EEkshathyaDHikaraNam
EekshathernAsabdhAth-1-1-5
It is not, not being found in the scriptures asabdham because of the
word 'eekshathe' etc, eekshatheh.
After establishing that Brahman shown as the cause of the world by
sruthi texts like 'yatho vA imAni bhoothAni jAyanthe,' the enquiry of
Brahman,who is omniscient, possessing of infinite auspicious
qualities has been affirmed by the first four suthras. Now the view
of the sAnkhya school of philosophy who ascribe, the causality of the
world through inference, to the inanimate pradhana,the premordial
nature, is taken up for refutation.
In the Chandogya text, 'sadhEva soumya idham agra Aseeth ekamEva
adhvitheeyam, thadhaikshatha bahusyam prajAyEya ,thatthejo
asrjatha, 'sath' , 'Being,' alone was in the beginning ,one only
without a second; it willed to become many and created fire,' the
word 'Being' is defined as Brahman by the vedantic schools. But here
the opponent, sAnkhyan raises a doubt as to whether the word 'sath'
refers to the pradhAna , inferred as the cause of the world.
The view of the sankhya is as follows:
All this world except the sentient self is made up of prakrthi which
is constituted of three guNas satthva,rajas and thamas.When the three
gunas are in equilibrium,sAmayAvastha there is no creation but the
premordial prakrthi exists in its unmanifest state.This is denoted by
the word 'sath' in the Chandogya passage. Then, (in the proximity of
purusha, the individual self) the gunas start combining and the
evolution when, from mahat or buddhi till the gross elements takes
place. This is indicated by the sentence 'it willed to become many.'
Sankhyan justifies his stand by saying 'karaNabhootha dravyasya
avstTHAnthara ApatthirEva kAryatha.' The effect is non-different
from the cause, being another state of existence of the cause. The
fact that the world came from prkrthi is proved by the subsequent
text,'vachArambhaNam vikarah namaDHEyam mrthikEthyEva sathyam, that
is, the mud alone is true and the various forms like pot etc are only
modifications like the gold ornaments or articles made of iron in
which only the gold and iron are the real essence. Further the
opponent argues that the promissory statement of 'ekavjnAnEna sarva
vijnAnam' will be meaningful only if the material cause of the world
is prakrthi made up of three gunas, the modifications of which, is
everything in this world. Therefore the text referring to the
origination of the world from 'sath,' points out only to pradhAna,
the premordial nature, that is the unmanifest prakrthi, to be the
cause of the world.
This view, says Ramanuja, is refuted by this
suthra 'eekshathErnAsabdhAth.' PradhAna which is AnumAnikam,
established through inference, and not a valid testimony, is not
mentioned by the sruthi as the cause of the world because of the use
of the verb 'eeksh, to will ' in the passage in connection with the
activity of 'sath,' the 'Being.' The action of willing can be
ascribed only to a sentient entity, which the pradhAna is not.
Therefore the term 'sath' can denote only the omniscient omnipotent
Supreme Person, the Brahman. Thus in all places where creation is
mentioned we find texts like ' sa eekshatha lOkAnnu srjAa ithi,sa
imAn lo kAn asrjatha,'(Aitr.Aran.II-4-1-2) and 'sa eekshAm chakre sa
prANam asrjatha,(pras.6-3) He created them and He willed to create
the worlds and He willed and created the vital air.'
It is true ,says Ramanuja , that the effect must be of the nature of
the cause. That is why the omniscient , omnipotent Supreme Being of
infallible will ,the inner Self of all is cited as the cause with the
sentient and insentient beings in their subtle state forming His
sarira. This is illustrated by the texts such as 'parAsya sakthih
viviDHAiva srooyathe svAbhAvikee jnanabalkriya cha,(svet.6-8) His
supreme power is manifold and His action, power and knowledge is His
inherent nature.' and 'yasya avyaktham sariram yasya aksharam sariram
yasya mrthyussariram Esha sarvabhoothAntharathma,(subal.VII) of whom
the unmanifest is the body, of whom the imperishable is the body, of
whom death is the body,He is the innerself of all.'
The argument that the promissory statement and the example given
point out only to pradhAna as the cause of the world through
inference is refuted by Ramanuja saying that there is no reason
given for the inference to make it valid. The example given is only
to confirm the possibility of 'EkavijANena sarva vijnAnam,' the
knowledge of everything by knowing about one thing, which is the
effect of the cause like everything else.
The next suthra is in answer to the argument of the opponent that
the word 'eekshatha, willed' can be taken, not in the primary sense,
but in the secondary sense, gouNA, as in the case of the expressions
like 'thathEja aikshatha, thA Apah aikshantha, the fire willed and
the water willed, ' in which the activity of the sentient being is
ascribed to the nonsentient figuratively. Thus the action of willing
can refer to pradhAna also.
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