Verse 1.128

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 1.128:

स्वमात्रा परमात्रा वा श्रुत्या प्रक्रम्यते यथा ।
तथैव रूढतामेति तया ह्यर्थो विधीयते ॥ १२८ ॥

svamātrā paramātrā vā śrutyā prakramyate yathā |
tathaiva rūḍhatāmeti tayā hyartho vidhīyate || 128 ||

128. Whether everything is of the nature of the Self or of the Supreme, as the word presents it, so it is understood; it is through the word that the object is established.

Commentary

¹According to some, all transformation is a product of the Self. It exists within in every individual, but appears to be external. That something is internal and something else is external is mere usage, based on rooted previous practice. But this is impossible considering that the source of both is one and incorporeal. According to others, all forms of knowledge and all differentiation is a transformation of the inner consciousness and so on. Such are the views of those who hold that everything is a product of the Self. Others, however, think that the Supreme Self is the source of creation which emerges out of it as oil does from the sesame seed. Others still think that the process is like the production of sparks from fire, of masses of cloud from subtle air, of streams of flowing water from the moon-stone, of sāla trees and the like from the earth, of banyan trees with their downward growth from banyan seeds and so on. Such are the views of those who hold that everything is a product of the Supreme Self. The views of those who are for the Self and these who are for the Supreme have to be understood from the Philosophical commentaries. What is meant by ‘as the word presents it’ is this—the word which is within is presented as pleasure or pain in many ways in different beings. Even in such cases as the throwing and falling of stones,² it is so presented according to worldly usage and established practice. What is meant by ‘it is through the word that the object is established is—It is the word which creates the object and preserves it.

Notes

1. The views expressed in this verse and the Vṛtti are not those of Grammarians. It is intended to show here that many views are just creations of words and do not correspond to reality. There are some who hold that everything is a creation of the individual Self while others hold that everything proceeds from the Supreme Self. They are respectively called svamātrāvādinaḥ [svamātrāvādin]. and pāramātrāvādinaḥ [pāramātrāvādin]. Among those who hold that the universe is a product of the individual Self, there are those who do not specify whether, by individual Self, they mean the Intellect (Buddhi) or the individual consciousness. As Vṛ puts it:—caitanyam ekam kāraṇam, pūrvatra tvanirūpito'ntaḥ-sanniveśī puruṣa iti viśeṣaḥ. Among those who declare the Supreme to be the source of everything, those who give the emergence of oil from sesame-seed as example seem to think of gradual creation and those who give the other four examples, of simultaneous creation.

2. Loṣṭakṣepapātādiṣu. Vṛṣabha gives reference to the following passage from M. Bhā. I, p. 123, 1. 11.

“Acetaneṣvapi. Tadyathā. Loṣṭḥ kṣipto bāhuvegaṃ gatvā naiva tiryag gacchati, norddhvam ārohati, pṛthivīvikāraḥ pṛthivīmeva gacchatyāntaryataḥ.”

In the course of the discussion on P. 1.1.50, where we are told that of many possible substitutes, the nearest to the original must be chosen, somebody argues that the word ‘antaratama’, in P. 1.1.50 is unnecessary as the nearest would be adopted in any case, that being the practice in the world, not only among living things, but also among insentient things. To illustrate how even insentient things associate with what is nearest to them, the example of a stone thrown upwards is given. After going up to a certain height according to the strength of the thrower, it does not proceed horizontally, nor does it go further upwards, but being a product of the earth, falls and joins the earth below. Here, however, the throwing upwards of a stone seems to be mentioned in another context. The context is the idea that everything is understood by us and affects us as words present it. As Vṛ. puts it:—“Prāṇidharmeṣvākhyāya bāhyeṣvapi śabdasya vyāpāram āha loṣṭakṣepa iti.” It is, however, a pity that the text of the Paddhati here has not come down to us faithfully, so that the connection between the Bhāṣya context and the present context, as understood by Vṛṣabha does not become clear.