Sambodhi 1981 Vol 10

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 49

The Treatment of the Panchgni-Vidya
the way of enlightenment go by the path of the gods (devayana). They are not liable to return from that path they are heading for final beatitude and freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Those who perform sacrifices reach the moon by passing along the path of the fathers (pitryana) and after having experienced the fruits of their works they return again with a residuum of their karma. The distinction between the devayana and the pitṛyana is that of the consequences of two different systems of culture, the way of the works and the way of knowledge; each resulting in its own corresponding spiritual estate. Then there is the third state of all those small creatures which continuously revolve in the cycle of birth and death, deprived as they seem to be of any free will to improve their lot and hopelessly consigned to the experience of their accumulated evil works. And th: Upanisad warns one to guard against this third state. Badarāyaṇa, the Sütrakāra seems to refer to this state as the fate of the non-performers of the sacrifices; they have to go to the abode of Yama, from where they ascend or descend as per the consequence of their residual karma. This third state includes the seven hells mentioned in the Puranas.33 The Sutrakära here clarifies that he is concerned with the two paths only, viz., the path of knowledge and that of karma.
We can now revert to the problem of the underlying purpose of discussing the Pañcagni-vidya in the first quarter of the third chapter of the Brahmasutras. It is well known that out of the two paths mentioned above, this pada discusses only the path of the fathers, the one by which those who perform the sacrifices go to heaven and return from their to be born as human beings again. It also discusses the fate of the non-performers of the sacrifices. Naturally, the discussion of the path of the gods is reserved for the last two quarters of the fourth chapter.
47
The very fact that the Sutrakāra discusses the Pitṛyana and the fate of the non-performers in the third adhyaya devoted to the means of knolege, while he consigns the discussion of the Devayana to the fourth adhyaya devoted to the result and goal, indicates that the discussion in the third chapter is meant to inspire the aspirant to realise the transitory nature of the heavenly happiness and arouse the curiosity and urge for the permanent bliss. The majority of the Acaryas are thus on the proper track when they declare the purpose of B.S. III. i, as that of generating a sense of aversion to the happiness in the mortal world as also in the heaven.
Vallabhäcarya, however, prefers to interprete this pada as revealing the channel through which those who performed disinterested actions throughout their life in order to realise Brahman, but died half way to it, would get the proper birth calculated to help them prosecute their Sadhana