[Advaita-l] NOTES ON MANDUKYA UPANISHAD AND KARIKA: INTRODUCTION 3

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Shree Ram Garib - PraNAms

Thanks for your mail.  

Creation cannot be done by inert material.  Scripture defines Brahman as
ananda as well as chaitanya swarUpa also - satyam, jnaanam, anantam
brahma or sat chit ananda, brahman.  sAnkya states that inert prakRiti
is the cause for creation just like the way you have presented. 
Brahmasutra tries to dismiss that theory saying that Brahman who is
conscious entity is the cause for creation.  If it is just existence,
alone it could be inert.  Scripture also says about creation - atmaaana
akaasha sambhuutaH , akaaShaat vayuH, vayoH agniH, agneH aapaH, apaH
pRithivii, etc.  Hence, Atma, the self, which is of the nature of sat
chit ananda is the cause for creation.  'Sa kaamayata' - He desired and
He created.  Hence, Shankara says - abhinna nimitta upAdAna kArana -
Undifferentiated efficient and material cause as Brahman.  ManDukya is
going to tell us more about this. I will be coming to the Upanishad
portion slowly.  I felt that unless some of the epistemological issues
are ironed out, it is difficult to follow the Upanishad.  

Hari OM!
Sadananda  




--- Ram Garib <garib_ram at yahoo.co.in> wrote:

> Thanks Sri Sadananda for your analysis of karika in
> layman's language. I understand that you have
> expressed reluctance for entering into arguments, and
> it is not my intention either. Just some doubts that
> cropped up:
> 
> --- kuntimaddi sadananda <kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > a).  Brahman is
> > all pervading
> > existence and b) Brahman is the material cause for
> > Jagat, which includes
> > all objects.  Shruti says – yatOvA imAni bhUtAni
> > jAyante, yena jAtAni
> > jIvanti, yat prayam tyabhisam vishanti, 
tat
> > brahmeti – That from which
> > the whole universe arises, by which it is sustained
> > and into which it
> > goes back is Brahman – Thus Brahman becomes
> > adhiShTAnam or substantive
> > for all objects.  
> 
> It seems that the demands of this shruti are fulfilled
> by taking Brahman to be just the material cause of
> jagat. 
> 
> A pot is jAyate from earth, jIvati from earth and
> finally vishati into earth. Therefore material cause
> fulfills this shruti completely. 
> 
> If we test efficient cause on the criteria of this
> shruti, we find that a pot is jayate from potter, but
> niether jIvati from potter, nor vishati into it.
> Therefore based on this shruti, we should be justified
> in concluding that Brahman is only the material cause
> of jagat. There seems to be no need to stretch
> efficient cause also into brahman.
> 
> > Confirming this sruti says existence alone was there
> > in the beginning
> > and it is one without a second.  
> 
> Since "existence" cannot "not exist", saying that
> "existence alone existed" is a tautology. Therefore,
> this meaning fails mimamsaka's "apurvata" criteria.
> Why do I need a shruti pramana, which could otherwise
> be derived from the structure of the language itself?
> Shruti would make sense only if it meant "existence
> of..." instead of an abstraction like pure existence.
> 
> With regards,
> Ram Garib
> 
> 
> 		
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