough t o bring about the desired result . It i s

thus: merit and demerit constitute the cause of embodiment.

Of these tvo merit a r i ses by performance of meritorious

deads vhl le the l a t t e r by committing interdicted actions

and by non-performance of obligatory and occasioned r i t e s .

If these tvo are avoided then there v U be no fresh birth.

In order t o avoid these tvo one must ref ra in from performing

optional r i t e s and comit t ing lllterdicted actions. And to

avoid the s i a of omission tha t vould occur by the non-

performance of the ob l iga toq and the occasioned r i t e s one

must perform these tvo. The present body caused by all the

merits and demerits accumulated In the previous b i r ths w i l l

be exhausted by experiencing the i r resul ts in the present

l i f e i t s e l f . Thus when the present body f a l l s off there i s

no fresh merit or demerit to give for th a fresh b i r th ; and,

the s o u l by being dissociated from the body-mind complex

would remain in i t s pure nature vhich i s l ibe ra t ion . The - -. d.

p;rvamimamsa school therefore contends t b a t s ince l i b e r a t i o n

could be a t t a ined through karma in the manner mentioned

above t h e r e is no need t o maintain knowledge of Brahman

a s t h e means t o l ibe ra t ion . This account of the ~imam-&si

pos i t ion is s e t f o r t h in the ~ a r t t ~ k a s i r a which our author 23

re fe rs to .

The above view i s rejected by the M v a i t i n and the

grounds f o r re jec t ion a re s e t f o r t h in the ~ b t t i k a s a r a

i t s e l f which our author records. And the grounds are:

i ) the present body i s caused not by a l l the meri ts

and demeri ts t b a t a re accumulated in the previous b i r t h s

but only by c e r t a i n meri ts and demerits. It i s because it

i s no t reasonable t o hold tha t merits and demerits vhich

would br ing f o r t h d i f fe ren t f r u i t s such a s b i r t h in hewen,

o r in h e l l o r as a human being give f o r t h only one bir th.

It must therefore be admitted t h a t i t i s only a portion of

the accumulated mer i t s and demerits t b a t gives fo r th the

present body. The remaining accumul~ted mer i t s and demerits

would give f o r t h f resh b i r t h s in future;

i i ) the accumul~ted merits and demerits could no t be

annihi lated by the performance of obl igatory and occasioned

deeds because such a performance may annih i la te only the

accumulated demeri ts and not the accumulated merits. Even

the a c c m l a t e d demerits cannot be removed by the performance

of ob l iga tory and occasioned deeds a s there are c e r t a i n

demerits which could be removed by experiencing t h e i r f r u i t s

in severa l b i r t h s and not in a single b i r t h ;

i i i ) zpastamba has s ta ted t h a t from the performance

of ob l iga tory and occasioned deeds merit vodld ensue a s a

matter o f course, just as cool shade and fragrance r e s u l t

a s a mat te r of course from a mango t r e e which has been

nurtured f o r the purpose of f r u i t s and one cannot avoid

accumulating mer i t s and demerits unconsciously B the

present birth+

On these grounds i t should be concluded t h a t by karma - it i s n o t possible t o achieve the d i ssoc ia t ion of the sou l

from t h e body-mind complex which, according t o the ~ w a - 24

mhGsa school cons t i tu tes l ibe ra t ion .

There are some preceptors who advocate the view t h a t

the combination of karma and 5 i G a leads t o l ibe ra t ion . This - - combination, our author s t a t e s admits of th ree in te rp re ta t ions

which a re as follows:

i ) j&a i s primary and karma i s i t s auxi l iary; - - 11) karma i s primary and j%a i s i t 3 auxi l iary; and, - - ,.#

L3 111) both j&a and karma are primary. - -

These t h r e e v ievs are proved t o be unsourd and we s h a l l

s e t f o r t h the arguments against these th ree views. Combination

of two fac to rs i s possible on three groundst i ) they must

co-exist a t the same place and a t t h e same time; i i ) they

must no t be mutually-exclusive; and, 111) t h y must bear

fo r th a s ing le f r u i t . These three c r i t e r i a are not possible

Fn t h e case of j&a and karma. It i s because both a re - - opposed t o each o ther l i k e a l i o n and a ram and so they

cannot c b e r i s t in a par t i cu la r place. Further karma is

d i s t a n t l y conducive t o the r i s e of the howledge of Brahman

and so both cannot co-exist a t a given point of time. Both

are opposed t o each other when viewed in r e l a t i o n t o t h e i r

cause, nature and e f fec t . The cause of karma i s f a l s e identi- - 1 8 9

f ica t ion of Brahman With avidpi and mind, but the cause of - bowledge i s the proof, namely, the scriptures. Karma i s not

a rmeal ing factor, while lmowledge reveals the true nature

of i t s object. The ef fec t of karma i s future b i r th , vhile - the removal of b i r t h i s the effect ef bovledge. On these

grounds the combination of karma and j&a i t s e l f i s hposs i - - - ble. The resul t of t h i s argument i s that l iberation cannot

26 result from such a combination.

There were cer ta in preceptors who se t t led the relation

between the r i t u a l i s t i c section of the Veda tha t teaches - karma and the bowledge-section of the Teda tha t Imparts - - the knowledge of Brahman on the basis of the maxia knovn

as s o p ~ a p a r $ t i n ~ y a . This may be explained as follovsr

just as a s e r i e s of fixed steps lead from one floor of the

buildiag t o a n o t k r , i n the same way, the series of karma - prescribed in the r i t u a l i s t i c section of the Veda when - performed in due order would enable one t o acquire f i tness

t o receiTe the lmowledge of Brahman.

Tbe abwe contention, our author s ta tes , i s wrong.

It i s because the injunctive texts in the r i t u a l i s t i c

section of the reda give r i se t o the lmovledge tha t - sac r i f i ce s like jyotiggoma are the means t o the desired

ends such as the heaven and the l ike, They do not check

des i ra ; on the other hand they accelerate it. Pal absence

of des i r e which i s the pm-requisite f o r the study of

VedGta c m o t be achieved by the performance of karma

with a view t o a t t a in the desired ends. Wrther it i s

not possible t o perform a l l the karma-s in due order in - a s ingle l i f e . Hence th i s way of relating the r i t u a l i s t i c

section of the reda w i t h the hnovledge-section i s not a 27

sound one.

An inf luent ia l school of VedGtins held the r i e v

lmovn a s k-&apradhvai&ar~a t e s e t t l e the relation betveen

the r i t u a l i s t i c section of the veda and i t s knowledge-seotion. - According t o t h i s viev, karma as taught in the r i t ua l i s t i c

section of the Veda i s intended i n rea l i ty t o annihilate

des i r e (k&apradhGsa) through i t s continued satisfaction

by experiencing the f ru i t s - a result which i s a necessary

pre-condition of a successfdl pursuit of the lmovledge of 28

Brahman.

Our author re jec ts the above view by s ta t ing tha t

the continued sa t i s fac t ion of desire vould increase desire

markedly in degree and in measure instead of annihilating

it. l e v e r indeed does desire cease to ex i s t through the

enjoyment of i t s object. On the other hand, it wFU get

in tens i f ied , l i k e t he f i r e by the offering of the sacr l -

f i c i a l substance. The only way t o annihilate desire i s

the discernment of defects in the objects of desire. For

t h i s the continued sa t i s fac t ion of des i re prescribed by 29

t h i s present school i s not the correct vay.

Yet another v iev tha t i s ooncerned v i th correlating

the r i t u a l i s t i c and the hovledge-section of the Veda i s - hovn as prap&cacprarilaya-v2a. This viev aims a t hamo-

nising the two sections of the reda by pointing out t ha t - the tvo s e n e but one purpose. It i s thusr each one of the

injunctions re la t ing t o the obligatory, the optional and

the prohibited deeds contain a double mandate - one t o b e p

oneself engaged in some act by checking one's na tura l

impulses; the other, t o dispel the f a l s e notion that the

physical body i s the r ea l se l f . The t ex t s tha t contain

theae inj~nCtiOnS imply t h a t the soul is d i s t i nc t from the

physical body a s it will be no longer associated with t ha t

body when it comes t o experience the r e s u l t s of the deeds

in a hereaf ter . Thus these injunctions take the person

addressed nearer the t ru th about the soul. bmile thus

c lar i fy ing the nature of the soul, these texts enable one

t o ge t r i d o f attachment to things which come under the

categorg o f t he not-self (anztma) and which s e n e as an - impediment t o the acquisit ion of the imowledge of the

true nature o f the soul as taught in t h e knowledge-section

of t h e reda. It follovs tha t according t e t h i s view the - r i t ua l i s t i c - sec t ion of the Veda is subsidiary t o the - knowledge- s ec t ion6

The above view i s recorded in the ~ g r t t ~ k r s a r a 30

and i s c i t ed by our author.

