[Advaita-l] PDF of a Sanskrit booklet 'Kapyaasa-kaumudee'

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 5:14 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> PDF of a Sanskrit booklet 'Kapyaasa-kaumudee'
>
> In the Chandogya Upanishad 1.6.7 is the passage in connection with the
> upasana of Brahman with attributes:
>
> तस्य यथा कप्यासं पुण्डरीकमेवमक्षिणी तस्योदिति नाम स एष सर्वेभ्यः पाप्मभ्य
> उदित उदेति ह वै सर्वेभ्यः पाप्मभ्यो य एवं वेद ॥ ७ ॥
>
> 7.   Sa is the white radiance of the sun, ama is its blue intense
> darkness; thus they (the radiance and the darkness) are  designated as
> Sama.  Now, the golden person who is seen in the sun, who has a  golden
> beard and golden hair, who is golden to the very tips of  his nails-his
> eyes are like a lotus flower, red as the rump of a  monkey.  His name is
> Ut, for he has risen (udita) above all evil. He, too,  who knows this rises
> above all evil.
> //His eyes are like a lotus flower, red as the rump of a  monkey.  //
> तस्य एवं सर्वतः सुवर्णवर्णस्याप्यक्ष्णोर्विशेषः । कथम् ? तस्य यथा कपेः
> मर्कटस्य आसः कप्यासः ; आसेरुपवेशनार्थस्य करणे घञ् ; कपिपृष्ठान्तः
> येनोपविशति ; कप्यास इव पुण्डरीकम् अत्यन्ततेजस्वि एवम् देवस्य अक्षिणी ;
> उपमितोपमानत्वात् न हीनोपमा ।
> For the highlighted sentence about the eyes of the upasya Brahman,
> Shankara, in the commentary, has clearly stated that since the
> monkey-rump's red color is a simile for the lotus and thereafter the lotus
> is a simile for the eyes of Ishwara, it is not a case of heenopamaa, a very
> lowly simile.
>
It would appear from the Bhashyam that the Upanishad specifies the color of
the eyes of the upasya Brahman as red. However, on studying the Bhashyam of
the previous mantra, we come to know that such is not the case. Shankara
says that the Upanishad intends the whole body of the upasya Brahman to be
just effulgence:

Chandogya Upanishad 1.6.6:

अथ यदेवैतदादित्यस्य शुक्लं भाः सैव साथ यन्नीलं परः कृष्णं तदमस्तत्सामाथ य
एषोऽन्तरादित्ये हिरण्मयः पुरुषो दृश्यते हिरण्यश्मश्रुर्हिरण्यकेश
आप्रणखात्सर्व एव सुवर्णः ॥ ६ ॥
 भाष्यम्
<http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Chandogya?page=1&id=Ch_C01_S06_V07&hlBhashya=%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%80#bhashya-Ch_C01_S06_V06>
ते एवैते भासौ शुक्लकृष्णत्वे सा च अमश्च साम । अथ य एषः अन्तरादित्ये
आदित्यस्यान्तः मध्ये हिरण्मयः हिरण्मय इव हिरण्मयः । न हि सुवर्णविकारत्वं
देवस्य सम्भवति, ऋक्सामगेष्णत्वापहतपाप्मत्वासम्भवात् ; न हि सौवर्णेऽचेतने
पाप्मादिप्राप्तिरस्ति, येन प्रतिषिध्येत, चाक्षुषे च अग्रहणात् ; अतः
लुप्तोपम एव हिरण्मयशब्दः, ज्योतिर्मय इत्यर्थः । उत्तरेष्वपि समाना योजना ।
पुरुषः पुरि शयनात् पूरयति वा स्वेन आत्मना जगदिति ; दृश्यते
निवृत्तचक्षुर्भिः समाहितचेतोभिर्ब्रह्मचर्यादिसाधनापेक्षैः । तेजस्विनोऽपि
श्मश्रुकेशादयः कृष्णाः स्युरित्यतो विशिनष्टि — हिरण्यश्मश्रुर्हिरण्यकेश इति
; ज्योतिर्मयान्येवस्य श्मश्रूणि केशाश्चेत्यर्थः । आप्रणखात् प्रणखः नखाग्रं
नखाग्रेण सह सर्वः सुवर्ण इव भारूप इत्यर्थः |

Shankara says: The upasya Brahman cannot be a transformation, vikara, of
gold, for the specifications such as Brahman is the Rg, Sama veda are the
ankles (geshNaH) and cannot be accounted for if Brahman is a transformation
of gold. Further, it specifies hairs of the head and beard. Should these
not be black in color? No, the Upanishad itself says this is also golden.
Also, the upasya entity is said to be free from sin, paapa. This cannot be
accounted for in a body that is a transformation of gold. So Shankara
concludes that the entire form of this upasya Brahman अतः लुप्तोपम एव
हिरण्मयशब्दः, ज्योतिर्मय इत्यर्थः is just effulgence.

In the next mantra/bhashya Shankara says: कप्यास इव पुण्डरीकम्
अत्यन्ततेजस्वि एवम् देवस्य अक्षिणी.. the eyes are effulgent, tejasvI.  Thus
the Upanishad does not mean to give any color such as red to the upasya
Brahman.  The rump of a monkey is bright and the lotus is bright,
effulgent. The eyes are bright (not red) akin to such lotus. The logic is:
no color is possible for any part of the upasya Brahman's form as taught by
this set of mantras.

regards
subbu


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