वेदान्त पारिजात सौरभ (भगवद् निम्बार्काचार्य - द्वैताद्वैत वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. 6 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] that the knowledge of Brahman has a fruit which is unsurpassed and endless is ascertained from the following scriptural and Smṛti passages : ‘Knowing him alone, one surpasses death, there is no other road to salvation’ (Śvet. 3 8.), ‘When men will roll up the sky like a piece of leather, then there will be an end of misery, (even) without knowing the Deity’ ¹ (Śvet. 6.20), ‘Knowing the Deity, they are free from all fetters’ (Śvet. 1.8; 2 15), ‘He who, having searched the self, knows it, attains all the worlds and all objects of desires’ (Chānd. 8.7 1.3), ‘The person, of the size of a thumb only, abides in the self’ (Katha 4.12), ‘Knowing him one surpasses death, there is no other path to salvation’, ‘ “Many people, purified by the penance of knowledge, have come to be of my nature” ’ (Gītā 4.10), ‘He who possesses knowledge attains me’ (Gītā 7.19), ‘ “Knowing me one attains peace” ’ (Gītā 5.20) and so on; and, finally, because we find that one who is unacquainted with the self has been censured in Scripture as a wretched fellow and a self-killer, in the passages : ‘Verily he who, O Gārgī, departs from this world, without knowing this Imperishable, is a vile and wretched creature’ (Bṛh. 3.18.10) ; ‘Those worlds are said to be sunless, surrounded by blind darkness. To them they go, after death, whosoever are destroyers of the self.’ (Īśā. 3) and so on.² Anticipating the question: By whom (is this enquiry to be undertaken) ? (we reply) : By one, who has grown indifferent to the fruits of works and so on because of those reasons (stated above); who, on hearing that the direct vision of the Lord is the special cause of salvation, has come to be seized with a strong inclination to have such a direct vision, which inclination is generated by proper discrimination, itself generated through it (viz. hearing); who is desirous of the grace of the Highest Person alone; who looks upon the spiritual preceptor as the only God; who has approached the spiritual teacher; who has whole- hearted devotion for the spiritual teacher; and who is desirous of final ¹ I.e. When the impossible will be possible, the sense being that the knowledge of Brahman is the only means of putting an end to miseries. ² That is, the enquiry into Brahman is to be undertaken because of three reasons, viz. : (1) because the fruits of works are not lasting and unsurpassed, (2) because the knowledge of Brahman leads to infinite bliss, i.e. salvation, and (3) because those who do not know Brahman, their self, are censured as worthless creatures. The word “atah” (=therefore) in the sūtra implies these three reasons.

[sū. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 7 release,—such is the construction,—in accordance with the following scriptural passages: viz. ‘Having examined the worlds acquired by work, let a Brāhmaṇa be indifferent to them’ (Muṇḍ. 1.2.12), ‘When the seer sees the golden-coloured Creator, the Lord, the Person, the source of Brahmā, the wise man, having discarded merit and demerit, and stainless, attains supreme identity’ (Muṇḍ. 3.1.3), ‘When he sees the other, the Lord who is propitious and His great- ness, he comes to be freed from sorrow’ (Muṇḍ. 3 1.2; Śvet. 4.7), ‘Thinking itself and the Mover as different, then favoured by Him, it goes to immortality’ (Śvet. 1.6), ‘The knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are solved and his works perish, when He, who is high and low, is seen’ (Muṇḍ. 2.2 8), ‘He can be obtained by him alone whom He chooses. To him this self reveals its own form’ (Kaṭha 2 23), ‘One who has come to be freed from sorrow sees Him who is without active will and His greatness, through the grace of the Lord’ (Śvet. 3.20), ‘For the sake of this knowledge, let him, with fuel in hand, approach the teacher alone, who is versed in Scripture, and devoted to Brahman. To him, who has approached him, whose mind is completely calm, and who is endowed with tranquillity, the wise teacher truly told that knowledge of Brahman, through which he knows the Imperishable, the Person, the True’ (Muṇḍ. 1.2.12-13), ‘Be one to whom the preceptor is a God’ (Tait. 1.11), ‘To one who has the highest devotion for the Lord, as for God so for his teacher, to that great-souled one these matters which have been declared become manifest’ (Śvet. 6.23). The compound “Brahma-jijñāsā” is to be explained as ‘The enquiry concerning Brahman’¹ The genitive case: ‘concerning Brahman’² expresses the object, in accordance with the rule ‘The subject and the object (take the genitive case) when they are used along with a word ending with a kṛt-affix’ (Pāṇ. 2.3.65, SD.K. 623).³ ‘The enquiry concerning Brahman’ is a compound with the object- genitive,⁴ in accordance with the rule ‘The genitive is compounded, when used along with a word ending with the kṛt-affix (and the compound comes under the category of the Ṣaṣṭhī-tat-puruṣa)’ (K.V.S. 1317, quoted in SD.K. 703).⁵