The contention of those who advocate the prap&ca-

pravilaga-v&a i s not sound. It i s because the texts t ha t

e n j o b the performance of sacr i l ices , e tc . , o r prohibit

one from committing interdicted ac t ions have no other

f r u i t except the one referred to in them. They are e i ther

the attaFnment of heaven and the l ike or the avoidance of

unvelcome results . And the removal of the false notion in

regard t o the nature of the soul i s not the f r u i t of the

texts.

It may be said tha t the removal of the m s e notion

regarding the nature of the soul i s the import of the texts

of the r i t u a l i s t i c section of the veda. This too cannot be. - Tt i s because the Import of these texts i s e i ther t h e perfor-

mace of prescribed deeds or t o keep oneself avay from commi-

t t ing interdicted actions. Without performing the prescribed

deeds one cannot a t t a i n heaven and the like; and, without

keeping oneself avay from committing interdicted actions,

one cannot a ~ o i d the unvelcome results.

It may be said tha t although the above may be the

expressed sense of the texts of the r i t u a l i s t i c section of

the veda, yet i t s intended sense i s the removal ef the false - notion regarding the nature of the soul.

This viev a lso i s not correct because ve hare texts

31 asthilam anapu ahrasvam adirgharn, etc. ,

which dFrectly convey the true nature of the soul as neither

gross, nor minute, ne i ther short nor long, e t c .

Further, the kuowledge of the true nature of the

soul can never be attained simply by conveying tha t it i s

d i f ferent from the physical body. In the s t a t e of deep

sleep one does not hare the d i s t i nc t cognition of the

physical bcdy; yet one does not a t ta in the kuowledge of

the true nature of the soul.

On these grounds we hate t o maintain t h a t the corre-

l a t ion betueen the r i t u a l i s t i c and the knowledge-sect ion

of the veda cannot be sett led on the bas is of prapaiica- - 32

pravilaya-v&a.

To sum up: neither karma nor the combination of karma - - and jl?&a could be the direct means of l ibera t ion . The

re la t ion betveen karma and jza cannot be maintained by 7 -

adopting e i the r the sop&apa&ti-nyiya, o r &acpradhv&sa-

Our author explaFns the posit ion of the Advai th in

regard t o the re la t ion between karma and ji&a which a m - - the imports of the r i t u a l i s t i c and the a o v -

ledge-saction of the Veda thus: there i s a causal r e l a t i on - betman the r i t u a l i s t i c section of the veda and the bow- - ledge-section. Knowledge i s the fac tor tha t i s to be

achieved (szdhya) and karma-s prescribed in the r i t u a l i s t i c - - sect ion consti tute the cause by giving r i se to e i t he r cere-

lnonial purification (sdskgra) o r t o the desire t o a t t a i n

the knowledge of Brahman (v iv id ipa) . 01 these, the f i r s t

view i s hovn as sa&kirapak$a and the second one as

The s&~kara-~ak$a i s based upon the Gautama-Gharma-

si i tra - yasya e t e c a t v a r d i a t sa&karab -

33 sa brahmapQ sipujyam sLokat& yat i .

The significance of t h i s text i s explabed by our author

thus: the b junc t ive texts of the veda e n j o b obligatorg - r i t e s . They imply tha t the non-performance of the l a t t e r

would involve the s in of omission vhich w i l l lead t o

unwelcome w s u l t s . The aspirant , the re fore , performs

the r i t e s by being prompted by the in junc t ive t e x t s and

out of fear of Incurr lng the s i n of omission by t h e i r

non-performance. Karma performed with t h i s a l t i t u d e would

pur i fy the mind of the aspirant thereby making i t f i t f o r

receving the knowledge of Brahman. I f opportuni ty i s

afforded t o him t o pursue ved&tic study, r e f l e c t i o n and

meditation, then he would a t t a i n the knowledge of Brahman.

Othervise he would reach the meritorious vorlds. It must

be noted here t h a t according t o t h i s v i e v even the r i s e

of the desire t o have the knowledge o f Brahman i t s e l f i s

uncertain and so the r i s e of the knowledge of Brahman too

i s n o t possible m l e s s one makes ser ious e f f o r t t o a t t a i n

it. Wlt what i s c e r t a i n i s tha t the mind of the asp i ran t

becomes f r se fron demerits and becomes f i t enough t o receive

the mowledge of Brahman. This view i s raoorded in t h e 34

~ & t i k a s & a and our author re fe r s t o it.

The second one, namely, the v i ~ i d i g a - ~ a k ~ a i s based

on the Upanigadic t e x t -

s t a t e s t h a t men of S p i r i t u a l b i r t h seek t o r e a l i z e Erahman

(tam) which i s the t r u e nature of the soul (etam) by the - - study of one's o m recension of the veda, by t h e performance - of s a c r i f i o e s and the offer ing of g i f t s and by the penance

Fn the form of fas t ing .

Here the expressions 'study of one's own recension

of the veda t and I the perfommce of s a c r i f i c e s and offer ing - of g i f t s ' r e spec t ive ly stand for the d u t i e s r e l a t u g t o the

s tages of the c e l i b a t e and of the house-holder. The expression

'penance in the form of fast ing ' r e fe r s t o the s tage of the

hermit. This t e x t prescr ibes the r e l a t i o n between the du t ies

re la t ing t o one ' s s t age of l i f e and the d e s i r e t o have the

knowledge of Brahman.

It i s vell-!mown t h a t in the r i t u a l i s t i c sect ion of the

veda, karma-s r e l a t i n g t o d i f f e r e n t s t ages of l i f e a re pres- -- cribed v i t h reference t o the attaFnment of d i f f e r e n t f r u i t s

such a s heaven and the l ike . Bt when i t is s a u in the

knowledge-section of the veda tha t those ve ry karma-s would - - give f o r t h the r e s u l t in the form of the d e s i r e t o have the

knowledge of Brahman, i t must be understood t h a t those karma-s - performed without any d e s i r e fo r t h e i r f r u i t s and as an

198

offering t o God leads t o the desire t o have the bowledge

of Brahman. The ~ h a g a v a d - ~ i t a t ex t -

tadartham karma kaunteya muktasarighab s a n ~ a c a r a ~ ~

speci f ica l ly s t a t e s tha t the nature of karma i s t o bind the - soul by giving r i s e t o merit (pugya) excepting when it i s - performed as an offering to God.

Yet another text of the ~ h a ~ a v a d - ~ i t a - -- gat karogi yadainasi yajjuhogi dadis i yat

17 yat tapasyasi kaunteya t a t kurugva madarpapam-'

d i r ec t s one to perform ksrma as an offering t o God. - It follows tha t one's karma when they are performed

without any desire for the i r f r u i t s as an offering t o God

would g b e r i s e to the desire to have the howledge of

Brahman. 62 dan'kara In his commentary on the ~rahna-s i t ra

s ta tes :

Phis t e x t means: since in the Upanigadic t e x t prfornance of

karma relating t o One's stage of l i f e i s related to the - desire to have the knowledge of Brahman, i t must be

concluded ' a t it i s only distantly conducive to the r i se

of the lmowledge of Braban. It must be added here that the

performance Of OnetS karma without any desire for i t s f ru i t s

and as an offering t o God i s mom as karma-yoga.

The process through which an Intense desire t o have

the knowledge of Brahman a&es may be explained as follows:

1) the merit tha t arises from the performance of

karma without any desire for i t s f r u i t and as an offering - to God cleanses one s heart by removing the Fmpedlments that

stand in the vay of acquisition of the knowledge of Brahman;

2) tilere ar i ses then the intellectual conviction

that Braban alone i s real and everything apart from it i s

non- r ea l (nity&itya-vastu-viveka) ;

3) t h i s leads to absolute detachment toward enjoyment

objects here and hereafter ( ih%ut r -a r thabh~~avi r iga ) ;

4) t h i s , in turn , gives r i se t o vhat i s known as

iam%i-sidhana-sampat consisting of e th ica l excellences,

namely, h a , dama, aparati , titik?;, smkh&a and - - - - iraddh; -

D Of Laase, sama i s control of mind, and, dama i s control -

7

of external senses. Uparati, according to Sr? dadlrara, - 39

stands f o r sannyzsa or asceticism. According to V&aspati 40

miira it represents renunciation in spFrit. ~a&dh&a i s

power of concentration and &addha i s fa i th Ln the teachings - of the Upanigad-s; and,

5 ) these quali t ies when pursued give rise t o an

Fntense desire for attaining release from the trammels of 41

transmigratory existence and th i s i s lmown as mumukgutva.

The aspirant lmows from a study of the Upanisad-s that the

means t o release i s the d i rec t lmowledge of Brahman. X i s

intense desire for release thus leads t o the intense desire

for i t s means, namely, the d i rec t howledge of Brahman, tha t

i s , vividig;. Thus performance of karma vithout any desire - for i t s f r u i t and as an offerLng t o God g i ~ e s r i se t o what

i s Isnoun as vivIdiga or an intense desire to ha70 the know- 42

ledge of Brahman by cleansing one's heart.

