The Brahma Sutra

HOME PAGE

Bhagavadgita Pages, Chapters 1 to 18

BG01 BG02 BG03 BG04 BG05 BG06 BG07 BG08 BG09 BG10
BG11 BG12 BG13 BG14 BG15 BG16 BG17 BG18

V.Krishnaraj

The following presentation draws from the study of various

interpretations of The Brahma Sutra (B.S.). The meaning and definition
of Sanskrit words are according to Sanskrit dictionary by Monier
Williams. The commentators are many and interpretations vary
according to the color of their belief. Sankara's commentary (C.E. 788-
820) is the foremost among all. Ramanuja's commentary is also
included. Bhadrayana's sutras are mostly dvaita rather than the
monistic view of early Upanishads.

The author of Brahma Sutra is Bhadrayana who composed it in

second century B.C. Some believe that it was composed between C.E.
200 and 450. A sutra is concise and lucid, though it is not intelligible
without commentary. Sutra, being a string (of words), and Suture are
cognate words. Each word is pregnant with meaning; redundancy is cut
to the bone so that it hangs like a skeleton with a delicate thread
holding them all together; it needs learned commentators to elucidate
its meaning and animate it. The B.S. is the string that runs through the
floral essence of Vedanta; it is a garland of aphorisms. It has four
chapters (adhyayas); each chapter has four parts (Padas); each part
has sections (adhikaranas); each adhikarana has variable number of
aphorisms. Each adhikarana deals with Vishaya1, Visaya2, Purva
Paksha3, Siddhanta4 and Samgati5 (subject matter1; doubt2; prima
facie view and first statement of an objection or opponent's view3;
established end, final Truth4; coming together of all sections5. If an
adhikarana has many sutras, the first is mukhya (chief) and the others
are guna (subordinate or secondary element or a strand).

It talks about Brahman and the individual soul in many contexts,

colors, views, interpretations. Upanishads form the basis for his work.
The Brahman is the cause and the soul is the effect; thus there is
commonality and yet a difference between the two. (bheda-abheda =
difference and non-difference). The allegory used is the Fire and its
sparks. When the soul merges with the Self or Brahman, the difference
is lost and unity is established. Sankara is of firm conviction that
Upanishads should be interpreted in non-dualistic terms; any dualistic
suggestions in Upanishads face objections and counter arguments
from Sankara. His views on Brahman, the soul and the world are
depicted here as follows: 1. The world is a product of something that is
unproduced or a primordial substance which has no beginning. That
source is Brahman; if Brahman is not the immediate source, we have
to follow the logic of Infinite Regress (Regressus ad infinitum = an-
avastha; ana-avastha = unstable condition) and come to the source at
an infinite distance backwards. 2. This universe is so complicated and
orderly, that it could not have come from a non-intelligent source. 3.
Brahman is the proximate source of consciousness also known as eye-
witness (SAkshin) of the individual self. The Light of consciousness
shines on objects of cognition or Indriyas, through which we perceive
the world. Brahman is a non-clinical entity beyond the reach of human
intelligence and is the eponym for Parabrahman, Mayabrahman and
Avidyabrahman; the last two words are coined by me to show the
linearity of the related products. Parabrahman is known simply as
Brahman; Mayabrahman as Isvara; Avidyabrahman as the individual
soul (you and me). Isvara, a clinical entity, that we commonly call as
God, whom we pray, supplicate to, and worship. He uses Maya, the
source of the building blocks of the individual body and its soul and the
inanimate and insentient world. Isvara or Mayabrahman is the
surrogate of Parabrahman, regarded as the material cause (upadana
karana), the efficient cause (nimitta karana) and Sahakari karana
(auxiliary cause). Brahman, being both, is compared to clay and the
potter. There are many kinds of pots and many kinds of jewelry, but
only one potter or one jeweler; thus Brahman is one and his
manifestations are many; he makes many pots out of his own Maya.
He is SatChitAnanda, Being, Consciousness and Bliss. Commentators
say that he is the potter, the clay, the instrument and the pot; in this
instance the instrument (the potter's wheel) is his Sakti. Potter theme
is very common among commentators who explain the creation of the
world.

The above theme as expressed by Tirumular.

Tirumular says:

●The potter who mounts the clay on the potter’s wheel makes shapes
which fancy his mind. Like the potter, our Lord Nandi shapes the world
in every which way he wants.
Siddhantists say that Maya is the clay (material cause, upadana
karana), Sakti is the potter’s wheel (instrumental cause, Sahakari
karana), and God (the efficient cause, nimitta karana) is the maker
of world and beings.

Saivites say, Siva does not create this universe out of nothing. He is
the instrumental or efficient cause (Nimitta Karana); his sakti is the
cooperating cause (Sahakari Karana); Maya is the material cause
(Upadana Karana). The body and the organs with their functions are
evolutes of Maya and its Tattvas. He is also Akarana, meaning that
there is no cause other than Him.

upadana karana = material or proximate cause; Sahakari karana =

concurrent, expedient, cooperating cause; Nimitta karana =
instrumental or efficient cause.

He is Satyam, Jnanam and Anantam (Truth, Knowledge and Infinity).

These are not attributes of Brahman, but the very nature of Brahman.

Brahman is self-effulgent and a comprehender; all objects wait to be

shined on for cognition, lack consciousness and belong to the category
of the comprehended. The world is non-self substance (anatma-vastu)
and finds its source and purpose in the Self of which it is an object.
Disconnected from the Self, the world does not exist. Panchadasi says
that Brahman sees his image in the mirror (Pratibimba); that image is
the world and beings. Brahman is self-existent; the world of objects
exists for Brahman, Isvara and the individual soul. PANCHADASI
(ATMAN AND BRAHMAN) Brahman is Real and the world of objects is
less real. Sankara compares Brahman and the world to the rope and
the snake. When you see a rope in the dark, you mistake it for a
snake. The phenomenal world (the snake) superimposes on the
absolute (the rope). Once ignorance dissipates, realization sets in. That
is how Maya manipulates the phenomenal world. The snake depends
on the rope, as the world depends on Brahman; if there is no rope,
there is no snake; if there is no Brahman, there is no phenomenal
world. The world is both real and unreal at the same time. The world is
Brahman-dependent, as the snake is rope-dependent. The world and
the snake by themselves (their intrinsic merit) are not real and non-
existent; they are real if considered in the context of primary essential
Brahman and primary essential rope. Isvara has control over Maya
whose effect is on the mind. Since there is only one Absolute pervading
the whole world, there is no second: The Absolute or the Atman and
the manifested universe are one giant organism. There is no
individuality: Individuality is apparent only because of the mind; if
there is no mind, there is no perception of individuality. If you look
beyond time and space, the Absolute is One who is real, immutable,
all-pervasive; that is Advaitism or Monism of Sankara. We are all part
of that oneness. Vivekananda says: “I am in everything, in everybody. I
am in all lives and I am the universe.”

Section 1: The desire to know Brahman

1.1.1 Athaato brahma-jijinaasaa.

athaato: now, then, therefore, afterwards; brahma-jijunaasaa: a want

or desire (a compelling need) to know Brahman.

The word atah in this context demands a precondition (antecedent)

that augments the desire to know Brahman. 1. ability to discriminate
between the eternal and the non-eternal; 2. Indifference to enjoyment
of fruits of actions in this life and hereafter; 3. Sama, Dama, titiksa,
uparati and sraddha (a level mind, self-restraint, endurance [and
patience] of dualities like pain and pleasure, heat and cold, desisting
from sensual enjoyment, having faith in Truth); and 4. mumukshutva,
desire of liberation or final emancipation. Purporting, meeting and
satisfying these conditions are condensed in this word atah.

