World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 746

her argument. Vādirājatīrtha in his commentary glosses Draupadi's term paurusa as "purusaprayatna (verse 71)28 human effort. Yudhisthira is rendered niruttara (answerless) and she retires. Then Bhīma takes over and explains the matter more fully to him (77-116). The crucial verses are :
'O King, Visnu indeed is the all-doer, none else; everything else is under Him, He indeed is svatantra (free). Even so, man must perform the right actions, and must reject the actions which are improper (77). Man's action is evident, from that you have to imagine that he is moved by God. The wise one does understand that one's duty is motivated by Him. (78) By doing so he attains to the right end; the wrong-minded ones blame on daiva (fate) and abandon karma. That is the first cause. The second one is the beginningless (anadi) karma (i.e. the basic fund); the third one is the effort of the person (jīvaprayatna) which is called paurusa. All these three are subservient to God, always (85). This hatha hierarchically exists from the highest Brahma to Kali (86). All actions take place as per the hatha, efforts follow it and as per karma. Without effort hatha does not operate and even karma is inoperative. God awards the fruit of everything as per the procedure. God's sovereignty lies in choosing to award the fruit as per the scheme. (88) That does not detract from the sovereignty of God; His omnipotence is not reduced. So one must perform the duty set for him in the service of God (89). 29
The passage above is an existential application of a philosophical/ metaphysical truth in a concrete situation. Though in the original Mahābhārata Draupadi takes the lead in the exposition of the agency of God, here Bhīma does it and Madhvāchārya identifies himself with him and clinches the issue. Madhvāchārya invests the term hatha with a unique technical sense. Monier Williams in his dictionary glosses it as 'absolute or inevitable necessity and deduces the meaning from the Mahābhārata itself ; Madhvāchārya gives an ontological significance to the term hatha and makes it the irreducible, ultimate substratum of the existence of every being. Hatha, anādikarma, and paurusa the duty proper to him, are also under divine power. One's duty must, then, be performed. He must realize his subservience to God and perform the duty enjoined. The kartratā (the doership) is implanted in the jīva (jīvasamstha) and is universally evident (pratyakşaiņa), and so logically cogent (anumānāt) and enjoined by the Vedas (āgamāt) (80), Vādirājatīrtha clarifies in his commentary the operative terms:
The doership is implanted in the jīva evidently, i.e. stands proved by actual experience (pratyaksa pramāna siddha). Through his
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