Indian Antiquary Vol 53

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 87

APRIL, 1924 ]
BHARTR-PRAPANCA: AN OLD VEDANTIN
These eight forms together with Brahman according to B., may be divided into three rddis,a in which we have the threefold subject matter of all religion and philosophy, viz., Glod, Soul and Matter.
1. Paramåtma-ralli: This is the absolute Brahman and we have probably to include under this head the antaryamin also, since it can be brought under neither of the remaining two natis.
2. Mirtámúrta-riisi: This comprises the six material forms beginning with the avyák ta. Its designation is derived from Br. Up., IT, iii, where murta and amurta are described as the two phases of Brahman. According to Sankara, the term murta here refers to prithius, ap and lêjas and the term á múrta to the remaining two-akasa and' váyu. 8. understands these terms somewhat differe.itly: amarta means for him the avyakyta, the source of the material world and murta, the last of the bhatas to evolve from it, viz., prithivi, the intermediate elements being describablo secondarily as cither murta or amúrta.34
3 Jiva-rat:36 According to Sankara, this does not form an independent category, for the jtva according to him is only Brahman in disguise and is therefore already included in (1). But B. regards it as a real transformation of Brahman and therefore counts it as a third raki. The determining factor of the jiva is its beginningless vásands.86 These vdsands are the characteristics, as in the Sasakhya, of the internal organ (antah karana) which is evolved out of the avyákyta and should therefore belong to (2). B. recognises this; but at the same time he considers that they are transmitted to the jiva with which the antahkarana is associated and thereby transforin it into a 'knower' and ' enjoyer.' The transfer cnce to the soul of what really belongs to Matter is accounted for on the analogy of fragrance which, though actually belonging to a flower, may be distilled into oil, for example,37 The jiva thus is a real, though temporary, transformation of Brahman and is not the result purely of a misconception as in Sankara's Advaita. B. also recognises avidyd like Sankara: but it accounts only for the lapse of Brahman into the jîva-condition of finitude and not also for its worldly life or sannsara:38 Though springing from Brahman, avidyd does not affect the whole of it but only a part which thereby comes to be cut off, as it were, from Brahman and forgets its identity with it. Avidyd has accordingly its abode in the jiva and not in Brahman. The jiva is thus the result of two conditionsone, avidya which delimits it (pari-cchetrl) and the other, vdsand which modifies it (vikartri).39 The second condition is sometimes stated as a sanga 10 or 'attachment' since the vdsands are eventually traceable to it.
It seems necessary to differentiate in some sense or other between common and metaphysical knowledge; otherwise there would be no justification for any philosophic inquiry at all. Hence it becomes a matter of importance for a metaphysician to define the relation between these two kinds of knowledge. According to Sankara, both are valid, but whilo common knowledge is so only for the purposes of everyday-life, the other, as known 83 Sankare on Br. Up., II, iii (p. 328). .
36 See Vartika, II, fii, 72-80. 38 This nafi, though described in somewhat different torms by Sankara and Surobvara is the jiva which word is explicitly used by Vidyaranya in his Vartila-adra, p. 663 (Benares edition).
36 .e, the traces of previous karma and jadna. See Br. Up., IV, iv, 2, and the reference in note 33 abovo.
37 Soo Vartika, p. 1013, st. 117-8. The word udsand indeed means 'perfuming.' 88 See Vartila, p. 1164, st. 42, and p. 1166, st. 53.
89 Soe Ibid., pp. 1156-7, st. 54-55. Compare Tika va Vartika, p. 1001, st. 63-avidyd-karma-púrvaprajfd-pari kertaa
40 of. Ibid., p. 1156, st, 51, and p, 1163, st. 89. Bankara traces 'attachment' itself to avidyd.