It is argued that Karma is full of pain and pleasure; Brahman is

above karma, full of Bliss; that is reason enough to know Brahman.
Before anyone desires to know Brahman, one has to have moral and
spiritual attributes, without which Brahman is not knowable or
attainable. Brahman is Grace; knowing him earns benefits. Madhava
suggests three paths: Path of enquiry, study of Brahman and Vedas;
path of six morals; devotion to Lord and Vairagya. As science needs
validation of principles, religion needs scrutiny of its revealed wisdom.
Since Brahman is Pure Consciousness and absolute Intelligence, it
takes direct intuition to know Brahman, which is mistaken for a Sarira
(body), Indriyas (sense organs), and Manas (mind). In truth, Brahman
or Self is different and distinct from the above. Self is subject and the
rest is object; Self is self-luminous like the sun and therefore imparts
light to other objects. The Jiva (individual soul) is a derivative of Atman
or Brahman and thus what is undifferentiated, indifferent and
attributeless, becomes differentiated, determinate and limited; the
subject Brahman (the Pure Universal Self) emits Jivas which are laden
with Upadis. Upadi = limitation; a substitute which has the mere name
or appearance. When the indifferent becomes the determinate with the
acquisition of body and organs, it (jiva) acquires the ability to act and
enjoy. If the Jiva wants salvation or to merge back into the Self,
Brahman or Atma, it should be able to discriminate between the Self
and the not-self (Atma-anatma-vastu-viveka). Atma-anatma-vastu-
viveka = Self-not-self-Essence-discrimination. The ability to tell
the difference between the Self and the non-self helps in attaining
Moksa.

Ramanuja (R) regards Brahman as Narayana, full of auspicious

qualities and free from imperfections. He is the creator, preserver and
destroyer. The world is real. Sankara's thoughts rest mostly on
Parabrahman, the transcendent entity, while R always talks about
Isvara, the manifest entity. To put it simply, Sankara is a dreamer and
Ramanuja is an of advocate of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What
You Get). For Sankara, Universe is a dream and the dreamer is
Brahman; Sankara and Brahman are one; remember the Universe of
Brahman is His own reflection in the mirror. For Ramanuja, the
universe is a palpable breathing reality which is alive and kicking and
comes from Brahman. Brahman and Ramanuja are one and yet the
internal complexities of Brahman makes Him stand out from him; it is
Oneness with a qualified difference.

Section 2: God the Hypostasis of the world

1.1.2 janmaadyasya yatah.

janmaadi = source; asya = of this; yatah = from which.

Brahman is the origin of the world.

Brahman is the creator, maintainer and destroyer of this world.

Madhava and others add to the primary three qualities of Brahman
other attributes: Niyati (control, destiny, fate), Jnana (knowledge,
enlightenment), āvrti (ignorance), bandha (bondage), moksa
(liberation), tirobhavam (obscuration), anugraha (grace). This
expanded list covers Madhava's, Srikantha's and Saiva Siddhanta's
elements.

The embodied souls come from Brahman, live by Brahman, die by

Brahman, and return to Brahman. The recent tsunami (12/2004)
destroyed and impaired the lives and well-being of many lives and
nations. Everybody tried to explain the events. The geologists explain
the physical nature of plate tectonics and the creation of tsunami
waves. Science and Spirit for the most part have parallel course and
very seldom converge. Science has difficulty with things it cannot hold,
see, hear, taste and measure. Science is good in explaining how things
happen and not the why of it. The purveyors of karma see the
resolution of Prarabhda karma on a massive scale where every life or
limb follows its destiny. Since karma is self-made, karma puts people in
and out of danger. Karma brings death and deprivation on an
individual, national and international level and scale with precise
resolution. The Lord says, I am Time, the great destroyer of the world
and the people. The Lord, according to the Hindus, does not for the
most part interfere with the resolution of Karma but makes sure its
integrity and function are well preserved.

Arjuna sees with shock and awe the destructive power of the Lord in
his Universal form.

From Bhagavad Gita

11.23: O Maha-Baho, Mighty-armed One, on seeing your great form

with many mouths, eyes, many arms, thighs and legs, many stomachs,
many formidable teeth, the worlds shake in fear; and so do I.

11.24: On seeing, You glow in many colors and touch the sky with
wide-open mouth and large lustrous eyes, my soul deep inside shakes
in fear. I find neither support nor tranquility, O Vishnu.

11.25: On seeing your formidable teeth, your faces, the Time's (all-
consuming) fires, I know not my sense of direction and find no refuge.
Give me grace, O Lord of Gods and the Refuge of the Universe.

11.26: The sons of Dhrtarastra together with hosts of kings, Bhishma,

Drona, Suta Putra (Karna) and chief warriors on our side, (continued)

11.27: are rushing and entering your fearful (mouths) with formidable
teeth. Some of them are caught between (your) teeth with heads
crushed (to a pulp).

11.28: As many (swift) currents of rivers rush towards (Abhimukhah)

the ocean, so are the brave men of this world entering Your flaming
mouths.

11.29: Moths enter a blazing fire at full speed for destruction, and
similarly, all people enter your mouths at full speed for their
destruction.

11.30: As you devour all people from all directions by Your flaming
mouths, You are licking. Your terrible radiance filling the whole world is
scorching it, O Vishnu.

11.31: Tell me, who are You with a terrible form? Salutations to You, O
Supreme God, have mercy. I wish to know You, the primal One, for I do
not know your activity.
11.32: Sri Bhagavan said:
I am Time, the great destroyer of the world and the people. Even
without your active engagement or participation, all these warriors in
the opposing armies will cease to exist.

The complexity of natural forces, the relative position and stability of

stars, planets and moons of the universe, the expansion and
destruction of the far-off places in the universe are beyond human
comprehension and mind; that leads to a Being of omniscience,
omnipotence and omnipresence, whom we call God.

The Parabrahman is Primary essential Brahman (svarupa laksana--

intrinsic essential qualities of a vastu or object--svarupa = own form;
Laksana = marks or attributes); Isvara is accidental Brahman or
Mayabrahman with Tatastha Laksana. Tatastha: a property distinct
from its nature and yet that by which it is known; spiritual essence;
declivity or downward sloping side of anything. For practical purposes
Parabrahman is Primary Essential Brahman, while Isvara is secondary
(accidental) Brahman, a subsidiary, or a surrogate. Isvara being the
clinical entity is the Creator, maintainer and destroyer of the world.
Tatastha Laksana's main attribute is possession of Maya.

Tatastha = is derived from Tatas meaning a slope, a bank, margin.

The bank of a river is land and river; It is covered with water when the
river rises, it is dry when the river recedes; thus the bank is both land
and water; it belongs to both. Isvara's Tatastha or marginal
transitional Sakti, maintains a relationship with both the spiritual word
and material world. Likewise, Jiva has one foot in water (spirit) and
one foot on land (matter). Brahman's svarupa Lakshana is
transcendental and eternal, while Isvara's tatastha Lakshana is
accidental. No one really knows the (svarupa Lakshana) qualities of
Parabrahman. Let me give you an example. Water in liquid state is its
intrinsic natural own state in ambient room temperature; that is
Svarupa Lakshana (primary essential physical quality of water). When
you submit water to cold stress, it becomes ice and stays as ice as long
as the cold stress is maintained; that is Tatastha Lakshana (accidental
or marginal quality). Accidental quality is transient; once the cold
stress is removed the ice cube comes back to its original liquid state of
water. Likewise Mayabrahman or Isvara reverts back to Parabrahman,
when He is not creating, maintaining or destroying the universe. Jiva
also has Tatastha Lakshana because he is part spiritual and part
matter.

Let us take another example.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus trains people to be
clowns. When Mr. XYZ is home with his family, he is his own man and
nobody's clown; that is Svarupa Lakshana. When he is all padded,
painted, powdered, dressed and fitted with clownish nose, ears,
oversize shoes, he becomes a clown for the duration of his act; that is
Tatastha Lakshana.

Tatastha: accidental, subsidiary, incidental, marginal (one foot in the

world of spirit and one foot in the world of matter.)

Madhava Acharya does not like characterization of Brahman as

Tatastha Brahman. Creation is not an accident but an essential
function of Brahman; thus the word tatastha is inappropriate. He cites
an example: If the crow sits on a house, its association with the house
is an accidental event. Brahman's feature, creation, is an essential
element in defining Brahman and not an accidental element. Creation,
maintenance and destruction are the major criteria of Brahman in
modern terminology. Among Saiva Siddhantists, the major criteria are
five: creation, maintenance, destruction, obscuration, and Grace. He
believes that God or Isvara is separate and distinct from the souls and
the inanimate objects.

Is creation of the world and beings an accident? My interpolation: It

is like people talking about planned pregnancy and unplanned and
accidental pregnancy; God cannot be associated with unplanned
anything; accidents are the stuff of man and not of God.

Section 3: The source of Scripture

1.1.3 saastra yonitvaat

saastra = Sastra; sacred scriptures; yonitvaat = being the source or

cause

Purport: Scriptures are the source of knowledge of Brahman.

