The knowledge of Brahman belongs to those who have to observe chastity,
and men living in that state have not to perform the Agnihotra, the
Darsapûrnamâsa, and similar works. For this reason also knowledge cannot
be subsidiary to works.--But, it may be objected, there is no such
condition of life; for texts such as 'he is to perform the Agnihotra as
long as he lives,' declare men to be obliged to perform sacrifices and
the like up to the end of their lives, and Smriti texts contradicting
Scripture have no authority.--To meet this the Sûtra adds 'for in
Scripture.' The three stages of life are recognised in Scripture only;
cp. texts such as 'Those who in the forest practise penance and faith'
(Ch. Up. V, 10, 1); 'Wishing for that world only mendicants wander forth
from their homes' (Bri. Up. IV, 4, 22). The text as to the lifelong
obligatoriness of the Agnihotra is valid for those only who do not
retire from worldly life.
18. A reference (only) Jaimini (holds them to be), on account of absence
of injunction; for (Scripture) forbids.
The argument for the three stages of life, founded on their mention in
Vedic texts, has no force, since all those references are only of the
nature of anuvâda. For none of those texts contain injunctive forms. The
text 'There are three branches of sacred observance,' &c. (Ch. Up. II,
23, 1), is meant to glorify the previous meditation on Brahman under the
form of the pranava, as appears from the concluding clause 'he who is
firmly grounded in Brahman obtains immortality'; it therefore cannot
mean to enjoin the three conditions of life as valid states. In the same
way the text 'And those who in the forest practise penance and faith'
refers to the statements previously made as to the path of the gods, and
cannot therefore be meant to make an original declaration as to another
condition of life. Scripture moreover expressly forbids that other
condition, 'a murderer of men is he who removes the fire,' &c. There are
therefore no conditions of life in which men are bound to observe
chastity. This is the opinion of the teacher Jaimini.
19. It is to be accomplished, Bâdarayana holds, on account of scriptural
statement of equality.
Bâdarâyana is of opinion that, in the same way as the condition of
householdership, those other conditions of life also are obligatory;
since in the section beginning 'there are three branches of sacred duty'
all the three conditions of life are equally referred to, with a view to
glorifying him who is firmly grounded in Brahman. The reference there
made to the condition of the householder necessarily presupposes that
condition to be already established and obligatory, and the same
reasoning then holds good with regard to the other conditions mentioned.
Nor must it be said that the special duties mentioned at the beginning
of the section--sacrifice, study, charity, austerity, Brahmakarya--all
of them belong to the state of the householder (in which case the text
would contain no reference to the other conditions of life); for on that
supposition the definite reference to a threefold division of duties,
'Sacrifice, &c. are the first, austerity the second, Brahmakarya the
third,' would be unmeaning. The proper explanation is to take the words'
sacrifice, study, and charity' as descriptive of the condition of the
householder; the word 'austerity' as descriptive of the duties of the
Vaikhânasa and the wandering mendicant, who both practise mortification;
and the word 'Brahmakarya' as referring to the duties of the Brahmakarin.
The term 'Brahmasamstha' finally, in the concluding clause, refers to
all the three conditions of life, as men belonging to all those
conditions may be founded on Brahman. Those, the text means to say, who
are destitute of this foundation on Brahman and only perform the special
duties of their condition of life, obtain the worlds of the blessed;
while he only who at the same time founds himself on Brahman attains to
immortality.--In the text 'and those who in the forest,' &c. the mention
made of the forest shows that the statement as to the path of the gods
has for its presupposition the fact that that stage of life which is
especially connected with the forest is one generally recognised.--So
far it has been shown that the other stages of life are no less
obligatory than that of the householder, whether we take the text under
discussion as containing merely a reference to those stages (as
established by independent means of proof) or as directly enjoining them.
The next Sûtra is meant to show that the latter view is after all the
right one.