An objec t ion suggests i t s e l f a t t h i s s tage in regard

to the conclusion t h a t the performance of onels karma without - any d e s i r e f o r i t s f r u i t has fo r i t s r e s a l t the des i re t o have

the bowledge of Brahman (vividis;); and it i s : there arises - the d e s i r e t o a t t a i n l ibe ra t ion spontaneously as i t i s known

tha t i t i s the ul t imate value. Then it i s knovn t h a t the

knowledge o f Brahman i s i t s means, and so the re would a r i se

a des i re t o have the howledge of Brahman. And t h i s is vividig;.

Bs t h i s e x i s t s w e n pr io r t o the performance of one's karma,

there i s no need t o perform one's karma in order t o achieve

vividiga. It comes t o t h i s tha t one need not perform one's

karma with a v iev t o a t t a i n vividiga. - 43

The above object ion i s answered in the ~ i r t i k a s a r a - the answer which our author records, by making a d i s t inc t ion

between iccha and ruci . The former c a r r i e s no implication - - of a determination o r an e f fo r t to a t t a i n a thing, vhile the

l a t t e r Fmplies well-directed e f f o r t t o a t t a i n the sane. This

d i s t i n c t i o n between the two i s explained by making a reference

t o one who has a d e s i r e f o r m u , bat because of b i l e does

not have the dominant desire which prompts one t o drink the

milk. But when the bile i s removed, one i s prompted toward

drinking the milk. In the same way, one has a desire for

the knowledge Of Brahman as one lolows from the Upaniyad-s

tha t it i s t he means t o l iberation. But one, because of

numerous demerits present Fn one's mind, does not hare the

dominant des i re t ha t leads to well-directed ef for t t o a t ta in

the knovledge of Brahman. dnd it i s the l a t t e r that i s

achieved by the performance of one's karma. That i s , when - one's karma i s performed without any desire for the f r u i t , - it removes the numerous demerits present i n the mind of the

aspirant, generates the dominant desire tha t prompts one to

pursue v e d s t i c study, reflection and meditation to achieve

the knowledge of Brahman. It i s t h i s dominant desire (ruci)

to have the knowledge of Brahman that i s knovn as vividiga; 44

and, performance of one's karma i s related to it. - Performance of one's karma has f o r i t s h e d i a t e -

resul t the cleansing of-the heart or the purification of

the mind which ultimately leads t o the r i s e of the desire

t o have the knowledge of Brahman. While explain- the

Process through which the desFre t o have the hnovledge of

Brahman a r i s e s w referred t o the group of e t i c a l excellences

such a s s'm, dams and the l i k e which include upara t i . And -- - u p a r a t i s tands fo r sanny'asa o r abandonment of karma r e l a t i n g - - t o one 's s tage of life. This wans t h a t the performance o r

karma i s g i ren ap a t a pa r t i cu la r stage p r i o r t o the r u e - of t h e howledge of Brahman and as such karma-a cons t i tu te - the remote means to the knowledge of Brahman. And, t h e posse-

ss ion o f e t h i c a l excel lences including sannyasa and ved&tic

study ( i ravana) , r e f l e c t i o n (manana) and meditation (nidi- - - - dhyasana) cons t i tu te the proximate means t o the bowledge

of Brahman.

The ~ h i d o g y a t e x t - t rayo dhanaaskandhap, y a j i i a ~ adhyayanam d&am

prathamak, tapa eva dv i tGap brahmacary~c~rya

ku lav i s i t r i t i y a p . . .. sarva e t e pupyaloG W

bhavanti, brahmasamstho'qtatvm e t i .

r e fe r s t o the s tage of an ascet ic . The term - dharmaskandhap

means the s tages of one 's l i f e ; and, they a r e three ( t ray%). - The f i r s t one i s t h e s tage of a house-holder by remaining Fn

which one perfoxma s a c r i f i c e s , continues the study o f the reda -

and offers g i f t s . The second one relates to the stage of

a hermit vhere disciplinary austeri t ies such as fasting and

the l i ke are pursued. The t h i d me relates to a celibate who

l ives in the house of the preceptor and learns the teda. And - those who perfom duties relating to t he i r respective stages

of lie would a t ta in the prQpitious worlds. And one who

pursues meditation upon Brahman attains immortality; and,

his stage of l i f e i s ascetioisra or sanny<sa.

It might be said that the above t ex t may be taken t o

convey the sense tha t he who pursues meditation upon Brahman

by remaining in any one of the three stages of l i f e would

a t t a in immortality. The result of t h i s contention i s that

the ascet ic stage of l i f e need not be admitted.

Our author rejects the above contention by stating

that meditation upon Brahman means concentering one's mind

upon Brahman to the exolusion of any other thought. And th i s

i s not possible jn the case of one who assiduously performs

karma. Eence meditation upon Brahman i s possible in the case

Of one vho has given up the performance of karma, that i s , '6 -

the one who has taken up a~cetieism*

dric d d k a r a in h is commentary on the ~rahma-si tra - - 47

a tha to brahmaji j iasa

enumerates four qUal i f ica t ion~ for an aspirant t o embark

upon the study of Vedanta; and, they are:

3) s 'dIs;hanas&pat; and,

We have explained these four ear l ie r . The point t h a t i s of

relevance here i s t h a t the third fac tor in t h i s l i s t , namely,

iamadisadhana~am~at includes uparati which, according t o - Sr? dadkara, means renunciation of a l l a c t i v i t i e s o r sannyi;sa. - .

From t h i s it follows t h a t asceticism i s a necsssary qualif i-

cation f o r an asp i ran t t o pursue ved&tic study, It gives r i s e

to an Fnvisible merit vithout which the knowbdge of Brahman

could not a r i se .

It comes t o t h i s that asceticism or s e s a i s an

essen t ia l qua l i f ica t ion as i t has been included in the four-

fold a id referred t o above for the study of v e d s t a .

The viev t h a t asceticism i s an e s sen t i a l qualif ication

for the study Of red&ta is confirmed in the ~rahma-s;tra -

o f In order t o understand the importLtbis aphorism, i t i s

necessary t o refer t o one text of the ~ ~ h a d a r ~ y a k o ' ~ a n i ~ a d

which i s an folJ.ows:

t i g$h i se t , bLy& ca pap~ityam ca nirvidya atba 49

munib ammd ca maund ca nirvidya atha brahapap

This t ex t means: 'Therefore a person of s p i r i t u a l b i r th

having pursued ved&t i c study and ref lec t ion should pursue

meditation, and having pursue6 the three , be would become

a realized soul ' .

The aphorism referred t o above discusses the import

of the above text and states that the l a t t e r enjoins medi-

tat ion a lso as a means to the bowledge of Brahman i s the

case of one vho i s an ascetic havirrg a mediate lmowledge of

Brahman. dri states that the expression tadvetab

in the aphorism must be taken to mean an asce t i c vho has

the mediate knowledge of Brahmm.

From the above it follows tha t s w y 2 a i s t h e proximate

means t o t h e bov ledge of Brahman. The aphorism -

s t a t e s t h a t Lama, d m a and other e t h i c a l excellences a re -- n e c e s s a r i l y t o be observed as they are enjoinad as t h e

means t o t h e knowledge of Brahman. The G v a recension

of t h e ~ ~ h a d a r ~ ~ a k o ' p a n i g a d -

s t a t e s t h a t s ince the lmovledge of Brahman i s of g r e a t

value one knoving i t t o be so should a t t a i n it through

[ma and o t h e r factors . The &khyandina recension of the - above t e x t reads i r addh&i t to b h b a in the place of

7

samzhito bh;tva and p&yet in the place of paiyat i . Taking - these two t e x t s together ve a r r ive a t six factors , namely

lama, dama, upara t i , t i t i l rga , sam%h&a and Lraddhg. - 7 - -

The matter t h a t i s of importance here i s t h a t a l l

these fac to rs which contain s a n G s a too a re s tated t o be - the means t o the hovledge of Brahman. They a re , therefore,

the proximate means t o the l a t t e r .

E a r l i e r we referred t o the ~$hadzr .q~aka text -

t i s fhase t b a l y d ca pappity& ca nirvidya a tha

m i p maund ca amaund ca nirvidya atha

br;hrnapa.t~~~

according t o which an asce t i c who has the mediate howledge

of Brahman must pursue the v e d n t i c study ( & E v ~ ~ ) , r e f l ec t ion - (manana) and meditation (nididhyasana). These three cons t i tu te - the o ther group of proximate means t o the knowledge of Brahman.