¹ Brahmaṇo jijñāsā. ² Brahmaṇaḥ. ³ P. 452, vol. 1. ⁴ I e. a genitive denoting an object. ⁵ P. 496, vol. 1.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. 8 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] Brahman is none but Lord Kṛṣṇa, the substratum of in- conceivable, infinite, unsurpassed, natural and greatest nature and qualities and so on, omniscient, omnipotent, the Lord of all, the cause of all, without an equal or a superior, all-pervading, and the one topic of all the Vedas, as known from the following scriptural and Smṛti passages, viz.: ‘He grows and causes to grow, hence He is called the supreme Brahman’, ‘Who is omniscient, all-knowing’ (Muṇḍ. 1.1.9, 2.2.7), ‘Supreme is his power, declared to be of various kinds, and natural is the operation of his knowledge and strength’, (Śvet. 6 8), ‘This is the Lord of all’ (Bṛh 4 4 22), ‘Him, the supreme and great Lord among the lords, Him, the great God among the gods’ (Śvet. 6.7), ‘He has no work or organ, nothing is seen to be equal or superior to Him’ (Śvet. 6 8), ‘The Lord of matter and soul, the Lord of the attributes’ (Śvet. 6 16), ‘The One God is hidden in all beings, all-pervading, and the inner soul of all beings’ (Śvet. 6.11), ‘Kṛṣṇa alone alone is the Supreme Deity. Let one meditate on Him’ (G.P.T.¹), ‘ “I am the source of all, everything originates from me” ’ (Gītā 10.8), ‘ “There is nothing else higher than me, O Dhanañ- jaya” ’ (Gītā 7.7), ‘ “I alone am to be known through all the Vedas” ’ (Gītā 15.15) and so on. (This explains the term “Brahman”.) (Now, the explanation of the term “jijñāsā”:) Knowledge with regard to Him (viz. such Brahman) alone, i.e. the desire with regard to the knowledge of one so desired (viz. Brahman),—this is the sense. Scripture declares this in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka passage: ‘O, the self is to be seen, to be heard, to be thought, to be meditated on’ (Bṛh. 2.4.5; 4.5.6), as well as in the Chāndogya passage: ‘But the Plenty alone is to be enquired into’ (Chānd. 7.23.1). In the passage: ‘O Maitreyī, the self is to be seen’, the suffix ‘tavya’ has the sense of ‘fitness’ simply, in accordance with the aphorism ‘The suffixes “kṛt” and “tṛc” are used in the sense of fitness’ (Pāṇ. 3.3.169; Ś.D.K. 2822 ²), because the direct vision of Brahman is not something to be enjoined,³ it being established to be the intimate and inner means to salvation by the following texts:—‘The knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are solved and his works perish, when the soul, ¹ P. 205. ² P. 569. ³ That is, the above quotation simply means that the Self (Brahman) is fit or worthy to be seen, and not that the Self should be seen,—no injunction here with regard to seeing See p. 9, footnote 4.

[sū. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 9 the Lord ¹ is seen' (Muṇḍ 2.2.8), 'Stainless, he attains a supreme identity' (Muṇḍ. 3.1 3), 'When he sees his glory, he becomes freed from grief' (Muṇḍ 3.1.2, Śvet 4.7), ' "Then knowing me in truth, he forthwith enters into that" ' (Gītā 18.55), and so on Thus, with a view to having an access to 'seeing',²---which is known from another text, which consists in a direct vision of the Lord, and which is the unique means to salvation,---it is 'meditation',³---which is an intimate and inner means to it (viz. 'seeing'),---that is enjoined here.⁴ By the term 'knowledge', the reverend Bādarāyaṇa designated, in the aphorisms, the very same thing (viz. meditation), which is a synonym for the words 'contemplation', 'knowledge', 'supreme devotion', 'steadfast remembrance', the rule being that tho aphorism and the text indicating the subject-matter (viz. the Upaniṣad-texts) must both have the same meaning. Now, here also, the texts denoting the subject-matter are of a greater weight, as they, as the primary object, are authoritative by themselves; and hence, the meaning of the aphorisms is to be interproted in accordance with them alone, otherwise they cannot stand in a relation of subject-matter and what treats of the subject-matter.⁵ In Scripture, 'hearing' ⁶ and 'thinking' ⁷ are laid down as moans to 'meditation',⁸ since these two also are indirect means to the attainment of salvation. Thus, having ascer- tained that the Vedānta-texts are concerned with demonstrating the nature, attributes and the rest of the Lord, one approaches a preceptor, who has directly intuited the nature and the rest of Brahman, the object to be worshipped demonstrable by the Vedānta-texts, and learns the meaning of those texts from him who has himself realized

¹ Correct reading 'Tasmin dṛṣṭe parāvare', or when he, who is high and low, is seen Vide Muṇḍ. 2.2.8, p 31, C.U, p 528 ² Śravaṇa. ³ Nididhyāsana. ⁴ That is, in the above text (Bṛh.), the Lord is not enjoined to be seen but to be meditated on, meditation leading to seeing or direct vision which is the immediate cause of salvation. ⁵ That is, the Vedānta-sūtras lay down what is contained in the Upaniṣads Henco tho Vedānta-sūtras are the viṣayin or what treat of the subject-matter, and the Upaniṣad-texts are the viṣaya, or the subject treated. Now, the viṣayin and the viṣaya must, evidently, refer to the same thing. And here, the viṣaya bemg of a greater force, the viṣayin must be understood in accordance with the viṣaya, or the sūtras are to be understood in the light of the Upaniṣads. Hence as the latter enjoin meditation, the former must also do so. ⁶ Śravaṇa. ⁷ Manana. ⁸ Nididhyāsana.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. 10 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] that meaning directly. This is 'hearing'.¹ 'Thinking' is a kind of reflection, by means of arguments which are in conformity with Scripture, with a view to making the meaning of what has been 'heard' and taught, the object of one's own realization.² 'Meditating' means a ceaseless contemplation on the object of 'thinking', which (contemplation) is the unique cause of a direct vision (of the Lord). Accordingly, this (viz. the above Bṛhadāraṇyaka-text) is an apūrva- vidhi ³ concerning 'meditation', since (salvation is) absolutely unobtainable (without meditation).⁴ The explanation of the (above-quoted Chāndogya) text 'The Plenty', etc., may be seen under the explanation of the aphorism 'The Plenty', etc. (Br. Sū. 1.3.7). The resulting meaning is that salvation can be obtained by an individual, eternally fettered, and desiring for salvation, who was, by chance, looked upon (with favour) by Madhusūdana at the time of his birth,⁵ who has practised the group of means (to salvation), who has worshipped the feet of his preceptor, and who has a direct vision of Brahman, obtained through the hearing of, thinking upon and meditating on Him, knowable through the Vedānta. ¹ That is, a man first ascertains that the Vedānta-texts demonstrate the Lord, and then approaches a teacher and learns the meaning of those texts from him. ² That is, for realizing directly for himself what he has so far accepted on the authority of his preceptor. ³ An 'apūrva-vidhi' is a vidhi which enjoins something that is absolutely necessary and indispensable for the production of the desired result, e. g. when it is enjoined: 'The rice-grains are to be sprinkled over with water', it is meant that without this sprinkling, the desired result, viz. the saṁskāra of these rice- grains or making them fit for being used in a sacrifice cannot be attained by any other means. Hence, here the vidhi with regard to the sprinkling is an 'apūrva- vidhi'. In the very same manner, the above Bṛhadāraṇyaka text: 'The self should be seen, be heard, be thought, be meditated on', lays down an 'apūrva- vidhi' regarding meditation, since without meditation, the desired result, viz. salvation, cannot be attained by any other means. For the different kinds of vidhis—viz. apūrva, niyama and pari-saṁkhyā, see V R M., pp. 41-43. ⁴ This finishes the explanation of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka text 'O friend, the self should be seen', etc. ⁵ Vide V.R.M., p. 133; also p. 142, where it is said that only one man in a thousand is looked at with favour by Madhusūdana at the time of his birth, and that not by chance, but because of the merits accumulated through thousands of previous births.

