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
Vaisvânara Self--to a person acquainted with which they address
themselves--can be the highest Self only. In the earlier clauses the
terms used are 'Self' and 'Brahman,' in the later 'Self' and 'Vaisvânara';
from this it appears also that the term 'Vaisvânara,' which takes the
place of 'Brahman,' denotes none other but the highest Self. The results,
moreover, of the knowledge of the Vaisvânara Self, which are stated in
subsequent passages, show that the Vaisvânara Self is the highest
Brahman. 'He eats food in all worlds, in all beings, in all Selfs'; 'as
the fibres of the Ishîkâ reed when thrown into the fire are burnt, thus
all his sins are burned' (V, 18, I; 24, 3).
The next Sûtra supplies a further reason for the same conclusion.
26. That which the text refers to is an inferential mark--thus.
The text describes the shape of Vaisvânara, of whom heaven, &c., down to
earth constitute the several limbs; and it is known from Scripture and
Smriti that such is the shape of the highest Self. When, therefore, we
recognise that shape as referred to in the text, this supplies an
inferential mark of Vaisvânara being the highest Self.--The 'thus' (iti)
in the Sûtra denotes a certain mode, that is to say, 'a shape of such a
kind being recognised in the text enables us to infer that Vaisvânara is
the highest Self.' For in Scripture and Smriti alike the highest Person
is declared to have such a shape. Cp. e.g. the text of the Átharvanas.
'Agni is his head, the sun and moon his eyes, the regions his cars, his
speech the Vedas disclosed, the wind his breath, his heart the Universe;
from his feet came the earth; he is indeed the inner Self of all things'
(Mu. Up. II, I, 4). 'Agni' in this passage denotes the heavenly world,
in agreement with the text 'that world indeed is Agni.' And the
following Smrriti texts: 'He of whom the wise declare the heavenly world
to be the head, the ether the navel, sun and moon the eyes, the regions
the ears, the earth the feet; he whose Self is unfathomable is the
leader of all beings'; and 'of whom Agni is the mouth, heaven the head,
the ether the navel, the earth the feet, the sun the eye, the regions
the ear; worship to him, the Self of the Universe!'--Now our text
declares the heavenly world and so on to constitute the head and the
other limbs of Vaisvânara. For Kaikeya on being asked by the Rishis to
instruct them as to the Vasvânara Self recognises that they all know
something about the Vaisvânara Self while something they do not know
(for thus only we can explain his special questions), and then in order
to ascertain what each knows and what not, questions them separately.
When thereupon Aupamanyava replies that he meditates on heaven only as
the Self, Kaikeya, in order to disabuse him from the notion that heaven
is the whole Vaisvânara Self, teaches him that heaven is the head of
Vaisvânara, and that of heaven which thus is a part only of Vaisvânara,
Sutejas is the special name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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