These a r e s e t fo r th in another t ex t of the ~ h a d a r a p ~ a k a - ZtG v; are dragtavyab s'rotavyab mantavyab

Our author s t a t e s tha t the ~ a i t t i r y ~ a t e x t -

en jo ins one t o r e a l i z e h i s t rue ns tu re t o be Brahman from

vhich a l l these beings come into ex i s tence , from which they

der ive t h e i r ex i s tence and manifestation and i n t o which they

lapse back a t t h e time of dissolut ion. Such a r e a l i z a t i o n i s

possible through the pursui t of lravapa, e t c . - The t e x t -

tasmzt b r h a p a b p$ityam ni rv idya , e t c 55

ci ted above i s in te rp re ted by our author thus: the word

nirvidya means 'having accomplishedt. The word balya - s i g n i f i e s cleansing of heart which i s e s s e n t i a l t o ca r ry

out r e f l e c t i o n . In t h i s t ex t r e f l ec t ion o r Planana i s - intended t o be enjoined in between v e d z t i c study ( i ravega) - and meditat ion (nididhyasana). For pursuing r e f l e c t i o n

what i s required i s the cleansing of heart . Without t h a t

i t i s impossible f o r one whose mind is a f f l i c t e d by passion

and hatred t o a r r e s t the sense-organs which normally function

toward e x t e r n a l ob jec t s , and to pursue re f l ec t ion . Hence the

whole t e x t means t h a t by pursuing i ravapa, manana and --

nididhy&ana there a r i s e s the knowledge of Brahman;

and, the one who has attained the l a t t e r i s the t rue

significance of the term b~-ihm~n. 56

Our author in t h i s connection c i t e s a passage from

a smfll text vhich i s as foUovs: - ;rotavyab .kutiv&ebhyab mantavyagca upapattibhib

matvi ca s ea t am dhyeyah e te darianahetavap 57

Qraveqa, manana and n id idhGana are the means of toe -- knovledge of Brahman. The l a t t e r must be known as toe

import of the Upanigadic texts by deta i led inquiry t n t o

the l a t t e r ; manana i s constant ref lec t ion w i t h the aid of

reasoning subseming the teachings of the Upanisad-s, upon

Brahman h o r n through study. Meditation i s consclcas

mental e f f o r t in resting one's mina dissociated from 58

thoughts of other objects upon Brahman.

gravapa removes the fa lse notion tha t the Upanisad-s - do not teach the non-dual rea l i ty . And t h i s false ro t lon

i s known a s p r a n & a s a ~ b h ~ ~ a n a . Manana removes the fz lse - notion t h a t vbat has been conveyed by the Upanigad-s i s

opposed t o Perceptual evldence and t o the view-points

of o ther schools of thought. This f a l s e notion is

prameyis& hivan;. N ididh+isaoa removes the fa l se T

notion of I I ' and lmlnel.

The question that ar ises a t t h i s s tage i s a s t o

whether i ravqa, manana and nididhg&ana a r e to be pursued -- only once o r repeatedly. In his commentary on the aphorism -

8 2 d d k a r a s ta tes :

This t e x t means: the vedic t e x t -

which means 'one pounds the paddy-grains' poundbg is

prescribed a s the means t o the removal of husk. Here the

a c t of pounding although mentioned only once, yet i s t o

be repeated till the v i s i b l e resu l t , nmely , the removal

of husk ensues. In the same way, s r a v q a . , e t c

212

although mentioned only once are t o be repeated till the

v i s i b l e r e s u l t ; namely t h e removal of a l l f a l s e notions

t h a t l i n g e r in the mind of the asp i ran t a r e removed thus

enabl ing t h e r i s e of the d i r e c t knowledge o f Brahman.

S r I d d k a r a s t a t e s :

The mention o f l ravapa, e tc . , only once in the Upanigadic 62

t e x t i m p l i e s r e p e t i t i o n of iravapa, e t c , - Our author c i t e s the passage from t h e vaiy;sakiya-

53 n g & n z i i n t h i s connection.

It may be added here tha t the view t h a t Sravaqa, e tc . ,

are of t h e forms of mental s t a t e s i s advocated by ~ r a k z z t m a n 64

Fn h i s Vivarapa. ~ ~ c a s ~ a t b i l r a , howevsr, 5olds t h a t they

are forms of mediate knowledge. 65

~ r a G s 5 t m a n in his Vivarapa maintains t h e view t h a t

i r a v q a i s the p r b c i p a l f ac to r and manana A nididhy;isana 56 -

are subserv ien t t o it. Vacaspatimisra, on the other hand,

considers t h a t nididhyasana i s t h e p r i n c i p a l f ac to r , while 67

s r a v q a and manana a re subservient t o i t . Our buthor - - adopts the V i v a r q a view and he c i t e s as au thor i ty the

following passage from the pur&la which i s a s follokrs: - 213

68 utpattaa. antar&& h i j i i i a s y a iravapam budhap

his t e x t means t h a t wise men consider t h a t iravapa is

the p r inc ipa l proximate means in respect of the r i s e of

the howledge of Brahman.

In order t h a t the implications of the above views

may be arr ived a t , it I s essen t ia l t o discuss the instr-

mental cause of t h e knowledge of Brahman.

The followers of the % L a t i school hold the view - t h a t mind i s t h e i n s t m e n t a l cause of the knowledge of

Brahman. According t o them the innate nature of a sentence

i s t o give r i s e t o the mediate knowledge only. An aspirant

by a c a r e f u l inquiry into the import of the Upanigadic

t ex t s a t t a i n s the mediate knovledge of Brahman and it i s

t h i s mediate knowledge tha t i s lmovn as iravapa. Then the

asp i ran t by arguing w i t h i n oneself on t h e basis of reasoning

tha t i s in conformity with the Upani~ad ic teachings a t t a i n s

the i n t e l l e c t u a l convict ion that the teaching of the Upanigad-s

in regard t o the nature of Braman i s n o t s t u l t i f i e d by perce-

ption and o ther proofs. This i n t e l l e c t u a l conviction i s h o ~

as manana and it too I s mediate. After at taining th is stage, - the aspirant pursues meditation (nididhy&ana) which when

carried out With earnestness would give r i s e t o the dFrect

bowledge of Brahman. Thus according t o the school of ~ h - w t i

it i s meditation which i s the function of m M tha t gives

r i se t o the d i rea t howledge of Brahman. And so mind i s the

instrumental cause of the direct knowledge of Brahman and

n i d i d h y b n a i s the predominant factor among the three,

69 namely, ; ranpa , manana and nididhyasana. --

The above view, the ~ h & a t i school maintains, i s

based on the authority of the Upanigadic text - 70

which s t a t e s tha t Brahman should be realized through mind

alone.

It might be asked that the te1t - yanmanasa na manute ena ahub mano matam

71 tadeva brahma t v a i viddhi nedai yadidai upasate

Which s t a t e s that Brahman i s that by which the mind i s mani-

f e s t and i s tha t which i s not manifested by the mind denies

the i n s t r u m e n t a l i t y in the case of the mind in respec t

of t h e knovledge of Brahman.

The f o l l o v e r s of the ~ h % n a t i school argue t h a t t h i s - t e x t den ies F n s t I w e n L d i t y in the case of the immature

mind Fn r e s p e c t Of t h e d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman. And t h e

t e x t - manasaiva anudragtavyam

a f f i r m s the Fnstrumental i ty of the mature mind - in respec t

of t h e knowledge of Brahman - the mind which i s f r e e from

a l l demer i t s by the performance of karma witnout any d e s i r e - 7 2

f o r t h e f r u i t and from all f a l s e notions.

prakaLatman, however, holds the view t h a t the major-

t e x t s o f the Upanigad-s such a s t a t tvam a s i and t h e l i k e

c o n s t i t u t e t h e ins t r lmenta l ceuse of the d i r e c t bowledge

of Brahman. The r i s e of t h e d i r e c t knowledge of an o b j e c t ,

accolding t o ~ ~ c a s p a t i m i l r a , depends upon the sense-organs. - ~rak%?tman argues t h a t i t depends upon t h e ob jec t concerned

2nd n o t on t h e sense-organs. I f an ob jec t i s immediate,

~rak&%.man says, i t s knowledge a l s o i s m e d i a t e i r r e s -

pec t ive of t h e proof t h a t gives r i s e t o knowledge of t h a t

object . This may be explained a s follows: according

t o Advaita, every object i s superimposed upon the

consciousness conditioned by it, and i t derives i t s

exis tence and manifestation from the l a t t e r . The cons-

ciousness conditioned by the object , although se l f -

luminous, i s not ef f icac ious in manifesting the objec t ,

- - _- because it i s concealed by tulajnana or the der ivat ive

o f t h e milajii%a o r p r b a nescience tha t conceals the

t rue nature of pure consciousness. The consciousness

conditioned by the objec t i s h o r n as vigaya-caitanya.

And the consciousness conaitioned by o r reflected in

the mind i s h o r n as pr&tp-oaitanya or the soul.

When the sense-organ - sense of s ight , for example,

comes in to contact with the object - pot (say) in f ront ,

mind too comes out of the sense of s igh t , reaches the

place of the pot and undergoes modification in the form

of the pot. This modification i s known as v r t t i . And - the consciousness ref lec ted in it i s h o r n as the knov-

ledge of pot (pram&a-caitanya).

