Brahma-Sūtra 3.3.38

English of translation of Brahmasutra 3.3.38 by Roma Bose:

“(The attributes of having true) desire and so on (are to be inserted) elsewhere (i.e. in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka) and there (i.e. in the Chāndogya), on account of abode and so on.”

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

In the Chāndogya, in the text beginning: “Now, that which is within this city of Brahman is a small lotus-chamber. Small is the ether within that. What is within that should be searched out” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.1^[1]) and continuing: “This soul is free from sins” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.5^[2]), it is declared that the Highest Self, possessed of the attributes of having true “desire and so on” is the object to be worshipped. And in the Vājasaneyaka, in the text: “He, verily, is the great, unborn self, who is this one consisting of knowledge among the vital-breaths, who lies in the ether within the heart, the controller of all, the Lord of all” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22^[3]), it is declared that the Highest Self, possessed of the attributes of being the controller and so on, is the object to be worshipped. Here the vidyās are identical. Hence the attributes of having true desires and the rest are to be included in the Vājasa-neyaka, and those of being the controller and so on in the Chāndogya. Why? On account of the non-difference of abode and so on.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

How, (the author) points out that when owing to the nondifference of forms, the vidyās, mentioned in even different treatises, are not different, how much more it is the case that the vidyās, demonstrated by two sections of the same treatise, are not different owing to the non-difference of forms.

Having designated the Highest Self by the term ‘ether’ in the passage: “Now, that which is within this city of Brahman is a small lotus-chamber, small is the ether within that. What is within that should be searched for” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.1), the Chandogas go on to mention His special characteristics by means of eight attributes, thus: “This soul is free from sins, without old age, without death, without grief, without hunger, without thirst, having true desires, having true resolves” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.5).

Having stated: “He, verily, is the great, unborn self, who is this one consisting of knowledge among the vital-breaths, who lies in the ether within the heart” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22), the Vājasaneyins too go on to mention His special characteristics by means of the attributes of being a controller and so on, thus: “The controller of all, the ruler of all” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22).

Here the doubt is, viz. whether the vidyās of the Chandogas and the Vājasaneyins are different, or whether they are identical. On the suggestion, viz. In the one case, the object to be meditated on is the Highest Self, denoted by the term ‘ether’ and possessed of the attributes of freedom from sins and so on; while in the other case, the object to be meditated on is one who abides within a special kind of ether and is possessed of the attributes of being a controller and so on. This being so, owing to the difference of forms, there results difference of the objects to be known, and hence the vidyās differ,—

We reply: The vidyās are identical, owing to the non-difference of forms. So says (the author): “Desire and the rest”. “Desire and the rest,” i.e. the group of attributes like having true desires and so on, mentioned in the Chāndogya text; “Free from sins” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.5) and so on, is to be inserted “elsewhere”, i.e. in the Vājasaneyaka. “And here,” i.e. and in the Chāndogya, the group of attributes like being the controller and so on, mentioned in the Yājasaneyaka text, is to be inserted. This being so, the form is not different; that being so, there is identity of the objects to be meditated on and hence the vidyās are identical.

(The author) states the reasons for this mutual insertion of attributes: “On account of abode and so on”, i.e. on account of the nondifference, in both the cases, of the abode, viz. the heart;^[4] of the designation of Brahman, the object to be meditated on, as a bridge;^[5] and of the connection with the fruit, viz. the attainment of Brahman, mentioned in the passages: “Having attained the form of highest light, he is completed in his own form” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.4.4), “He becomes the fearless Brahman” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 4.4.25).

Comparative views of Śaṅkara:

This is sūtra 39 in his commentary. He takes it as forming an adhikaraṇa by itself. He begins by explaining the sūtra exactly like Nimbārka, viz. that there is identity of the vidyās here and hence the attributes are to be mutually combined. But in conclusion he adds that there is, however, a difference between the two passages, viz. that the Chāndogya text refers to the qualified Brahman, the Bṛhadāraṇyaka text to the highest Brahman.^[6]

Comparative views of Śrīkaṇṭha:

He reads: “Kāmādayas tatra tatra”. Interpretation same, only while Nimbārka speaks of only two Upaniṣads, he speaks of three, viz. Chāndogya, Bṛhadāraṇyaka and Māhā-nārāyaṇa (Mahānārāyaṇa-upaniṣad 10.7), and points out that all these three passages refer to the same vidyā.^[7] He takes it as forming an adhikaraṇa by itself.

Comparative views of Baladeva:

This is sūtra 40 in his commentary. He begins a new adhikaraṇa here (two sūtras) concerned with Śrī, the eternal consort of the Lord. According to him, the words ‘sā eva’ are to be supplied here from the preceding sūtra. Hence the sūtra: “She (viz. the parā-śakti of the Lord) alone (is Śrī), (who creates all) objects of desire and so on elsewhere (i.e. in the material world) and here (i.e. in the city of the Lord or Saṃvyoma), (for the Lord) since (she is) all-pervading (“āya”), spreading out (“tana”) (bliss and release for the devotees) and so on”.^[8]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Bhāskara and Śrīkaṇṭha.

[2]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara.

[3]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara, Baladeva, Bhāskara and Śrīkaṇṭha.

[4]:

Vide Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.1.1; Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22. See the quotations above.

[5]:

Vide Chāndogya-upaniṣad 8.4.1; Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 4.4.22.

[6]:

Brahma-sūtras (Śaṅkara’s commentary) 3.3.38, p. 820, “Ayaṃ tu atra vidyate viśeṣaḥ, saguṇā hi Brahma-vidyā Chāndogye Upadiśyate,... Vājasaneyake tu nirguṇam eva paraṃ Brahmopadiśyamānaṃ dṛśyate”.

[7]:

Quoted by Śrīkaṇṭha 3.3.38, p. 350, Parts 10 and 11.

[8]:

Govinda-bhāṣya 3.3.40, pp. 182-184, Chap. 3