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

[sū. 2. 2. 44. ADH. 8.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 385 Vedānta-kaustubha The term "or" has the meaning 'but'. Śakti is the abode of a mass of natural attributes like knowledge, strength and the rest, independent by nature of anything else, and self-relying "If there be the existence," i.e. admission, "of knowledge and so on", in this manner, on the other hand, then "there is no denial of that", i.e. its causality is not denied. In this aphorism: "And endowed with all (attributes)" (Br. Sū. 2.1 29), there is designated a Deity, knowable through all the Vedāntas, and it is He that is admitted by you. He is not the power (Śakti) of any one, He is the Highest Deity, denoted by the word 'Brahman' and so on. The sense is that the doctrine of Śakti defeats itself. COMPARISON Śaṃkara and Bhāskara The criticism of the Pañca-rātra doctrine continued: viz "(Even) if there be the existence of knowledge, there is no setting aside of that (viz. of the above objection)". That is, even if be said that Saṃkarṣaṇa and the rest are not the individual soul and so on, but divine beings, endowed with supreme knowledge and the rest, still then the objection stated before, viz the impossibility of origination, remains in force.¹ Rāmānuja This is sūtra 41 in his commentary. According to him this 'sūtra and the next set forth the correct conclusion against the above prima facie view, and defend the Pañca-rātra doctrine. Thus, it means: "If (Saṃkarṣaṇa and the rest be) of the nature of knowledge and so on (i.e. of the Highest Lord), there is no contradiction of that". That is, the Pañca-rātra doctrine is not that individual soul arises from the Lord, the mind from the individual soul, and so on, but simply that the Highest Lord, viz. Vāsudeva, out of kindness for people, abides in a four-fold form, so that He may be easily accessible to His devotees.² Śrīkaṇṭha This is sūtra 41 in his commentary as well He takes it to be a prima facie view, viz. "If there be the assumption of intelligence and 1 Ś.B. 2.2.41, pp. 574 ff.; Bh. B. 2.2.40 (written 2 2.44), p. 129. 2 Śrī. B. 2.2.41, pp. 116-117, Part 2. 25