This sutra gives two possible meanings: 1. (Brahman) the cause of the
sacred scripture, 2. Scripture (says that Brahman) is the cause. In the
first interpretation, Brahman is the cause or source of revelation of
scriptures; in the second, it means that Sacred scriptures say that
Brahman is the cause or creator of the world. Both statements say that
Brahman is the cause of the world. It is said that Brahman revealed the
Sastras, which say that the Brahman created this world. Sastras are
the intermediary messengers between Brahman and the world.
According to Sastras, Brahman was the revealer and not the formulator
of Sastras, meaning they existed even before Isvara. No one knows
who formulated the Sastras; they are like the natural phenomena like
magnetism, gravity and so on and so forth. Sastras came out of Isvara
like the exhalation of breath. Isvara brings them out at each Kalpa, as
they existed in previous Kalpa.

Sacred texts are subject to scrutiny as science scrutinizes nature,

biology, and the rest. In the modern world there are at least two kinds
of people: 1. those who want scientific proof of the existence of God 2.
those who are ready to take up arms to punish those who don't believe
in (their) god. Not even Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, has
adequate words to describe Brahman; it is like describing the taste of
sugarcane juice, dates, jaggery and milk to some one who never tasted
any of them. What is beyond perception by the senses is Brahman and
It is described in Vedas. All means of endeavor to prove the existence
of Brahman are futile; scriptural authority is the only evidence of his
existence. You cannot prove the existence of a microbe unless one
has the ability to culture, grow and see them under the microscope.
The philosophy of enquiry has six doctrines: Nyaya, Vaisheshika,
Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta (logic, apprehension by
differences, Tattvas, Yoking, inquiry, Vedic ritual being the means of
salvation. All of them provide indirect evidence or subjective
experience of Brahman, which cannot be put in words.

Section 4: Concordance of Texts

1.1.4 tat tu samanvayaat

tat = that; tu = but; samanvayaat = by virtue of concordance or

coordination of different texts.

samanvayaat = Sam + anv + aya = connection, association,

linkage, reconciliation.

Purport: Sacred texts reveal Brahman

That Brahman is described in the sacred texts in different ways.

Where they agree in their characterization of Brahman is what
Brahman is. Brahman is subjected like every entity to the following
rigorous measurements. 1. Concordance and linkages follow a pattern.
There must be concordance between original conception (upakrama)
and conclusion (Upasamhara). 2. reduplication, repetition (Abhyasa), 3.
Incomparable, not having existed before (apurvata) 4. End result
(Phala), 5. Explanation of meaning (Arthavada). 6, connection and
combination (Yukti). Scientists work in their labs using these criteria
which the Sastras advocated eons ago.

Brahman satisfies all six criteria and possibly more that a human
hasn't thought of. Criterion 3: He is incomparable; He is second to
none. Thus, apprehension of Brahman through rituals and logical earth-
bound reasoning is impossible. Different religions seem to
compartmentalize man in to several disparate groups. At the time
Brahma Sutra was written, there were many disparate doctrines. To
bring them all together and finding a common ground is reconciliation
(Samanvaya). This is true today as it was eons ago. Brahman here is a
generic name for the Force we are trying to understand; some call it
God. He is the Centripetal Point, towards which all religions and their
people march in search of him. They call Him by different names. God
is one, His names are many; many are the paths to reach Him; one is
no better than the next one. Different seers, prophets, and messiahs
individually take them to God by whatever route he has laid out for his
people. Thus, there is no one road, but only one God. That is
Samanvaya. People jumping from one road to another road in the act
of conversion hoping they will get to the Centripetal Point faster is a
questionable notion.
Hinduism contains in it the de facto basis of all religions; it is the
confluence of all religions and yet recognizes the importance of each
religion. To be a Hindu is to be a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew.... It
encompasses religious principles of all religions. Hinduism is a rainbow
of all religions.
Diversity is built into every aspect of humanity. In olden days, the
Seers, the Rishis, the Sadhus, the Prophets and Messiahs thought of
the universal nature of God and yet were pressured by local politics.
Every one of them thought his was the right path. India was the
cauldron of many faiths and beliefs from time immemorial; there was
tension among and between groups; they had to find a common
ground, tolerant of each other. Accommodation and absorption of
various faiths in to one unifying faith resulted in Sanatana Dharma
(eternal order), the proper name for Hinduism. Hinduism became one
religion that accommodates and contains all religions and their
precepts under one umbrella; thus, Hinduism contains all ennobling
features and ideals that other religions advance. And yet some ugly
excrescences (to use the words of Gandhi) grew on its body such as
caste system, which though outlawed by the constitution is still
practiced to this day. It is the merciless upper class suppressing the
Dalits for their own advantage in education, jobs, and home and land
ownership. Some Hindu religious leaders still maintain the so-called
Varnasrama Dharma and want to keep each caste in its own tight
compartment, so that the upper class stays on the top and the lower
class stays in the bottom. This they call, by an oxymoron, Dharma,
meaning justice. Recently (5/2006) students of higher (medical)
education protested against Government's decision to continue to
admit lower caste students on a quota basis. No one knows where
justice and equality stand in their dispute with the Government. The
lower castes were the neglected bunch until independence; since then,
they received preferential treatment for admission into medical
colleges on a quota basis. The protesting higher caste students with
the backing of parents and medical association question the
Government's decision to continue the preferential treatment. The
lower castes question the validity of the protest for they were the
suppressed class for thousands of years; a few decades of preferential
treatment will not set things right, according to their claim.

Sati, the old practice of death of the wife in the funeral pyre of her
deceased husband was banned for ever by the British during the the
Governor-Generalship of Lord William Bentinck (1825-1835) under the
moral influence of Ram Mohan Roy. . Thank you, Brits! Animal sacrifice
still continues, though less than before. Human sacrifices were not
unheard of in the ages past. Another blot on the Indian psyche is the
bride-burning which the groom and his family perpetrate on the bride
for having not brought hoards of riches (dowry). The revival of
Hinduism owes its thanks to the Acharyas, Alwars, and Nayanars, who
brought the converted Hindus back to their fold from Jainism and
Buddhism, which have excellent credentials to stand on their own
merit.

Section 5: Verses 5-11: Pradhana's (Matter) secondary

role

1.1.5 iiksater naasabdam

iiksteh = on account of seeing; na = not; asabdam = not
founded on the scripture.

Sabdam is sound; asabdam is that not in the sound. Sound here

means oral tradition or verbal authority.

Purport: On account of seeing, creation did not come from Matter as

attested in scriptures.

Pradhana and the Self are not the same; they are not equipotent.
Seeing induces thought which along with Will and Knowledge induces
Action. Upanishads do not mention that Pradhana (matter) is the cause
of the universe. Pradhana is not the one that takes the individual soul
to salvation. All Upanishads concur on Brahman as the origin of the
universe and beings and the source of revealed wisdom.

This is called Iccha, Jnana and Kriya (Will, Knowledge, and Action) by
Saiva Siddhantists; Isvara exercises these three faculties for the act of
creation. Matter cannot arise on its own, incorporate itself with a soul,
later embody the soul and lastly give life to the embodied soul. All this
is done by a perceiving God.

This is an argument against Sankhya philosophy, which states the

world originates from unconscious Pradhana (matter). Prakrti, Maya
and Pradhana are approximate words (synonyms) and stress the
material origin of life. Sankhya philosophy states that non-intelligent
matter, Pradhana has three qualities, Sattva, Rajas, Tamas from which
the world arises. Scriptures do not support this view. A conscious
element with a Will is the origin of the world. It had the Will and
Knowledge, both of which indicate thinking and perception (seeing and
thinking) on the part of the Witness. It said, "I see; I want to be many;
I want to multiply. " Saiva Siddhanta states that the creator has three
qualities: Will, Knowledge and Action; the Will and knowledge translate
into action, that is creation. Thus, creation is the result of thought, will,
and knowledge, all of which need Supreme Consciousness for their
function. Matter is a secondary factor.

Ramanuja advances the theory of Isvara, Cit and Acit as the triad.
Isvara, the clinical Brahman, Saguna Brahman, or Maya Brahman who
has as its body Cit (sentient beings) and Acit (the non-sentient beings
and matter). Saivites advance the view that Siva and Sakti, being
Brahman, are both players in the creation of the universe and Siva acts
through Sakti who employs Maya to produce 36 Tattvas to create
souls, beings, and matter.

