[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Cause-effect non-difference - Srimad Bhagavatam

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

Namaste.

This topic of Brahman being kArya-kAraNa ananya has been discussed a number
of times earlier. And mostly with the same participants, including myself.
Hence I am not posting this with a view to initiate a fresh discussion
amongst the same participants. But I felt compelled to present an alternate
understanding mainly addressed to others who may be led to believe that this
is indeed Advaita Sidhanata in full.

(Shuddha) Brahman is कार्यकारण विलक्षण (kAryakAraNa vilakShaNa). Neither kArya
nor kAraNa. I am presenting only two references although there are any
number available in the Shrutis.

BU 2-5-19 

// …………अयं वै हरयोऽयं वै दश च सहस्राणि बहूनि चानन्तानि च
तदेतद्ब्रह्मापूर्वमनपरमनन्तरमबाह्यमयमात्मा ब्रह्म सर्वानुभूरित्यनुशासनम् ॥ १९ ॥ //

//…………ayaM vai harayo.ayaM vai dasha cha sahasrANi bahUni chAnantAni cha
tadetadbrahmApUrvamanaparamanantaramabAhyamayamAtmA brahma
sarvAnubhUrityanushAsanam || 19 || //

Bhashya there on  BUB 2-5-19

//  …….तदेतद्ब्रह्म य आत्मा, अपूर्वम् नास्य कारणं पूर्वं विद्यत इत्यपूर्वम् , नास्यापरं कार्यं
विद्यत इत्यनपरम्……..//

//……….tadetadbrahma ya AtmA, apUrvam nAsya kAraNaM pUrvaM vidyata ityapUrvam
, nAsyAparaM kAryaM vidyata ityanaparam //

Translation  (Swami Madhavananda)  // ……………In short, that Brahman which is
the Self is without prior, ie cause, or posterior, i.e. effect,…..// .

MandUkya kArikA  1-11

1.     //  कार्यकारणबद्धौ ताविष्येते विश्वतैजसौ । प्राज्ञः कारणबद्धस्तु द्वौ तौ तुर्ये न
सिध्यतः ॥ ११ ॥ //

//  kAryakAraNabaddhau tAviShyete vishvataijasau | prAj~naH kAraNabaddhastu
dvau tau turye na sidhyataH || 11 || //

Translation (Swami Gambhirananda)  //  Those two, namely Viswa and Taijasa,
are held to be conditioned by cause and effect. PrAjna is conditioned by
cause. But both these do not exist in Turiya //.

Regards

On Mon, Jun 26, 2023 at 2:50 PM 'Bhaskar YR' via advaitin
<advaitin at googlegroups.com> wrote:

       praNAms

       Hare Krishna

        

       A eulogy by Paramashiva in the episode of Srihari's Mohini
       Avatara:

        

       Ø     This is not only mere eulogy but it is the vedantic
       premise accepted in Advaita.  And those who are saying and
       arguing in favor of kArya-kAraNa ananyatvam saying so just to
       drive home the point that brahman is evam eva adviteeyam. 

        

Although You are the only principle and the supreme cause of the
world, You, who are the cause, are not different from the world which
is the effect.

 

  *  Cause is always different from effect but effect never exists
     independently apart from its cause.  Hence there is sentence jagat
     is brahman but brahma is not jagat ( just like ornaments are gold
     but gold is not ornament).

 

But seeing the world as different from yourself is due to ignorance.

 

  *  Yes seeing the jagat with parichinna drushti is avidyA jagat is
     neither abrahman nor asarvaM.  In its kAraNa svarUpa it is only
     brahman and nothing but brahman. 

 

It is because you are devoid of attributes that you do not have this
cause-effect difference in reality.

 

Ø     Yes, kArya-kAraNa ananyatvaM should ultimately lead us to
adviteeyatvaM of brahman. 

 

Here is an example: Gold is seen as a cause, jewelry as the effect.
But there is no real difference between the cause, gold, and its
effects.

 

  *  It has to be noted in Advaita though we speak a lot about the
      ananyatvaM  of the kAraNa and the kArya, we should always never
     forget the fact  that the effect is only a form of the cause
     whereas its opposite does not apply, that is, the cause is not a
     form of the effect.  bhAshyakAra is quite clear here in sUtra
     bhAshya : ananyatvepi kAryakAraNayOH kAryastu kAraNAtmatvaM ‘ na
     tu kAraNasya kAryAtmatvaM’…..This has been said  to teach us two
     different siddhAnta prakriya in Advaita i.e. jagat is nothing but
     brahman but in brahman there is not even an iota of duality. 

 

The Chandogya Upanishad gives this example to convey this very
doctrine.

The Brahma sutra 2.1.14 states this very doctrine of 'kArya-kAraNa
ananyatva (non-difference of cause and effect)

 

Ø     Yes,

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar