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
It might be contended that, as the text 'he is my Self within the heart'
declares the being meditated on to dwell within a minute abode, viz. the
heart; and as moreover another text--'smaller than a grain of rice,' &c.,
declares it to be itself of minute size, that being cannot be the
highest Self, but only the embodied soul. For other passages speak of
the highest Self as unlimited, and of the embodied soul as having the
size of the point of a goad (cp. e.g. Mu. Up. I, 1, 6, and Svet. Up. V,
8).--This objection the Sûtra rebuts by declaring that the highest Self
is spoken of as such, i.e. minute, on account of its having to be
meditated upon as such. Such minuteness does not, however, belong to its
true nature; for in the same section it is distinctly declared to be
infinite like ether--'greater than the earth, greater than the sky,
greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds' (Ch. Up. III, 14, 3).
This shows that the designation of the highest Self as minute is for the
purpose of meditation only.--The connexion of the whole section then is
as follows. The clause 'All this is Brahman; let a man meditate with
calm mind on this world as beginning, ending, and breathing in Brahman,'
enjoins meditation on Brahman as being the Self of all, in so far as it
is the cause of the origin and destruction of all, and entering into all
beings as their soul gives life to them. The next clause, 'Man is made
of thought; according as his thought is in this world, so will he be
when he has departed this life,' declares the attainment of the desired
object to depend on the nature of the meditation; and the following
clause, 'Let him therefore form the following thought,' thereupon
repeats the injunction with a view to the declaration of details. The
clause 'He who consists of mind,' &c., up to 'who is never surprised,'
then states the nature and qualities, of the being to be meditated upon,
which are to be comprised in the meditation. Next, the clause 'He is my
Self,' up to 'the kernel of a canary seed,' declares that the highest
Person, for the purpose of meditation, abides in the heart of the
meditating devotee; representing it as being itself minute, since the
heart is minute. After this the clause 'He also is my Self,' up to 'who
is never surprised,' describes those aspects of the being meditated upon
as within the heart, which are to be attained by the devotee. Next, the
words 'this my Self within the heart is that Brahman' enjoins the
reflection that the highest Brahman, as described before, is, owing to
its supreme kindness, present in our hearts in order thereby to refresh
and inspirit us. Then the clause 'When I shall have departed from hence
I shall obtain him' suggests the idea that there is a certainty of
obtaining him on the basis of devout meditation; and finally the clause
'He who has this faith has no doubt' declares that the devotee who is
firmly convinced of his aim being attainable in the way described, will
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account