Sūtra 2.1.26

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Sūtra 2.1.26:

कृत्स्नप्रषक्तिर्निरवयवत्वशब्दव्याकोपो वा

kṛtsnapraṣaktirniravayavatvaśabdavyākopo vā

kṛtsna – entire; praṣaktiḥ – activity; niravayavatva – indivisible; śabda – text; vyākopaḥ – contradiction; vā – or.

“[The jīva is] entirely absorbed in every activity, or else there would be a contradiction of the text [that the jīva is without parts.]” (26)

Sūtra pagination:
Adhyāya 2:
  No Conflict Between Vedānta and Other Vedic Scriptures;
Pāda 1:
  Refutation of Opposing Views;
Adhikaraṇa 9:
  Brahman, the Operative Cause.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s commentary (Govinda-bhāṣya)

He who holds the theory that the jīva is the creator must accept the conclusion that inasmuch as the jīva is without parts, his entire self is present in every act. But this cannot be said, because in lifting a light thing like grass, we do not see the employment of the entire force of the jīva. When the jīva puts his entire self into any action, all his power is manifested therein. As in raising a heavy stone, the jīva puts in all his power, but he does not do so in raising a light straw, and so the exertion is infinitely less. Nor can one say that in the latter case, the entire jīva is not active, but only a portion; because it is an admitted fact that the jīva is without parts. Therefore we cannot say that the entire jīva is present in the act of lifting a stone but only a portion in lifting a straw.

You may say, “What is the harm in admitting that the jīva has parts?” To this we reply that then you will be contradicting all those texts of the scriptures that declare that the jīva is without parts, for example:

“This self is atomic and is to be known by the mind alone, in which the chief prāṇa has completely withdrawn his five-fold activities. The mind of all beings is entirely interwoven by these five prāṇas and is consequently never quiet. But when the mind is perfectly pure, then the soul manifests his powers.”

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि

nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi

“The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon.” [Bhagavad-gītā 2.23]

Thus the soul is atomic, and consequently partless and indivisible. As regards those texts that say that the world is produced by the jīva, we have already explained that the word jīva in those texts does not mean the individual soul, but the living Lord. Therefore, the theory that the jīva is the creator of the world is untenable.

Now we shall consider whether the above two objections apply to the agency of Brahman. The objector may say that Brahman is also entire and indivisible, therefore if in all acts He puts His entirety then in lifting straw, etc., He would employ His entire powers, but that is not possible because it is done by a fraction of His power, or rather it is possible to be accomplished by a portion of His power. On the other hand, if He puts in a only a portion of His power in any activity, then this does violence to those texts that declare Brahman to be partless and actionless. Thus the same two objections as in the case of the jīva being the agent also apply in the case of Brahman. To this the author replies in the next sūtra: