atastvitarajjyāyo liṅgācca ..3.4.39..

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SUTRA III. 4. 39.

अतस्त्वितरज्ज्यायो लिङ्गाच्च॥३.४.३९॥

atastvitarajjyāyo liṅgācca ..3.4.39..

… Atah, from this (from the Ashramadharma condition). .. Tu, undoubtedly. Itarat, the other (the non-Ashrama condition). … Jyayah. superior, better, greater (means to acquire knowledge), … Lingat from indications, signs, inference. .. Cha, indeed.

39. The other (namely, the Nirapeksha) is undoubtedly superior to this (namely, the householder), as there is a mark for the same. — 468.

COMMENTARY

The word «Tu» is employed in order to remove the doubt. The word «Cha» is used in the sense of exclusion. «From this», namely, from the condition of the householder; «the other», namely, «the condition of the non-householder» is a «superior» or a better means of acquiring the Vidya; (because the facilities are greater in the latter condition). Why? Lingat — because of the mark», because of the scriptural indication. In the above passage of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, we find that Gargi, who is a non-householder, is greater than Yajnavalkya, a householder, and she settles the disputes of the Brahmanas by examining Yajnavalkya. This is the indication of the Scripture.

The sense is this. The scriptures enjoin various Ashramas or orders of life, in order to contract the current of the outward-going natural propensities (propensities inherited by every man, from his human and animal ancestors). In other words, there are beginningless propensities with which every man is born, and the scriptural injunctions, the legal obligations and duties are meant to contract, slowly and gradually, these animal propensities. The Scriptures, when they lay down those rules, do not mean thereby that the Ashramas are good in themselves, but that they are good only inasmuch as they help to contract this current. But they in their turn become positive obstacles at a certain stage. Those whose out-going current has become checked, by having passed through the discipline of the Ashramas in their previous lives and who are born in their present lives with no out-going current, but with their hearts turned to God alone, do not stand in need of the discipline of the Ashramas; and for such souls, the law is useless. Thus it follows, that the condition of a Nirashrami or a non-householder is superior. Therefore, in the Jabala Upanishad, it has been said:

Then Janaka, the king of the Videhas, approaching Yajnavalkya, said, «Lord, teach me Sannyasa». To him replied Yajnavalkya, «Having completed his studentship, he is to become a householder; having been a householder, he is to become a dweller in the forest; having been a dweller in the forest, he is to wander forth: or else he may wander forth from the student’s state; or from the house; or from the forest. May he have taken vows upon himself or not, may he be a Snataka or not, may he be one whose fire has gone out or one who has no fire, etc., the moment that he gets dispassion, let him at that very moment wander forth as a Sannyasi».

This text lays down, in its due order, first the three Ashramas, namely, that of the student (Brahmacharya), that of the householder (Grihastha), and that of the hermit (Vanaprastha). It enjoins Sannyasa for any one of these stages, but as an exception to this general rule, and for persons who are born as Sannyasis, like Samvartaka and the rest, who are solely devoted to Brahman, it enjoins Sannyasa at once without passing through the various grades. In other word, the taking of Sannyasa depends upon the evolution of the soul; and for a fully evolved soul, the Ashramas are not at all necessary.

As regards the text «Let not a twice-born remain for a single day without being in the household order or in some Ashrama», and texts similar to this, they are meant for ordinary men, and not for the evolved souls.

Note: The other passages are like these: «A murderer of the gods is he who removes the fire. After having brought to the teacher his proper reward do not cut off the line of children (Taitt. Up., I., 11. 1). «To him who is without a son the world does not belong; all beasts even know that».

Objection: Lot it be admitted for argument’s sake that the Nirapeksha, belonging to no Ashrama, is superior to the other two who belong to an Ashrama. But there is this danger in these non-Ashramas (Nirapekshas), that in course of time they may fall down from their high position, and enter into family life: and thus lose their condition of Nirapekshatva. That being so, when such Nirapekshas, once having renounced the household life, according to the rules laid down in the Shastras, when they again take it up, they become blameworthy, according to that very Shastra; and their condition becomes lower than that of the other, If such Nirapekshas, who before were not in the household order, and who properly renounced that order, come to get faith in the household order, because the life of the householders is praised in Scriptures as being Vaidic life, if out of these considerations they accept the conditions of a household life, then in their case it would not be possible to keep up that one-pointed immersion in the Lord, because the household duties would be a hindrance thereto and thus the superiority of the Nirapekshas would be lost. The Nirapekshas, therefore, cannot be said to be absolutely superior to the other, because in the case of the Svanishthas and the rest there is no such danger of fall, but, on the contrary, they by the duo discharge of the obligatory duties of their Ashrama, get their hearts purified and rise higher and higher in the path of righteousness and have an unbroken line of love stretching from their heart to the feet of their Lord, a line which constantly grows smaller and smaller till they are drawn to the very feet of their master. For this reason also Nirapekshas cannot be said to be superior to the others for their condition is that of most dangerous, unstable equilibrium.

The objection above raised is answered in the next Sutra.

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