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prakrthyaDHikaraNam-1-4-7

 

suthra23-prakrthischa

prthijnA dhrshtAnthAnuparODHAth-1-4-23

 

 

Brahman is also the material cause as this view is not contradicting the promissory statement and the example stated therein.

 

The preceding suthras refuted the arguments of nirisvara sAnkhya, which does not accept Isvara above the prakrthi and purusha, and now the view of the  sEsvara sAnkhya is refuted. The sEsvara sankhya known as atheistic sankhya, accepts Isvara but only as an efficient cause while they claim that the material cause of the world is PraDHAna, the premordial nature and they quote vedantha  texts to prove this. For instance the svethasvathara text 'asmAnmAye srjathE visvamEthath'  which means that  the ruler of Maya projects this world and the following text that says 'mAyAm thu prakrthim vidhyAth mAyinam thu mahEsvaram, the nature is Maya and the supreme Lord is the controller of Maya, show that the Isvara is only created this universe with the help of prakrthi.  The smrithi also supports this as shown in Gita 'mayA aDhyakshEna prakrthih sooyathE sacharAcharam,with Me as the supervisor the prakrthi produces the world of the sentient and the insentient.'

 

The opponent cites the example in the world where the efficient cause and the material cause are always different like the potter and the clay, in making a pot.Therefore, claims the opponent, Brahman is only the efficient cause.

 

This suthra refutes the view that Isvara is only the efficient cause by saying that Brahman is also the material cause in order that there is no discrepancy between the promissory statement and the analogy given to substantiate it.The promissory statement, prathijnA, is the EkavijnAnEna sarva vijnAnam, the knowledge of all by the knowledge of one declared by 'yEna asrutham srutham bhavathi amatham matham avijnAtham vijnAtham, that is, by the knowledge of which what is unheard become heard, what is not thought of is thought and what is unknown becomes known. Then the passage is continued to illustrate the promissory statement by citing the example of clay, gold and iron,(Chan.6-1-4) that the knowledge of the effects like pot, ornaments and instruments  become known by the knowledge of their causes, namely, clay, gold and iron. Similarly by the knowledge of Brahman everything becomes known and hence Braqhman is both the material and efficient cause of the universe.This is made clear by the opening text of the section, 'sadhEva soumya idhamagra ASeeth EkamEva adhvitheeyam' which prohibits any  material or efficient cause other than Brahman.

 

The word prakrthi in the texts quoted, says Ramanuja, mean only Brahman in the  KaRAnaVAStha, causal state, where everything exists in Brahman in their subtle state without name and form. That everything is Brahman is indicated by sruthi texts such as 'sarvE tham parAdhAth yO anyathra Athmanah sarvam veda,' (Brhd.II-4-6) everything leaves him who sees the self elsewhere,and 'sarvam khalu idham brahma,'(Chan.3-14-1) all this is Brahman, and 'EthadhAthmyam idham sarvam,'(Chan.vi-8-7) all this is ensouled by Brahman,by which it is shown that Brahman is the self of all both in their causal and effective state.

 

Even the texts such as 'mahAn avyakthE leeyathE avyaktham akshare leeyathe, (Subala-2) the great one is merged in the unmanifest,the unmanifest in the imperishable,' only denotes the manifest gross universe merging in the unmanifest which is the kAraNAvastha of Brahman, the imperishable. The  text of Subala upanishad continues as  'aksharam thamasi leeyathe thamah parE dEva Ekee bhavathi, it is not laya, merging that is denoted but only EkeebhAva, becoming one with Brahman which is the absence of name and form that is referred to as thamas.This is also shown in the smrthi  as 'Aseedhidham thamO bhaootham aprajnAtham alakshaNam, apratharkyam avijnEyam prasupthamiva sarvathah,'(Manu-1-5) this universe existed as darkness, unperceived, indistinct, beyond reasoning, unknwable and like one in deep sleep.

 

It is argued that normally the efficient and material cause are seen to be different through experience and to say that both are the same is self contradicting statement like the sentence 'sprinkle with fire.'  To this Ramanuja replies 'sakalaitharavilakshanasya parasya brahmanah sarvasakthEh sarvajnasya Eva sarvam upapadhyathE.' It is quite appropriate for Brahman who is different from everything , all powerful and omniscient, to accomplish anything. The absence of intellect in the case of clay and the lack of power of transformation  and absence of infallible will, are the reasons for the material and efficient causes  being different. Hence Brahman is both the material and efficient cause.

 

 

suthra-24-abhiDHyOpadhEsAccha-1-4-24

 

Brahman is both because of the texts about willing.

 

In Taittiriya we have the text 'so akAmayatha, bahu syAm prajAyeya,' (Tait.6-2) and in Chandhogya 'it willed to become many,' from which it is evident that Brahman is both the material and efficient cause of the world.

 

suthra-25-sAkshAccha ubhayAmnAnath-1-4-25

 

Both being directly mentioned.