[sū. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1 ] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 11 Salvation means attaining the nature of the Lord, resulting from the cessation of the bondage of matter in its causal ¹ and effected forms,² as known from the scriptural text: ‘Having attained the form of supreme light, he is completed in his own form” (Chānd. 8 3.4 ; 8.12.2, 3); as well as from the aphorisms ‘Because release is taught of him who takes his stand upon it’ (Br. Sū. 1.1.7), ‘And (Scripture) teaches in it the union of this with that’ (Br Sū 1.1.20) and so on, and from the Smṛti passage, viz : ‘The attainment of the Lord, characterized by a feeling of unsurpassed joy and happiness, exclusive and absolute, is supposed to be an antidote (to the disease of transmigratory existence)’, ‘ “Many people, purified by the penance of knowledge have come to attain my nature” ’ (Gītā 4.10) and so on. The word ‘nature’ ³ has been explained by the Lord Himself in the passage ‘ “Resorting to this knowledge, they have come to have similarity with me” ’ (Gītā 14.2). This we shall expound more clearly in the chapter dealing with the fruit.⁴ Then, in answer to the enquiry :—Of what nature is the individual, desiring salvation ? Of what nature is his bondage ?—the scriptural truth is being considered now, in order that those who desire for salvation may have an easy access to Scripture. Now, there are three kinds of reality, distinguished as the sentient, the non-sentient and Brahman, because in the aphorisms as well, a trinity of reals has been mentioned, viz. the object to be enquired into (i.e. Brahman), the enquirer (i.e. the sentient), and māyā (i.e. the non-sentient) which consists in the three guṇas and is the original cause of his (viz. the enquirer's) nescience, as otherwise the very enquiry will be impossible; and also because of the following scriptural and Smṛti texts, viz. ‘By knowing the enjoyer, the object enjoyed and the Mover, everything has been said. This is the three-fold Brahman’ (Śvet. 1.21). ‘Perishable are all beings, the changeless is called the Imperishable’ (Gītā 15.16), ‘But the Highest Person is another, declared to be the supreme self’ (Gītā 15.17) and so on. Among these, the sentient substance is different from the class of non-sentient substances; is of the nature of knowledge; possessed of the attributes of being a knower, being an agent and so on, of the ¹ I.e. pradhāna, the primal matter. ² I.e. the body, an effect of pradhāna. ³ Bhāva. ⁴ Viz. the fourth chapter.

12 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA [SŪ. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] form of an Ego, has its very nature, existence and activity under the control of the Lord, is atomic in size, different in every body; and subject to bondage and release. As has been said: 'The individual soul is of the nature of knowledge, under the control of the Lord, fit to be associated with and dissociated from a body, atomic, different in every body, possessed of the quality of being a knower and that which they call, endless But through the grace of the Lord, verily they know it, the form of which is associated with beginningless Māyā ¹ The (ever-) free, the bound and the bound-freed,² (such are the three- broad classes of souls), and then again it should be known that there is a multitude of divisions (of these, viz. the ever-free, etc.)'. (D.Ś. 1-2).³ There are scriptural and Smṛti texts, as well as aphorisms to this effect, viz.: 'Verily, different from this (soul) consisting of the mind is another internal soul, consisting of intelligence' (Tait. 2.4), 'Just as a lump of salt is without an inside and an outside, and is entirely a mass of savour simply, so, verily, O! this self is without an inside or an outside, and is entirely a mass of intelligence simply' (Bṛh. 4.5.13), 'Here this person becomes self-illuminating' (Bṛh 4 3.9 14), 'O! undecaying, verily, is this self, possessing indestructible- ness as its attribute' (Bṛh. 4.5.14), 'Now he who knows: "Let me smell this", which self is he?' 'This person who among the senses is made of knowledge, who is the light within the heart' (Bṛh. 4.3.7). 'This, verily, is the person of the essence of intelligence who sees, . . . . hears, tastes, smells, thinks and knows' (Praśna 4 9),⁴ 'There is, verily, no cessation of the seeing of the seer, because it (i.e. the soul) is indestructible; there is, verily, no cessation of the hearing of the hearer, because it is indestructible; there is, verily, no cessation of the thinking of the thinker, because it is indestructible; there is, verily, no cessation of the knowing of the knower, because it is indestructible' (Bṛh. 4 3.23), '"By whom, O! should the knower be known?"' (Bṛh 2 4.14, 4.5.15), 'This person simply knows', 'The seer does not see death, nor disease, nor, again, suffering' ¹ That is, the real nature of the soul is distorted through its connection with māyā or matter and karma, yet individuals can know the real nature of their selves through the grace of the Lord See V.R.M., pp. 20-21. ² That is, the souls which were bound once, but are freed now ³ For details, see V.R.M. ⁴ Quotation incomplete. The correct quotation is ' . . who sees, touches, hears, smells, tastes, thinks, knows and acts'. Vide Praśna 4.9, pp. 41-42.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 13 (Chānd. 7. 26. 2). 'He is the best person, . . not remembering this appendage of the body' (Chānd. 8.12.3), 'So exactly do the seer's sixteen parts, going to the Person, on attaining the Person, merge in (Him)' (Praśna 6.5), '"Just as the one sun manifests the entire world, so O Bhārata, does the owner of the field (viz. the indivi- dual soul) manifest the whole field (viz. the body)"' (Gītā 13 34), 'A knower, for that very reason' (Br. Sū. 2.3.19), 'An agent, on account of scripture having a sense (Br. Sū. 2.3.32).¹ 'I am thou, verily, O Deity! he is I, I am Brahman, thus I bow down to the Death of death', 'He shining alone, everything shines after him; through his light all this shines' (Kaṭha 2 2.15), 'He alone makes him, whom he wishes to lead upwards from these worlds, do good deeds. He alone makes him, whom he wishes to lead downwards from these worlds, do evil deeds' (Kaus. 3.8), 'Whether He may make him do good or evil, not even thereby is the Lord in fault', 'The individual soul is small in power, not independent and insignificant';² 'Atomic, verily, is this soul. These two, merit and demerit, bind it', 'The individual soul should be known as the hundredth part of the tip of a hair, divided a hundredfold, yet it is capable of infinity' (Śvet. 5.9), 'Verily, (the soul) is perceived to be like the tip of the spoke of a wheel only, and insignificant, through its quality of buddhi, and through its own attributes' (Śvet. 5.8), '(There is the mention, of departing, going and returning' (Br. Sū 2.3.19), 'If it be said, not atomic, because Scripture declares what is not that, (we reply :) no, because the topic is something else' (Br. Sū. 2.3.21), 'That designa- tion is on account of having that quality for its essence, as in the case of the Intelligent soul' (Br. Sū. 2.3.28);³ 'The Eternal among the eternal, the Conscious among the conscious, the One among the many, who bestows objects of desire' (Kaṭha 5.13), 'A part, on account of the designation of a plurality' (Br. Sū. 2.3.42),⁴ "There is indeed another different soul, called the elemental soul,— ¹ These texts and aphorisms set forth the essential nature of the individual soul, viz. that it is knowledge by nature, a knower, an agent and an enjoyer ² These texts also set forth the essential nature of the soul, viz. its dependence on the Lord for its activity and its non-difference from Him in that sense. ³ These texts and sūtras set forth the size of the soul, viz. its atomicity. ⁴ These texts and aphorisms set forth the number of the souls, viz. that there is a plurality of souls