How, whsn the sense of s ight of comes into contact

with t he pot, the mind too i s present in the placa of the

2 17

pot along with i t s modification, namely, v r t t i . Thus t h e - th ree l i m i t b g conditions of the consciousness a r e present

in one and the same place and so the consciousness condi-

t ioned by the three i s one and the same. The consciousness

conditioned by the v ~ t t i , a s ve have s a i d , i s the lmovledge - of pot . It removes the t;lajii%a t h a t v e i l s the conscious-

ness conditioned by the pot - the consciousness t h a t i s t o

provide existence and manifestation to t h e pot. Wen the

tih.aj&a i s removed by the v r t t i the consciousness condi- - t ioned by the pot i s Fn d i r e c t contact with the pot and

such a consciousness i s known a s phala. And it manifests

the o b j e c t - pot. Further , since the mind which i s one of

t h e l i m i t i n g conditions of consciousness i s located in the

place of the pot which i s the crther l imit ing condition of

t h e consciousness, the consciousness conditioned by t h e

mind a s well as the ob jec t i s one and the same. In o ther

words, the consciousness conditioned by the object vhich

i s f r e e from the v e i l of t&j&a has become one with the

consciousness conditioned by the mmind, t h a t i s , the

ca i tanya o r the soul. The r e s u l t of t h i s position is t h a t

the o b j e c t now der ives i t s exis tence and manifestat ion

from the pramatr-caitnnya. That i s , i t does not have any

independent ex i s tence apar t from the pramatr-oaitanya. And

the c r i t e r i o n f o r t h e perceptual i ty o r immediacy of an

ob jec t l i e s irr the ob jec t hxving no independent e x i s t a c e

and mani fes ta t ion apar t from the pram~tpcai tanya. The pot

in the p resen t case i s so and therefore it i s immediate.

We have s a i d t h a t the knowledge of pot i s only the modifi-

cat ion of the mind o r v r t t i in the form of pot wherein the - consciousness-element i s ref lected o r whereby it i s condi-

tioned. It i s o r va l id knowledge. And it becomes

perceptual when it becomes iden t ica l w i t h the ccnsciousness

conditioned by the object . In the present case, s ince the

mental s a t e o r v r t t i which i s one of the l imi t ing condit ions - of the consciousness and the object - anotner l imi t ing

condit ion of the consciousness remain in one and the same

place, t h e consciousness conditioned by the tuo remains one

the same. And the consciousness conditioned by the mental

s t a t e o r v r t t i which i s known a s t k howledge of pot i s - perceptual o r immediatei

To S.UII an Object - pot ) fo r example, i s immediate

if it does n o t have any independent exis tence and manifesta-

t ion a p a r t from t h e consciousness conditioned by the mind o r

the p r a n i t p c a i t a n y a . And the howledge of pot which i s only

the consciousness conditioned by the modification or v r t t i in - the form o f t h e pot i s perceptual when it i s iden t ica l with

the consciousness conditioned by the pot.

The above p o s i t i o n would become much c lea re r when we

con t ras t i t With t h e i n f e r e n t i a l cognition of f i r e in the

mountain. In t h i s case, the sense of s igh t i s in contact with

the mountain only. The mind reaches the mountaln through the

sense o f s i g h t , undergoes modification i n the form of the

mountain, removes t h e t;laj&a v e i l i n g the consciousness

conditioned by the mountain and brings about the manifesta-

t ion of the I d e n t i t y of the consciousness conditioned by the

mind and of t h e consciousness conditioned by t h e mountain.

The mountain now der ives i t s existence and manifestation from

t h e consciousness conditioned by the m M , tha t i s , the

p ra6 t r -ca i t anya and so it i s perceptual o r m e d i a t e . And

the mental s t a t e in the form of the mountain which i s

inspi red by the ref lec t ion of consciousness in it, which

i s bown as t he knowledge of the mountain i s perceptual

as i t has become one with the consciousness conditioned

by the mountain. Ln so f a r as the fire-element in the

mountain i s concerned, the sense of s ight has not come

Fnto contact w i t h i t and so mind has not reached the

place of the f i re and has not undergone modification o r

v q t t i in the form of the f i r e there. The consciousness - conditioned by the mind has not become one with the

consciousness conditioned by the f i r e . The f i r e , there-

fo re , i s not immediate.

The v c t t i or the modification of the f i r e takes - place within the body by the proof-inference of t he form

'The mountain has smoke which i s invariably concomitant

w i t h f i r e ' . As such the consciousness conditioned by the

v f l t i which i s known as the lmovledge of f i r e has not - become one w i t h the consciousness conditioned by the f i r e ,

Hence the.knowledge of f i r e i s only mediate or non-perce-

It must be noted here that the knowledge of f i r e

~JI the present case i s mediate and it removes the fa lse

notion tha t the f i r e does not exist . Since i t i s not

it i s not efficacious enough t o remove the

fa lse notion that the f i re i s not manflest.

~rak;;s~tman argues that from the above it would

be c lear tha t t he perceptuality o r W d i a c y of howledge

depends upon the object concerned and not on the proof,

When vieved in the above l i g h t , ~ r a k ~ ~ t m e n argues

tha t since the t rue nature of the soul, t ha t i s , Brahman

i s the most immediate, the v r t t i or the mental s ta te in - the form of Brahman which arises from the major-texts of

the Upanifad-s and which i s Inspired by the reflection of

the pure consciousness in it cannot but be identical w i t h

73 Brahman and so it i s immediate.

Our author wbo adopts the above view explains it

on the bas is of the i l lus t ra t ive example of the statement - 'You are the tenth man1. Ten t ravel lers cross a stream and

on reaching the other shore the head of the party checks up

one by one the individuals of the group in order t o

ascer ta in t h e i r t o t a l number and thereby t o make c?r ta in

t ha t all the ten have reached safely. In the process of

counting, the head o f the party leaves out h b s e l f and

fee ls uneasy tha t there are only nine people and the tenth

man i s l o s t . And when instructed by a passe-by t h a t he

i s t he tenth man, t h e head of the party real-hes h is being

the tenth man and becomes free from the f a l s e notion about

the loss of the tenth man. Here the rea l iza t ion i s d i rec t

lmowledge, a s the f a l s e notion which i s removed by it i s

perceptual in nature. And a p rcep tua l f a l s e notion cannot

be removed by anything excepting the d i r ec t or prce- , tua l

knowledge. The point t h a t i s of relevance here is t n a t the

statement - 'You a r e the tenth mant has given r i s e t o the

immediate knowledge. From th is it follovs t h a t the ;erce-

ptuaJ. o r the d i r e c t howledge of Brahman could a-ise from 74

the Upanisad-s themselves. Ib i s howledge removes tns -- m;laj&a tha t conceals the true nature of Braban. Yaen

the m;lajb&a i s removed, Brahman which i s self-luninoas

by nature i s manifested in i t s pr is t ine nature. U n l w the

pot , etC.9 which require the contact with t he phala, t h a t - i s , the Consciousness reflected in the l l g n t a s t a t e s in

the form of pot , e tc . , which for t he time being becomes

one with the ground-spirit of the pot , e t c . , f o r t h e i r

manifestation, Brahman does not require the contact with

t h e Consciousness ref lec ted in the mental s t a t e of i t s

form. For, ne i the r the mental s t a t e nor the Consciousness

r e f l ec t ed in it i s required t o reveal t he ever-luminous

Consciousness. On account of t h i s pecul iar i ty , the mind

may be said t o be useful as well as Useless in revealing

Brahman. It i s required for the removal of milajii&a and

in t h i s sense i t i s said in the Upanigadic t e x t - 75

manasaiva anudragiavyam

which speaks of mind as the cause o f rea l iz ing Brahman.

It i s n o t required for manifesting Brahman and it i s in

t h i s sense, the Upanigadic text -

s t a t e s t ha t Brahman cannot be known through mind.

~ i d y & a g ~ in h i s ~ Z c a d a s y s t a t e s -

~ b i c h means t h a t the exponents of the s z s t r a deny only i t s - being a f fec ted by the phala. a@ proceeds t o point out: -

t a t r i j & u n d h l y i naiyed abhesena ghatap sphuret

/ 0 s v a y d sphurapaKpatv&&b;;sa upayujyate

Very f r e e l y t r ans la ted these verses come t o th i s : the mental

s t a t e a s we l l a s the re f l ec t ion of Consciousness in it, both

comprehend the pot. Of them, the mental s t s t e inspired by

- - .-- the r e f l e c t i o n of Consciossness i n it d i s p e l s the tulajnana,

and t h e pot i s revealed by the consciousness-element in the

mental s t a t e .

In the case of Brahman, the mental s t s t e inspired by

the r e f l e c t i o n of Consciousneas in it i s required In order

t o remove the a&j&a. Wlt the r e f l e c t i o n of the conscious-

ness-element t a e r e i n serves no purpose, a s Braban, being

self-luminous, lnanifests i t s e l f when the m;lajiiGa i s removed. -

The above account found i n the ~ a 6 c a d a z has been

~ummarized by our autoor in the present t e x t - the ~ e d a r t h a -

,, 79 prakasa. c._l

The view t h a t t h e Upanigad-s cons t i tu te the ins t ru - - mental cause of the d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman i s based on

the au thor i ty of the Upanigadic t ex t s -

which means 'I ask about t h a t purnga which could be b o r n

only through t h e Upaniyad-s; and,

which means 'He has real ized Brahman following the instru-

ct ion of the p recep tor t ,

The followers o f the ~ h & a t i ~ c h o o l might say t h a t - the Upanigadic t ex t s -

1) y a d ~ a c a anabhyuthitm yena vagabhyudyate 82

tadeva brahma tvm viddhi nedm yadidam upzsate; and,

83 2 ) ya to vaco n ivar tv l t e aprapya rnanasa saha

deny t h e instrumental i ty of the words too to the d i r e c t

howledge of Brahman.

