The expression 'the origin', &c., means 'creation, subsistence, and
reabsorption'. The 'this' (in 'of this') denotes this entire world with
its manifold wonderful arrangements, not to be fathomed by thought, and
comprising within itself the aggregate of living souls from Brahmâ down
to blades of grass, all of which experience the fruits (of their former
actions) in definite places and at definite times. 'That from which,' i.
e. that highest Person who is the ruler of all; whose nature is
antagonistic to all evil; whose purposes come true; who possesses
infinite auspicious qualities, such as knowledge, blessedness, and so on;
who is omniscient, omnipotent, supremely merciful; from whom the
creation, subsistence, and reabsorption of this world proceed--he is
Brahman: such is the meaning of the Sûtra.--The definition here given of
Brahman is founded on the text Taitt. Up. III, 1, 'Bhrigu Vâruni went to
his father Varuna, saying, Sir, teach me Brahman', &c., up to 'That from
which these beings are born, that by which when born they live, that
into which they enter at their death, try to know that: that is Brahman.'
A doubt arises here. Is it possible, or not, to gain a knowledge of
Brahman from the characteristic marks stated in this passage?--It is not
possible, the Pûrvapakshin contends. The attributes stated in that
passage--viz. being that from which the world originates, and so on--do
not properly indicate Brahman; for as the essence of an attribute lies
in its separative or distinctive function, there would result from the
plurality of distinctive attributes plurality on the part of Brahman
itself.--But when we say 'Devadatta is of a dark complexion, is young,
has reddish eyes,' &c., we also make a statement as to several
attributes, and yet we are understood to refer to one Devadatta only;
similarly we understand in the case under discussion also that there is
one Brahman only!--Not so, we reply. In Devadatta's case we connect all
attributes with one person, because we know his unity through other
means of knowledge; otherwise the distinctive power of several
attributes would lead us, in this case also, to the assumption of
several substances to which the several attributes belong. In the case
under discussion, on the other hand, we do not, apart from the statement
as to attributes, know anything about the unity of Brahman, and the
distinctive power of the attributes thus necessarily urges upon us the
idea of several Brahmans.--But we maintain that the unity of the term
'Brahman' intimates the unity of the thing 'Brahman'!--By no means, we
reply. If a man who knows nothing about cows, but wishes to know about
them, is told 'a cow is that which has either entire horns, or mutilated
horns, or no horns,' the mutally exclusive ideas of the possession of
entire horns, and so on, raise in his mind the ideas of several
individual cows, although the term 'cow' is one only; and in the same
way we are led to the idea of several distinct Brahmans. For this reason,
even the different attributes combined are incapable of defining the
thing, the definition of which is desired.--Nor again are the
characteristics enumerated in the Taitt. passage (viz. creation of the
world, &c.) capable of defining Brahman in the way of secondary marks
(upalakshana), because the thing to be defined by them is not previously
known in a different aspect. So-called secondary marks are the cause of
something already known from a certain point of view, being known in a
different aspect--as when it is said 'Where that crane is standing, that
is the irrigated field of Devadatta.'--But may we not say that from the
text 'The True, knowledge, the Infinite is Brahman,' we already have an
idea of Brahman, and that hence its being the cause of the origin, &c.,
of the world may be taken as collateral indications (pointing to
something already known in a certain way)?--Not so, we reply; either of
these two defining texts has a meaning only with reference to an aspect
of Brahman already known from the other one, and this mutual dependence
deprives both of their force.--Brahman cannot therefore be known through
the characteristic marks mentioned in the text under discussion.
