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

[SŪ. 2. 1. 25. 306 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 9.] Vedānta-kaustubha Anticipating the objection,—viz. If Brahman be transformed into the form of the world absolutely independently of any external im- plement, then let Him not depend on His own powers as well. But since the view that Brahman is the material cause through His mere nature leads to the horns of a dilemma, He cannot reasonably be the material cause; and hence pradhāna alone must be the material cause,—the author is replying to it by pointing out that in the case of Brahman, external implements cannot be admitted, as they are not mentioned in Scriptures, and as they will make Brahman a dependent creator, and that His own powers, which are non-different from Him, may very well be admitted, as they have Scripture for their authority. The prima facie view is as follows: Is Brahman,—knowable from the scriptural texts like: ‘ “The existent alone, my dear, was this in the beginning, one only, without a second” ’ (Chānd. 6.2.1), ‘The soul, verily, was this in the beginning, one only’ (Bṛh. 1.4.7) and so on, and transformed into the form of the effect,—without parts, or possessed of parts? If it be said: without parts, (we reply.) then the consequence will be that the entire Brahman will become the effect, as in the case of milk; there will not remain a transcendent Brahman, beyond transmigratory existence and to be approached by the freed, the scriptural texts designating Brahman as unintelligible will be con- tradicted; universal release will result, and Brahman will come to possess the attributes of grossness and the rest. If on the other hand, He be admitted to have parts, then there will not arise faults like the entire Brahman being transformed into the world, but the scriptural texts designating that Brahman, the cause of the world, has no parts will come to be contradicted, viz. the texts: “Without parts, without action, tranquil, faultless, stainless” (Śvet 6.19), “For He is the celestial, incorporal Person, the outside and the inside, unborn” (Muṇḍ. 2.1.2) and so on. So none but pradhāna can be the the cause of the world. COMPARISON Baladeva This is sūtra 26 in his commentary. He reads “vyakopa” instead of “Kopa”. Interpretation, too, is different, viz.. he takes this sūtra as setting forth the correct conclusion and not a prima