The fo l lowers o f the school of ~ rakasTtman would

argue t h a t t h e above t e x t s deny the ins t rumenta l i ty of

t h e Upantgad-s in respec t of the d i r e c t howledge of

Brahman through primary s ign i f i ca t ion and n o t through

secondary s i g n i f i c a t i o n too. This we have e x p l a h e d e4

e a r l i e r . If it were held tha t the above Upanigadic

t e x t s deny i n s t r u m e n t a l i t y of the Upanisad-s through

secondary s i g n i f i c a t i o n too, then the fol lowers of the

~ h % a t ? school cannot maintain t h a t t h e mind i s the instru- - mental cause o f t h e knowledge of Brahman. It i s because m

order t h a t t h e mind may serve as the instrumental cbuse of

the bowledge o f Brzhman, whet i s e s s e n t i a l i s nididhyisana.

The l a t t e r may be pursued only vhen the re i s the mediate

bowledge of Brahman which could a r i s e only through t h e

Upmigadic t e x t s through secondary s i g n i f i c a t i o n . Hence

even t h e ~ h % a t z scbool has t o admit t h a t the Upanigadic

t e x t s - 85

y a d ~ a c a anabhyuthitam; and,

y a t o vaco nivartante 86

do no t deny t h e Lnstrumensality of t h e Upanisad-s in

r e s p e c t o f Brahman.

227

TO sum up t h i s p a r t o f the discussion:

- , 1) sannyasa, .=ma, d a m , etc . , and &avqa, manana, --- --

and nidibhyzsana c o n s t i t u t e the proximate means t o the

d i r e c t knowledge o f Brahman;

21 according t o the B h b a t i t r a d i t i o n , it i s the - mind t b a t i s t h e Lnstnunentnl cause of t h e knowledge of

Brahman, whi le , accordFng to the t r a d i t i o n of ~raka&tman, -

it i s t h e m a j o ~ t e x t s o f the Upanigad-s t b a t cons t i tu te

t h e Fnstrumental cause of the howledge of Erahman.

I t might be s a i d t b a t in om'Fnary experience it i s

not iced t h a t even t h e one who has s tudied the Upanisad-s

experiences pleasure and pain and t h i s i s aga ins t the vlew

s e t f o r t h above t b a t the d i r e c t bowledge of Brahman which

i s opposed t o avidya a r i s e s from t h e UpanigaC-s themselves. - 6ri d d k a r a In h i s commentary on the ~rabma-sctra

r t l ises t h i s ques t ion and answers it by saying -

s&sgritvam, yasya t u ya thap ;~am s&szritvam

n a asau adhigatabrahm2tmabhav+ - - -

his t e x t means: he who experiences phenomenal existence

as before, has not real ized h j s t rue nature t o be Brahman;

on the o ther hand, the one who has real ized one's t rue nature

to be Brahman w i l l n o t experience phenomenal exis tence as e7

before.

It must be noted in t h i s connection t h a t the major-

t e x t s of the Upanigad-s when t h e i r import is inquired in to ,

t h a t i s , when i r ~ v a p a i s pursued do give r i s e t o the m d i a t e

knowledge of Brahmm. The l a t t e r , however, i s not eff icacious

in d i s p e l l i n g avidy& as the mind of the aspirant i s s t i l l - associated w i t h the impediments known as prameya5akbh~vul;i

and viparh.abhivana. When these are removed by the pursui t

of manana and nididhyasans r e s p c t i v e l y , the d l r e c t knowledge - of Brahman already a r i s e n from the Upanisad-s becomes freed

fmm these impediments and removes avidy:. Our author c i t e s - 8 8

the passage from dr? S d k u r a l s t e x t referred t o above in

t h i s connection.

That the d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman requires f o r

i t s r i s e the performance of karma as an offer ing t o God, - the c u l t i v a t i o n of q u a l i t i e s such as iama and the l i k e and -

also i r a v q a , manana and nididhyasana has been se t for th -- - by the Upanigadic t ex t s which we have already referred to.

That it does not depend upon any other fac tor f o r remwhg

avidyi has been stated by the texts - 81

i ) t a r a t i iokam atmav i t ;

i i ) s a ya ha v a i t a t paramd brahma veda, 90

brshmaiva bhavati; and, - 91

i i i ) brahmavldapnoti param.

4rI ~ & a $ y q a in h i s aphorism - 92

p u m a h t ~ o ~ tap Sabd2 i t i bzdarayqap

and g r i ~ a d k a r a in h i s commentary thereon affirm on the

basis of the texts ci ted above that knowledge without the

requirement of any other factor i s the means of the supreme 93

human end by removing avidya.

Our author herein proves tha t the d i rec t howledge

of Brahman does not require any other factor t o remove

avidya on the bas is of an inferential argument which i s as - follews :

' the bowledge of Brahman i s not dependent upon

any other fac to r t o remove vhat is t o be removed

it i s because i t i s a manifesting fac to r l ike a

lamp and the knowledge of pot'. 94

Our author coacludes by s tat ing t h a t the knowledge of

Brahman which has a r i sen does not depend upon r i t u a l actions

order t o give fo r th i t s f r u i t , ncmely, the removal of

9 5 avid y 8. -

The d i r e c t knowledge of Branman annihi lates a l l the

meri ts and demerits of the soul accumulated in i t s innumerable

previous b i r t h s and a l s o in t h i s l i f e pr ior t o the r i se of the

knowledge of Brahman. This i s stated in the following Upanl~adic

texts :

1) jus t a s the upper part of a reed thrown into the 96

f i r e i s completely burnt , so also a l l his s ins are burnt avay;

97 2) he trenscends both merit and demerit.

~n the same way, tbe d i rec t knovledge of Brahaen prevents

fur ther accumuLation of any merit o r demerit. It i s because

i n order t h a t there may ensue merit o r demerit by the perfor-

mance of good deeds o r by committing in te rd ic ted actions whet

i s required i s the fa l se iden t i f i ca t ion of the mind with the

pure consciousness. In other words, performame of karma i s - based upon the soul which i s an i l l u s o r y blend of pure conscious-

ness and the mind. And karma when performed by the soul w i t h

the sense of agency of the form '1 am an agent ' , then i t s

r esu l t would pertain t o the soul. When by the knovledge of

Brbhman the fa l se re la t ion between the pure consciousness and

mind i s cut o f f , then the karma even wnen it i s performed v U - be performed without the sense of agency of the form '1 am the

agent of ac t ions t . Hence the r e s u l t s of act ions w i l l not per tain 98

t o the knower of Brahman.

Our author i n t h i s connection c i t e s three passages from

the ~ h a g a v a d - ~ I t a which are as follows: -- adhig$h&am ta tha kart: karapam ca prthagvidham

v iv idh i ca ~ ~ t b a k c e ~ i i dairam ce iva t ra paircemam

nyiyyam va vipar?tam va ~ G c a i t e t asya hetavap

tatraivam s a t i kartaram?t&ai kevalai t u yab

9 pa&atywtabuddhitv-ma s a p d y a t i d u m t i b 9

Here t h e word-rdhigth&a stands f o r t h e physical body; the

term - kart:, f o r the sub t le body; t h e term - b r a p a , f o r the - - sense-organs which a r e the cons t i tuen ts of the subtle body;

the expression - vividha cea$i, f o r t h e functions of seeing,

hearing, etc . , which are the e f f e c t s of the v i t a l a i r s ; and,

the term - daivam, f o r the p r e s i d b g d e i t i e s of the sense- -- organs. 11l1 these f ive f a c t o r s c o n s t i t u t e the cause of the

meri torious and s i n f u l deeds and not the pure consciousness.

When such i s the case, the soul whose true ncture i s pure

consciousness has l o s t s igh t of i t s i d e n t i t y w i t h it and

f a l s e l y takes i t t o be an zgent.

The t e x t of the ~haga~&d-g? ta - yasya nah&krto bhzvap buddhiryasya na l ippa te -

100 hatvapi sa im% l o k k na h a n t i na nibaddhyate

s t a t e s t h a t in the case of the knower of t h e t ru th h i s soul

i s realized t o be of the nature of Brahman free from the

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of being an agent. Even i f he destroys the

e n t i r e world he v i l l no t be t a i n t e d by the r e s u l t t h a t

ensues from such an a c t , because he would ca r ry out any

a c t i v i t y by being f r e e from t h e sense o f agency,

The following t e x t from t h e ~pades*a-sahasr; of d r?

