[Advaita-l] A different way to understand Brahma Sutra Janmadyasya Yatah

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 5:18 PM, kuntimaddi sadananda via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> PraNAms - without getting into these discussions - just wanted to point
> out that janmaadyasa yathaH - is only taTastha lakshana - not swaruupa
> lakshana- since inquiry can be done only from the point of intellect which
> perceives plurality which is not really real.
>
> As Vaishnavism points out that through Lakshmi only -which is the
> eight-fold creation (ashTa Lakhmi) one can reach Narayana. Through inquiry
> that involves jnaana vRitti, one can understand the truth. There is a
> vRitti vyaapiti but no phala vyaapti.
>
> If we understand the import of the scriptures, all these discussions
> become really meaning-less, to say the least.
> Hari Om!Sadananda
>

Dear Sada ji,

It would be easy to conclude from the sutra that the taṭasthalakṣaṇa is
what is specified.  However, by perusing the bhāṣya for it we see these
lines at the end:

किं तर्हि ? वेदान्तवाक्यप्रदर्शनार्थम् । किं पुनस्तद्वेदान्तवाक्यं यत्
सूत्रेणेह लिलक्षयिषितम् ? ‘भृगुर्वै वारुणिः । वरुणं पितरमुपससार । अधीहि
भगवो ब्रह्मेति’ (तै. उ. ३-१-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Taitiriya&page=03&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%88%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%83%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E2%80%99%20(%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A9-%E0%A5%A7-%E0%A5%A7)#T_C03_S01_V01>
इत्युपक्रम्याह
— ‘यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । येन जातानि जीवन्ति ।
यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति । तद्विजिज्ञासस्व । तद्ब्रह्मेति । ’ (तै. उ. ३-१-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Taitiriya&page=03&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E2%80%99%20(%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A9-%E0%A5%A7-%E0%A5%A7)#T_C03_S01_V01>
तस्य
च निर्णयवाक्यम् — ‘आनन्दाद्ध्येव खल्विमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । आनन्देन जातानि
जीवन्ति । आनन्दं प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति’ (तै. उ. ३-६-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Taitiriya&page=03&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E2%80%99%20(%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A9-%E0%A5%AC-%E0%A5%A7)#T_C03_S06_V01>
इति
। अन्यान्यप्येवंजातीयकानि वाक्यानि
नित्यशुद्धबुद्धमुक्तस्वभावसर्वज्ञस्वरूपकारणविषयाणि उदाहर्तव्यानि ॥ २ ॥

The jagatkāraṇatva lakṣaṇa is what specified by Varuṇa at the beginning to
his son Bhṛgu who sought to know Brahman.  However, that enquiry culminates
at the realization of the nirguna brahman as Shankara specifies above:
nirṇaya vākyam:

‘आनन्दाद्ध्येव खल्विमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । आनन्देन जातानि जीवन्ति । आनन्दं
प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति’ (तै. उ. ३-६-१)
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/php/format.php?bhashya=Taitiriya&page=03&hval=%E2%80%98%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A5%A4%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E2%80%99%20(%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88.%20%E0%A4%89.%20%E0%A5%A9-%E0%A5%AC-%E0%A5%A7)#T_C03_S06_V01>
इति
।
From Advaita Ananda these beings emerge, by Advaita Ananda they subsist, in
Advaita Ananda they resolve.
It is here that the vivartavāda is discernible. So, the jagat janmādi is an
appearance on the Nirguna Brahman which is termed by the Upanishad as
'Ananda'.
Shankara comments for this line thus:

एवं तपसा विशुद्धात्मा प्राणादिषु साकल्येन ब्रह्मलक्षणमपश्यन् शनैः शनैः
अन्तरनुप्रविश्य अन्तरतममानन्दं ब्रह्म विज्ञातवान् तपसैव साधनेन भृगुः ;
Having followed his father's instruction step by step, Bhṛgu, having not
encountered the lakshana in Full in the earlier stages of prāṇa, etc. goes
within and ended up realizing the Innermost Anandam Brahma.
And this Anandam Brahma is Advaitam, says Shankara there itself:
सैषा भार्गवी भृगुणा विदिता वरुणेन प्रोक्ता वारुणी विद्या परमे व्योमन्
हृदयाकाशगुहायां *परमे आनन्दे अद्वैते *प्रतिष्ठिता परिसमाप्ता
अन्नमयादात्मनोऽधिप्रवृत्ता ।
This enquiry of Bhṛgu that began in the Anna maya kośa ended in the
realization that is established in the innermost cave of the heart, Ananda
that is Advaita.
Thus, Shankara holds that sutra to be a teaching of both the lakṣaṇas:
taṭastha first and svarūpa next. Thus, the sutra is not an indication of
the tatastha lakshana *only *but *also *of the svarupa lakshana.
I had sometime ago made available a link to the write up by MM Vidwan Sri
R.Krishnamurti Sastrigal of Chennai on this, here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/bgdg8b677p43513/janm%C4%81disutra_RKS.pdf

regards
subbu






>
>
>       From: Venkatesh Murthy via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-
> vedanta.org>
> .
>
> The Janmadyasya Sutra with Siva as Origin of Vishnu, Brahma and the
> world may not be there in Sankara Bhashya. But it is not opposed to
> the Bhashya. We have to remember Siva Purana saying Siva is both
> Nirguna and Saguna. For Upasana purposes He is Saguna but His Natural
> State is Nirguna. If you take Siva as Saguna only it will be a
> mistake.
>
> First Sutra Athato Brahmajinasa is asking us to do Inquiry into
> Nirguna Brahman. But second Sutra is explaining Creation. Second Sutra
> cannot be about Nirguna Brahman. Nirguna Brahman cannot be creator of
> anything. Siva is both Nirguna and Saguna. In first Sutra He is the
> Nirguna Brahman. In Second Sutra He is Saguna Creator by giving birth
> to Vishnu and Brahma and from Brahma the World.
>
>
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