Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates ‘4.4d. Imperceptible Became Perceptible’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

4.4d. Imperceptible Became Perceptible

A plaintiff accuses that Parabrahman is mentioned in Śrutis as inconceivable, imperceptible, and invisible. Thus, how can one become able to know or perceive Him? At this point, an appealing debate occurs in the Brahmasūtra-1/1/1. The Bhāṣyakāra elaborates it with perfect argumentation and using a set of references.[1] Texts which teach that Brahman[2] is without qualities teach that it is free from all evil qualities.

Similarly, other texts declare that having a form is his essential nature. It is the Brahman that is to be beheld; it is the Brahma that is to be known; it is the Brahman that is to be searched for; it is the Brahman which is to be heard about; it is the Brahman which is to be thought in mind; it is the Brahman which is to be meditated upon. There is nothing else worthwhile thinking, nothing else worthwhile possessing because Brahman and Parabrahman are the highest supreme entities to attain. If we don’t understand Brahman as a knowable entity then the Śrutis that insist that Brahman is perceptible and knowable must object.[3]

This means of knowledge is also explored at various places in the Prasthānatrayī Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya:

‘In the congregation of living entities, he sees the highest of the high and the person is hidden in the persons’(Praśna-upaniṣad 5/5),

‘When the seer sees the brilliant maker and lord (of the world)’(Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/1/3),

‘A yogī who is in union with the supreme seeing every being with an equal eye’(Bhagavad-Gītā 6/29),

One, who sees Me everywhere and in everything (Bhagavad-Gītā 6/29) etc.

The findings of the current study have a different perspective than the other Indian schools of philosophies. As far as perception is concerned, the Bhāṣyakāra is providing a novel contribution to the Vedāntic tradition. He emphasizes the grace of Parabrahman than our māyic senses. To conclude this section, in the analysis of the Prasthānatrayī Svāminārāyaṇa literature, we observe that, in order to classifiy perception, the Bhāṣyakāra also goes into full details.[4]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

nanutadvā etakṣaraṃ gārgyadṛṣṭaṃ draṣṭraśrutaṃ śrotramataṃ mantravijñānaṃ vijñātṛ)’bra. 3/ 8/ 11(, ‘parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate | yattadadreśyamagrāhmam)’mu. 1/ 1/ 5, 6 (iti, tathā cayato vāco nivartante | aprāpya manasā saha)’tai. 2/ 4/ 1, tai. 2/ 9/ 1(, ‘na tatra cakṣurgacchati na vāg gacchati nau manaḥ)’ke. 1/ 3 (/ityadāvakṣarabrahmaṇaḥ parabrahmaṇśca vāṅmanaādyaviṣayatvaśravaṇād vyartha eva tadviśeṣavijñānaprayojanako'yaṃ śāstrārambhaśrama iti ced, anadhigataśrutyarthasyā'yaṃ vyartha ākṣepaśramaḥ | yato'nāptabrahmasvarūpasamāśrayaṇasyā'ta evā'nāptā'kṣarabrahmasādharmyasya paramātmasahajānandaparamopāsanahīnasya laukikaviṣayaiṣiṇo jīveśvarasamudāyasyaiva tatprākṛtacakṣurmānasādīndriyā'viṣayatāyāstatropadeśād | anyathābrahmavidāpneti param)’tai. 2/ 1/ 1(, ‘ya etadakṣaraṃ gārgi viditvā'smāllokātpraiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ)’bṛ. 3/ 8/ 10(, ‘etaddhyevā'kṣaraṃ jñātvā yo yadicchati tasya tat)’kaṭha. 2/ 16(,‘akṣaraṃ vedayate yastu)’pra. 4/ 10, 11(, ‘tadetadakṣaraṃ brahma, tadetat satyaṃ tadetadamṛtaṃ tad veddhavyaṃ somya viddhi)’mu. 2/ 2/ 2(, ‘brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati)’mu. 3/ 2/ 9 (ityadīnāmakṣarabrahmajñānaviṣayatāprabodhinīnāṃ, ‘taṃ vedaṃ puruṣaṃ veda)’pra. 6/ 6(, ‘ya etadevaṃ vidvān)’chā. 1/ 9/ 2(, ‘dṛśyate tvagrayā buddhyā sūkṣmayā sūkṣmadarśibhiḥ)’kaṭha. 5/ 13(, ‘adhyātmayogādhigamena devaṃ matvā)’kaṭha. 2/ 12(, ‘taṃ paśyati niṣkalaṃ dhyāyamānaḥ’)mu. 3/ 1/ 8‘(yatte rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyati)’ī. 16(, ‘bhidyate hṛdayagranthiśchidyante sarvasaṃśayaḥ | kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi tasmin dṛṣṭe parāvare)’mu. 2/ 2/ 8(, ‘ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyaḥ)’bṛ. 2/ 4/ 5, bṛ. 4/ 5/ 6 (ityadīnāmakṣarādhipaterjñānaviṣayatāvācinīnāṃ ca bhagavatīśrutīnām upadeśavaiyyarthyaṃ tadvirodhī vā syāt |

[2]:

In this context Brhaman refers for both Brhaman and Parabrahman.

[3]:

Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, pp. 11-12

[4]:

pratyakṣaṃ dvividhaṃ jñeyaṃ laukikaṃ ca hyalaukikam |
ādyamindriyasāpekṣaṃ baddhajīveśvarātmanām ||236 ||
indriyanirapekṣaṃ syād muktānāṃ yogināṃ tathā |
dvitīyaṃ tat kṛpālabdhamakṣaraparamātmanoḥ ||237 ||
sāpekṣaṃ dvividhaṃ jñeyaṃ bāhyamābhyantaraṃ tathā |
samanaścakṣurādīnāṃ bāhyaṃ viṣayasaṃgataḥ || 238 ||
bāhyendriyā'napekṣaṃ yadantaḥ smṛtyadi mānasam |
ṣaḍvidhakāraṇā'pekṣaṃ tadapi ṣaḍvidhaṃ bhavet ||239 ||
saṃskāramātrajanyaṃ yajjñānaṃ smaraṇamucyate |
viṣayo nā'gṛhīto'tra gṛhītagrāhikā smṛtiḥ ||240 ||

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