Brahma-Sūtra 3.4.3 (prima facie view, continued)

English of translation of Brahmasutra 3.4.3 by Roma Bose:

“On account of the observation of conduct.”

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

On account of the conduct of Janaka and others as declared by the scriptural text: “Verily, Janaka, the king of Videha, performed a sacrifice in which many presents were given” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.1.1^[1]) and so on.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

If it be objected that in accordance with the aphorisms, viz.: “Not the other, on account of inappropriateness” (Brahma-sūtra 1.1.17),. “And on account of the designation of difference” (Brahma-sūtra 1.1.22), “And on account of inappropriateness, not the embodied one” (Brahma-sūtra 1.2.3) and so on; in accordance with the scriptural texts, viz.: “The eternal among the eternal, the conscious among the conscious, the one among the many, who grants desires” (Kaṭha 5.13; Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad 6.13), “There are two unborn ones, the knower and the non-knower, the lord and the non-lord” (Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad 1.9), “The Lord of matter and soul, the controller of qualities, the cause of transmigratory existence, salvation, continuance and bondage” (Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad 6.16), “He is the cause, the lord of the lord of the sense-organs” (Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad 6.9), “He who is omniscient and all-knowing” (Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad 1.1.9; 2.2.7) and so on; and in accordance with the Smṛti-texts, viz.: ‘“Because I surpass the perishable and am superior to the imperishable also, I am celebrated in world and in the Veda as the highest Person”’ (Gītā 15.18) and so on, the Highest Self, different in nature from the individual soul, has been established as the object to be known. He is not complementary to action. Hence the knowledge relating to Him is not a subsidiary part of action,—

(We reply:) On the ground of the indicatory marks mentioned by the Vedānta-texts themselves, the Vedānta-texts are concerned with the real nature of the agent, different from his body. Those indicatory marks are being stated.

As Janaka and others, possessed of the knowledge of Brahman, are said to perform Sacrifices, etc., with knowledge, by scriptural and Smṛti texts like: “Verily, Janaka, the king of Videha, performed a sacrifice in which many presents were given” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad 3.1.1), “For by work alone Janaka and others attained to perfection” (Gītā 3.20) and so on, knowledge is a subsidiary part of action.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Quoted by Śaṃkara, Quoted by Rāmānuja, Quoted by Bhāskara, Quoted by Baladeva