Brahman is not inexpressible by words, because it is seen that he is so expressly taught in the Vedas. — 5.

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SUTRA I. 1. 5.

ईक्षतेर्नाशब्दम् ॥१.१.५॥

īkṣaternāśabdam ..1.1.5..

… Ikshateh, because it is seen, .. Na, not. … Ashabdam, inexpressible.

Note — Here also is akshepa-sangati.

COMMENTARY

The word ‘ashabdam’ of the Sutra means that in which or about which the word cannot penetrate or express. Brahman is not ‘ashabdam’. On the contrary, He is ‘shabdam’ or expressed by words. Why? Ikshateh «because it is seen». Because we see in the Upanishad itself that the suggestive designation of ‘Aupanishad’ is given to Brahman. Which means, Brahman is known through the Upanishad words. As we find in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

I ask thee about that person whom Upanishads teach. (Br., III., 9. 26).

Here the person to be enquired into is called Aupanishada — known through Upanishad.

The word ‘Ikshateh’ is formed by the affix ‘tip’ with the force of passive (Bhava). (The proper affix ‘te’.) The anomaly is Vedic.

That Brahman is expressible by words, we find from the following Shrutis also: — … ‘whom all the Vedas declare, etc’. (Katha, Up., II., 15.)

True, Brahman is said to be «Ashabdam», «ineffable», only in this sense that he is not completely expressible by words. Thus, as the mountain Meru is said to be invisible, ia the sense that no one can see all its parts, but does not mean, that it is entirely invisible, so Brahman is said to be indescribable or inexpressible, in the sense that He is not completely describable. For had he been totally unknowable, then in the Kena Upanishad we would not have found it said, «Know Him to be as Brahman»; for how could one know the unknowable? Moreover, in the phrase ‘…’ etc., «from whom the speech turns back, etc»., the word Yatah shows that the speech does reach Him after realising Him a little; the same idea is expressed by the word Aprapya «not attaining».

Moreover, Brahman reveals Himself through the Vedas. This idea does not conflict with the notion of Brahman being self-revealed. For the Vedas are in a way the body of Brahman. Consequently Brahman is describable by words.

Doubt: May it not be so that Brahman is inexpressible by words? The being who is describable by words and who is referred to in the Vedas by Ikshati is Saguna Brahman. Such a Brahman, the Vedas reveal, as they are expression of His powers. While as regards the pure infinite Brahman, those passages refer to Him only figuratively.

To this the next Sutra answers thus:

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