Vijnana Bhiksu is of the opinion that Brahman is a person who has

the perception and desire, which are not the qualities of unconscious
Pradhana. Uphanishads advance the theory that Prakrti or Pradhana is
the cause of the world and mention Maya as the power of God.
Sankara is of the view that Brahman's power, Maya, is part of Brahman
and under the control of Brahman. Brahman-dependant Maya is the
cause of the world, which is real only when considered in relation to
Brahman.

1.1.6 gaunas cen naatma sabdaat

gaunah = secondary, subordinate, unessential. cen: if. na =

not. aatma-sabdaat = because of or on account of the word
aatma or Self.

Purport: the word "Seeing" in these Sutras denotes the Self

that is the actual Seer; the word "Seeing" is not used in a
figurative or secondary sense , when it comes to the Self.
 Atman (Self) sees and thinks and is the primary seer and thinker. In
other passages, phrases like "Fire thinks" and "Water thinks" actually
mean that the Atman is the primary seer and thinker. Let us take the
phrase: the camera sees. The camera actually does not see; the eye
(the cameraman trained his camera on the image) is the actual seer;
more specifically, the Conscious Self that owns the eye is the seer. In a
similar vein, Prakritic products are the secondary players, seers...,
while the Atman is the primary player, Intelligence, Witness, and
Consciousness. Pradhana is secondary and in modern parlance the alter ego
of Atman. Without Atman, Pradhana cannot see and cannot function. Being the
surrogate of Atman, Pradhana thinks, sees, acts as it were. Thus Sankhya
equates Pradhana with Atman, which is a false notion. If there is no mind and
consciousness (the Self) the seeing (anatomically and physiologically
functional) eye has no value.

Gaunah can refer to Saguna Brahman with attributes. It is secondary, while

the primary is Parabrahman without attributes. To be called Saguna Brahman, It
has to have Maya (Prakrti) associated with it. Baladeva asserts that the word
"Self" belongs only to Nirguna Brahman (Para Brahman) without Prakrti.

1.1.7 tan-nisthasya moksopadesaat

tan-nisthasya = to that-of the devoted; moksopadesaat = release,

liberation, salvation + because of instruction or advice or
prescription = because of instruction of liberation.

Purport: When you concentrate or devote yourself to the Self or

Brahman, which is intelligence, release is at hand. That is the
instruction for liberation mentioned in the sacred texts.

Devotion or concentration on non-self is cause of all miseries of

the world. Sankhya philosophy which advances Pradhana, does
not mention that it can obtain release.

1.1.8 heyatvaavacanaac ca

heyatva = worthy of disposal; a-vacana = absence of special

assertion or statement; ca = and.

Purport: And Pradhana cannot be addressed as Self just

because of absence of special assertion that Sat (Brahman) is
Self in the scriptures. Since Pradhana has a purpose to serve, it
does not deserve to be rejected.

[Brahman is Sat (Being); Pradhana is Asat (non-being);] there is

no statement in the scriptures that knowing Pradhana is the
preliminary step before apprehending the Real that is
Brahman. If such were the case, there would be instructions to
cast aside the preliminary definition of Brahman as Pradhana.
There is no such statement.

Brahman is Sat or Self. That is not a reason to discard the

notion that Self is Sat. Pundits say that they use arundhati
nyaya (arundhati axiom or principle) to illustrate a fact by
going from general to specific point. Arundhati is a small star;
to point out the star, the teacher draws student's attention to a
big star first and later to the specific nearby small star.
Similarly, student's attention is drawn to Pradhana (non-being)
first and later to Self or Sat (Being). Example: Somebody is
flying from India to go to Brooklyn. He wants it pointed out on
the map. The guide points to New York City first and then to
Brooklyn and the specific address: that is Arundhati principle.

Nimbarka is of the opinion that Pradhana is not Self;

Pradhana has a secondary role in relation to Self and so, does
not deserve to be discarded. Pradhana does not obtain release
from Samsara; yet, Pradhana has a purpose to serve and that
is the reason why Pradhana is mentioned in the scriptures.

By knowing Brahman everything is known. knowledge of

Pradhana is incomplete knowledge; Pradhana, the unconscious
element, cannot be the source of conscious beings. Knowledge
of Pradhana does not lead to knowledge of Brahman; lower
knowledge does not lead to the Highest Knowledge.

1.1.9 svaapayayaat
sva = the Self, atman. apyayaat = on account of entering,
merging or vanishing
 On account of the individual self entering the Great Self
(during deep sleep) or on account of self entering into its own
Self.

The individual self is an amsa (fragment) of the Great Self

which resides in the spiritual heart. When a person is in deep
sleep, his self merges with the Great Self. He is out of touch
with the world around him. That is when we are in temporary
bliss; in deep sleep, we are not what we are; we are plugged
into the grid that is Self; we merged with the primordial
substance; at that stage and time, we are not male, female,
banker, doctor, thief, politician... The Real is the Great Self and
it cannot be Pradhana, mere matter.

We involute (get absorbed or merge) into our own Self. My

own intelligent self cannot involute or merge into an
unconscious Pradhana. It is a reversible merger with the Self;
we merge in deep sleep and emerge out of merger when we
awaken.

1.1.10 gati-saamaanyaat

gati saamaanyaat. gati: teaching, view, course, means.

saamaanyaat = on account of uniformity, universality.

On account of universality of the view (of the scriptures

Brahman is regarded as the cause).

Vedanta texts hold the consensus that the cause of the

world is the intelligent Brahman. There is no disputation on
that point.

Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1.1): From the Self (Brahman) arises

the ether which is the basic progenitor substance or element
for everything in the universe.

1.1.11 srutatvaac ca

ca: srutatvaat: because it is said in the Sruti, Vedic Texts. ca =

and
 And because it is stated in Sruti (that the Brahman is the
cause of the world).

Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.9) states that Brahman has no master,

mark or ruler. He is the only cause and the Lord of all deities presiding
over all sense organs. There is no one who begot him or lords over.

Section 6 (Verses 12-19): The Supreme, the Bliss Galore

1.1.12 aanandamayo' bhyaasaat

aanandamaya = Full of Bliss. abhyaasaat = because of

repetition.

Brahman is full of Bliss because repetition (repeated

reference to) of Bliss in sacred scriptures refers to the highest
Self.

1.1.13 vikaara-sabdaanneti cen na praacuryaat

vikaarasabdaat = because of Sabda (word) signifying

modification; na iti cet: if it is assumed that it does not (refer
to the Highest Self). na = not so praacuryaat = because of
abundance.

Bliss cannot be a modification; if it is so it cannot be

Brahman because he is immutable and beyond change. He has
an abundance of Bliss.

1.1.14 taddheta vyapadesaac ca

tat: of it (bliss); hetu: cause or reason; vyapadesaat: because

(Brahman) is designated; ca: and

Purport: Brahman is Bliss; in order to dole out bliss, he must be

full of Bliss.

1.1.15 maanta-varnikam eva ca giiyate

 maantravarnikam = what is described in Mantra; eva =
the same ca = and; giiyate = is sung.

Purport: And the same (Brahman) referred to in the mantra

is sung.

1.1.16 netraro'nupapatteh

netaro nupapatteh. netaro = na+itara = not + the other;

anupapatteh: failure of proof, inadequately supported.

Purport:

Brahman is bliss; the other (individual soul) is not bliss

because of failure of proof.

Isvara possesses three qualities: Iccha (Desire or Will) Jnana

(Knowledge) and Kriya (Action). Man, the individual soul, has to
possess knowledge before he can employ his will and action.
Isvara's functions are at the highest level of Will, a will to
create, which an individual soul cannot do. Isvara possess the
knowledge to create and thus act on his will.

1.1.17: bheda-vyapadesaac ca

bheda = difference; vyapadesa = designation,

information., declaration; ca = and

Purport:

On account of declaration of the difference (between

Brahman and the individual soul, One is the donor and the
other is recipient of Bliss).

1.1.18 kaamaac ca naanumaanaapeksa

kaamaat: on account of desire; ca = and na: not;

anumaana + apeksa: inference + dependence on.

Brahman has Desire or Will (to become many). Pradhana

does not possess the Will necessary to be the creator of the
world. Inference made by Sankhya doctrine that Pradhana is
the creator of the world is faulty. Will, desire, or volition is
possible only for a conscious Being and not for blind matter.

1.1.19 asminn asya ca tad yogam saasti

asmin: in him asya: his ca: and tad; that yogam: union;
saasti= teaches.