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. 14 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] he who being overcome by the white or dark fruits of works, attains a good or bad birth. . . . Because of being deluded, he does not see the Lord, the causer of action and dwelling within the self. He is borne along and defiled by the properties of matter' (Maitrī. 3.2),¹ 'An unborn one, verily, lies by, enjoying. Another unborn one discards her, who has been enjoyed' (Śvet. 4.15), 'Stainless, he attains a supreme identity' (Muṇḍ. 3.1 3), 'He does not return again' (K.R. 2), 'Non-return, on account of scriptural texts' (Br. Sū. 4.4.22)² and so on. The non-sentient substance is of three kinds, viz. what is derived from matter, what is not derived from matter and time ³ As has been said:—'What is derived from matter, what is not derived from matter and time,—these are held to be the non-sentient. (The second is) denotable by the term 'māyā', 'pradhāna' and the rest, and there are distinctions of white and the rest in it, although it is the same' (D.Ś. 3.). Among these, the substance which is the substratum of the three guṇas is the prākṛta It is eternal as well as subject to changes like transformation and so on, as declared by the following scriptural texts:—'A cow she is white, black and red, without beginning and end,⁴ the progenitress, and the source of all beings, milking all wishes for the Lord' (Cūl. 5), 'There is an unborn one red, white and black, producing many progeny of the same nature' (Śvet. 4.5) and so on; by the Smṛti passages, viz. : 'This, consisting of the three guṇas, is the source of the world and is without beginning and end' (V.P. 1.2.21a),⁵ 'Non-sentient, for the sake of another, ever-changing, consisting of the three guṇas, the field of works—such is said to be the form of prakṛti' and so on; as well as by the following aphorisms: 'It has a sense, on account of its subordination to Him' (Br. Sū. 1.4.3), 'As in the case of the sacrificial ladle, for want of any specifi- cation' (Br. Sū. 1.4.8), 'But that which has light for its cause, because thus, in fact, some read' (Br. Sū. 1.4.9) and so on. The 1 Quotation incorrect. Vide Maitrī., pp. 369, 371. Correct quotation translated. 2 These texts and aphorisms set forth the liability of the souls to bondage and release. 3 Prākṛta, aprākṛta and kāla. 4 Correct reading 'anāda-vatī' or without sound. For correct quotation, vide Cūl. 5, p. 230. 5 P. 14.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 15 gunas are sattva, rajas and tamas. That very prakṛti, being trans- formed, through its own guṇas, into the body, the sense-organs, the mind and intelligence of the individual souls, and through being a hindrance to salvation, is said to be the cause of the bondage of the individual soul. It is the cause of the universe, beginning with the mahat and ending with the cosmic egg, and its products are to be known as non-permanent. Next, the aprākṛta is a non-sentient substance, absolutely different from prakṛti consisting of three guṇas and time, occupies a region different from the sphere of prakṛti, and is denoted by the terms ‘eternal manifestation’, ‘the region of Viṣṇu’, ‘the supreme void’, ‘the supreme place’, ‘the world of Brahman’ and so on, as declared by the following scriptural texts and aphorisms:—‘Of the colour of the sun, beyond darkness’ (Śvet 3.8; Gītā 8.9), ‘He who is its Master in the supreme void’, ‘That supreme region of Viṣṇu the wise see always’ (Nṛ Pūr. 5.10; Skanda 15; Mukti 2.77, Vāsu 4), ‘But the man whose charioteer is intelligence, and the mind, the reins, attains the end of the road, the supreme place of Viṣṇu’ (Kaṭha 3.9), ‘Having obtained the soul, I become united with the uncreated world of Brah- man’ (Chānd. 8.13.1), ‘He does not return again’ (K.R. 2), ‘Non- return, on account of scriptural texts’ (Br. Sū. 4.4.22) and so on; as well as by the following verses in the Mahā-bhārata—viz.: ‘Whom they call prakṛti, the eternal, because He is the original source of all beings—the Divinity, without beginning and end, the Lord Nārā- yaṇa, Hari. His supreme place is manifested beyond the abode of Brahmā. That celestial, luminous place which the gods do not see, more brilliant than the sun and fire, is the place of Viṣṇu the Great, and through its own rays, O king! it is difficult to be seen by gods and demons. The ascetics endowed with penance, infused with aus- picious deeds, perfected by Yoga, great-souled, and devoid of ignorance and delusion, go there to Lord Nārāyaṇa, Hari, the adorable. Having gone there, they do not, O Bhārata, return to this world again. This place is, O king, eternal and undecaying, for this, O Yudhiṣṭhira, is always the proof of the Lord. Higher than the seat of Brahmā is that supreme place of Viṣṇu, which some people who are endowed with knowledge and intelligence, and want to reach the supreme place, know to be pure, eternal, luminous and the supreme Brahman. That place is immensely holy, full of holy families, going where men do not grieve, do not return, do not feel pain. But those Sāttvatas attain

