Brahma Sutras (Shankara Bhashya)

by Swami Vireshwarananda | 1936 | 124,571 words | ISBN-10: 8175050063

This is the English translation of the Brahma-sutras including the commentary (Bhashya) of Shankara. The Brahma-sutra (or, Vedanta-sutra) is one of the three canonical texts of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and represents an early exposition the Vedantic interpretation of the Upanishads. This edition has the original Sanskrit text, the r...

Chapter II, Section III, Adhikarana XII

Adhikarana summary: The nature of the individual soul is intelligence

Brahma-Sutra 2.3.18: Sanskrit text and English translation.

ज्ञोऽत एव ॥ १८ ॥

jño’ta eva || 18 ||

jñaḥ—Intelligence; ata eva—for this very reason.

18. For, this very reason (viz. that it is not created), (the individual soul is) intelligence (itself).

The Vaiseshikas say that the individual soul is not intelligent by nature, for it is not found to be so in the state of deep sleep (Sushupti) or of swoon. It is only when the soul comes to the conscious plane and unites with the mind that it becomes intelligent. This Sutra refutes such a possibility, for it is the intelligent Brahman Itself that, being limited by the CJpadhis (limiting adjuncts), the body etc., manifests ias the individual soul. Therefore intelligence is its very nature, and is never altogether destroyed, not even in the state of deep sleep or swoon. “That it does not see in that state is because although seeing then, it does not see; for the vision of the witness can never be lost, because it is immortal. But there is not that second thing separate from it which it can see” (Brih. 4. 3. 23). Therefore it is not true that its intelligence is lost, for it is impossible. It does not in reality lose its power of seeing; it does not see only because there is no object to see. Were intelligence actually non-existent then, who would be there to say that it did not exist ? How could it be known ? Moreover, he who says that he did not know anything in deep sleep, must have been existent at that time. Otherwise how could he remember the condition of that state ? Hence the intelligence of the Self is never lost under any condition.

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