Sramana Tradation

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 11

Introduction
veil of untruth and men are harassed by false desires. 81 What they need is the knowledge of what they really are. The knowledge of Truth will make men the heir of eternal bliss. Life and nature are not basically evil or painful. They are the expression of the inherent bliss of spiritual reality. Early Vedic Devayāda as well as the later Vedic Brahmavāda, both have a distinctly positive attitude towards life, activistic and optimistic.
As against this positive outlook of the Vedic tradition, one notices the powerful current of Nivrtti which was popularised by Buddhism and Jainism and which was in course of time accepted by the Brahmanical tradition.28 The Dharmasutras and the Smrtis included the renunciation of life within the Vedic scheme of life as the Fourth Asrama. The second Aśrama continued to be held the most important since on it depended the performance of Vedic religious duties as also the continuance of the social tradition. The challenge of the Niyrtti dharma led to a transformation of the Vedic tradition through a new synthesis. The ubiquity of suffering was recognised and it was traced to the desire for transitory things arisings from the ignorance of spiritual reality. 2 ) Reality is eternal and blissful while the hallmark of Ignorance is suffering. Positive and negative attitudes in spirituality are thus combined by the distinction of reality from appearance. We must shun the illusions of egoistic life to appreciate the bliss of spiritual life. Meanwhile, so long illusions persist we must not neglect the duties of social and religious life. The Gitā. indeed, held that duties must not be abandoned at all. With this synthesis Manu could say that “ Vaidike karma-yoge tu saryany etäny aśesatah antarbhavanti kramasah tasmin tasmin kriyāvidhau'.30 27. Isa, Hiranmayena patrena satyasyä pihitam mukham'. Cf. Brhada
ranyaka. 1.2.1.: "In the beginning all was covered by Hunger that
is Death". 28. Cf. Sri Aurobindo, Life Divine, Vol. I, Chap. II-III - The Two
Negations. 29. The Sankhya-yoga as well as the Nyäya-Vaiseșika accept the universality of Duḥkha.
30. Manu. 12.83-87.