Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya Vartika
by R. Balasubramanian | 151,292 words | ISBN-10: 8185208115 | ISBN-13: 9788185208114
The English translation of Sureshvara’s Taittiriya Vartika, which is a commentary on Shankara’s Bhashya on the Taittiriya Upanishad. Taittiriya Vartika contains a further explanation of the words of Shankara-Acharya, the famous commentator who wrote many texts belonging to Advaita-Vedanta. Sureshvaracharya was his direct disciple and lived in the 9...
Verse 1.161
Sanskrit text and transliteration:
आरम्भो नियमार्थः स्यादात्मज्ञानोदयात्पुरा ।
श्रुतेर्वेदमनूच्येति श्रुतिश्चैवानुशास्ति हि ॥ १६१ ॥
ārambho niyamārthaḥ syādātmajñānodayātpurā |
śrutervedamanūcyeti śrutiścaivānuśāsti hi || 161 ||
English translation of verse 1.161:
The commencement of the śruti text “Having taught the Vedas” is to show that Scripture-enjoined rites have to be performed before the rise of Self-knowledge. Indeed, śruti itself, as well as (smṛti), instructs it.
Notes:
The purport of the eleventh anuvāka is to show that obligatory and occasional rites must be performed before the origination of Brahmanknowledge inasmuch as they are conducive to it. There is, for instance, the Bṛhadāraṇyaka text (IV, iv, 22) which says: “The Brāhmaṇas seek to know it through the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, charity...” In the ninth anuvāka it was pointed out that Scripture-enjoined rites are useful for the attainment of Brahman-knowledge. The exhortation contained in this section is intended to show that the performance of Scripture-enjoined rites is obligatory.
There are two aspects in respect of the injunction which enjoins the performance of rites. One is that obligatory and occasional rites have to be performed (avaśyaṃbhāvena kartavyāni). The other aspect emphasizes that they have to be performed only prior to the origination of Brahman-knowledge (pūrvameva kartavyāni).
Verses (161) to (183) deal with the eleventh anuvāka.