[sū. 1. 1. 1. 16 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] here the place of Brahman'. The same thing is found in the Gītā. Compare, e.g. the statement by the Lord, viz. ‘“‘Through His grace,¹ you shall obtain supreme peace and an eternal place’”’ (Gītā 18.62). And through the beginningless desire of the Lord, it is manifold in forms, as the objects of His enjoyment and of His ever-free souls, and not liable to any alternations of evolution and the rest; since it is beyond time, in accordance with the text: ‘That manifestation, of which time, composed of Kalās ² and minutes, is not the cause of transformation. Your eight-fold attributes and lordship, O Lord, are natural and supreme’. Next, time is a species of non-sentient sub- stance, different from both the prākṛta and the aprākṛta, eternal and all-pervading, in accordance with the scriptural text; ‘Now, eternal, verily, are the soul, matter and time’; and also because in the text; ‘“‘Existent alone, my dear, was this in the beginning’”’ (Chānd. 6.2.1), the existence of time, denoted by the term ‘beginning’, is declared; as well as on account of the Smṛti passage:—‘The Lord Time is beginningless, and has, O Brahmin, no end’ (V.P. 1.2.26a ³). ‘There can be no apprehension in the world which does not involve time.’ It is the special cause of the conventional uses (of such terms) as ‘past’, ‘future’, ‘present’, ‘simultaneous’, ‘lasting’, ‘quick’ and so on; assisting in the creation and the rest; and the special cause of the con- ventional use (of different measures of time), beginning with the paramāṇu and ending with the parārdha.⁴ Since it is well-known from the Purāṇas, no detailed account is given here. All objects derived from prakṛti are dependent on time. But although time is the regulator of everything, it is itself regulated by the Supreme Lord, in accordance with the text: ‘Who is a knower, the Time of time, possessor of attributes, omniscient’ (Śvet. 6.2). The meaning of the word “Brahman” has already been expounded above. He is Lord Kṛṣṇa, an abode of groups of qualities like Creator- ship of the world and the rest, to be mentioned hereafter, and is denoted by the words ‘Supreme Brahman’, ‘Nārāyaṇa’, ‘Vāsudeva’ and so on. As has been said: ‘Let us meditate on Kṛṣṇa, on Hari, with eyes like ¹ Correct quotation ‘tat-prasādāt’ and not ‘mat-prasādāt’. ² Kalā is a particular division of time. M. W., p. 261. ³ P. 15. ⁴ A paramāṇu is the time taken by the sun to traverse past an atom of matter and so on. Vide V.R.M., p. 38, for details.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 17 lotus, on Brahman, supreme and adorable, free by nature from all faults, and one mass of infinite auspicious qualities, and having the vyūhas ¹ as His limbs' (D Ś 4). The mutual differences among these (three) substances, viz the sentient, the non-sentient and Brahman are taught by the texts contained respectively in the different chapters (treating of these three) and indicating the respective peculiarities of their qualities and nature. The non-difference of the sentient and the non-sentient is taught in the following texts — '"Existent alone, my dear, was this in the beginning, one only, without a second"' (Chānd. 6.2.1), 'The self, verily, was this in the beginning, one only' (Ait. 1.1.1), 'Thou art that' (Chānd. 6.8.7; 6.9.8; 6.10.3; 6.11.3, 6.12.31; 6.13.3; 6.14.3; 6.15.3, 6.16.3), 'This soul is Brahman' (Bṛh. 4.4.5), 'All this, verily, is Brahman' (Chānd. 3.14.1), 'I am you, verily, O reverend Deity', 'Then he knows the self alone "I am Brahman"'. In this way, the two kinds of texts being both authoritative in their primary and literal import, the sentient and the non-sentient, though of different natures (from Brahman), yet are non-different from Brahman, because they have their existence and activity under His control,—just as the sense-organs, though of different natures (from the vital-breath) are yet non-different from the vital-breath, because they are under its control, as is well-known from the dialogue between the vital-breath and the sense-organs in the Chāndogya: 'Verily, they are not called speech, eyes, or mind, but called the vital- breath alone' (Chānd. 5.1.15). Hence the view of the author of the aphorisms is that Brahman, the object to be enquired into, is both different and non-different from the sentient and the non-sentient. For that very reason, there is no necessity for enquiring into the two realities (viz. the sentient and the non-sentient), and the doctrine that through the knowledge of one, there is the knowledge of all ² fits in well. As has been said: 'Hence, all knowledge concerning all objects is true, since they, as declared by Scripture and Smṛti, have Brahman

¹ The vyūhas are Vāsudeva, Saṁkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Vide V.R.M., pp. 47–49, for details. ² Vide Chānd 6.1 ff The sense is that the sūtras recommend an enquiry into Brahman alone, and not into the sentient and the non-sentient, not because these two are unreal, but simply because by enquiring into Brahman, the Cause. we come to know of the sentient and the non-sentient too, the effects, and hence no separate enquiry is necessary. 2

