akṣaradhiyāṃ tvavirodhaḥ sāmānyatadbhāvābhyāmaupasadavattaduktam ..3.3.34..

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SUTRA III. 3. 34.

अक्षरधियां त्वविरोधः सामान्यतद्भावाभ्यामौपसदवत्तदुक्तम्॥३.३.३४॥

akṣaradhiyāṃ tvavirodhaḥ sāmānyatadbhāvābhyāmaupasadavattaduktam ..3.3.34..

Akshara-dhiyam, of those (qualities) which inform about the Imperishable Brahman, … Tu, while, but. … Avarodhah, acceptance: comprising, combination. … Samanya, because of the uniformity, the sameness, the equality. ... Tad-bhavabhyam, and his qualities, … Aupasadavat, as in the case of Aupasad Mantras, Tad, that. … Uktam, has been explained.

34. But these qualities which give information about the Akshara Brahman, are to be comprised in meditating on Him as a Form, because of the uniformity of His nature as in the case of what belongs to the Upasad. This has been mentioned before. — 395.

Note. — Dr. Thibaut translates this Sutra thus: But the conceptions of the Imperishable are to be comprised in all meditations. There being equality of the Brahman to be meditated on, and those conceptions existing in Brahman; as in the case of what belongs to the Upasad. This has been explained.

COMMENTARY

The word «Tu» refutes the above Purvapakshin. All these conceptions of «not being coarse, etc»., described in relation to the Akshara Brahman ought to be comprised in all meditations on Brahman. Why? Because all the Vedic texts refer to Brahman alone: such as the following Shruti (Katha Upanishad, I., 2. 15).

Yama said: That Word which all the Vedas record, which all penances proclaim, which men desire when they live as religious students, that Word I tell thee briefly, ‘it is Om’.

The essential nature of Brahman, who is the object of meditation taught by all Vedic texts, is uniform and the same throughout. Therefore, all these attributes of non-coarseness, etc., applied to Akshara Brahman, must be thought of in meditating on him as a form.

The sense is this. In the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, I. 11., it is said that release is obtained through knowledge:

When that, God is known, all fetters fall off, sufferings are destroyed, and birth and death cease. From meditating on Him there arises, on the dissolution of the body, third state, that of universal lordship; but be only who is alone, is satisfied.

This knowledge means conception of God not as an ordinary object, but an extraordinary Being, possessing paradoxical attributes. Otherwise, if Brahman is thought of as an ordinary being, then it will lead to many inconsistencies, and the knowledge of Brahman so gained will not be a right conception. Therefore, the form of Brahman possesses not only bliss knowledge, all-pervadingness, etc., but it is qualified by the negative attributes of «not being coarse nor fine», etc., also when the Form is meditated on with all these qualities, such meditation leads to true knowledge, and is not like ordinary knowledge, because the latter cannot lead to Mukti. Such paradoxical knowledge differentiates Brahman from all other beings and objects. Thus it has been demonstrated, that this Vigraha or Form possesses all supernatural attributes, far removed from anything material and debasing.

He is verily neither an angel (Deva) nor a demon (Asura), neither a mortal man nor an animal. He is neither a female nor a eunuch, nor a male nor a living being. This Brahman is neither attribute, nor action, neither being nor non-being. He is that which remains after all negations. May this endless Being be ever victorious.

Thus the elephant, attacked by the alligator, praised with the above verse the Supreme Brahman, showing him as devoid of coarseness, etc. Though thus prayed to, the story mentions that the Lord Hari appeared in His usual form before the elephant, and gave him release. If the Lord were formless, and if the above attributes of non-grossness, etc., did not belong to His form, then He would not have thus appeared before the elephant, because he (the elephant) had not addressed his prayers to any being with form, but to one formless Entity, who was neither Deva nor Asura, etc. Therefore, the form in which the Lord appeared before the elephant, must be the form that possessed all the attributes mentioned in the above prayer. Otherwise, there would have arisen only mere knowledge in the mind of the elephant, a mere consciousness of some vague and vast existence, who had come in response to his prayers, and it would not have been a visible perception, but a mere conception. In the above verse, the Prakritic Deva-hood, etc., is negated of the Lord. He is not a Deva, etc., having a Prakritic body. But he has Deva-hood and Purusha-hood of His own, which are His essential nature and which are non-Prakritic, because the Lord appears as a Shining One or a Deva and has the form of a Man (Purusha).