Sacred Text teaches the yoga (union) of the individual soul with
THAT (Bliss of Self).

Ananadamaya is Bliss galore, Bliss in abundance, whose support is

Brahman. All lives live on a fragment of this Bliss of Brahman.
Sankaracharya presents a view of Bliss in relation to indeterminate
(ParaBrahman) and determinate Brahman (Saguna Brahman). He says
that ananadamaya-atma or Bliss galore Self is the determinate
Brahman, whom we commonly refer to as God. He asserts that
indeterminate Brahman is transcendental and noumenal and therefore
cannot be given a temporal label with qualities. Creative aspect of
Brahman comes from the determinate temporal Brahman, which
means he creates and a fragment of His Bliss lives in all lives.

When the individual soul obtains Brahma Vidya, it merges with the
Self of Bliss. Brahma vidya is not mundane knowledge of the world but
spiritual knowledge: you are the self and not the body. This union is
Turiya and Turiyatita.

Turiya is Spiritual Transcendental consciousness.

Visva, Taijasa, and Prajna merge and fuse sequentially.
Turiya is without any attributes. It is santam, sivam, and
advaitam (peace, goodness, and nondual), for didactic
purposes. It or He is the Self. Objective consciousness is
absent and its seed is absent. Ramana Maharishi calls this
“Wakeful Sleep.” Turiya is present and functional in the
perfected ones, even when they are awake. In Turiya,
there is an irreversible union with Brahman: There is
Oneness with Brahman. There is a permanent Metaphysical
Unity. There are four progressive Turiya states, one deeper
and subtler than the earlier one. The silence that follows
the Sound AUM corresponds to this state. (See Below,
compared to level one.) The presiding deity is the Supreme
Vāsudeva Himself; He is Vāsu and Deva, meaning an
indwelling God.
 If an aspirant meditates on Brahman in all his four
parts (AUM-Silence) he becomes non-dual with Brahman.
Ramalinga Swamigal of Madras (1823-1874 C.E.)
explains Turiya as follows: 'I became it; It became me.'
The following is from Trumular's Tirumantiram. Yogi
goes into the 4th state of consciousness.
(4A) Jiva Turiya: Jiva (individual self) realizes its
pristine spiritual nature and its organic relationship with
God or Self. Duality still exists: self and Self
(4B) Para Turiya: Jiva realizes Brahman; and union,
absorption, or merger takes place; they are still “NOT”
united in essence. Duality is still apparent between object
and subject, Jiva and Brahman. It is worthwhile to
remember that Brahman, the all-knowing subject, can
never become an object.
(4C) Brahman Turiya: Jiva unites with Brahman, and
is fully absorbed and integrated into One Being.
(4D) Beyond Turiya: Jiva and Brahman become ONE
as butter is poured into butter, and water is mixed with
water. It is an undifferentiated and homogeneous state of
subject-object fusion.
(Saiva Siddhanta: Siddhantists say that this Turiya
state is experiencing of Suddha Vidya of Suddha Tattvas
through Samadhi yoga. Turiyatita [the fifth state] is
experiencing higher states of Consciousness as follows.)
Saiva Siddhanta points to another state beyond
Turiya called Turiyatita, [which is consolidation of Turiya],
which has two phases: Un-mesham Consciousness, the
opening of the eyes (Isvara Tattva is attained) and
Nimesha Consciousness, the closing of the eyelids
(Sadasiva Tattva is attained). Un-mesham is opening of the
eyes; Nimesha is closing of the eyes. Sadasiva Tattva
(Nimesha) experience and Consciousness are deeper and
purer than the Isvara Tattva (Un-mesham) Consciousness,
and the yogi enjoys equality with Siva, when Siva reveals
his Grace to the Yogi, who is in union with the Self of Bliss.
For more information on Suddha Tattvas, refer to
TATTVAS-36.htm
For more information on Turiya and Turiyatita, go to
BG12 commentary on 12.1.

Section 7 (V 20-21): Brahman in the Sun

and the eye

1.1.20 Antas tad-dharmopadesaat.

Antah: within; tad-dharma: that (his) dharma, qualities; upadesaat:
because of teaching or instruction.

Antah refers to the Supreme Brahman in the sun and the

eye. Brahman is the Light of the Sun and the eye.

The golden person in the sun and the person within the eye
are the Supreme Brahman. it is said that the divine resides in
the sun and the eye. The divine person in the sun is called Ut
and the one in the eye, Saaman or Rk. Sankara is of the view
that the golden person in the sun is the Saguna Brahman, aka
God, the object of worship and meditation. Brahman can
assume any form to please and grant bliss to his devotees.
Srikantha is of the opinion that the golden person inside the
sun is Siva and his two eyes are the sun and the moon. His
third eye stays closed.

Bhagavad Gita: 7.8: I am the taste in the water, O Son of Kunti, I

am the light in the moon and the sun, the pranava (AUM) in the Vedas,
sound in the ether and the virility (manhood) in men.

13.17: He (that) is the light of all lights. It is said that He is beyond

Tamas (darkness). He is knowledge; He is the object of knowledge; He
is knowledge to be attained; and He is situated in the hearts of all.

(Purusam Mahantam Aditya-varnam Tamasah parastat = The Supreme

Person of Sun color is beyond darkness [SvetāsvataraUpanishad 3.8] )

In praise of the sun.

Gayatri, the sacred mantra of 24 syllables, is recited by

Brahmanas in their daily worship. Vaidika (Sanctioned by Vedas)
Gayatri is a seed mantra and the Vedas are ensconced in it.
Vaidika Gayatri: Om bhur-bhuvah-svah tatsavitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayāt— Om ,
earth, atmosphere, and heaven, we meditate on the adorable
glory of the radiant sun; may he inspire our intelligence—
translation by Dr. Radhakrishnan. Sandya (junctional [transitional time
zones] prayers—sunrise, noon and sunset) is performed three times a
day.

Brahma Gayatri: “paramesvaraya Vidamahe; Pasa-tattvaya

dhīmahi; tan no Brahma Pracodayāt.” Purport: “may we know
the Supreme Lord; let us contemplate on the Supreme
Essence; and may that Brahman direct us – “Introduction to
Tantra Sastras” by Sir John Woodroffe.

Coming back to Vaidika Gayatri mantra, Yogi Yajnavalkya explains it

as follows. Tat = that; Savitri, derived from Su, “to bring forth.”
Savitri (the Sun) is the Bringer-forth of all that exists. The universe
begins and ends in the Sun, who is the eye and makes the day. Time is
in him. Bharagah is Aditya-devata. Adi = beginning from or
source. Devata = god. Aditya-devata also means the dweller in
the region of the Sun. Since he is the indweller, he is compared
to the soul (atma) that resides in our body. The sun is the light in our
eyes, and the light in our soul. He resides in the outer ether and also in
the inner ether of our spiritual heart which is located in right chest
cavity. He is the smokeless fire. The indweller in the region of the sun
is the same indweller in the spiritual heart. Bhargah is derived from
Bhrij, “to ripen, mature, destroy, reveal, shine.” The Sun brings
forth, transforms, matures, and ripens, and (destroys) all entities on
earth. He reveals by his light. He destroys the whole universe by his
fire at dissolution (Pralaya). (Some scientific facts: Sun is 743 times the
total mass of all planets and 333,000 times the mass of the earth. The
central core of the sun is 100 times the density of water. It is a mass of
gas; all elements exist as atoms with very few molecules. The
temperature at the core is 15 million K and at the photosphere, it is
5,800K. The sun will continue to burn the hydrogen fuel for the next
100 billion years.) Bha = divide, ra = color, ga = go and come.
The sun divides all objects, helps reveal their colors and comes and
goes (sunrise and sundown). Devasya is the genitive of Deva and
goes with Savituh. Deva = the shining one or Radiant Player, in
a nonphysical body, living in the astral plane. The Sun is the radiant
player involved in creation, maintenance and destruction. Varenyam
= adorable. Prachodayat = may He direct, inspire, urge, or
impel along the fourfold path of Artha, Dharma, Kama and Moksa
(Wealth, Duty, Desire and liberation.) Dhīmahi = Let us meditate
upon, we meditate upon, compare to Dhyana = meditation.

1.1.21 bheda-vyapadesaac caanyah

bheda: difference; vyapadesaat: because of declaration; ca: and

anyah: other than....; another.

Based on the declaration of difference, there is another

(entity different from the individual souls abiding in the sun.