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1. 18 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] for their essence,—this is the view of those who are versed in the Vedas, and the Trinity of Reals too is established by Scripture and aphorisms' (D.Ś.7) The following aphorisms may be referred to: 'A part, on account of the mention of variety, and otherwise, some even read the status of a fisherman, a knave and so on' (Br. Sū. 2.3.42), 'But on account of the mention of both, as in the case of a snake and its coil' (Br. Sū. 3.2.27), 'Or, like the substratum of light, because of being light' (Br. Sū. 3.2.28) and so on. Detailed explanations may be seen further on. Since this aphorism (Br. Sū. 1.1.1), ascertaining the meaning of Scripture, is of the nature of an introduction, the indispensable factors (in the study of a particular subject) are also mentioned virtually by it, with a view to encouraging people with insight to (the study of) Scripture. These are the person entitled (to the study), the topic, the relation and the purpose¹ Among those, one who is desirous of release and possessed of the stated marks² is the person entitled (to the study of the Vedānta). The topic is the Lord Vāsudeva, the Highest Person, denoted by the term 'Brahman' and the rest, omnis- cient, the substratum of natural, inconceivable and infinite attributes and powers persisting as long as He Himself does, the Controller of Brahmā, Rudra, Indra, matter, atoms, time, karma, and Nature, who is absolutely untouched by faults and who is the substratum of a natural difference—non-difference from the sentient and the non- sentient. The relation is that between a topic and what treats of the topic³ The purpose here is salvation, characterized by attaining the state of the Lord Here ends the section entitled 'The enquiry' (1). Comparison of Nimbārka's reading and interpretation with the readings and interpretations of Śaṁkara, Rāmānuja, Bhāskara, Śrīkaṇṭha and Baladeva.⁴ Śaṁkara Interpretation different. According to Nimbārka, the term "atha" (=then) signifies: 'after the study of the Veda and the Pūrva- ¹ Adhikārin, viṣaya, sambandha, prayojana ² See above, pp. 11–14. ³ See above, p. 9 of the book and footnote 5 there. ⁴ Only the points of differences will be noted.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 1, ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 19 mīmāṁsā'. But according to Śaṁkara, this is not the case. He points out that the study of the Pūrva-mīmāṁsā is by no means an essential pre-requisite to the study of Brahman ¹ There is no essential connection between the enquiry into religious duties and that into Brahman On the contrary, there is an absolute difference between them as regards the result and the object of enquiry.² The result of the former is the attainment of worldly and heavenly enjoyment, which is something to be accomplished, while the result of the latter is salvation, which is not something to be accomplished, being eternal and ever-accomplished This being so, the essential pre-requisite to the enquiry into Brahman is not the enquiry into religious duties, but the acquisition of the four qualifications ³,–viz (1) discrimination between eternal and non-eternal objects, (2) aversion to the enjoyment of the objects of sense, here or hereafter, (3) possession of self-restraint, tranquillity and the rest ⁴ and (4) the desire of emancipation.⁵ Rāmānuja Reading and interpretation same, only much more elaborate. Rāmānuja points out that the two Mīmāṁsās—viz. the Karma- mīmāṁsā and the Brahma-mīmāṁsā constitute one connected whole, the first naturally leading to the second,⁶ and criticises at length, in this connection, the Śaṁkarite view that the enquiry into Brahman does not necessarily presuppose the enquiry into religious duties.⁷ Bhāskara Literal interpretation same, but import different. Bhāskara develops here his peculiar doctrine of jñāna-karma-samuccaya, or ¹ Ś B. 1.1 1. 'Dharma-jijñāsāyāḥ prāg api adhīta-Vedāntasya Brahma- jijñāsopapatteḥ', p. 71 ² Ś.B. 1 1.1. 'Dharma-brahma-jijñāsayoh phala-jijñāsya-bhedācca' (p. 74). ³ Sādhana-catuṣṭaya. ⁴ I e. śama (control of the internal organ, viz the mind), dama (control of the external sense-organs), uparati (indifference to worldly pursuits), titikṣā (endurance of the opposite extremes, like heat and cold, pleasure and pain, etc.), śraddhā (faith in the scripture and the spiritual teachers), and samādhāna (deep concentration). ⁵ Ś.B. 1.1 1. 'Nityānitya-vastu-vivekaḥ, ihāmutrārtha-phalabhoga-virāgaḥ, śama-damādi-sādhana-sampat, mumukṣutvañ ca', ⁶ Śrī. B. 1.1.1. 'Vakṣyati ca Karma-brahma-mīmāṁsayor aikaśāstryam', etc., p. 2, vol. 1 (Madras ed.). ⁷ Op. cit., pp. 5–13, vol 1.

[sū. 1. 1. 1. 20 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH 1.] combination of knowledge and work. Thus, according to both Nimbārka and Bhāskara, the enqury into Brahman should be under- taken after an enquiry into religious duties, but for different reasons. According to Nimbārka, the prior study of the Karma-mīmāṁsā convinces us of the transitory nature of the fruits of karmas, and this naturally leads us to the study of the Brahma-mīmāṁsā, with a view to attaining a permanent fruit therefrom, viz salvation. For this reason, we study first the Pūrva-mīmāṁsā, and then the Uttara- mīmāṁsā or the Vedānta. But according to Bhāskara, we enquire into Karmas before enquiring into Brahman for quite different reasons, viz. (1) We do not enquire into Karmas first and then into Brahman, because the former are transitory, the latter not, but we enquire into both Karmas and Brahman, for the very same reason, viz. because we know that they both play an equal part in the attainment of salvation. Salvation can be obtained through a proper combination of knowledge and works, and unless we first know the nature of the works themselves, we cannot possibly decide which kinds of works are to be resorted to and combined with knowledge, and which kinds to be avoided and not to be so com- bined. It is for this reason, that we first study the Karma-mīmāṁsā, and then the Brahma-mīmāṁsā, and combine the obligatory works with knowledge, avoiding those that are undertaken for selfish ends. (2) Further, the Vedānta deals with various kinds of meditations on the subordinate parts of sacrifices—, e.g. the meditation on the udgītha and so on. But unless we are first acquainted with the nature of those sacrifices themselves, such meditations are not possible. It is for this reason also that we first study the Karma-mīmāṁsā, and then the Brahma-mīmāṁsā.¹ Bhāskara also criticises here the Śāṁkarite interpretation of the term "atha".² Śrīkaṇṭha Literal interpretation same, but import different. That is, Nimbārka and Śrīkaṇṭha both agree that the Brahma-mīmāṁsā is to be studied after the study of the Karma-mīmāṁsā, but the reason for this, as given by Śrīkaṇṭha, is different from that given by Nim- bārka. We have already seen the reason given by Nimbārka. But

¹ Bh. B. 1. 1. 1, p. 2. ² Op. cit., pp. 3–5.