The Sutra gives an illustration of the principle that qualities Secondary Matters) follow the principal matter to which they belong, by using the phrase «As in the case of what belongs to the Upasad», namely, like the Mantra which belongs to the rite called Upasad.

The meaning is that it is treated like the Mantra, which is a subordinate member in the ceremony called Upasad. The Mantras (Agnir vai hotram, etc.,) for the offering of the Purodasha cakes are taught in the 8ama-veda: and are sung with the Sama-vedic intonation, in a loud voice. But in the Yajur-vedic four-days’ rite called the Jamadagnya, in those Upasads where the Purodasha cakes are to be offered, these Sama-vedic Mantras are used by the Yajur-vedic priest, the Adhvaryu, whose duty it is there to offer the Purodasa cake. Therefore, these Mantras, when used in a Yajur-vedic rite, are recited in a subdued voice as other Mantras of the Yajur-veda, and not loudly as the Mantras of the Sama-Veda. (The Mantras lose their Sama-vedic character when used in a Yajur-vedic rite).

«As the Mantra ‘Agnir vai hotram vetu’, although given in the Sama-Veda, yet has to be recited in the Yajur-veda style, with a subdued voice, because it stands in a subordinate relation to the Upasad-offerings prescribed for the four-days’ sacrifice called Jamadagnya; those offerings «are the principal matter to which the subordinate matter, the Mantra, has to conform». This point is explained in the first section, i.e., in the Purva Mimamsa Sutras, III., 3. 9». — Doctor Thibaut’s Ramanuja.

Therefore, the ideas of absence of grossness and so on, though found in a few passages like those of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, must be combined with all the other attributes of the principal, namely, the Akshara Brahman, in all meditations on Brahman; because all these ideas invariably follow the idea of Akshara Brahman.

Note: The Sutra III., 3. 9 of the Purva Mimamsa is to the following effect:

«The subject of the hymns of the Sama-veda being sung low at the time of establishing a sacred fire».

«The principal and subordinate statements being opposed (to one another), (the latter submits to the former) because the subordinate statement subserves the principal one. Hence the principal statement (alone has) a connection with the Veda».

The two kinds of statements, principal and subordinate, have already been explained. Their exegetical functions differ. When they conflict, the principal statement prevails, because a subordinate statement has not independent function to perform: it has to contribute to the power and use of the principal statement. Hence the principal statement invariably predominates. The translation of a Vedic text will illustrate and explain these remarks. «He who knows thus establishes fire». This is the principal text prescribing the establishment of the sacred fire. In this connection, other Mantras, prescribing the way in which Samas are to be chanted, occur. They are: «(He) who knows this, sings the Varvantiyasama». «(He) who knows this, sings the Yajnayajniyasama». «He, who knows this, sings the Vamadevya-sama». It is already shown that the Mantras of the Yajur-veda are to be sung low, and those of the Sama to be chanted aloud. But the establishment of the sacred fire is to be regulated by the dicta of the Yajur-veda, and these dicta are, therefore, principal. The Mantras of the Sama-veda are to be sung as subserving the principal, the establishment of the sacred fire. Though the general rule, that the hymns of the Sama-veda are to be chanted aloud is recognised, yet the hymns or Samas prescribed in the Yajur-veda, and to be chanted in connection with the establishment of the sacred lire (Agnyadhana) are to be snug low. The gist of the Sutra is that the principal overrules its subordinate. — Kunte’s Saddarshanachintanika.

Says an objector «in the Shrutis (Chhandogya Upanishad, III., 14. 2) Brahman is described as doing all acts (Sarvakarma), having all scouts (Sarvagandha), etc., just as he is described as possessing the qualities of having a form, etc., consequently these attributes of All-agency, All-scenting, etc., should be meditated upon everywhere, in every meditation on Brahman». This, however, is not the case, as is shown in the next Sutra.

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