Brahma-Sūtra 1.2.19

English of translation of Brahmasutra 1.2.19 by Roma Bose:

“The inner controller in the presiding deities and the rest, and in the worlds and the rest (is the highest self); on account of the designation of his qualities.”^[1]

Nimbārka’s commentary (Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha):

The inner controller,—mentioned repeatedly in all the versions in reference to the presiding deities of the earth and the rest, in the passage which begins: ‘He who, abiding within the earth’, and continues: ‘He is your soul, the inner controller’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3^[2]),—is the Highest Self alone. Why? “On account of the designation of His qualities” here, viz. ‘being the controller of all’ and so on,

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

Now, the author points out that just as the text about the Person within the eye refers to Brahman, so the text about the inner controller, too, refers to Brahman, and to none else.

The inner controller, i.e. the controller who abides within; who is repeatedly mentioned in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, under the section treating of the inner controller, in all the versions in reference to the presiding deities of the earth, the sky, the ether and the rest, in the passage which beginning: ‘Who controls from within this world and the other world and all beings’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.1), continues: ‘He who, dwelling within the earth, is other than the earth, whom the earth does not know, of whom the earth i& the body, who controls the earth within—He is your soul, the inner controller, immortal^[3]’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3), and so on; and who is taught, after that,—in the text which begins: ‘He who abiding in all the worlds’ (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 14.6.7.17^[4]) and ends: ‘He who abiding within the soul’ (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 14.6.7.30^[5])—by a section, which enjoins him with in reference to the worlds, the Vedas, the sacrifices and the soul^[6],—is such an inner controller, a deity, or an individual soul, or the Highest Self, the one topic of all the Vedas? What is reasonable here? He may be a presiding deity, or an individual soul, because these two abide everywhere.

With regard to this, we reply: The inner controller mentioned in all the versions in reference to the presiding deities of the earth, fire, sky, ether, air, sun and the rest, can be the Highest Self alone. Wherefore? “On account of the designation of His qualities”, i.e. on account of the designation here of the peculiar qualities of the Highest Self, viz. ‘being the governor of all worlds, Vedas, sacrifices, beings, vital-breaths, soul and the rest’, ‘being the inner controller of all’, ‘being immortal’ and so on. Hence a deity cannot be understood, because a deity, too, is but an individual soul and the stated qualities are not appropriate on his part, and because in that case, the statement that the inner controller is unknowable by the earth-god, viz. ‘Whom the earth does not know’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3), becomes inconsistent. The individual soul, too, is not the inner controller, for the stated qualities are not appropriate on its part as well; and because in the passage: ‘He is your soul, the inner controller’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3, etc.), it is declared to be different from the inner controller by the use of the genetive case (= ‘your’), designating difference.

Comparative views of Śaṅkara:

This is sūtra 18 in Śaṅkara-bhāṣya. Reading different, viz. ‘Antaryāmyadhidaivādiṣu.....’^[7], i.e. omits ‘lokādiṣu’.

Comparative views of Rāmānuja:

Reading like the Chowkhamba edition.^[8] Interpretation different, viz. exactly like Śrīnivāsa’s. Nimbārka reads ‘lokādiṣu’ in the sūtra, like Rāmānuja, but gives no meaning of the word ‘lokādiṣu’.

Comparative views of Bhāskara and Śrīkaṇṭha:

This is sūtra 18 in his commentary. Reading like the Chowkhamba edition.^[9]

Comparative views of Baladeva:

This is sūtra 18 in his commentary. Reading different, viz. like Śaṅkara’s.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Cf. the different readings:—Kasi Sanskrit Series ed. and Brindaban ed. read ‘adhi-devādi’. [Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series] ed. reads ‘adhidaivādhi’.

[2]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Bhāskara, Śrīkaṇṭha and Baladeva.

[3]:

This is repeated at the end of each verse from Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3-3.7.23.

[4]:

P. 1074, line 5.

[5]:

Op. cit., line 18.

[6]:

The Kāṇva branch designates a being abiding within the earth and the rest (vide Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.3-23). The Mādhyandina branch, after designating a being abiding within the earth and so on (vide Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 14.6.7.7-16), reads three additional texts, viz. ‘He who dwells in all the worlds’, ‘He who dwells in all the Vedas’ and ‘He who dwells in all the sacrifices,’ and in place of ‘He who dwells in intelligence’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.7.22) a text ‘He who dwells in the soul’ (Vide Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 14.6.7.17-30). Note that Nimbārka makes no reference to this Mādhyandina addition in his commentary, although it is clearly indicated in the sūtra by the word ‘lokādiṣu’.

[7]:

Ś.B. 1.2.18, p. 282.

[8]:

Śrī-bhāṣya (Madras edition) 1.2.19, p. 257, vol. 1.

[9]:

Brahma-sūtras (Bhāskara’s Commentary) 1.2.18, p. 43. Brahma-sūtras (Śrīkaṇṭha’s commentary) 1.2.19, p. 368, Part 4.

[10]:

Govinda-bhāṣya 1.2.18 (p. 128, Chap. 1).