Questions of King Milinda Part 01

SR No.: 007681
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: T W Rhys Davids
Publisher: Oxford
Publication Year: 1890
Total Pages: 2695
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 47 MB

Page 802

IV ADHYAYA, I PÂDA, 7.
349
Saman is woven on the prânas' (Kh. Up. II, 11, 1).Where again both members of the sentence are equally exhibited in the objective case, viz, in the passage, 'Let a man meditate on the sevenfold Såman (as) the sun'(Kh. Up. II, 9, 1), we observe that the introductory passages—viz. Meditation on the whole Sâman is good;' 'Thus for the fivefold Sâman ;''Next for the sevenfold Sâman' (Kh. Up. II, 1, 1; 7, 2; 8, 1)--represent the Sâman only as the object of meditation, and therefrom conclude that Aditya has to be superinduced on it, and not the reverse. From this very circumstance of the Saman being the object of meditation, it follows that even in cases where the two members of the sentence have a reverse position such as
The earth (is) the hinkâra,' &c.—the hinkara, &c., have to be viewed as earth and so on; and not the reverse. From all this it follows that reflections based on things not forming constituent members of the sacrifice, such as Aditya and so on, are to be superimposed on the udgîtha and the like which are such constituent members.
7. Sitting (a man is to meditate), on account of the possibility.
As meditations connected with members of sacrificial action depend on action, we need not raise the question whether they are to be carried on in a sitting, or any other posture. The same holds good in the case of perfect intuition, since knowledge depends on its object only. With regard to all other meditations, on the other hand, the author of the Sutras raises the question whether they may be undertaken indifferently by a person standing, sitting, or lying down; or only by a person sitting.
The purvapakshin here maintains that as meditation is something mental there can be no restriction as to the attitude of the body.—No, the author of the Sätras rejoins; 'Sitting' only a man is to meditate.-Why?_'On account of the possibility. By meditation we understand the lengthened carrying on of an identical train of thought; and of this a man is capable neither when going nor when running, since the act of going and so on tends to distract the mind.
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