[Advaita-l] nAsadIya sUkta in the taittirIya brAhmaNa - part 4

[Venkatraghavan S]

अथ चतुर्थीमाह - the fourth rca says:

कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि |
मनसो रेत: प्रथमं यदासीत् |
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविदन् |
हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा |
, इति

परब्रह्मसंबन्धिनो *मनस*: *प्रथमं* *रेत* आद्यं कार्यं *यदासीत्त*त्कार्य
*मग्रे* सृष्ट्यादौ कामो भूत्वा*ऽधिसमवर्तता*ऽऽधिक्येनाऽऽविरभूत् | The primal
seed ("prathamam reta:") was the first product born from the "mana" the
mind, related to the supreme Brahman. That product, in the beginning,
having become desirous ("kAma") of creation, grew in manifestation
("samavartatAdhi").

अयमर्थ: - यदेतदेकमेवाद्वितीयं "सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म" इत्येवंरूपं वस्तु
सृष्टे:पूर्वं तमसाऽऽवृतमासीत्तस्य तमोविशिष्टस्य ब्रह्मण: सिसृक्षारूपं यन्मन
अदावुत्पन्नं तस्य मनस: काम एव प्रथमकार्यभूत: पदार्थ: | This is the intended
meaning - This one, non-dual Brahman, of the nature of existence,
consciousness, infinitude, was before creation, concealed by darkness. The
first product of the darkness-imbued-Brahman's mind, whose nature was that
of a wish to create, was kAma - desire.

स च काम उपनिषदि स्पष्टमाम्नात: - "सोऽकामयत बहु स्यां प्रजायेय" इति | That
desire has been clearly mentioned in the upanishads, in sentences such as -
"He thought, let me be many, by getting progeny".

एकोऽद्वितीयरूपोऽहमेव बहुविधो भवेयम् | I, who am one, non dual - may I
myself become manifold.

तत्रायमुपाय: पूर्वमवस्थितमद्वितीयरूपमनुपमृद्य प्रकर्षेण
मायाकल्पितजगद्रूपेणोत्पद्येयेति तस्य वाक्यस्यार्थ: | This is the means -
May I, without losing my previous non-dual nature, thoroughly manifest
myself into the form of the mAya fabricated world - this is the meaning of
His words.

सा च काम: *सतो* *बन्धु*रिदानीं सत्त्वेन प्रतीयमानस्य भूतभौतिकरूपस्य जगतो
*ऽसच्छ*ब्दाभिधेये तमस्यव्यक्ते बन्धनहेतु: | This desire of Brahman is now
the "bandhu", the cause that binds everything that appears to exist - the
elements, the elementals, everything in the world - to the unmanifest
darkness, referred to by the word asat.

कामो ह्यज्ञाने सर्वं व्यवहारं बध्नाति | Desire is the binding factor that
ties all activities in ignorance.

यथा निद्राणे पुरुषे समुत्पन्ना चित्तवृत्तिर्नानाविधं स्वप्नव्यवहारं बध्नाति
| Like a sleeping man is bound to dream experiences by various thought
patterns (objects encountered in a dream).

यथा वा जागरणेऽप्यत्यन्तमलभ्ये विषये समुत्पन्ना तृष्णा सुखदु:खपर्यन्तं
मनोराज्यरूपं व्यवहारं बध्नाति,
Or like, even when awake, the deep desire for totally unattainable
objects binds people to various flights of fancy that trigger happiness and
sorrow.

एवमयं परमेश्वरस्य कामो देवतिर्यङ्ग्मनुष्यादिसर्वव्यवहारं बध्नाति | in the
same way, Ishvara's desire binds all the activities of every species in
creation - be it gods, animals, or men.

*कवयो* विद्वांसो वेदान्तपारं गता *हृदि* हृदयकमले *मनीषा* स्वबुद्ध्या
*प्रतीष्य* विचा*र्यासत्य*व्यक्ते तमसि कामं सत उत्पत्स्यमानस्य जगतो *बन्धुं*
बन्धनहेतुं *निरविन्दन्नि*श्चितवन्त: | Thus, the "kavaya:", the wise ones,
who have crossed the ocean of vedAnta, using their "manISha" intellects, to
enquire into ("pratIShya") their "hrdi" minds, have arrived at the definite
conclusion ("niravindan") that it is Brahman's desire, located within
"asat", the unmanifest darkness, which is the "bandhu", the binding cause
for the universe that is going to be created.

कामस्य सर्वव्यवहारहेतुत्वं वाजसनेयिन: समामनन्ति  - "अथो खल्वाहु: काममयं
एवायं पुरुष:" इति | Desire's causativeness (it's ability to act as the
cause) for every activity has been mentioned in the brihadAraNyaka
upaniShad (4.4.5) - "Therefore it is said - The self is identified with
desire alone"

व्यासोऽपि स्मरति - "कामबन्धनमेवेदं नान्यदस्तीह बन्धनम् " इति | As vyAsa
also says (in the Mahabharata) - "it is this desire alone that is the
binding factor, there is no other bond other than this here."

अस्मदनुभवोऽपि तथा दृश्यते | Our experience also reveals this.

सर्वो हि पुरुष: प्रथमं किन्चित्कामयित्वा तदर्थं प्रयतमान: सुखं दु:खं वा
लभते | Every person, having first desired something, experiences happiness
or sorrow in his attempts to attain it.

तस्माच्छ्रुतिस्मृत्यनुभवसिद्धत्वात्काम एव सर्वव्यहारहेतुरिति विदुषां
निश्चय: | Therefore, through shruti, smriti and personal experience, the
wise have definitely established that desire is the cause for every
activity in the world.