[Advaita-l] Advaita-l Digest, Vol 48, Issue 14

[Antharyami]

Hari OM~
Shri Sada ji,

Your view on the date of Brahma Sutra is unsound. Bhagavad Gita XIII.4
clearly mentions about the content and function of Brahma Sutras, which
reveals the fact that Brahma Sutra is pre-Mahabharata. If the period of
Mahabharata is presumably fixed at the lowest band of later quarters of
10-9th B.C; accordingly Brahma Sutras will fall within the least plausible
period that will not be less than early quarters of 9th BC without
discounting the possibility that both are composed at the same time. The
latter reason favourably adds to the traditional view on the identity of the
authors. Badarayana does not make explicit mention about the Buddhist
factions by name to argue against there philosophy. We find direct
references only from the Bhasya of Sankara the earliest available commentary
to our present days. Badarayana jots down (his own) various views of the
opponents in his period, which Sankara befits to then existing schools in
his period on same lines.

Madhusudana Saraswati in Gudartha Dipika celebrates Brahma Sutra for he
opines the fact that Sutras are the reflective mark that indicates the
nature of Brahman as impartitie ultimate. Madhusudana Saraswati indeed says
that 'Sutras are themselves padas, sentences which are indicative of
knowledge that ends with the import of Self'. He further adds credit to the
Sutras to say that they are replete with reason and logic that reconciles
the theistic and atheistic contents of the Upanisadic scriptures.
Furthermore, in Vedantakalpalatika, Madhusudana Saraswati refers to
Badarayana frequently as 'SarIraka Mimamsa samArambi Bhagavata Badarayana'
iti and quotes few Sutras acknowledging its author 'Bagavata Sutrakarena'
iti. Madusadana Sarasvati towards the end (in Vedanatakalpalatika) assers
that 'Brahma-atmaikya bodaH is arrived at with proper investigation of the
four chapters - upto the Phala-adhyaya of Mimamsa Sastra - Brahma Sutras
alone'. Assertion that Madusudana discounted Brahma Sutra is henceforth a
blasphemy.

On serious academic study and textual surveys in this regard, I am strongly
of the opinion that Badarayana and Vyasa are not two different authors but
otherwise. Sankaracarya in his Upadesa Sahasri says ' Vedantasyaiva
tattvarte VyasasyApi matam tatha' and Madusudana Saraswati commenting on BG
15.25 (to the word 'Vedantakrt') says 'Vedantakrt Vedanta sampradaya
pravartakaH VedavyAsAdirupena iti'. It is hence emphatically clear that
Advaita Acaryas unanimously hold the view that Vedavyasa - Badarayana are
not different.

With Narayana Smrti,
Devanathan.J