Sri Sankara Jayanthi 9th May 2019 – Contemplation on Sri Sankara Vaani

Contemplation on Sri Sankara Vaani

sAstram sariramimAmsa devah Sri Candrasekharah

AcAryAh Sankaraacharyah santu me sarvajanmasu

In the spirit of the above sloka, extolling the glory of Bhagavatpaada, Brahma Sutra (Sariramimaamsa – enquiry in to the Reality experienced within) and Bhakti to Sri Parameshwara, lets spend few minutes reflecting on Sri Bhagavatpaada’s introduction to Brahma Sutra Bhasyam and on the key aspects of Swaami's Bhasyams.

Introduction:

Brahma-sutra adopts the method of rational enquiry based on scriptural testimony and inferences drawn therefrom. This approach explains and does not contradict our personal experience. The sole purpose of Vedanta (i.e. Upanisad, Brahma Sutra & Gita) is to establish the non-difference of Atman and Brahman. Here Atman is recognized as Pure Consciousness which we refer to as “I”. However due to ignorance of our ability to discriminate Atman from UnAtman, we refer to objects illuminated by the Self – as “my” body, “my” mind, the ego (“I” thought of individuality), (& thus) as also constituting the essential content of "I"

So at the dawn of the Brahma Sutra, Sri Bhagavatpada takes up for explanation, the fundamental topic of error in cognition of one’s Self – namely adhyaasa. This term Adhyaasa is also translated as “Superimposition”. This starting section of Sariraka Bhaysam (or Brahma Sutra Bhasyam) is called Adhyaasa Bhasyam.

QUOTE

।।ब्रह्मसूत्रभाष्यम्।। (brahmasūtrabhāṣyam)
श्रीमच्छंकरभगवत्पादैः विरचितम्। (śrīmacchaṅkarabhagavatpādaiḥ viracitam)
।।प्रथमोऽध्यायः।। (prathamō.dhyāyaḥ)
।।प्रथमः पादः।। (prathamaḥ pādaḥ)

युष्मदस्मत्प्रत्ययगोचरयोर्विषयविषयिणोस्तमःप्रकाशवद्विरुद्धस्वभावयोरितरेतरभावानुपपत्तौ सिद्धायाम् तद्धर्माणामपि सुतरामितरेतरभावानुपपत्तिः इत्यतः अस्मत्प्रत्ययगोचरे विषयिणि चिदात्मके युष्मत्प्रत्ययगोचरस्य विषयस्य तद्धर्माणां चाध्यासः तद्विपर्ययेण विषयिणस्तद्धर्माणां च विषयेऽध्यासो मिथ्येति भवितुं युक्तम्। 

yuṣmadasmat pratyayagōcarayōr viṣayaviṣayiṇōs-tamaḥprakāśavadviruddha svabhāvayōr itarētarabhāvānupapattau itaretarabhavdnupapattau siddhāyām, taddharmāṇāmapi sutarām itarētarabhāvānupapattiḥ -- ityataḥ asmatpratyayagōcarē viṣayiṇi cidātmakē yuṣmatpratyayagōcarasya viṣayasya taddharmāṇāṅ cādhyāsaḥ tadviparyayēṇa viṣayiṇastaddharmāṇāṅ ca viṣayē.dhyāsō mithyēti bhavituṅ yuktam.

UNQUOTE

Essence of the passage above ~ What corresponds to the expression "You" is the object of experience; and what corresponds to the expression "I" is the experiencing subject. The two are distinct in their nature, as darkness and light. It is evident that one of them cannot be the other. Such being the case, it is all the more evident that the attributes of one can never be the attributes of the others.

This line of thinking is consistent with what Swaami says in Gita Bhasyam as well : -

BG 2.18 Bhasyam “To none at all is the Self unknown. The final means of cognition, the Sastra acquires validity as regards the Self by setting aside the non-attributes of the Self superimposed on it, and not by revealing what was altogether unknown. Thus the Sruti declares: “That which is immediately present is Brahman, the Self in all – Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 3.4.1) ~ yatsākṣād aparōkṣād brahma ya ātmā sarvāntaraḥ”

Key Aspects of Swaami’s Advaita Upadesam (gleanings from Prasthana Traya Bhasyams)

1.      Turn attention inward to our essential nature (i.e. Self as pure Consciousness)

In the passages quoted earlier (from Saririka Bhasyam and Gita Bhasyam) it is clear that Sri Bhagavatpada by his Prasthana Traya Bhasyam has 
(a) not only turned our attention to the pulsating consciousness within 
and in the process
(b) taught us on how to develop the discriminative reason – in perfect alignment with Sruti i.e. Upanisads.  
This is a consistent approach of Swaami right throughout his Prasthana Traya Bhasyams.