To this primâ facie view we make the following reply. Brahman can be
known on the basis of the origination, subsistence, and reabsorption of
the world--these characteristics occupying the position of collateral
marks. No objection can be raised against this view, on the ground that,
apart from what these collateral marks point to, no other aspect of
Brahman is known; for as a matter of fact they point to that which is
known to us as possessing supreme greatness (brihattva) and power of
growth (brimhana)--this being the meaning of the root brimh (from which
'Brahman' is derived). Of this Brahman, thus already known (on the basis
of etymology), the origination, sustentation, and reabsorption of the
world are collateral marks. Moreover, in the Taitt. text under
discussion, the relative pronoun--which appears in three forms, (that)
'from whence,' (that) 'by which,' (that) 'into which'--refers to
something which is already known as the cause of the origin, and so on,
of the world. This previous knowledge rests on the Ch. passage, 'Being
only this was in the beginning,' &c., up to 'it sent forth fire'--which
declares that the one principle denoted as 'being' is the universal
material, and instrumental cause. There the clause 'Being only this was
in the beginning, one only,' establishes that one being as the general
material cause; the word 'without a second' negatives the existence of a
second operative cause; and the clauses 'it thought, may I be many, may
I grow forth', and 'it sent forth fire', establish that one being (as
the cause and substance of everything). If, then, it is said that
Brahman is that which is the root of the world's origination,
subsistence, and reabsorption, those three processes sufficiently
indicate Brahman as that entity which is their material and operative
cause; and as being the material and the operative cause implies
greatness (brihattva) manifesting itself in various powers, such as
omniscience, and so on, Brahman thus is something already known; and as
hence origination, &c., of the world are marks of something already
known, the objection founded above on the absence of knowledge of
another aspect of Brahman is seen to be invalid.--Nor is there really
any objection to the origination, &c., of the world being taken as
characteristic marks of Brahman in so far as they are distinctive
attributes. For taken as attributes they indicate Brahman as something
different from what is opposed to those attributes. Several attributes
which do not contradict each other may serve quite well as
characteristic marks defining one thing, the nature of which is not
otherwise known, without the plurality of the attributes in any way
involving plurality of the thing defined; for as those attributes are at
once understood to belong to one substrate, we naturally combine them
within that one substrate. Such attributes, of course, as the possession
of mutilated horns (mentioned above), which are contradictorily opposed
to each other, necessarily lead to the assumption of several individual
cows to which they severally belong; but the origination, &c., of the
world are processes separated from each other by difference of time only,
and may therefore, without contradiction, be connected with one Brahman
in succession.--The text 'from whence these beings', &c., teaches us
that Brahman is the cause of the origination, &c., of the world, and of
this Brahman thus known the other text 'The True, knowledge, the
Infinite is Brahman', tells us that its essential nature marks it off
from everything else. The term 'True' expresses Brahman in so far as
possessing absolutely non-conditioned existence, and thus distinguishes
it from non-intelligent matter, the abode of change, and the souls
implicated in matter; for as both of these enter into different states
of existence called by different names, they do not enjoy unconditioned
being. The term 'knowledge' expresses the characteristic of permanently
non-contracted intelligence, and thus distinguishes Brahman from the
released souls whose intelligence is sometimes in a contracted state.
And the term 'Infinite' denotes that, whose nature is free from all
limitation of place, time, and particular substantial nature; and as
Brahman's essential nature possesses attributes, infinity belongs both
to the essential nature and to the attributes. The qualification of
Infinity excludes all those individual souls whose essential nature and
attributes are not unsurpassable, and who are distinct from the two
classes of beings already excluded by the two former terms (viz. 'true
being' and 'knowledge').--The entire text therefore defines Brahman--
which is already known to be the cause of the origination, &c., of the
world--as that which is in kind different from all other things; and it
is therefore not true that the two texts under discussion have no force
because mutually depending on each other. And from this it follows that
a knowledge of Brahman may be gained on the ground of its characteristic
marks--such as its being the cause of the origination, &c., of the world,
free from all evil, omniscient, all-powerful, and so on.
To those, on the other hand, who maintain that the object of enquiry is
a substance devoid of all difference, neither the first nor the second
Sûtra can be acceptable; for the Brahman, the enquiry into which the
first Sûtra proposes, is, according to authoritative etymology,
something of supreme greatness; and according to the second Sûtra it is
the cause of the origin, subsistence, and final destruction of the world.
The same remark holds good with regard to all following Sûtras, and the
scriptural texts on which they are based--none of them confirm the
theory of a substance devoid of all difference. Nor, again, does
Reasoning prove such a theory; for Reasoning has for its object things
possessing a 'proving' attribute which constantly goes together with an
attribute 'to be proved.' And even if, in agreement with your view, we
explained the second Sûtra as meaning 'Brahman is that whence proceeds
the error of the origination, &c., of the world', we should not thereby
advance your theory of a substance devoid of all difference. For, as you
teach, the root of all error is Nescience, and Brahman is that which
witnesses (is conscious of) Nescience, and the essence of witnessing
consciousness consists in being pure light (intelligence), and the
essence of pure light or intelligence is that, distinguishing itself
from the Non-intelligent, it renders itself, as well as what is
different from it, capable of becoming the object of empiric thought and
speech (vyavahâra). All this implies the presence of difference--if
there were no difference, light or intelligence could not be what it is,
it would be something altogether void, without any meaning.--Here
terminates the adhikarana of 'origination and so on.'
An objection to the purport of the preceding Sûtras here presents itself.--
The assertion that Brahman, as the cause of the origination, &c., of the
world, must be known through the Vedânta-texts is unfounded; for as
Brahman may be inferred as the cause of the world through ordinary
reasoning, it is not something requiring to be taught by authoritative
texts.--To this objection the next Sûtra replies.