Brahma-Sūtra 3.3.49 (correct conclusion, continued)

English of translation of Brahmasutra 3.3.49 by Roma Bose:

“Not even on account of resemblance, on account of observation, as in the case of death, nor, verily, (there is any) becoming the world.”

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

Not even on account of their resemblance to the mental cup, they are subordinate members of a sacrifice consisting in action, since they are found to be of the form of meditation. In spite of the resemblance of both fire and the person in the sun to death,—as stated in the texts: “He, verily, is death who is the person within this orb” (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 10.5.2, 3^[1]), “Fire, verily, is death” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.2.10^[2]),—the difference (between them) remains; “nor verity” does fire (actually) become the world in accordance with the passage: “The world, O Gautama, is a fire” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.4.1^[3]).

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

(The author) condemns the statement made above, viz. that like the mental (cup), the fires piled up by the mind and so on too are subsidiary parts of a sacrifice consisting in action.

“Even on account of the resemblance,” in point of being mental, of the fires piled up by the mind and the rest to the mental cup,—mentioned in the text: “With this (earth) as the jug, with the sea as the juice, I take the cup, offered to Prajāpati, for you”,—they are not to be taken as the subsidiary parts of a sacrifice consisting in action. Why? Because we find from Scripture and the rest^[4] that they are subsidiary parts of a sacrifice consisting in meditation. The sense is that a minor resemblance does not invalidate a major difference.

With regard to this, (the author) states a parallel instance: “As in the ease of death”. Just as, though fire and the person within the sun resemble each other in point of being denoted by the same word ‘death’ in the texts: “He, verily, is death who is the person within this orb” (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 10.5.2, 3), “The fire, verily, is death” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.2.10), they are still different from each other; or just as, in accordance with the text: “This world, O Gautama, is the fire” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 5.4.1), the world does not (actually) become the fire,—so though the fires piled up by the mind and so on and the mental cup resemble each other in point of being mental, they still remain mutually different.

Comparative views of Rāmānuja and Śrīkaṇṭha:

Interpretation different. The prima facie objectors say that since the power of the actual fire is transferred to the mental fires (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 10.5.3, 11), the latter must be actual brick-built fires like the former. The answer is: “Not even on account of resemblance (i.e. transference) (an identity) between them results), for (it is) found (that there is transference even when there is no identity), as in the ease of death, for (there is) no attaining the world (of death by the person in the sun)”. That is, the mere transference of the property of one thing to another is by no means an indication of an actual identity between them, for it is found that sometimes such a transference is based on a single point of similarity. E.g. the person within the orb of the same is said to be death (Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa 10.5.2, 3), but there is only one point of resemblance between them, viz. destructive power, and no resemblance in other points. The person within the sun, e.g., does not occupy the world of death.^[5]

Comparative views of Baladeva:

This is sūtra 53 in his commentary. Interpretation absolutely different. The prima facie objector points out that if the vision of the Lord be the cause of salvation^[6], then when the Lord descends on earth as an incarnation, viz. Rāma and so on, everyone who sees Him must become freed immediately. The answer is: “Even on account of the common perception (of the Lord as an incarnation, there is no universal release), like death (which is) not (the cause) of salvation, but) the attainment of (other particular) worlds”. That is, death does not necessarily lead to release, but more often to other worlds like heaven and so on. Similarly, all visions of the Lord are not the cause of release, but the vision of the Lord on earth as an incarnation leads to heavenly regions alone.^[7]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

P. 793, line 5. Also repeated in various places of the same chapter.

[2]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara

[3]:

Quoted by Śaṅkara and Bhāskara.

[4]:

See above Vedānta-kaustubha 3.3.47.

[5]:

Śrī-bhāṣya (Madras edition) 3.3.49, p, 331, Part 2; Brahma-sūtras (Śrīkaṇṭha’s commentary) 3.3.49, p. 369, Parts 10 and 11.

[6]:

Vide Govinda-bhāṣya 3.3.49 above.

[7]:

P. 798, line 17. Quoted by Śaṃkara, Quoted by Rāmānuja, Quoted by Bhāskara, Quoted by Śrīkaṇṭha Correct quotation: “A gniś cita”, in which case the quotation would mean: “This world, verily, is the piled up fire.”