Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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'samastavedārthasārasamgrahabhūtam...samastapuruşārthasiddhas
In a sense each chapter of the Bhagavadgitā may be called an upanisad, as it has been opined by several scholars (notably, Rudolf Otto) that the Divine Song is a composition of several hands. Since the Bhagavadgitā is mainly the utterance of the Lord himself (yā svayaṁ padmanabhasya mukha-padmāt vinisritāh), it has been given the status of an Upanişad, although it belongs to the Mahābhārata, a Smrti text, hence belonging to the Smārta-prasthāna. In fact, in the Bhagavadgītā, the śruti and the smrti get themselves blended. Because of its being an exhaustive collection of spiritual laws, it is a śruti. These laws, when applied to life, are called Sanātana Dharma (eternal order righteousness), which is the subject matter of the Codes. The Bhagavadgitā is the master-key to the spiritual and the applied order. It reveals the noumenal and the phenomenal. Hence it is called Ceruti as well as Smrti.
In the technical sense also the Bhagavadgitā is an Upanişad par excelence. As the etymology of the term 'Upanisad suggests, it is a discourse betwwn the teacher (jagadguru) and the disciple (sisysteham). Even in the middle of two armies ready to overpower each other, the dialogue takes place only between the two. Arjuna is sitting on the back side of the chariot and Krsna is teaching him the nature of the spirit (Atman).
The commentary of Sankara on the Bhagavadgītā, at times, is taken to be not so authentic, as the popular view about the Master is that he subscribes to ekāyana-school, whereas the Bhagavadgitā has accommodated a number of principles. It may be mentioned here that the Upanisads propound ekāyana or the monistic theory (cf. Chand., Up. VII, 1. ii, iv; VII.2.1; VII.5.ii; VII.7.i; and the Brh. Up., 11,4,xi). Here we may not enter into the controversy and may be happy with the view we are helpless in the matter:
Sankaraḥ Sankaraḥ sākṣāt, Vyāso nārāyanaḥ svayam, tayorvivāde samprāpte, na jāne kim karomyahań.
Before we conclude, we may mention about a misgiving regarding the Upanişads that we do not have any commentary upon them by a Viśistādvaitin. It is not true that Rāmānuja did not comment upon the Upanişads. Rāmānuja has commented upon Brhadāranyaka, Chāṁdogya, Katha and Kena Upanisads. They have been printed by the Anandāśrama Press. He is also ascribed Iśāvāsyopanisad-bhā?ya, Mu??akopani?ad-vyākhyā, Praúnopani?ad-vyākhyā and vetāúvataropani?ad-vyākhyā. He has written a much known work on the Upanişads, namely, The Vedartha-samgraha, where he uses the term 'śrutyartha-paryālocană, an equivalent of hermeneutcs. This book is a short but very brilliant lecture delivered on the
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