Brahma-Sūtra 1.3.1

English of translation of Brahmasutra 1.3.1 by Roma Bose:

“The support of the heaven, the earth and the rest (is Brahman alone), on account of the term ‘own’.”

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

“The support of the heaven, the earth and the rest”, stated in the passage: ‘In whom the heaven’ (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 2.2.5^[1]) and so on, is Brahman, “on account of the term ‘own’”, i.e. on account of the word ‘soul’ and the rest which are denotative of Brahman.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

Now the reverend author of the aphorisms is showing that to be the support of the three worlds, too, is possible on the part of the Lord alone who has the heaven for His head and so on and is the soul of the three worlds.

In the Muṇḍaka, we read: ‘He in whom the heaven, the earth and the sky are woven, and the mind together with all the vital-breaths,—Him. alone know as the one soul; give up other worlds. He is the bridge to immortality’ (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 2.2.5). Here a doubt arises—viz. whether that which is indicated as the support of the heaven and the rest by the locative ‘in whom’ is pradhāna or the individual soul, or the Supreme Soul, the cause of the birth and the rest of the world. What is suggested here to begin with? The prima facie view is as follows: Let pradhāna be the support. As it is found that an effect arises from and dissolves into its own cause, it is reasonable to hold that it has its own cause as its support. (This is so), also on account of the scriptural mention of ‘bridge’. To be a bridge means to be limited; but Brahman is not limited as declared by the text: ‘Infinite, boundless’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 2.4.12). The term ‘self’ loo may be applied to pradhāna thus:—

Pradhāna is the self, because of being the benefactor of the soul. Whoever is the benefactor of some one else is his self; just as (when it is said:) ‘Verily, Bhadrasena is my self’. Or, else, let the individual soul be the support, as there is the mention of the word ‘soul’ in the text,—the word ‘soul’ denotes the individual soul primarily, since it is a sentient being;—as the soul is mentioned in Scripture as the support of sense-organs like mind and the rest; as the soul is said to be connected with the vein, as well as to be born, in the passage: ‘Where the veins have congregated together like the spokes in the nave of a wheel, he moves about within, becoming manifold’ (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 2.2.6); and, finally, to be the support of the entire universe, the object to be enjoyed, fits in on the soul’s part, it being an enjoyer.

We reply: “The support of the heaven, and the earth and the rest” is none but the Supreme Brahman. That is, ‘dyau’ and ‘bhu’ (make) ‘dyubhṇvauḥ that which begins with ‘dyu-bhuvau’ is ‘dyu-bhuvāu ādi’, i.e. all the things beginning with the heaven, and ending with the vital-breath,—their support is the Highest Self. Why? “On account of the term ‘own’”, i.e. on account of the term ‘soul’, denotative of itself, viz. of the Supreme Soul, the topic of discussion, and characterized by an adjective as stated in the passage: ‘Him alone know as the one soul; give up other worlds’ (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 2.2.5),—here, from the adjective ‘one’ which denotes the Lord, the.soul of all, it is known that the ‘soul’ is the Supreme Soul;—also on account of the word ‘bridge’, mentioned in the passage: ‘The bridge to immortality’ (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 2.2.5); i.e. the ‘bridge’ or the support meaning the cause of attaining ‘immortality’ or salvation. In another scriptural text, viz. ‘By knowing him thus, one becomes immortal on earth’ (Taittirīya-āraṇyaka 3.12^[2]), He alone is celebrated to be the cause of the attainment of immortality. Connection with the artery, too, is possible on the part of the Supreme Soul, in accordance with the scriptural text: ‘But surrounded by the veins he hangs like a sheath’ (Mahāhār. 11.9). In accordance with the following scriptural and Smṛti texts, viz. ‘Not born, he is born in many ways’ (Vājasaneya-saṃhitā 31.169^[3]; Taittirīya-āraṇyaka 3.13.1^[4]), ‘Though unborn, the unchangeable soul’ (Gītā 4.6), it is also possible for Him to be born in many ways. Finally, to be the support of the instruments of the individual soul, too, is possible on the part of the Supreme Soul who is the support of all. The following aphorisms^[5], secondary in nature, are but amplifications of this primary aphorism.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

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

[2]:

P. 199.

[3]:

P. 857, line 17.

[4]:

P. 201.

[5]:

Viz. Brahma-sūtra 1.3.2-7.