Brahma-Sūtra 3.1.1

English of translation of Brahmasutra 3.1.1 by Roma Bose:

“In obtaining (a body) different from that (the soul) hastens closely embraced, from question and determination.”

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

The interpretation of the Brahma-sūtras, entitled the Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha, composed by the reverend Nimbārka.

The object to be established (viz. Brahman) being definitely ascertained by means of concordance and non-contradiction,^[1] now the means (sādhanas) are being determined. Here with a view to generating dispassion, the author is, first, exhibiting the soul’s going to and returning from the heaven and the rest. The individual soul, having the stated marks^[2] and possessed of the vital-breath, discarding the present body, goes to another body, as “closely embraced” indeed by the subtle elements. This is known “from question to determination”, viz.: ‘Do you know how in the fifth oblation water comes to have the speech of man?’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.3.3^[3]) and so on.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

The object to be resorted to, an ocean of all auspicious attributes, free by nature from all faults and the object which one should desire to enquire after—being determined in the two preceding chapters, now, on an enquiry into the means of attaining Him, the means are being designated. The first quarter of this first chapter, which explans the meaning of several Vedānta texts and removes a variety of doubts, tries to generate a strong feeling of disgust towards mundane existence by demonstrating the imperfections of the world. The second quarter tries to generate a yearning for Brahman by demonstrating His attributes. In the third quarter, discussions about; the difference or non-difference among the meditations on Brahman, as well as the determination of the combination or non-combination of details therein, are undertaken. In the fourth quarter, on the other hand, the doubt being, viz. whether the highest end of men is derived from knowledge or from action, it is established that the highest end of man arises from knowledge, while work, which is without any desire for fruits, is a subsidiary part of knowledge.

To begin: In accordance with the texts: ‘Then these vital-breaths gather round him’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.1), ‘It makes another newer...^[4] form’ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.4) the individual soul, accompanied by the vital-breath, the sense-organs and so on, having discarded the prior body, obtains another body with a view to enjoying the fruits of the works done by itself. Here a doubt arises, viz. whether it goes closely embraced by the subtle elements which are the seeds of the future body, or not so embraced? If the prima facie view be: In accordance with the view of the Sāṃkhyas, viz,: ‘Wherever, in heaven or in hell., the fruits of work are undergone, there alone the particles of elements, originating the body which is the abode for undergoing the fruits of works, are obtained’, the soul is accompanied by these—the author states the correct conclusion.

The individual soul “hastens”, i.e. goes, “closely embraced”, i.e. surrounded indeed by the subtle elements, the substratum of the vital-breath and the rest and the seeds of the future body, “in obtaining (a body) different from that”, i.e. when entering another body. Why? “On account of question and determination.” The question, to begin with, is contained under the knowledge of five fires,^[5] thus: ‘“Do you know how in the fifth oblation water comes to have the speech of man?”’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.3.3). “Determination” means answer, and it, beginning thus: ‘“In this fire the gods offer reverence. From that offering Soma, the king, arises”’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.4.2) and so on, establishes that water alone, offered to the heaven-world and so on, becomes denotable by that term thus: ‘“In the fifth oblation water comes to have the speech of man”’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.9.1). The sense is this: ‘The gods’, i.e. the vital-breaths which are the associates of the individual soul, ‘offer’, i.e. throw, ‘reverence’ to the heaven-world, imagined as fire; and that is transformed into an immortal body, called ‘Soma, the king’. Those very gods offer that body to the fire of cloud; and that body, offered thereto, becomes rain. The very same gods offer that rain to the fire of earth; and that, offered thereto, assumes the form of food. The very same gods offer that food to the fire of person; and offered thereto, that food assumes the form of semen. The very same gods offer that semen to the fire of woman, and that semen, offered thereto, becomes an embryo and obtains the name of a person. In this way, water comes to attain the name of a person. Although acquainted with all this, the king Pravāhaṇa, having put to Śvetaketu the questions about the goal of workers, asked this too thus: ‘Do you know how in the fifth oblation water comes to have the speech of man?’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.3.3). Thus asked, Śvetaketu, approaching his father Gautama, said: ‘I have been asked thus by the king, I do not know its answer’. Gautama, himself not knowing it, approached the king and said: ‘Impart that knowledge to us’. Thereupon the king answered Gautama. From such question and answer, it is definitely ascertained that the individual soul goes to another body as closely embraced indeed by the invisible subtle elements.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The concordance of all the scriptural texts with regard to Brahman has been demonstrated in the first chapter; and the non-contradiction in the doctrine of the causality of Brahman, in the second.

[2]:

Vide Brahma-sūtra 2.3.16ff.

[3]:

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

[4]:

“A more auspicious.”

[5]:

Pañcāgni-vidyā. Vide Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.3-5.10.