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 IV, Section I, Adhikarana XIII
Adhikarana summary: Sacrificial works not combined with knowledge or meditations also help in the origination of Knowledge
Sutra 4,1.18
यदेव विद्ययेति हि ॥ १८ ॥
yadeva vidyayeti hi || 18 ||
yat-eva—Whatever; vidyayā—with knowledge; iti—thus; hi—because.
18. Because (the statement), “Whatever (he does) with knowledge,” indicates this.
Regular works (Nitya Karma) which help the origination of Knowledge are of two kinds, those combined with meditations, those unaccompanied by them. Since work combined with meditations is superior to work done without meditations, the opponent holds that the former alone helps the origination of Knowledge. This Sutra refutes it and says that in the statement, “That alone which is performed with knowledge . . . becomes more powerful” (Chh. 1. 1. 10), the comparative degree shows that works done without knowledge, that is, not combined wHb meditations, are not altogether useless, though the other class is more powerful.