He dwells in the sun and is inside the sun and yet the sun
knows him not; He is the body of the sun, controlling him (the
sun) from inside. He is your Self, the immortal and the inner
controller. Brhd-aranyaka Upanishad III.7.9.

The indwelling Great Self that resides, rules, and controls every
being is different from the individual soul, the body of the sun
and all beings. end.

Section 8 (V22) Ether or Akasa as Brahman

1.1.22 akaasas tallingaat

aakaasah: space; tat: that; lingaat: because of

distinguishing mark

The word Akasa (ether) is Brahman because of the distinguishing

mark (of Brahman).

Akasa is the totipotent stem substance (Supplement, go to 1: The

Stem Substance) in this universe, equated to Brahman, the source of
every being and the universe. It is not the element ether. Akasa,
Vyoman, Kha and Brahman are synonyms.

Udgatha as Akasa and Brahman.

Chandogya Upanishad (I.9.1-2) says the following about Udgatha,

identified with Akasa. All creatures take their origin from space
(Akasa). They come from Akasa and they subside in Akasa, which is
the final goal. This Udgatha is the best and the highest and he who
meditates on Udgatha gets the best and the highest.

Section 9 (V23) Breath is Brahman

1.1.23 ata eva praanah

ata eva praanah ata eva: for the same reason; praanah:
breath (life is Brahman.)

Breath is life; breath is Brahman; that is the conclusion of

Chandogya Upanishad.

Section 10 (V24-27) Light is Brahman

1.1.24 jyotis caranaabhidhaanaat

jyotih: Light; carana: feet; abhidhaanaat: on account of the

mention.

Brahman is Light of lights; he is the light in the sun, moon,

stars, any light-emitting object, the eye and the self in the
spiritual heart.

Chandogya Upanishad (III.13.6) mentions that Brahman

(Purusa) is greater than Gayatri Mantra, because he has four
feet. One foot represents all beings and the other three
represent the immortals in the sky.

1.1.25 chando'bhidhaanaan neti cen na, tathaa ceto'rpananigadaat

tathaa hi darsanam

chandah: meter (Gayatri); abhidhaanaat: spoken of; na: not; iti: so;
cet: if; na: no; tathaa: this; cetah: mind; arpana: offering,
fixing; nigadaat: having been declared tathaa: this; hi:also;
darsanam: being looked at.

Purport: Chanting of Gayatri meter does not preclude the

mention of Brahman. Fixing the mind on Brahman through the
meter has been approved or declared; this notion is seen
(expressed) in texts elsewhere.

Gayatri and Brahman have four feet or quarters. To fix the mind on
Brahman, the meter is used.

1.1.26 bhuutaadi-paada-vyapadesopapattes caivam

bhuutaadi: beings; paada: feet; vyapadesa: representation,

designation upapatteh: demonstration of proof; ca: and; evam:
thus.

Purport: Brahman is the topic of discussion; it is reasonable to

assume that beings are one foot of the four feet of Brahman. Three
feet of Brahman are immortal in heaven.

Reference and explanation:

 Chandogya Upanishad (III.18.2-6) says, Brahman has four feet or
quarters. Speech, breath, eye, and ear make four feet or four quarters.
Now let us go to the divinities. Fire, air, the sun, and the directions
make four quarters or feet.

Explanation: Brahman's body consists of speech, breath, eye and

ear and the corresponding divinities are the Fire, the Air, the Sun and
the Ear. Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Quarters are their proper names.
Speech does not exist without the mind and the voice box; mind is
more important here. Speech, Fire and Agni are corollaries; the same
rule applies to the rest.

A story from Chāndayoga Upanishad, fourth Khanda is in order here:

Once upon a time, there was a boy, by name Satyakāma, interested in
the study of Vedas. Those days an aspiring student had to know his
lineage before a guru accepted him for studies. His mother Gabālā said
that she was not sure about his lineage, since she was pregnant with
him, while she was waiting on the guests in her father's house. The boy
went to a Guru by name Gautama Hāridrumata and gave him the
details of his birth history. The Guru, impressed by his honesty,
accepted him as a student saying that only a Brahmana boy would
speak such truth. He initiated him with offerings in a fire ceremony and
sent him out to tend four hundred lean emaciated and weak cows. The
boy said to himself that he would return to the Guru with one thousand
cows. (Note humility and reverence in accepting such a menial task.
What is the connection between tending cows and learning about
Brahman?) When the herd became one thousand, a bull alerted him
and over a few days during the fire ceremony in the evenings, the bull,
and the fire, the hamsa (swan or flamingo), and the diver bird taught
him all about Brahman: "You should meditate on the four feet of the
Brahman." The bull said, "Brahman is found wherever you see." As he
worshipped fire, a voice came over from the fire and said, "Brahman is
the earth, the ocean, the sky, and the heavens." Hamsa bird flying by,
the next evening said, "The fire you worship is Brahman; the sun, the
moon and the lightning are Brahman." Next evening the diver-bird
said, "The breath, the eye, the ear, and the mind are Brahman." When
the Satyakāma reached the teacher, the teacher noticed a glow on his
face and inquired who his teacher was. He replied that he learned from
nature and animals and that he would like to take lessons from an
Acharya to know the Real Goodness (the Supreme). The Acharya or
Guru imparted him the same knowledge. The student met all the
qualifications to become a fit student; he sought a wise man; he was
humble, reverent, and inquiring; he was of service to his Guru. The
glow on his face and the light in his eyes are external signs of inner
glow of the Soul in his heart. The voices he heard were his own and he
gained jnāna and Vijnāna (knowledge and wisdom) while thinking, and
tending cows.

Brahma Upanishad says that Brahman shines in four quarters: navel,

(Nabhi), heart (Hrdya), throat (Kantha), and head (Murdha). These
centers correspond to the (four) lotuses (Kundalini Yoga) at Manipura
(navel), Anahata (heart), Visuddhi (throat), Sahasrara (head).

Taittiriya Upanishad (3.1.1) records a conversation between

Varuna and his son Bhrgu Muni. Varuna, upon questioning from Bhrgu
Muni who Brahman is, answers that Brahman is annam (food), pranam
(life-breath), caksus (observation), srotram, (sense perception), mano
(mind), and vacam (speech). Annam is matter, observation is sight,
and srotram is hearing. That, from which these come, by which they
live, into which they enter upon death, and which you want to know, is
Brahman.

1.1.27 upadesa-bhedaanneti cen nobhayasminn apy anirodhaat.

upadesa: teaching; bhedaat: because of difference; na: not;

iti: so; cet: if; na: not; ubhayasmin: in both; api: even;
anirodhaat: for lack of contradiction.

Purport: The apparent differences in teaching noted in the

two texts do not contradict each other.

Text one: Three feet of Brahman are immortal in heaven

Text two: Light shines above the heaven.

Explanation: Apparent contradiction: 1. Brahman, the

Highest, is in heaven. 2. The Light shines above the heaven.
The abode of Brahman is heaven, meaning that there cannot
be anything above the Brahman's abode; but there is Light
above the heaven. How do you reconcile the Highest being
Brahman and the Light being above it? Which is Superior or
Higher? Brahman and the Light are the same. Sankaracharya
gives the following explanation. The falcon sitting on the top of
the tree (heaven) can sit there or fly higher than the tree. This
explanation reconciles the textual differences.

Section 11 (V28-31) Life as Brahman

 1.1.28 pranaas tathaanugamaat

pranaah: breath, life tathaa: as said before, thus; anugamaat:

on account of coherent (textual) connection.

Purport: Prana is Brahman; thus life is Brahman because that is the

understanding from the sacred texts.

Here, Indra, in the name Brahman, claims as the breathing spirit

(Prana), Intelligent Self, and Life itself. Indra says he is immortal and
indestructible. (Indra equates himself to Brahman.)

Indra says the following in Kaustiki-Brahmana Upanishad III.1,2,8.