[sū. 1. 1. 1. ADH. 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 21 according to Śrīkaṇṭha, we must first study religious duties and then Brahman, because the two stand in a relation of worship (ārādhanā) and the worshipped (ārādhya),¹ cause (hetu) and effect,² means (sādhana) and end (sādhya) ³. The proper performance of Karmas purifies the mind. But unless we first know the nature, etc. of Karmas, we cannot perform them properly, i.e. choose the right ones (nitya and naimittika ones) and avoid others (kāmya ones), and unless we perform karmas properly, our mind is not purified, and unless our mind is purified, there can be no rise of knowledge in it. It is for this reason that we should first study the Karma-mīmāṁsā and then the Brahma-mīmāṁsā.⁴ Like Rāmānuja, Śrīkaṇṭha holds that the Karma-mīmāṁsā and the Brahma-mīmāṁsā form one and the same treatise.⁵ Baladeva Interpretation different. According to Baladeva also, the word "atha" means 'immediate sequence', but he points out that it cannot be said that the study of the Karma-mīmāṁsā is an essential pre- requisite to the study of the Brahma-mīmāṁsā, for it is often found that even one who knows the Karma-mīmāṁsā by heart, but who is deprived of the company of the good, has no desire to enquire into Brahman, while one who does not know the Karma-mīmāṁsā, but is purified by truthfulness, prayer, etc. and associates with the good, has a natural inclination to enquire into Brahman. It cannot be said also that the term "atha" means that the enquiry into Brahman can be undertaken only after the acquisition of the four-fold qualifica- tions, viz. discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal and the rest, as held by Śaṁkara, for these cannot be acquired unless one first associates with the good and the holy.⁶ Hence, what the term "atha" means is as follows:—A man who has properly studied the Veda and has understood its meaning in a general way, who has faithfully performed the duties incumbent on 1 ŚK B 1. 1. 1, p 34, Part 1. 2 Op. cit., pp. 37, 39, Part 1. 3 Op. cit., pp. 39, 43, Part 1. 4 ŚK.B. 1.1.1, pp. 33, 39, 43, 50, 68, 70, Part 1. Of course Śrīkaṇṭha is not a Jñāna-karma-samuccaya-vādin like Bhāskara. 5 ŚK.B 1.1.1, p. 33, Part 1. 6 G B 1. 1. 1, pp. 24-25, chap 1.

22 VEDĀNTA-PĀRIJĀTA-SAURABHA [SŪ. 1. 1. 2. ADH. 2.] his own stage of life, who is truthful and so on, whose mind has become purified by the performance of duties in a disinterested spirit and who has come into contact with a knower of truth, should then commence an enquiry into Brahman, for then he is convinced that the fruits of works undertaken with selfish ends in view are but transitory, while Brahman alone is the cause of eternal happiness.¹ Thus, the five pre-requisites to the enquiry into Brahman are:— (1) Study of the Veda (2) Proper performance of the duties incum- bent on one's own stage of life. (3) Purification of the mind by such performance of works in a disinterested spirit. (4) Association with the good and the holy (5) The consequent acquirement of the faculty of discriminating between the permanent and the non-permanent, disgust for non-permanent worldly objects and desire to know the permanent in details All the commentators agree in holding that the word "ataḥ" means 'because the fruits of Karmas are transitory, while the know- ledge of Brahman alone leads to eternal bliss'. Adhikarana 2: The section entitled 'The Origin'. (Sūtra 2) SŪTRA 2 "(BRAHMAN IS THAT) FROM WHOM (ARISE) THE ORIGIN AND THE REST OF THIS (WORLD)." Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha Now, with regard to the characteristics of Brahman, the author states the correct conclusion: That very Lord—the substratum of infinite attributes like omniscience, etc. and the ruler of Brahmā, Śiva time and the rest,— from whom arise the origination, subsistence and dissolution "of this", i.e. of the universe,—endowed with manifold combinations, the abode of innumerable peculiarities of names and forms and the like; and the form of which is inconceivable,—is Brahman, the object of the above statement (viz. Sū. 1.1.1)—this is the meaning of the characterizing text. ¹ Op. cit., pp. 19-20, chap. 1.

