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MAY 2014
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
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mentaries on the principal Upanişads, the Gitā and the contradict experience. Sankara's skill lay in doing this. Vedānta Sutra (the Sāriraka Bhāşya). Other important He starts with the conclusions of Gaudapāda, that the books, on a popular level, written by him are the Self is one and is a Relaity, and that our empirical exUpadeśasāhasri, Vivekachūdāmaņi, Anandalahri, periences are based on the identification of the Self Harimidestotra, Mohamudgara, Ātmabodha, etc. The with the body, the senses etc. Sankara accepts all that, importance of his philosophical views can be judged and uses his skill in showing that all else is illusion or easily by the simple fact that even those who advance māyā and all dualism is unsatisfactory. His opposition, views other than Sankara's find it necessary to refute therefore, is mainly against two sets of thinkers, the him before they do so.
Mimānsaka Realists, and the Sankhya dualists. The Vedānta of Sankara : So great was the per- It is evident that the study of the Vedānta is not for sonality of Sankara and so logical was his exposition those who follow the path of Karma, but for those who of the Vedānta philosophy that when the Vedānta sys- follow the way of wisdom. It is only for advanced people tem is referred to, it is generally Sankara Vedānta that and not for the ordinary men of the world who are is meant. His great opponents were the Mimānsists steeped in pleasures. The study of the Vedas and who held that the Vedas did not preach any philoso- Vedāngas, strictly the study of the eleven old Upanişads phy, but only issues commands for this or that action. is essential to every student of the Vedānta : the Sankara held that in the Brāhmaṇa literature of the Aitareya, Kausitaki, Chhāndogya, Kena, Taittariya, Vedas, which laid down the Karma Kānda or sacrificial Katha, Svetāśvatara, Brhadāranyaka, iša, Mundaka rites, the Vedas were mandatory, but that the and Praśna Upanişads. A knowledge of these is preUpanişads expounded a philosophy, which demon- supposed in the study of the Vedānta. But as further strated the One, Absolute, Unchangeable Truth of the conditions Sankara lays down the following requireUniverse. The two parts of the Vedas, the Brāhmanas ments: and the Upanişads, were meant for two classes of (1) Discrening between eternal and non-eternal subpeople, the ordinary men of the world who wanted this stance : (frufragado). Really speaking this disor that pleasure and the wise people who were averse cernment is to come as a result of the study of Vedānta. to worldly joys and wanted Ultimate Truth, respectively. Deussen therefore rightly says that what is meant is a Sankara in his philosophy had thus to show that the metaphysical disposition whereby one cognises an Upanisads consistently aimed at one set of notions. unchanging being. We have a similar requirement acHe had to explain away doubtul texts which presented cepted by Plato in his philosophy. any colour of the Sankhya dualism, and of the refer- (2) Renunciation of the enjoyment of the reward here ences to Mahat, Prakrti etc. This he did in his Bhāşya and in the other world. (56-314-32141619TRT) or the commentary on the Sūtras of Badrāyana and in (3) The attainment of 6 equipmentshis interpretation of the 10 Upnisads.
A. Tranquility (919), B. Restraint (4), C. RenunciaThe Brahma Sūtras : The Brahma Sutras are in 4 tion (342fa), D. Resignation (fafcian), E. Concentration adhyāyas or books; each divided into 4 pādas or chap- (99412) and F. Belief (GI). ters. Each of these has a number of topics of discus- It is clear that these requirements imply that the highsion, called adhikarana, topical subdivision. The first est moral purification must be realised, without experifour sūtras and the first two padās of the second encing which metaphysical intuition is not possible. adhyāya are the important portion of the constructive Deussen criticising on this says that this gives us a philosophy of Sankara; the rest are mere textual inter- picture which is just opposite to that which we have of pretations of the Upanişad passeges.
a philosopher in modern days. A philosopher is exAdhikära : Accroding to Sankara, the place of Rea- pected to be intensely excitable and disposed to have son is subordinate. It is to be used only for understand- a full interest in the visible world and its phenomena. ing the Upanişads, which convey truth. Reason is in Regarding this criticism of Deussen, it might be said itself unsatisfactory, for where one debater proves one that even when modern philosophy has advanced on thing, another cleverer still may prove just the contra- the basis of empirical studies, the highest flight of even dictory. Reason therefore is not final. And yet, if the modern philosophy are intuitional, they come from Upanişads conveyed Truth, it was necessary to within the mind, and not from the study of the visible harmonise the same with experience, for Truth cannot world. Further, it cannot be gainsaid that Moral Restraint
