[Advaita-l] 'iti' in the vAcArambhaNa shruti

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste,

2018-02-15 5:17 GMT+00:00 H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

>
> > यदग्ने रोहितꣳ रूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं
> > तदन्नस्यापागादग्नेरग्नित्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव
> > सत्यम् ॥ १ ॥
> >
> > यदादित्यस्य रोहितꣳ रूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं
> > तदन्नस्यापागादादित्यादादित्यत्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि
> > रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम् ॥ २ ॥
> >
> > यच्चन्द्रमसो रोहितꣳ रूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं
> > तदन्नस्यापागाच्चान्द्राच्चन्द्रत्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि
> > रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम् ॥ ३ ॥
> >
> > यद्विद्युतो रोहितꣳ रूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यत्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं
> > तदन्नस्यापागाद्विद्युतो विद्युत्त्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि
> > रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम् ॥ ४ ॥
> >
> > It will also be noticed that these are not so straightforward for
> > understanding as the first three referred to earlier.
> >
> > Surely these are stated with a view to establish the sidhanta. However
> > they are not the final part of the sidhanta. As is generally well known,
> > sruti adopts the adhyArOpa-apavAda method for establishing the sidhanta.
> > The mantras cited above form the initial part of the ahyArOpa while the
> > three cited earlier form part of the apavAda.


In my view, it is not that verses in section 6.1 are apavAda and verses in
6.4 are adhyAropa. Rather, the former is the driShTanta, and the latter is
the dArShTAnta. That is, the methodology shown previously with the examples
of pot-clay, instruments-gold, implements-iron is extended to the bhoktr
prapancha (agni-trINi sUkshma bhUtAni, Aditya-trINi sUkshma bhUtAni,
vidyut-trINi
sUkshma bhUtAni). After establishing that the reality of bhoktR prapancha
is as the subtle elements, the teacher goes on to the say in section 6.5
that the reality of the bhoktR sharIra is also as these subtle
elements ( अन्नमयꣳ
हि सोम्य मन आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति).

After having tested that this is indeed the case in sections 6.6 and 6.7
through a series of experiments and illustrations, in section 6.8, the
AchArya says:  तस्य क्व मूलꣳ स्यात् अन्यत्राद्भ्योऽ*द्भिः*  सोम्य *शुङ्गेन
तेजो मूलमन्विच्छ*  *तेजसा *सोम्य *शुङ्गेन सन्मूलमन्विच्छ* सन्मूलाः
सोम्येमाः सर्वाः प्रजाः सदायतनाः सत्प्रतिष्ठाः
What is the cause of that (annam, the body) apart from water? Dear one,
from the effect, the waters, seek their cause, fire. From the effect fire,
oh dear one, seek it's cause, sat Brahman. sat Brahman is the creator
(mUla), preserver (Ayatana) and destroyer (pratiShThA) of all living beings
- the upAdAna kAraNa.

Thus in my view the basis for eka vijnAnena sarva vijnAnam is by
establishing that each effect is its cause in reality, and going
successively through every cause to its ultimate cause, sat Brahman.
Therefore by sat brahman, everything can be known. The foundation of that
methodology is laid in the vAcArambhaNa mantras of section 6.1.

That the usage of vAcArambhaNam in 6.4 is no different from in section 6.1
can be gleaned by the fact that after the four mantras in 6.4, in the very
next mantra 6.4.5, the teacher says: एतद्ध स्म वै तद्विद्वांस आहुः पूर्वे
महाशाला महाश्रोत्रिया न नोऽद्य कश्चनाश्रुतममतमविज्ञातमुदाहरिष्यतीति
ह्येभ्यो विदाञ्चक्रुः ॥ ५ ॥ Thus the wise men, the great grihasthAs of
yore, conclude. There is nothing unheard, unthought,  unknown by us. No one
can give us an example of a thing unknown to us. How is this possible?
Because everything is only a name and form of Brahman.By knowing that
Brahman, they know everything. Note the use of  न  कश्चनाश्रुतममतमविज्ञातम्,
which mirrors the original question in section 6.1  येनाश्रुतं श्रुतं
भवत्यमतं मतमविज्ञातं विज्ञातमिति which is followed by the 3 vAcArambhaNa
mantras of 6.1.

Thus the use of 'iti' is not indicatory of the mantra being an adhyAropa,
but it is to convey that the effect as having no independent existence
apart from the cause.

Regards,
Venkatraghavan