For the same reasons, viz. possibility and scriptural declaration, the
teacher Jaimini thinks that religious works, viz. sacrifices, gifts,
offerings, and meditation, of themselves bring about their rewards. For
we observe that in ordinary life actions such as ploughing and the like,
and charitable gifts and so on, bring about their own reward, directly
or indirectly. And although Vedic works do not bring about their rewards
immediately, they may do so mediately, viz. by means of the so-called
_apûrva_. This follows also from the form of the Vedic injunctions, such
as 'He who is desirous of the heavenly world is to sacrifice.' As such
injunctions enjoin sacrifices as the means of bringing about the object
desired to be realised, viz. the heavenly world and the like, there is
no other way left than to assume that the result (which is seen not to
spring directly from the sacrifice) is accomplished by the mediation of
the apûrva.
40. But the former, Bâdarâyana (thinks), on account of the designation
(of deities) as the cause.
The reverend Bâdarâyana maintains the previously declared awarding of
rewards by the Supreme Person since the scriptural texts referring to
the different sacrifices declare that the deities only, Agni, Vâyu, and
so on, who are propitiated by the sacrifices--which are nothing else but
means to propitiate deities--are the cause of the rewards attached to
the sacrifices. Compare texts such as 'Let him who is desirous of
prosperity offer a white animal to Vâyu. For Vâyu is the swiftest god.
The man thus approaches Vâyu with his proper share, and Vâyu leads him
to prosperity.' And the whole instruction which the texts give, as to
the means by which men desirous of certain results are to effect those
results, is required on account of the injunctions only, and hence it
cannot be doubted that it has reference to the injunctions. The
apparatus of means to bring about the results thus being learnt from the
text only, no person acquainted with the force of the means of proof
will assent to that apparatus, as stated by the text, being set aside
and an apûrva about which the text says nothing being fancifully assumed.
And that the imperative verbal forms of the injunctions denote as the
thing to be effected by the effort of the sacrificer, only that which on
the basis of the usage of language and grammatical science is recognised
as the meaning of the root-element of such words as 'yajeta,' viz. the
sacrifice (yâga), which consists in the propitiation of a divine being,
and not some additional supersensuous thing such as the apûrva, we have
already proved above (p. 153 ff.). Texts such as 'Vâyu is the swiftest
god' teach that Vâyu and other deities are the bestowers of rewards. And
that it is fundamentally the highest Self--as constituting the inner
Self of Vâyu and other deities--which is pleased by offerings, and
bestows rewards for them is declared by texts such as 'Offerings and
pious works, all this he bears who is the nave of the Universe. He is
Agni and Vâyu, he is Sun and Moon' (Mahânâr. Up. I, 6, 7). Similarly in
the antaryâmin-brâhmana, 'He who dwells in Vâyu, of whom Vâyu is the
body'; 'He who dwells in Agni,' &c. Smriti expresses itself similarly,
'Whatsoever devotee wishes to worship with faith whatsoever divine form,
of him do I make that faith unshakable. Endued with such faith he
endeavours to propitiate him and obtains from him his desires--those
indeed being ordained by me' (Bha. Gî. VII, 21-22); 'For I am the
enjoyer and the Lord of all sacrifices' (IX, 24)--where Lord means him
who bestows the reward for the sacrifices. 'To the gods go the
worshippers of the gods, and those devoted to me go to me' (VII, 23). In
ordinary life men, by agriculture and the like, acquire wealth in
various forms, and by means of this propitiate their king, either
directly or through his officials and servants; and the king thereupon
is seen to reward them in a manner corresponding to the measure of their
services and presents. The Vedânta-texts, on the other hand, give
instruction on a subject which transcends the sphere of all the other
means of knowledge, viz. the highest Person who is free from all shadow
even of imperfection, and a treasure-house as it were of all exalted
qualities in their highest state of perfection; on sacrifices, gifts,
oblations, which are helpful towards the propitiation of that Person; on
praise, worship, and meditation, which directly propitiate him; and on
the rewards which he, thus propitiated, bestows, viz. temporal happiness
and final Release.--Here terminates the adhikarana of 'reward.'