Adkikarana IV — The Superintending Devas are denoted

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Adkikarana IV — The Superintending Devas are denoted

by terms like Fire, Earth, etc.

Objection: Let it be so. But how do you reconcile the absurd sayings of the Vedas, such as the following:

«The Fire willed let me become many; the Waters willed let us become many. « — Chhandogya Upanishad, VI., 4., etc.

«These Pranas quarrelling among themselves went to Brahma and asked who was the best amongst them». — Br Up.

The elements like fire, etc., are non-sentient objects, and to say that they willed or quarreled, is as reasonable as to say that the sons of a barren woman held a discussion. Therefore one portion of the Vedas being proved un-authoritative, the portion relating to Brahman being the cause of the world is also without authority. The Pradhana is, therefore, the cause of the. world.

Reply: To this the author replies by the following Sutra:

SUTRA II. 1. 5.

अभिमानिव्यपदेशस्तु विशेषानुगतिभ्याम्॥२.१.५॥

abhimānivyapadeśastu viśeṣānugatibhyām ..2.1.5..

.. Abhimani, the presiding deity of the elements, etc. ..: Vyapadeshah), pointing out’ of, denotation of. .. Tu but. .. Vishesha, on account of distinction, because of being so qualified. The epithets applied to these elements show that the superintending Devas are meant. .. Anugatibhyam, on account of their entering. The subsequent passage expressly shows that the Devas entered into them.

5. The words fire, etc., however, denote there the superintending Devas, because the epithet «Deva» is mentioned there, and the statement that they entered these elements prove it also. — 141.

COMMENTARY

The word «Tu» shows that the doubt above raised is being removed. In the phrases «the fire willed», etc., the conscious superintending Devas of these elements are meant, and not the unconscious elements. Why do you say so? Because of the specific epithet «Deva» is given therein. In those very passages we find that Fire, etc., are called Devas. Thus the whole passage is given below to understand the argument.

1. The Sat alone was in the beginning, one only, without an equal. About this the others say, the Asat alone existed in the beginning, one only without a second. From that Asat was produced the Sat.

2. «But, O child, how could it be thus?» said the father. «How from Asat should be born the Sat? Therefore, the Sat alone existed, O child, in the beginning, one only, without an equal».

3. He thought, «I shall assume many forms and create beings». He created Fire. The Fire thought, «I shall assume many forms and create beings». That created the waters.

4. The Waters thought, «We shall assume many forms and create beings». They created the Food.

5. That God thought, «These three Devatas are well-created; nan I shall enter into them with that aspect of mine called the Living Self, and shall develop name and form».

Thus the specific epithet of the Devata is applied to these three, and so they cannot mean inanimate elements, but are sentient beings, or cosmic Intelligences.

Similarly, the quarrel about the Pranas refers to the Devatas, as the following extract will show:

Next follows the recognition of the pre-eminence of the Prana by the other Devatas. All the Devatas contending with one another to assert their own pre-eminence, went out of the body. It lay like a piece of wood. Then speech entered into it. It spoke and lay down still. Then the eye entered into it, when it spoke and saw, but still lay down. Then the ear entered into it, when it spoke, saw and heard, but still lay down. Then the mind entered into it, when it spoke, saw, heard, and thought, but still lay down. Then the Prana entered into it, when it immediately got up. All these Devas knowing the Prana to be pre-eminent and fully comprehending Him as the Conscious Self went out of this world with all these — Kaushitaki Upanishad, II., 9.

Thus here also the epithet Deva is applied to these senses. Consequently the quarrel was among the Devas of the senses and not between unconscious sense organs.

Not only the specific epithet Deva is applied to these, but in another Upanishad we find that the Devas entered into these elements, etc., in order to regulate their activities. Thus in the Aitareya Aranyaka, II., 4. 2. 4:

1. Those Devatas, Agni and the rest, after they had been created, fell into this great ocean.

4. Then Agni having become speech, entered the mouth. Vsh.yu having become scent, entered the nostrils. Aditya having become sight, entered the eyes. The Dish, having become hearing, entered the ears.

Thus it shows that the superintending Devas of senses are meant by the terms Agni, etc. This entering of the Devas constitutes another reason for holding that sentient entities are meant, and not unconscious elements, etc. Similarly, the Bhavishya Purana is to the same effect:

The superintending Devas of the earth, etc., possessed of mighty powers, and inconceivable energies, are actually seen by the sages.

Similarly, the phrase «the stones float, etc. «, are to be explained as praises of the Devas within them. And, as a matter of fact, they did float on the water when Shri Rama bridged the ocean. The Devas held up the stones and made them float on water. Thus there is nothing un-authoritative in the Vedas. Consequently, the Vedanta teaching, that Brahman is the sole cause of the universe, is firmly established, and is not open to objections raised by the Sankhya.

Adhikarana V — Brahman is the material came

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