[sū. 1. 1. 2. ADH. 2 ] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 23 Vedānta-kaustubha Brahman, called Lord Kṛṣṇa, great in qualities, powers and nature, has been established in the previous section. Now, with reference to the enquiry: What are His characteristics?—the same Being (viz. Brahman) is being demonstrated, as having the qualities of 'being the agent of the origin and the rest of the world', 'being omniscient', 'being true' and so on. Here the words "of this" denote the effect, viz. the world; and the words "from whom" denote the cause. The word 'Brahman' is to be supplied here from the previous aphorism. And, there being an universal correlation between the terms 'yat' and 'tat', the term 'tat' too must be supplied here.¹ (Next the compound "janmādi" is explained—) 'That of which "origin" is the beginning'—is "janmādi", i.e. creation, sub- sistence, dissolution and salvation. This is a Bahuvrīhi compound of the tad-guṇa-saṃjñāna type.² That "from whom",—i.e. the Lord, the Highest Person, the Lord of all, omniscient, omnipotent, the supreme cause and the ruler of all,—arise the origination, subsistence, dissolution, and salvation "of this", i.e. of the world, which is manifested by names and forms connected with enjoyers (viz. the souls) divided variously; which is the constant abode of the enjoying of place, time and fruits; and the composition of which is beyond the grasp of reasoning—is Brahman. He alone is to be enquired into by those who desire for salvation,— this is the construction of the words in the aphorism. ¹ Thus the construction of the sūtra is:—'Janmādy asya yataḥ Brahmaṇaḥ tataḥ'. ² There are two kinds of Bahuvrīhi, viz. tad-guṇa-saṃjñāna and atad-guṇa- saṃjñāna. In the former case, the compounds, the noun (viśeṣya) has direct connection with and implies the words compounded (viśeṣaṇas), e.g. when it is said 'Bring the man with long ears' (Lamba-karṇaṃ ānaya), the bringing of the man implies the bringing of his attribute, viz the ears, as well and the man (viśeṣya) and his ears (viśeṣaṇas) are directly connected. In the latter case, there is no such direct connection between the compound and the words compounded, e g when it is said 'Bring the man who has seen the sea' (Dṛṣṭa-sāgaraṃ ānaya), the bringing of the man does not imply the bringing of his attribute, viz the sea, and there is no direct connection between the two. Now, 'Janmādi' is a Bahuvrīhi of the first kind and hence it includes in its meaning 'janma' too.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 2. 24 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 2.] There are scriptural texts to this effect,—beginning:—'Bhrgu, the son of Varuna approached his father, (with the request) "Sir, teach me Brahman"' (Tait. 3 1), and continuing:—' "From, whom, verily, all these beings arise, by whom they, so born, live and to whom they go forth and enter,—enquire into that, that is Brahman" ' (Tait 3.1), 'Brahman is truth, knowledge and infinite' (Tait. 2.1) and so on. (The meaning of the first of the above two texts is:—) 'From whom', i.e from Lord Purusottama, 'all these beings', i.e all objects from the mahat down to a tuft of grass, 'arise',—hereby the origination (of the world from the Lord) is indicated. 'By whom, they, so born, live',—hereby the subsistence (of the world in Brahman) is indicated. 'They enter',—hereby the dissolution (of the world into the Lord) is shown. 'To whom they go forth',—meaning—'whom they attain after the destruction of all karmas',—hereby salvation (of the souls) is indicated. Here 'origination' means the expansion of the manifold consciousness of the sentient being, due to its connec- tion with a body and the rest; and 'dissolution' means its entrance into the Cause (viz Brahman), resulting from the contraction of its consciousness. This will be made clear under the explanations of the two aphorisms, viz. 'Dependent on the movable and the immovable' (Br. Sū. 2.3.16) and so on. The distinction (between the sentient and the non-sentient) is that the non-sentient is more primary, having a different form at the beginning of creation ¹ The meaning of the second text, on the other hand, is that Brahman possesses the attributes of truth, knowledge and infinitude. Here, the word 'truth' distinguishes the Lord from what is not true, the word 'knowledge' from the group of the non-sentient, and the word 'infinite' from the group of the sentient And, thus it is established that the characteristic mark of Brahman is that He, being the one non-distinct material and efficient cause of the universe, is possessed of truth and the rest He is the material cause ² in the sense of being the manifestor, in a gross form, of His own ¹ That is, the non-sentient is more primary than the sentient in the sense that it is prior to the sentient in point of time. Right in the beginning of creation, the individual soul does not exist, in the sense that there is nobody with which it may be connected, but pradhāna does, though not in the form of particular non-sentient substances like stones and houses, etc., and the body comes to be evolved later on. Cf Sāṁkhya theory of evolution. ² Upādānatva.

[SŪ. 1. 1. 2. ADH 2.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 25 natural powers, denoted by the terms ‘higher’, ‘lower’ and so on, and reduced to a subtle state, as well as of the effects, existent and inherent in them respectively. He is the efficient cause ¹ in the sense of bringing about a union of the sentient beings,—whose attribute of knowledge is in a state of absolute contraction being under the in- fluence of the past impressions of their own karmas which are begin- ningless, and is, thereby, unfit for bringing about the recollection (in their minds) of the retributive experiences (to be undergone in the present birth),—with their respective karmas, and the respective instruments for experiencing them, through manifesting (in them) knowledge, enabling them to experience the fruits of karmas ² There is a Smṛti passage too, conformable to the text dealing with the topic in hand, (i e. the above Taittirīya text, 3.1) in the Mokṣa-dharma ³ It begins. ‘The Scripture which was mentioned by Bhṛgu to Bhāradvāja, who asked’ (Mahā. 12.6769b ⁴), and con- tinues. ‘“He, verily, is the Lord Viṣṇu, celebrated to be infinite, abiding as the inner Soul of all beings, and difficult to be known by those who have not obtained the self, who is the creator of the principle of egoity for the production of all beings, from whom arose the universe, about whom I have been asked by you here”’ (Mahā 12.6784b– 6786a ⁵). ¹ Nimittatva. ² The Lord is the material cause of the universe in the sense that creation means the manifestation of His subtle powers of the sentient and the non- sentient into gross effects That is, during dissolution, the entire universe of the sentient and the non-sentient merges in the Lord and exists in Him in a subtle state as His natural powers. Then, in the beginning of a new creation, the Lord manifests these powers of the sentient and the non-sentient (cit- śakti and acit-śakti), developing them into grosser effects and producing, thereby, the universe of names and forms. And the Lord is the efficient cause of the universe in the sense that He unites individual souls with their respective karmas, the results of these karmas, and the instruments for experiencing them—that is, the Lord is the efficient cause in the sense that He regulates the destinies of individual souls in accordance with strict justice. During dissolution, the beginningless im- pressions of past karmas get dimmed and confused; and at the time of a new creation, the Lord revives these impressions in particular individuals, thereby making each individual undergo the fruits of his past works Vide V.R M., p. 63. ³ ‘Mokṣa-dharma’ is the name of a section of the twelfth book of the Mahā-bhārata, from adhyāya 174 to the end. ⁴ P. 604, line 7, vol. 3. ⁵ Op. cit., lines 22–24.