S a h a r a i s c i t ed by our author i n support of t h e view t h a t

the b o w e r of Brahman may perform karma, but it w l l l be f r e e - from t h e not ions of '1' and 'minet:

- YZ ahamit i atmadhibAca mameti atmTyadh'irapi

\ 101 a r t h a h y e yasya s a atmajho bhavettada

t e x t mans:

lone becomes the h o w e r o f t h e t r u t h when one's

cognit ion o f the fonn '1' tovard t h e body and the

cognit ion of the form 'mine' toward the one vho i s

r e la ted t o the body a r e d i sce rned to be devoid of

any substance whbtso~ver l .

From the above i t f0lloWS t h a t any a c t i v i t y t h a t t h e

h o v e r of t h e t r u t h may perform w i l l have no impact upon him.

It i s wi th t h i s in view the Upanigadic t e x t -

' a s water does not s t i c k t o a l o t u s l e a f , even so 102

s i n does no t c l ing t o one vho has real ized the s e l f ' .

t o s t a t e s t h a t no f r u i t w i l l c l ing the knower of the t ru th . The A above passages fo th the s u b j e c t m a t t e r of discussion i n the

tada ad hi game ~ t t a r a ~ i m a g h a y o ~ &egavinZau 103

taavyapadesat

The author of t h e ~rahma-s i t ra - s makes a c lea r d i s t in -

c t ion betveen two kinds of past mer i t s and demerits, nmely

sai ic i ta and prarabdha. The accumulated meri ts and demerits - - which have no t s t a r t e d yielding f o r t h t h e i r f r u i t s are termed

saiicita. That port ion of s G c i t a which has f ruc t i f i ed and

has produced the body by being present in which the soul has

a t t a ined the knowledge of Brahman i s known a s ~ r a r a b d h a . The

l a t t e r could be exhausted only by experiencing i t s f r u i t s .

This view t h a t t h e f r u i t s of the f r u c t i f i e d merits and

demeri ts continue t o e x i s t even a f t e r t h e r i s e of the know-

ledge o f Brahman must be admitted on the bas i s of the

Upanisadic t e x t -

'He who has a t t a ined t h e knovledge o f Brahman has

t o wait t o be Brahman till t h e f i n a l f a l l of his

body and a f t e r the fall o f the bcdy he remains as 104

pure Brahmant . The import of t h i s t e x t i s discussed in the aphorism -

105 anarabdhak:rye eva t u G r v e t a d c a v a d h e ~

Such a one who i s f r e e from t h e accumulated meri ts and

demeri ts t h a t have not f r u c t i f i e d and who i s l i v i n g out only

h i s f r u c t i f i e d mer i t s and demeri ts i s knom a s a j?vmu)rta.

Our author s t a t e s t h a t the U p a n i p d i c t e x t - 'He who has a teacher d i r e c t l y experiences

106 Brahman1

i s c l e a r i n s t a t i n g t h a t a pmceptor i s necessary in order

t o p reseme and propagate t h e drlvaita t r a d i t i o n f o r the

benef i t o f pos te r i ty . The t r u t h 6f ~ e d k t a cannot be

imphrted by one vho has no t r ea l i zed t h e t r u t h ; O r , by one

vho has rea l i zed t h a t t r u t h but i s disembodied. It follov6

from t h i s t h a t he alone vho has r e a l i z e d the t r u t h and

embodied a t the same time could impart the knovledge o f

Brahman t o the bound souls: Our author s t a t e s t h a t in

order t h a t t h e Bdvaita t r a d i t i o n may n o t be cu t o f f , we

require a benignant s p i r i t , t h a t i s , the rea l i zed soul.

And t h e s t a t e of being such a rea l i zed soul i s possible

only vhen he i s embodied. +d embodhent i s possible only

vhen tbe f r u c t i f i e d mer i t s and demerits are operat ive i n

the case o f such a soul. Hence we must admit t h a t t h e

lmovledge o f Brahman removes the accumulated meri ts and

demeri ts and not the f r u c t i f i e d ones as the l a t t e r have

s t a r t e d yielding f o r t h t h e i r f r u i t in the form of the 1 07

present body.

The d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman e f f e c t i v e in d i s -

pe l l ing avidy: a r i s e s in t h i s l i f e i t s e l f provided t h e r e i s co - obs t ruc t ion t o i t s r i s e by a v a r i e t y of f r u c t i f i e d deeds.

any I f the re is /such obstruct ion, knowledge does a r i s e t o one

in the next l i f e . In h i s commentary on the Brabma-sitra - 108

aihikamapi aprastut lprat ibandhe t a d d a r k a t

8i-7 i a i k a r a s t a t e s :

This t e x t means: ' t he r i s e of the d i r e c t knowledge of

B r a b a n may a r i s e in t h i s l i f e o r in t h e n e x t l i f e depending

upon t h e absence o r presence o f t h e o b s t r u c t i o n by a v a r i e t y

o f f r u c t i f i e d deeds ' ,

The t e x t of the Aitareyolpanigad - garbha eva e t a t say&o v b a d e v a b evam ur ica

i in

s t e t e s t h a t Vbadeva having a t t a ined the knowledge of

Brahman when he was In the womb of h i s mother expressed

n i s experience o f al l -pervasiveness . Th is shows thlt

VLadeva could no t a t t a i n the knowledge o f Brahman in his

previous l i f e owing t o some impediments; and, he a t t a ined

it when the impediments were removed when he was t o take 11 1

a new b i r t h . Our anthor c i t e s the r e l e v a n t passage from

t h e 112

~ a i ~ a s a k i ~ a n ~ ~ ~ a m a l i ~n support o f t h i s view.

Our au thor P ~ r t h e r makes a pointed reference t o 11 3

the t e x t of the 14q$ako1panigad - e tad yo veda n i h i t a i guhay& so'vidyagranthim

v i k i r a t y h a sanmya

which means tha t he who rea l i zes h i s t rue nature immanent

in h i s hear t has the avidy;-granthi dis integrated. This our

author explains thus: the moon vhose brightness has been

concealed by the planet 6 h u appears dim and by manifesting

the l a t t e r , appears a s i f it has become one with it. Similar ly,

the pure consciousness which i s unconditioned b l i s s and whose

unconditioned aspect i s concealed by avidya manifests the - l a t t e r and appears as i f it has become one with it. I n i s blend

i s known as avidy;-granthi. The hov ledge of Brahman removes

avidy; a s a resu l t of which the pure consciousness f res from - avidyg i s manifested in i t s t rue nature. The Fmoval of avidya 7 - and the manifestation of the t rue nature of Brahman are

Men it i s said t h a t avidy: i s removed what i s meant

i s t h a t the concealing - phase of avidy; i s removed. The

reveal ing - phase of it continues t o e x i s t by giving r i s e

t o the manifestation of the world although f f lusor i ly till

the f r u c t i f i e d merits and demerits are exhausted.

Wen the avidy&ranthi i s d i s in tegra ted , tnere takes

plsca t h e removal of what i s Laom a s hflaya-granthi u l d

other fac tors . The t e x t of the Muppakotpani$ad - bhidyate hfiayagranthip cchidyaute sarvasa!i!ia+ip

. .3

1 l't k z y a n t e ca aspa kann';pi tasmin dy&e parlvare

s t a t e s thk when Brahman compared t o which even God i s

i n f e r i o r i s rea l ized there takes place the discernment of

the h@aya-granthi (preceded by t h e removdl of avidy;- -- - gran th i ) , the removal of all doubts and all accumulated

merits and demerits. The term hfiaya-granthi means the

blend of pure consciousness associated with avidya and - mind. The bowledge of Brahman removes the concealing-

phase of avidya and t h i s r e su l t s in i d e n t l f y h g the true - nature of one ' s s e l f as d i s t i n c t from the mind. Never

w i l l the one who has realized one's t r u e nature t o be

Brahman have the sense of agency of the form ' I am an

agent ' . And a l l doubts re la t ing t o one's t rue nature

are removed thereby as the concealing-phase of avzdya

i s removed and there i s the manifestation of one's true

nature as unconditioned. Bliss. FollowFng t h i s there

i s the removal of all merits and demerits accumulated

in the Fnnumerable previous b i r th s and a l so In t h i s l i f e

p r io r t o the r i s e of the d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman.

210

It i s with the above Fn view t h e ~ a i t t i r i y a t e x t - e t a i ha vava n a t s p a t i , kim aham s%hu na

4 4 C 1 ' 7

akaravam, kim aham papam akaravamit i

s t a t e s t h a t the Imo'ger of the t r u t h i s n o t troubled by the

f e e l i n g s o f t h e forms 'Why have I not performed s a c r i f i c e s ,

e tc . , t h a t are the means of heaven, e t c ' and 'why have I

c o m i t t e d in te rd ic ted a c t i o n s ' t h a t a re t h e means of un-

welcome r e s u l t s t . It i s because all t h e accumulated merits

and demeri ts have been removed by t h e d i r e c t knowledge of 116

Brahman.

