The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48
Religion
The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48
Vedanta
This primâ facie view is set aside by the words of the Sûtra. That which
does not rest on Scripture, i.e. the Pradhâna, which rests on Inference
only, is not what is intimated by the texts referring to the origination
of the world; for the text exhibits the root 'îksh'--which means 'to
think'--as denoting a special activity on the part of what is termed
'Being.' 'It thought, may I be many, may I grow forth.' 'Thinking'
cannot possibly belong to the non-sentient Pradhâna: the term 'Being'
can therefore denote only the all-knowing highest Person who is capable
of thought. In agreement with this we find that, in all sections which
refer to creation, the act of creation is stated to be preceded by
thought. 'He thought, shall I send forth worlds. He sent forth these
worlds' (Ait. Âr. II, 4, 1, 2); 'He thought he sent forth Prâna' (Pr. Up.
VI, 3); and others.--But it is a rule that as a cause we must assume
only what corresponds to the effect!--Just so; and what corresponds to
the total aggregate of effects is the highest Person, all-knowing, all-
powerful, whose purposes realise themselves, who has minds and matter in
their subtle state for his body. Compare the texts 'His high power is
revealed as manifold, as inherent, acting as force and knowledge' (Svet.
Up. VI, 8); 'He who is all-knowing, all-perceiving' (Mu. Up. I, 1, 9);
'He of whom the Unevolved is the body, of whom the Imperishable is the
body, of whom Death is the body, he is the inner Self of all things'
(Subâl. Up. VII).--This point (viz. as to the body of the highest
Person) will be established under Sû. II, 1, 4. The present Sûtra
declares that the texts treating of creation cannot refer to the
Pradhâna; the Sûtra just mentioned will dispose of objections. Nor is
the Pûrvapakshin right in maintaining that the Chândogya passage is of
the nature of an Inference; for it does not state a reason (hetu--which
is the essential thing in an Inference). The illustrative instance (of
the lump of clay) is introduced merely in order to convince him who
considers it impossible that all things should be known through one
thing--as maintained in the passage 'through which that is heard which
was not heard,' &c.,--that this _is_ possible after all. And the mention
made in the text of 'seeing' clearly shows that there is absolutely no
intention of setting forth an Inference.
Let us assume, then, the Pûrvapakshin resumes, that the 'seeing' of the
text denotes not 'seeing' in its primary, direct sense--such as belongs
to intelligent beings only; but 'seeing' in a secondary, figurative
sense which there is ascribed to the Pradhâna in the same way as in
passages immediately following it is ascribed to fire and water--'the
fire saw'; 'the water saw' (Ch. Up. VI, 2, 3). The transference, to non-
existent things, of attributes properly belonging to sentient beings is
quite common; as when we say 'the rice-fields look out for rain'; 'the
rain delighted the seeds.'--This view is set aside by the next Sûtra.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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