[Advaita-l] Rtam and Satyam

[Anand N]

Namaste,

Bhaskarji gave an example where Satyam is Parmarthika  and Rtam is
Vyavaharika.
Subbuji gave an example where Satyam is the practical aspect and Rtam is
the potential aspect of truth.
Are these not contradictory?
Could anyone please clarify.

Om Namo Narayanaya,
Anand


On Fri, 1 Jul 2022 at 12:41, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 2:11 PM Anand N via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Namaste,
>>
>>
>> Can someone please define Rtam and Satyam and also give their difference.
>>
>
> In the Taittiriya Upanishad beginning there is a Shanti Patha where these
> two words occur
>
> ऋतं वदिष्यामि । सत्यं वदिष्यामि ।
>
> For which Shankaracharya writes:
>
> *ऋतं* यथाशास्त्रं यथाकर्तव्यं बुद्धौ सुपरिनिश्चितमर्थं
> *सत्यमिति *स एव वाक्कायाभ्यां सम्पाद्यमानः,
>
> I give below please translation of Swami Gambhirananda for these lines:
>
> Rtam, righteousness, is an idea fully ascertained by the intellect in
> accordance with the scriptures and in conformity with practice. Satyam
> truth is that which is reduced to practice through speech and bodily
> action.
>
> From this what transpires is Satyam when unarticulated is Rtm.
>
> This kind of friends we can have when both these terms are used
> together. However, when both are used in different contexts, then the
> meaning also differs. For example, Brahman is called Satyam in the
> Taittiriya Upanishad itself. Hear it means that which is constant without
> undergoing any changes. And very interestingly the opposite of this Satyam
> will be an-Rtam. So  here Rtam will be equivalent to Satyam in this
> context. In fact Shankaracharya says in the bhashyam for this word Satyam
> in the context of Brahman says 'that which does not stay constant, that is,
> that which gives up its determined nature, is an-Rtam, that is false, and
> for that he cites the Chandogya Upanishad which says clay alone is real and
> the name form clay products are mere words, implying that they are unreal.
>
>
> We have the word Rtam to denote Brahman too in this verse from the
> mahopanishat 4.54 / Laghu Yoga vAsiShTha utpatti prakaraNam 1.12:
>
> ऋतमात्मा परं ब्रह्म सत्यमित्यादिका बुधैः ।
> कल्पिता व्यवहारार्थं तस्य संज्ञा महात्मनः ॥4.54॥
>
> [In order to facilitate parlance, the wise employ words such as Rtam,
> AtmA, Param, Brahma, Satyam, etc., to designate that Supreme Self.]
>
> regards
> subbu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> Om Namo Narayanaya,
>> Anand
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