The speaker; the smeller; the seer; the hearer; the taster; the doer;
the discerner of pleasure and pain; discerner of bliss, delight, and
procreation; the mover; the minder (thinker): these are the ten
elements of an Intelligent Self. Without them there is no existence.
One should know the performer of these action more than the objects.
(There are four parts in this equation: the enjoyer, the sensory organ,
the object of the organ or enjoyment, the sense enjoyed. Indra is the
enjoyer; eye is the sense organ; flower is the object of enjoyment;
visual delight experienced by the brain is the sense.) The elements of
the Intelligent Self is compared to a felly, spokes and the hub. The
spokes radiate from the hub to the felly. Existence is the felly; the
spokes are the elements of intelligence and the hub is the breathing
spirit or Prana, which is, truly, the Intelligent Self and Bliss, ageless and
immortal. "I am that Intelligent Self; I am the hub." He (Indra) speaks in
third person singular as follows. He is the Mover who leads people to
good action or bad action. He is the Protector, the sovereign, and the
Lord of the world; He is Myself; this all must know. This is the Universal
Self, whose microcosmic version is man. Thus, Isvara is the origin of
man and matter.

Indra and his cohorts according to Rg Veda and other texts

Indra is the Indo-Aryan god. Indha, meaning the kindler of thoughts

and deeds, is the root word for Indra. Indra also means the holder of
power or strength. Vajra (thunderbolt and lightning) is his weapon by
which he strikes a blow to drought and sends showers. Vajra strikes
the enemies of Aryans: Vrta, the drought demon. Thus he has many
epithets; Vajrapani, the weilder of the Vajra, Vrtrahan, the destroyer of
Vrtra. His virility is so powerful that he is likened to a stallion or bull.
He is the purveyor-god of Aryans, providing them with cattle and
riches. Aryans in return offer Soma libations to sustain and augment
Indra's power and virility, which in turn sustains the Aryans. Priests,
who offer libations of Soma to Indra, without which he would not
survive, demand that he punish the debtors who fail to make adequate
compensation for their services and also the dark-skinned dasyus in
order to prevent miscegenation of Aryans and Dasyus. Gradually Indra
morphed into a benevolent god, not bent on destroying atmospheric
demons and dasyus. He turned a new page in his life and punished the
evil doers who broke the covenants of Varuna, Aryaman and Mitra.

The covenant

The Indo-Iranians believed in Rta, the Cosmic Law of Nature. It

included ethical, moral, societal, governmental conduct. Truth,
honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for the holiness of the inherited
world formed the covenant between man and god. The oath is called
Varuna and the covenant, Mitra and the enforcer is Indra. The violators
of the solemn oath were subjected to an ordeal of immersion under
water and or running in the narrow lane between two columns of fire.
Survivors were declared innocent. Mitra and Varuna were later deified
as Fire and Water. They were a disciplined duo holding the universe by
law. Aryaman is an Aditya, one of the sons of Aditi. He is the sun god
in the Vedic and Puranic texts. Varuna and Mitra help keep his path
clear. He carries a club, two lotuses and a prayer wheel. He is a benign
ruler and forgives his worshippers leading them in safe, easy and
virtuous paths. He is said to sit in judgment of men after their death.
His chariot is drawn by white horses across the firmament without
casting a shadow. The Trio, Mitra, Varuna, and Savitr (Aryaman, the
sun god) was so connected that they became one. Staring at an object
with the "eye of Mitra" dissolves all enmity and evil in the object.
Avestan Mithra was a sun-god and upholder of faithfulness; his Greco-
Iranian name Mithras was the object of worship in the Roman Empire in
the early Christian period. The duo loved Soma, juice expressed from
the Soma plant.

The trio are among the 12 metronymic Adityas: Dhata, Aryaman,

Mitra, okra, Varuna, Amsa, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusa, Savita,'Tvasti and
Visnu. They are brothers. A different source says they are brothers of
Dva-dasa-adityas (2+10 Adityas): Visnu, Sakra, Aryaman, Dhata,
Tvasta, Pusa Vivasvan, Savita, Mitra, Varuna, Amsu and Bhaga.

Coming back to the covenant, oath and enforcement, Varuna the

oldest of the Vedic gods upholds heaven and earth and possessed
wisdom called Maayaa (maya). He sends messengers and spies with
noose looking for transgressors. He inflicts diseases like dropsy on the
violators of the covenant. Varuna is usually invoked with Indra, Agni,
Yama, the god of death, and Vishnu. As time went on, all Vedic gods
took a back seat and Vishnu and Siva came to the forefront, according
to the western students.

Varuna later became the god of waters in the atmosphere and

firmament, oceans, and rivers, thus earning the epithet Sindhupati, the
Lord of River Sindhu. He is regarded as the son of Kardama and the
father of Pushkara, Naga, an Asura and regent of the western
quarters. (lokpala).

Mitra, meaning a friend, became the god of Dawn, he "who awakens

men at daybreak and stirs them to labor." He is a benign god, who
never hurts animate or inanimate objects; thus, he earned worship
with butter and unbroken rice.

1.1.29 na vaktur aatmopadesaad iti ced adhyaatma-

sambhanda-bhuumaa hy asmin

na: not; vaktuh: of the speaker; aatmopadesaat: on account of

reference to himself; iti: so; cet: if; adhyaatma: inner self;
sambhanda: relationship; bhuumaa: many; hy: because asmin:
in this (chapter).

Purport: If it be said that Brahman does not receive a direct

denotement because the speaker makes reference to himself,
we say that it is no so and there is plenty of reference to the
inner self in this chapter.

This verse refers to Indra's talk about himself in praise in the

previous verse, all the time meaning to attribute all his
qualities to Brahman.

1.1.30

Saastra drystyA tUpadeso vAmadevavat

Saastra drystyA = through the insight of Sastras or sacred texts; tu =

but; upadesa = teaching, instructing; Vamadeva vat = vamadeva-
like.

VAmadeva = An ancient Rishi in this context. Also means pleasant

beautiful god, Siva.
Indra has intuitive knowledge meaning that his spiritual knowledge is a
continuum from previous existence. By that intuitive knowledge Indra
knows that he is one with the Self or identical with the Self. Knowing
Self or Brahman means being Brahman. So Indra is Brahman. The
same intuitive knowledge is within the domain of Rishi or Sage
Vamadeva, who declared, "I was Manu and Surya." That is a
declaration he is Brahman. Intuitive spiritual knowledge passes from
one birth to the next birth in a cumulative fashion until the aspirant
becomes fully mature in Brahman Knowledge. Declaring, I was Manu
and Surya is a declaration that I the Brahman is also Manu and Surya,
the body of Brahman. Manu and Surya are pervaded by the
omnipresent all-pervading Brahman. Whatever is pervaded by
Brahman is Brahman.

Brahman is the Antaryamin, Antaratman and Paramatman (Inner

dweller, Inner Soul, Supreme Soul) abiding in all, animate, inanimate,
Cit and Acit; thus Brahman has its body in all objects it pervades.

Let me tell you a humorous story to illustrate this point. There once
was a professor and his driver who always went together to all
lectures. This went on many times and the driver was always in the
audience. When the professor became ill, he asked his driver to deliver
the lecture. The audience didn't know the switch because they knew
not the appearance of both. The driver delivered the lecture with ease
and aplomb. The driver (Indra or the soul) had the knowledge and thus
became the professor (Brahman) by his sheer knowledge.

1.1.31.

JIva mukhya prAna LingAn neti

cen nopAsAt traividhyAd aasritavAd iha

tad-yogAt.

Jiva = individual soul; Mukhya Prana = first, best or chief breath,

breath coming from the mouth, nose or face. Lingat = know by its sign
or marks. neti = not so. cet = if. upasat = because of meditation.
traividhyat = because of three-fold nature. asritatvat = because of
acceptance. iha = in this world. tadyogat = that connection.

Purport: Individual soul has special marks and chief breath. If it is said
that Brahman is not alluded to by the same qualities of the soul, we
object to that interpretation, which demands performance of threefold
worship. Brahman, according to sacred texts, is Breath.

Breath alone is not Brahman; individual soul alone is not Brahman.

There is something more that He only has: His unique Nature. He is
the Creator, Owner and Enjoyer in a Supreme sense. He created us
and the universe; He owns us, thus making us His body; he has the
means and desire to enjoy us and the universe. His threefold nature
makes Him supremely qualified for our worship. By and large this
reflects Ramanuja's understanding of Isvara.

Brahman is worshipped as LIFE, INTELLIGENT SELF and ITS OWN SELF,

of which the individual soul has the first two, though not in the same
measure and quality; the third special quality of Brahman is lacking in
the soul. Ramanuja says that Brahman is the object of meditation 1)
because of his own special exclusive Nature, creation 2) because all
souls make His body, and 3) because Brahman is an enjoyer of the
souls and the universe. The same view is expressed by Srikantha by
three words: Svarupena, Bhoktr-Sarirena and Bhogya rupena (His own
nature, enjoyer of the individual souls as His body and Brahman is of
the form of enjoyer of all because he owns the objects of enjoyment
and has the will and the means for such an enjoyment. Simply put,
Brahman is the creator and owner-enjoyer of souls, means and
objects.