2.      By Upanisad is meant Brahma Vidya and not mere assemblage of words.  Thus it’s THE source of  Para Vidya (hence highest authority)

He establishes [like in BG 2.18 Bhasyam quoted earlier – “the Sastra acquires validity as regards the Self..”] that Sastram – i.e. Upanisad is Pramanam of our infinite nature. This he established in his Bhasyam of Brahma Sutra, Upanisad and Gita.

He has unequivocally explained that Sruti (i.e. Upanisad) is not just textbook but is Brahma Vidya itself, which liberates us from Ignorance (in the form of Adhyasa or Superimposition of Finite attributes on the Attribute-less Self). When we refer to Upanisad as book – its only in secondary sense of the term (See Sri Bhagavatpada Katha Upanisad Bhasyam - Intro).

In primary sense it’s Brahma Vidya only. Hence it’s also para vidya, else when viewed as mere text (i.e. assemblage of words serving mundane purpose) – its apara vidya.

For example - See Mu. Upanisad Bhasyam – 1.1.5 “upanisadveyAksaram visayam hi vijnAnam iha parA vidyeti prAdhAnyena vivaksitam, na upanisat – sabdarAsih” – trans ~ What is primarily meant by para vidya, is that knowledge of the immutable that is only imparted by Upanisads and not merely the assemblage of words found in the (books called) Upanisads.

He even proceeds further to say in the same passage (Mu.1.1.5 Bhasyam) “The knowledge of Brahman is distinctly mentioned, and it is called the ‘para vidya’ since even after the mastery of the assemblage of words, the realization of the immutable is not possible, without some other effort consisting in approaching the teacher and so on, as well as detachment”

3.      Importance of Guru and Advaita Tradition

The last line in the paragraph above leads to another distinctive aspect of Swami’s Bhasyam(s). He lays great emphasis on learning the Brahma Vidya from Guru rooted in Tradition, which again is the call of the Upanisads & Gita: -

See Mu 1.1.12 – “….tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyam brahma-niṣṭham”

See Gita (4.34 - tadviddhi praṇipātēna paripraśnēna sēvayā”) as well.  

He is very critical of those who try and profess to assimilate Brahma Vidya, independently and/or agnostic to well established Advaitic tradition

See Gita Bhasyam – 18.50 ~ “some self-styled scholars maintain the Self being formless, is unamenable to understanding and so the discipline of knowledge is difficult to acquire. This is true only of people devoid of the advantages of the right tradition established by a real teacher, who have not been schooled in Upanisadhic wisdom; and are untrained in the employment of the means of right cognition. But those of the opposite type (i.e. Advaitins) … they don’t cognize anything other than pure consciousness that is the Self”

See Gita Bhasyam – 13.2 - AtmahA svayam moodah anyAn ca vyAmohayati sastrartha sampradaaya rahitvaat srutahaanim asruta kalpanaam ca kurvan……… Asampradaayavit sarvasaastravid api moorkhavad eva upeksaneeyah

Trans ~ That self-destroyer (i.e. one who destroys the prospects of attaining liberation in life), being devoid of any link with the traditional interpreters of the purport of the scriptures, misinterprets what is enjoined in the scriptures and imagines what is not spoken there, and thereby himself becoming deluded, befools others too. Hence, one who is not a knower of the traditional interpretation is to be ignored like a fool, though he may be versed in all the scriptures.

Concluding Comments: Based upon Sri Bhagavat Pada’s Gita Bhasyam

siddhiṅ prāptō yathā brahma tathāpnōti nibōdha mē.

samāsēnaiva kauntēya niṣṭhā jñānasya yā parā৷৷ BG 18.50৷৷

18.50 Understand for certain from Me, in brief indeed, O son of Kunti, that process by which one who has achieved success attains Brahman, which is the supreme consummation of Knowledge.

Let's reflect on an excerpt from Sri Swaami’s Bhasyam on this verse.

tasmāt  avidyaadhyAropana niraakaranamaatram brahmani kartavyam na tu brahmajnaane yatnah atyanta-prasiddhdatvaat suvijñēyam āsannataram ātmabhūtamapi? aprasiddhaṅ durvijñēyam atidūram anyadiva ca pratibhāti avivēkinām. bāhyākāranivṛttabuddhīnāṅ tu labdhagurvātmaprasādānāṅ na ataḥ paraṅ sukhaṅ suprasiddhaṅ suvijñēyaṅ svāsannataram asti.

Therefore, what is to be undertaken is only the elimination of the superimposition on Brahman through ignorance, but no effort is needed for knowing Brahman (Consciousness), for It is ite self-evident! It is because the intellect is distracted by particular appearances of name and form imagined through ignorance that Brahman, even though self-evident, easily realizable, nearer than all else and identical with oneself, appears to be concealed, difficult to realize, very far and different, But to those whose intellect has become free from external appearances and who have obtained the grace of a teacher and serenity of mind, there is nothing more blissful, manifest, well known, easily realized and nearer to oneself than this Self.