The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1
Religion
The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1
Vedanta
Brahman mentioned in the three passages have to be combined into one
meditation.--The decision is here, as in all similar cases, in favour of
the latter alternative. A careful examination of the three passages
shows that the object of meditation is one only; hence the meditation
also is one only, comprehending all the attributes mentioned in the
three texts.
Adhik. III (6-8) discusses the case of vidyas being really separate,
although apparently identical. The examples selected are the
udgithavidyas of the Chandogya Upanishad (I, 1-3) and the
B/ri/hadara/n/yaka Upanishad (I, 3), which, although showing certain
similarities--such as bearing the same name and the udgitha being in
both identified with pra/n/a--yet are to be held apart, because the
subject of the Chandogya vidya is not the whole udgitha but only the
sacred syllabic Om, while the B/ri/hadara/n/yaka Upanishad represents
the whole udgitha as the object of meditation.
Sutra 9 constitutes in /S/a@nkara's view a new adhikara/n/a (IV),
proving that in the passage, 'Let a man meditate' (Ch. Up. I, 1, 1), the
O/m/kara and the udgitha stand in the relation of one specifying the
other, the meaning being, 'Let a man meditate on that O/m/kara which,'
&c.--According to Ramanuja's interpretation, which seems to fall in more
satisfactorily with the form and the wording of the Sutra, the latter
merely furnishes an additional argument for the conclusion arrived at in
the preceding adhikara/n/a.--Adhik. V (10) determines the unity of the
so-called pra/n/a-vidyas and the consequent comprehension of the
different qualities of the pra/n/a, which are mentioned in the different
texts, within one meditation.
Adhik. VI comprises, according to /S/a@nkara, the Sutras 11-13. The
point to be settled is whether in all the meditations on Brahman all its
qualities are to be included or only those mentioned in the special
vidya. The decision is that the essential and unalterable attributes of
Brahman, such as bliss and knowledge, are to be taken into account
everywhere, while those which admit of a more or less (as, for instance,
the attribute of having joy for its head, mentioned in the Taitt. Up.)
are confined to special meditations.--Adhik. VII (14, 15), according to
/S/a@nkara, aims at proving that the object of Ka/th/a. Up. III, 10, 11
is one only, viz. to show that the highest Self is higher than
everything, so that the passage constitutes one vidya only.--Adhik. VIII
(16, 17) determines, according to /S/a@nkara, that the Self spoken of in
Ait. Ar. II, 4, 1, 1 is not a lower form of the Self (the so-called
sutratman), but the highest Self; the discussion of that point in this
place being due to the wish to prove that the attributes of the highest
Self have to be comprehended in the Aitarcyaka meditation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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