Sankaracharya and Taittiriyopanishad

SR No.: 269125
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vijay Pandya
Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan
Total Pages: 12
Language: English
Classification: Article & 0_not_categorized
File Size: 90 KB

Page 11

अनुसंधान - १७• 120
soul, doing rites, such a one is the best of Brahma-knowers.
From this discussion, it is certain that the word ananda, originally used to have an erotic or sexual connotation and hence, might have been considered profane by the philosopher like Śańkarācārya. Of course, it cannot be gainsaid that, in the Upanisads, the word ananda has been employed in the non-sexual and unerotic contexts also. But it did not remain a pure, unalloyed, non-contextualised and shorn of all undesirable association. Hence the word ananda was not suitable to Sankarācārya's steadfast, and unflinching pursuit of the absolute
monism.
Śankarācārya did not want to dilute his rigorous, absolute monism and so he shunned the phrase saccidananda along with ānanda. That was also the reason, why he, having offered two interpretations in the anandamayādhikarana, left the first interpretation of anandamaya as Brahman, in the lurch, so to say, completely ignored it in the T.U.bhāṣya.
This is how I have endeavoured to unravel the mystery ɗ Śankarācārya's having two interpretations in the Ānandamayādhikaraṇa, having abandoned one in his T.U.bhāṣya and not mentioning ever the phrase saccidānanda in his entire literature.
References
Belvalkar S.K, Shree Gopal Basu Mallik Lectures on Vedanta Philosophy, 1929, p. 140-146
2. Dr. Paul Deussen, The System of the Vedanta, Reprint 1972, p. 31. 3. Ibid, p. 139
3(1).Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, Advaita Vedanta, ed. by Karl H.
Potter, 1981, pp. 116, 204.
4.
Dr. Paul Deussen, The System of the Vedanta, p. 139
5.
Bruhmasutraśänkarabhyāṣya NSP edition, 1938, p. 185.
6. Taittiriyopanisad with the commentary by Sankarācārya, in the Volume Fanfezapftuc:, ang, Pub, Motilal Banarasidass, reprint 1978, p.
1.
294.