 

There is direct reference to Brahman being the material as well as the efficient cause in the scripture. ' kim svidvanam ka u sa vrkshaAseeth yathO dhyAvA prthivee nishTathakshuh,'(Tait.2-8-9) what was the woods what was the tree by which the heaven and the earth was shaped and where it  stood,' was the question asked to which the answer given was 'brahma vanam brahma sa vriksha AseethyathO dhyAvAprthivee nishTathakshuh;maneeshiNO manasA vibraveemi vO brahma aDHyathishTath buvanAni DHArayan,' meaning that Brahman is the woods,the tree which shaped the world and which stood on Brahman, the supporter of the worlds..Thus it is directly said that Brahman created the world out of Himself.

 

 

suthra26-AthmakrthE-1-4-26

 

Because it created itself.

 

The Taittiriya text 'thadhAthmAnam svayam akurutha,' (Tait.2-7) that itself manifested itself, shows that Brahman manifested Himself as the world. Hence it is the material and efficient cause.

 

To the objection that if Brahman created the world out of Himself the imperfections of the world will mean that the Brahman is not as indicated by the texts  'sathyam jnAnam anantham,(Tait-Anan.1-1) truth knowledge and infinity ,' AnandhO brahma,(Tait.brg.6) brahman is bliss,'  'apahathapApmA,(Chan.8-1-2).free from evil' and 'sa vA Esha mahAnaja AthmA ajarO amarah,'etc.(Brhd.6-4-25) The next suthra answers this.

 

 

suthra-27-pariNAmAth-1-4-27

 

Because of modification it is possible.

 

This is explained by Ramanuja in his own special way as follows:

'asEsha hEya prathyaneekakalyANaika thAnam svEtharasamastha vasthuvilakshaNam sarvajnam sathya sankalpam avAptha samasthakAmam anavaDHIkAthisayAnandham svaleelA upakaraNabhootha samastha chcidhachitvasthujAthasarirathayA thadhAthmabhootham param Brahma svasarirabhoothE prapanchE thanmAthrAhamkArAdhikAraNaparamparayA thamassabdhavAchya athisookshma achidvasthvEkaseshE sathi, thamasi cha svasarirathayA api prthangnirdhEsa anarha athisookshmadashApatthyA svasmin EkathAm ApannE sathi thaTHA bhootha thamassariram brahma poorvavadh vibhakthanAmarupachidhachnmisraprapanchasariram syAm ithi sankalpya apyayakramENa jagccharirathayA AthmAnam pariNamayathi ihti sarvEshu vEdAnthEshu pariNAma upadhEsah.'

 

What this long passage means is this:

 Brahman who is free from imperfections, abode of auspicious qualities,unparalleled,omniscient, of infallible will,of the nature of infinite bliss,is the self of the sentient and the insentient, which are His sarira , used for His sport. When all this world was absorbed in Him what remained was darkness ,so called because of its highly subtle state not distinguishable by name and form, inseparable from Brahman being its sarira, becomes one with Brahman. Then Brahman willing to  become many gives forth the world of name and form again in the reverse order in which the involution took place. This is shown by the texts in BrahadhAraNyaka upanishad which mentions Brahman as the inner self and controller of all, enumerating earth, and other elements and indhriyas etc. one by one, and finally mentioning the indidual self. In Subala upanishad the process of involution is described as the earth merging in water, water in fire,fire in wind, wind in AkAsa, AkAsa in indhriyas, indhriyas in thammAthras, which merge in their turn in the elements which merge in mahath, which merges in avyaktha while avyaktha merges in akshara and akshara in thamas which merges in the supreme divinity,that is Brahman.

 

But eventhough brahman Himself became the world as stated in Taittiriya anandhavalli text 'thath srshtvA thadhEva anuprAvisath, thadhEva anupravisya sathcha thyath cha abhavath.(Tait.6-3) Having created it He entered into it and became real and unreal.' This means that the supreme self who remained as the Self of all in the causal state, became the world in the state of effect. But eventhough Brahman Himself became the world, the imperfections of the world do not adhere to Brahman who remains in the  the same unlimited nature of bliss , for whom the creation is a matter of play. All the sentient and the insentient being His modes, neither the defects of the sentient soul nor the changes of the insentient matter touch Him as they are the modifications of the body only, of which He is the inner self.

 

 

suthra-28-yOnischa hi geeyathe-1-4-28

 

Because Brahman is called the origin.

 

Brahman is mentioned as the source of all by the sruthi texts such as 'karthAram Isam purusham brahmayOnim,'(Mund.3-1-3) meaning, He is the creator and the source, 'yadhbhoothayOnim paripasyanthi dheerAh,' (Subal.1-1-7) whom the wise see as the origin of the world,and 'yathA oornanAbhih srjathE grhnathe cha ,(Mund.1-1-7) as a spider creates and absorbs,etc.

Therefore Brahman is the material and efficient cause.

Thus ends the prakrthyaDHikaraNam.

 

sarvavyAkhyAnADHikaraNam-1-4-8

 

 

suthra-29-EthEna sarvE vyAkhyAthAvyAkhyAthAh-

1-4-29

 

By this all texts are explained.

 

In the four pAdhAs of the chapter all vedanta texts that refer to the origin of the world are explained to denote only the Brahman who is chEthanAchEthana vilakshaNah, different from sentient and insentient beings, sarvajna sarvashakthi, omiscient and omnipotent.

 

The end of the first adhyaya of Sribhashya of Ramanuja __._,_.___


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