Sixth Adhyaya, Ninth Khanda (4 mantras)

Mantra 6.9.1.

1. As the bees, my child, make honey by collecting the juice of different trees and bring together and mix them in one place.—446.

Mantra 6.9.2.

2. And as these juices have no discrimination, so that they might say, “I am the juice of this tree, I am the juice of that tree,” in the same manner, my child, all these creatures, when they get mixed in the Sat, do not know that they have got mixed in the Sat.—447.

Mantra 6.9.3.

3. Whatever these creatures are here, whether a tiger or a lion, or a wolf, or a boar, or a worm, or an insect, or a gnat, or a mosquito, that they become again and again.—448.

Mantra 6.9.4.

4. (That highest God is) the Essence and Ruler of all, the desired of all, and known through the subtlest intellect. All this universe is controlled by Him, He pervades it all and is the Good. This God is the destroyer of all and full of perfect qualities. Thou O Śvetaketu art not that God (why then this conceit).

“Please Sir, instruct me still more” said the son. “Be it so, my child,” replied the father.—449.

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

At the end of the last Khaṇḍa Śvetaketu says “Please Sir, explain to me further” Saṅkara takes this question to mean that Śvetaketu puts the following question “I am not quite sure of what you say, seeing that every day all creatures, during deep sleep, reaching Pure Being do not know that they have reached the Being; therefore, please explain it to me by further illustrations.” This explanation is, wrong. For if it were correct, then, the scripture would not have mentioned. “And as these juices have no discrimination, so that they might say, I am the juice of this tree or that.” Nor the illustration of river and ocean becomes relevant according to this explanation. Saṅkara says that the illustration of river and ocean is given in answer to the question of the son which was to the following effect:—“Just as in the world one who is asleep in his house rises and goes to another village, knows that he has come away from his own home, why should not the creatures, in the same manner, be conscious of the fact of their having come from the pure Being?” Had this been the meaning of the question, then the scripture would have mentioned As those rivers when they come out of the ocean do not know that they have come out of the ocean,” but instead of this, it says “as those rivers, when they are in the sea do not know, I am this or that river.” In fact, according to Śaṅkara’s explanation there is no difference between the first illustration of juice of the flowers and the second of the rivers. For in both cases, it comes to the same conclusion. The Commentator now explains the true meaning of the question of Śvetaketu:—

The son asks again “If there is a Higher Being, within me in this body, who is separate from my self, but who regulates my activities, how is it that lie is not perceived by me?” This is the question which the son asks again. To this the father replies “though he is not perceived by the ignorant, yet O son, He exists within thee, so do not say there is not difference between Him and thee. Do not think, that because thou dost not perceive Him, as separate in thy consciousness; therefore He must be thyself As the juices of various flowers are separate from the flowers which are their sources, but through ignorance they do not know that source, so the souls do not know their source the Lord Viṣṇu who is separate from them.”

The reasoning is this; the son says, if there is a Higher Self within me that Self must be known to me, if it is distinct from me; but as it is not so known, it must be identical with me. For anything that is not known as separate in consciousness, must be identical with it. The answer to this is, that the ignorance of one’s source does not mean that there is not any such source, or that the source must be identical with it. The juice of the honey, brought by the bees from various flowers, become all united in the common honey cell and there, they do not know from what flower they were brought. Therefore, it does not follow that there were no separate flowers, from which each little drop of juice came. Similarly, though the souls do not know their origin, it does not follow that there is no such origin. Only the ignorant souls do not know their origin. The wise know it. This illustration, further shows that the Jīvas, when collected together in the Brahman, in deep sleep, do not remember their separate selves from which they were brought, the separate flowers of which they are the honey, because they have not developed their consciousness to that extent so as to respond to Brāhmic vibrations; but the wise having developed their souls, retain their consciousness, when they merge into Brahman.

Though thus taught by the father, the son again asks him “how conscious beings become unconscious in deep sleep.” This is the purport of the second repetition.

The second question is based on the following idea. The flowers are unconscious beings, so also their juice. There is no wonder that the juice remains unconscious when brought into the honey cell. But Jīvas are conscious entities. In fact, consciousness is their very essence. Brahman is also the Highest conscious entity. One light entering into another light does not lose its luminousity. How do then Jīvas become unconscious, when they enter into the Highest Consciousness.