Further the Upanigadic t e x t - 117

ubhe hyevaiga e t h a itmk& s h m u t e , ya e v d veda

s t a t e s t h a t he who has rea l i zed Brahman perceives both the

mer i t s and demeri ts t h a t a r e yielding f o r t h pain and pleasure

a s having no ex i s tence and manifestat ion apar t from Brahman 118

which he has rea l i zed .

Our author f u r t h e r s t a t e s t h a t the knower of the t r u t h

then becomes f ree from t h e experience of joy and g r ie f . The

t e x t of t h e Katho'panigad -

adhyatmayog&higamena devam maha dh i ro

11 9 bargaLokau j a h z t i

s t a t e s tha t r ea l i z ing (matvz) tbe self-luminous conscious- - ness through concentration of mind (adhyatmayoga), the h o v e r

70 of the t r u t h does not experience joy or g r i e f .

Further the t e x t of the l&&akotpanigad - paryaptak&asya kF$atmanastu iha iva same

- - 121 p r w ~ I y a n t i k a m ~

s t a t e s t h a t he who reve l s i n h i s own s e l f which i s of the

nnture of absolute b l i s s does no t perceive mything apart

from it and as such there i s nothine t h a t he could d e s i r e

for . In the ~bsence of any object tha t could be des i red ,

in the case of hower of t h e t r u t h every form o f des i re has

been removed. It comes t o t h i s t h a t the knower of t h e t r u t h

i s f r e e from any des i re whatsoever.

Another t e x t of the same Upanigad - ZtmakG~ab a tmara t ib kri<v& ega brcrhuiavldz

122

s t a t e s t h a t t h e knower of the t r u t h reve l s in h i s t r u e

nature, tha t i s , the pure consciousness. bnd excepting

revell ing in his true nature, he does not have any other

ac t iv i ty .

Being rooted in Brahman, the knower of the t ru th has

the sa t i s fac t ion of having performed what a l l one should

perform. This is as it should be; for , the perfomance of

good karma has for i t s ultimate aFm, though the cleansing - of heart , the r i s e of the howledge of Brahman which he

has attained. Eence he does have the satisfaction of having

performed what all one should perform. The ~ha~avad-&a

t ex t -

123 atmanyeva ca santugiap tasya karyam na vidyate

confirms the above view.

In the case of the bower of the t ru th there i s

always the manifestation of b l i ss . The ~ a i t t i r G a text - raso v a i sap rasam h i e v & d labdva Land:

124 bhavati

s t a t e s that the b a r e r of the t ru th having realized the true

na ture o f h i s S e l f which i s b l i s s d e r i v e s joy t h a t a r i s e s

ou t of h i s experience o f b l i s s .

It may be added here t h a t e a r l i e r we s a i d t h a t the 125

knower of the t r u t h l eaves out joy and g r i e f . And I joy'

t h a t i s r e fe r red t o t h e r e i s the one t h a t i s derived from

t h e experienoe of e x t e r n a l objects;and it is t h i s t h e

lmower o f the t r u t h never experiences. Eut he experiences

joy which i s der ived from t h e !mowledge of Brahman which 126

he has a t t a ined .

The l i f e of t h e lmower of the t r u t h has two stages:

sunzdhi o r trance and vyutth%a o r revers ion t o empir ical - l i f e . In the s t a t e o f san%hi he experiences t h e b l i s s which

i s h i s t r u e nsture. On reversion t o empi r ica l l i f e owing t o

h i s f r u c t i f i e d mer i t s and demeri ts , he g ives expression t o

h i s experience of b l i s s ;

The j~vanmukta enjoys s p i r i t u a l i n s i g h t and he compre-

hends t h e majesty of t h e t ranscendental b l i s s which i s

beyond t h e range of the perceptive o r r a t i o c i n a t i v e powers.

Being detached from mate r ia l concerns, and given t o e c s t a t i c

contemplation and s p i r i t u a l rapture in t h e s t a t e of t rance,

the jivanmukta on reversion t o empirical l i f e (vyutthana)

gives expression to h i s serene experience. The ~ a i t t i r z ~ o -

panigad Fn the following texts s e t s fo r th in glowing terms

the mystical outpourings of such a realized soul.

The text - ha vu h i vu, aham annam aham annam aham annam

127 aham ann%ab aham a n n z a ~ aham annadab, e t c

s t a t e s tha t the j?vanmukta expresses wonder by u t ~ e r i n g

the in ter jec t iondl sound h i - vu three times on noticing - - tha t he who was e a r l i e r conditioned by the psycho-physical

organism now renahs as the a - p e r v a s i v e Brahman through

the knowledge of Brahman, tha t i s , h is t rue nature - the

knowledge tha t has resulted from the grace of his preceptor

and the scripturn. He fee ls oneness w i t h the food plants

such as wheat, barley and the l i ke , with the sentient

beings tha t e s t food, w i t h kings who place soldiers in

order fo r b a t t l e or with the poets who compose the kavya-s, - and w i t h Hirapyagarbha - the f i r s t born being. He further

f ee l s t h a t be i s pr ior t o a l l Oods, i s the centre of

b o r t a l i t y ; i s Brahman which i s t o be known through

i n s t r u c t i o n Only and i s the focd t h a t i s t o be offered.

He has f u r t h e r the fee l ing of oneness with God who destroys

the one Who e a t s food v i thout shar ing it with others and

who des t roys the world a t the time o f d i sso lu t ion . And he

concludes by saying t h a t jus t a s t h e sun i s luminous v i thout

depending upon any other l i g h t , in t h e sane way, he i s cons-

ciousness manifesting everything without depending upon

sense of s i g h t o r other instmments o f cognition.

The above experience of oneness with a l l the beings

must be understood in the sense t h a t t h e jyvanmukta has

rea l ized h i s t r u e nature t o be t h e i r s u b s t r a t a 1 principle.

The names and forms t h a t are at tached t o the beings a re

f a l s e while the s u b s t r a t a l p r inc ip le is Brahman which i s

rea l ized a s h i s t r u e nature by the j?va-mukta.

It must be noted tha t the experience of oneness

i s t h e r e s u l t of t h e rea l iza t ion o f one ' s t r u e nature a s thc

Brahman through inquiry i n t o the n a t u r e o f f i v e sheatbs - t h e sheaths o f food, of v i t a l a i r , mind, Fntel lect and

b l i s s . The Upanigad reconfirms t h i s by s t a t i n g -

128 ya ev& veda

which means t h a t the experience o f oneness with a l l t he

beings could be had only by the one who has attained the

r e a l i z a t i o n o f one's t rue nature as Brahman and not by

1 29 any one e l s e .

6,: i d k a r a s t a t e s t h a t t h e lmowledge of Brahman

i s t h e Upanigad. And he who a t t a i n s t he howledge by

having con t ro l of mind, control o f ex t e rna l senses,

renunciation in s p i r i t , for t i tude and concentration of

thought, would experience oneness wi th a l l beings l i ke

130 the Sage Bh~gu.

To sun up: the jTvanmukta vho has become one

wit9 Brahman - t h e subs t r a t a l prFnciple of all beings

perceives t h e l a t t e r t o be present Fn him and as the

manifestation o f h i s t rue nature.

When the f r u c t i f i e d deeds are exhausted by the

experience of t h e i r f r u i t s , the body o f t he knower of

the t r u t h f a l l s o f f and he remains a s Brahman. This i s

To sum npr

1) the d i r e c t knowledge of Brahman i s the means t o

l i b e r a t i o n through the removal of avidJr:; - 2) karma performed without any attachment tovard -

i t s f r u i t s cleanses one's heart and gives r i s e t o t h e four-

fold a id ; i t i s the remote means t o the howledge of Brahman;

3) sanny'Isa, &ma, dama, etc . , and a l s o hevaga, --- - manana and n id idhGsana cons t i tu te the proximate mems t o - the knowledge of Brahman;

4) the major-texts of the Upanigad-s const i tute

the instrumental c a s e of the mowledge o f B r a h a ;

5 ) the mower of the t r u t h continues t o e x i s t in

the body t i l l his f ruc t i f i ed meri ts and demerits are

exhausted; and,

6 ) then he i s dissociated from the psycho-physical

organism and remains as Brahman.

CONCLUSION

With l u c i d i t y , depth and prec is ion t h a t cllaracterise

h i s other works, ~2ya.pa in h i s corn-ntary on t h e ~ a i t t i r 7 ~ ; -

r q y a k a (7-3 prap&ka-s ) which has been taken u p f o r st2dy

presents the Philosophy of Advaita in a l l i t s d e t a i l s . F'd1

a t t e n t i o n has been given t o the theme of the soul in i t s

r e l a t i o n t o Brahman and t o t h e world. The concept of niy'c

which i s p ivo ta l t o the Philosophy of Advaita and the

concept of l i b e r a t i o n or human freedom a r e t rea ted with

thorougimess and c l a r i t y . He has made f u l l use of the

~rahma-a;tra-s and k!aikarals commentary and the ~ a i ~ ~ s a k 3 a -

- - - nyaya-mala tnereon. This work i s an abiding monument to

the l i t e r a t u r e on Advaita in Sanskr i t Language.