Section 1 (1-8)

1.2.1. sarvatra prasiddhopadesaat

Sarvatra = everywhere; Prasiddha = well known; upadesat = because

of teaching.

According to sacred texts, I am well known and all-pervasive.

This Sutra refers to ChAndogya Upanishad III.14. The text is as follows:

All this is Brahman, who is the beginning, the middle and the end. One
should worship Him with tranquillity. Purpose makes a man. Purpose
stays with him on his departure from this world. (Man is thought, word
and deed, which determine his after-life and next life.) Brahman is
mind; His body is life-breath; He is Light-form; He is Truth; His Atma is
space; He contains all desires, all odors, and all tastes; He is all this--
the world; He is without speech, concern, torment or pain.

This is Brahman talking: I remain in the heart, smaller than a grain of

rice, a barley corn, a mustard seed, a grain of millet, and a kernel of
the grain of millet. This is Myself in the heart, greater than (jyAyAs)
than the earth, the atmosphere, the sky and all these worlds.

The individual soul says: I encompass all acts, all desires, all odors, all
tastes, and all worlds without speech, care or concern; my self abides
in the heart. That is Brahman, with whom I merge on leaving hence.

Thus said Sandilya, who pronounces that the individual soul and
Brahman are one. SAndilya says beings and matter come from
Brahman, by whom the beings live and into whom they repose. What
happens in our next life depends on karma of this life. The Great Soul
(Atman) is immanent and transcendent. The end of man's journey is
merger with the Self.

1.2.2. vivaksita-gunopapattes ca

Vivaksita: desired; guna: modes or qualities; upapatteh: suitable,

fitting; ca: and

Brahman is the repository of desirable qualities and thus worthy of

meditation. He is the creator, sustainer and destroyer.

Chaandogya Upanishad (VIII.7.1) says, " The atma is free from paapam
(demerit), old age, death, grief, hunger, thirst... His desire and thought
are real. He is worthy of seeking and knowing. Such seeker
understands the self, and enjoys all worlds and desires.

Svetaasvatara Upanishad (IV.2) states, "That is Fire, that is Sun, that is

the Wind, that is the Moon, that is purity, that is Brahma, that is
Waters, that is the Lord of creation." By the extrinsic power of Maya,
the Supreme Lord manifested all the elements and objects and
pervaded them; because of his pervasion He is called by such names.
All the elements are Vedic gods and yet the Supreme commands them.

Bhagavad Gita13.16: He is undivided and yet He appears divided in all

beings. He is the supporter of the world, also the object of knowledge,
swallowing and creating also (of beings).

gras-ana-ishnu: accustomed to swallow, dissolution of the universe.

The Greater Self is present in the spiritual heart of every living being.
Therefore, it appears divided, but not actually divided. It is like the
luminous sun and its many reflections in the water; it is like one space
with many jars of space. Similarly, One Brahman appears as many in
all beings and as One in each being. The Brahman is like the sun and
each one of us is like a little mirror reflecting the image of the sun:
Brahman is One and undivided, but appears divided. God, Brahman, or
Self is like the oil in the sesamum seeds, water in the dry riverbeds,
latent fire in the friction sticks and wood, fragrance in the flower, and
gold in the reef of gold.

1.2.3. anupapattes tu na saariirah

An-upapatteh: absence or failure of proof; to: but; na: not; saariirah:

emobodied individual soul.

The embodied individual soul fails to meet the criteria and thus is not
Brahman. Mind (manomaya) and such are applicable only to Brahman.

We are the individual souls. We do not have the qualities of Brahman

and thus fail to level up to Brahman. The all-pervasive Supreme soul
lives in us; but the individual souls are only His body and do not have
the quality of all-pervasive ether. we are delimited while he is all-
pervasive. Sat Kaama (virtuous or True desires) and Sat Sankalpa
(True Resolves) are the stuff of Brahman and not of the individual soul.
The supersupreme supernal Brahman is Siva for Saivites and Narayana
for Vaishnavites. Brahman is one and His names are many. We should
understand that Brahman is not finite when He has no attributes and is
finite when He (Isvara) has attributes

1.2.4. karma-kartr-vyapadesaac ca

karma= action, activity; kartr= doer, agent; vyapadesaat= having

been declared, mentioned or referred to; ca= and.

It has been declared that activity and agent are separate.

Chaandogya Upanishad (III.14.4) says, "I (Brahman) abide in the heart

of the embodied individual. I contain all desires, odors, tastes, and this
whole world without any speech and concern. I, the individual soul
enter into Him upon my departure from this earth."

Ramanuja says, "there is a difference between Brahman and the

individual soul, the Sought and the seeker respectively. The sought-
after Brahman has qualities that the seeker does not have. Brahman is
the object of pursuit and seeking, while the seeker is the individual
soul. That Brahman is Narayana."

Srikantha is of the opinion that the seeker is Narayana and the object
of worship is Siva. Srikantha seems to suggest that Siva is the object
of worship of Narayana, lesser gods, and men. it is the exact opposite
of the view of Ramanuja.
1.2.5. sabda-visesaat

Sabda = sound, word, scriptural authority; Visesaat: because of or on

account of difference, distinction

There is a difference in ascription by words between Brahman and the

individual soul. Brahman is the golden Antaratman, the Inner Soul of
the individual soul. Who controls who? It is Brahman that controls the
individual soul. He is the seed of seeds, the germ without which no
seed germinates. He is the seed, that golden person in the self.

Nimbarka cites Chaandogya Upanishad (III.14.3-4) to back his opinion.

See Verse 1.2.1.

1.2.6. smrtes ca

And on account of Smrti (remembrance; what is remembered by

teachers, and handed down to pupils by oral tradition (sacred texts).

Sruti: Hearing; what is revealed to Rishis (revealed wisdom).

Sankara is of the opinion that Brahman is vast like the space, unlimited
in its scope. We the individual souls are like jars with a limitation of
space. When (we die or) the jar breaks, that limited space becomes
part of the big space. We are born with limitations, while Brahman is
unlimited; we part of the unlimited space.

In Bhagavadgita 18.61 (part of the Smrti texts), Bhagavan declares the following: The
Supreme Lord resides within the hearts of all living beings, O Arjuna. By His māyā
power, Isvara causes all beings to spin as if they are mounted on a machine (carousel or
upright wheel).

Hrt-dese: within the hearts. Brahman resides in the hearts of all individuals.
According to Chāndogya Upanishad 8.1- 6, in the city of Brahman, there is an abode
called a small lotus flower (heart). There is a small space within that heart. The question
arises in the mind: What is there to seek or what is there to understand? In that space,
there is heaven and earth, fire and air, sun and moon, lightning and stars. Whatever there
is of Him in this world and beyond is contained within the heart. What is left behind in
the space of the heart (hrd-ākāsa), when death strikes? It is the Self that remains, free
from sin, old age, death, sorrow, hunger, and thirst. Desire and thought of the Self is after
the Real. Once merits and demerits have resolved upon death, liberation is obtained only
when the desire of Self is realized. Sankara interprets the vision and the goal of the self:
Seeing the Self in all and all in the Self, the self becomes autonomous and liberated.
The Māyā power, owned by the Lord, has three dissimilar sons: Sattva, Rajas, and
Tamas. It is Rajas who spins the wheel of creation, it is Sattva that sustains it, and it is
Tamas who brings it to dissolution. This Maya power works at Cosmic level.
 Here wheel allegorizes the sheaths of the body, according to Panchadasi (6.173-
176). Spinning denotes good and bad deeds by the individual. At individual level, Maya
power works with the Intellectual sheath and prompts Jiva to act. This does not preclude
self-motivation of an individual.

Ramanuja is of the opinion that Lord Vasudeva rules us and lives in our (spiritual)
heart, the origin of all secular and spiritual activities. He uses His Maya power, and
mounts us on the Prakrti machine in the form of body, organs, and senses created by
Him, which act according to Sattva, Rajas and Tamas (virtue, passion and darkness).
Everything proceeds from Me. I am the potter, the clay, the machine, and the tools. The
individual soul and body are the clay mounted on the machine. I provide the memory, the
knowledge and its removal.