Brahman and the World

Brahman and the World

Brahman and the World

Ashokanath Bhattacharya Sastri

Cataloging in Publication Data — DK

[Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. ]

Bhattacharya, Ashokanath, author.

Brahman and the world / Ashokanath Bhattacharya.

pages cm

Reprint.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 9788194622130

1. Brahman. 2. Causation. 3. Vedanta. 4. Hindu philosophy.

I. Title.

DDC 294.5921 23

ISBN 978-81-946221-3-0

First published in the Journal of the Department of Letters, Calcutta University, vol. XXVIII in 1935, by Calcutta University Press, Calcutta

Retypeset format published in 2021

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Publisher’s Preface

This scholarly work of Pt. Ashokanath Bhattacharya Sastri, Vedantatirtha, was first published in 1935 as an article in the Journal of the Department of Letters, vol. XXVIII, of the University of Calcutta. Vedānta, the finest fruit of Indian thought, quintessentially deals with the concept of Brahman and Its numerous meanings, nature and relevance to the Indian philosophic systems. Śaṅkara, Bhāskara, Rāmānuja, Madhva and Vallabhācārya, the great protagonists of Advaita, Bhedābheda, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaitādvaita and Śuddhādvaita, respectively, have contemplated a great deal on Brahman and its nature and qualities.

The author tries to address a perception among Orientalists that while the Upaniṣads favour the Monistic doctrine, the Brahmasūtra of Bādarāyaṇa opposes it on some important points. Therefore this volume studies the philosophies of both Śaṅkara and Bādarāyaṇa in articulating the essential features of Brahman and Its association with the real world. In so doing, it discusses the concept of universal cause, the different schools of Vedāntic monism on the doctrine of causation, the doctrine of emancipation based on the theory of causation and the concept of causality of Brahman in sister schools of Vedānta.

After offering a detailed Introduction (Chap. 1) to the concept of Brahman, Chap. 2 goes on to deal with the concept of universal cause and compares the views of Kapila and Rāmānuja on the doctrine of causation, the differences between the views of Patañjali and Rāmānuja, the theory of the identity of efficient and substantive causes. It also proposes to suggest that causation is an inexplicable appearance not amenable to a logical definition, the Monistic view. It deals with the illusory or apparent cause of Brahman, along with a critical estimate of Bhāskara’s position, the Buddhist Mādhyamika view and the views of the Grammarians, especially on the philosophical theory of sphoṭa and Śabda-Brahman, and the Monistic standpoint on the consistency of the doctrine of illusory causation.

In enunciating the position of different schools of Vedāntic Monism on the doctrine of causation, Chap. 3 deliberates on the view of Padārthatattvanirṇaya, analyses why twofold upādāna is admitted from the point of view of the psychology of perception, deals with the phenomenality of the objective world implied in the subject–object relation in perception, the nature of avidyā and its relation to consciousness and the Vivaraṇa view. It houses the interpretation of the Vivaraṇa view and Saṁkṣepaśārīraka view, and answers the question as how does the insentience of world come into the philosophical discourse, Vācaspati’s view on māyā and the insentience of the world together with a critical examination of his position.

Chap. 4 talks about the doctrines of emancipation keeping in mind Appaya Dīkṣita, Rāmānuja and Jaimini and their different views, and explains the different types and stages of emancipation in Vedānta, going by the teachings of Śaṅkara. It further makes a brief mention of the doctrine of causation in the Śruti texts.

The concluding chapter is a study of the concept of causality of Brahman in the sister schools of Vedānta. Sureśvara and Vijñānabhikṣu appear to have an analogous view as regards Brahman to be the substantive cause. It also provides details of Advaita vs Viśiṣṭādvaita, ideals of Bhāskara vs Śaṅkara; Nimbārka; Bhāskara vs Nimbārka; Nimbārka vs Rāmānuja, Vijñānabhikṣu’s position against Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja, Madhva’s position and the teachings of the Gauḍīya school and the position of Vallabhācārya on the concept of causality, among some allied topics.

We have adopted a new lay-out with currently prevailing diacritical marks. As value-adds, we have created a brief Bibliography and Index. Hope this book will benefit all who are keen to know about the philosophic teachings of Advaita Vedānta and its preceptors.

Contents

Publisher’s Preface

1. Introduction

A Passing Note on the Identity of the Vr̥ttikāra

2. The Concept of a Universal Cause

Kapila and Rāmānuja about the Doctrine of Causation: A Comparison

Patañjali and Rāmānuja

The Theory of the Identity of Efficient and Substantive Cause: Supported in the Brahma-Sūtras

The Monistic View: Causation Is an Inexplicable Appearance not Amenable to a Logical Definition

Brahman: The Illusory or Apparent Cause

A Critical Estimate of Bhāskara’s Position

The Mādhyamika View

The View of the Grammarians: Sphoṭa and Brahman

Consistency of the Doctrine of Illusory

Causation from the Monistic Standpoint

3. The Different Schools of Vedāntic Monism on the Doctrine of Causation

The View of the Padārthatattvanirṇaya: Twofold Substantive Cause — Brahman and Māyā

Why Twofold Upādāna Is Admitted?

The Psychology of Perception

The Phenomenality of the Objective World

Implied in the Subject–Object Relation in Perception

The Nature of Avidyā and Its Relation to Consciousness

The Vivaraṇa View: Īśvara (and not Brahman) — the Upādāna

Dr Das Gupta’s Interpretation of the Vivaraṇa View

Saṁkṣepaśārīraka View: Pure Brahman — the Upādāna

The Insentience of the World: How Does It Come In?

Vācaspati’s View

Vācaspati Explains the Insentience of the World

A Critical Examination of Vācaspati’s Position

Other Charges against Vācaspati

Kalpataru’s Support to Vācaspati’s Position

The View of the Siddhāntamuktāvalī: Brahman — No Upādāna at All: Māyā — the Only Material Cause

4. The Doctrines of Emancipation Attendant on the Doctrine of Causation

The Question of Individual Release: The Attainment of the State of Īśvara — Appaya Dīkṣita’s View

Bādarāyaṇa’s Views about the Nature of Final Release

Difference between Appaya Dīkṣita and Rāmānuja Regarding the Question of Individual Release

Which of These Two Views Retains

the Spirit of Jaimini?

Different Types and Stages of Emancipation

in Śaṅkara’s School of Vedānta

The Doctrine of Causation in the Śruti

5. The Conception of the Causality of Brahman in the Sister Schools of Vedānta

Advaitins and Vijñānabhikṣu

Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita

The Position of Bhāskara

Bhāskara and Śaṅkara

The Position of Nimbārka

Bhāskara and Nimbārka

Nimbārka and Rāmānuja

Vijñānabhikṣu’s Position

Brahman: The Locative Cause of the Universe

Śaṅkara, Bhāskara and Bhikṣu

An Original Line of Interpretation of the Brahmasūtras: An Attempt at Compromise between Vedānta and Sāṁkhya-Yoga

Bhikṣu’s Interpretation of the Adhikaraṇas

Which Serve as the Support of the Theory of Abhinnanimittopādāna

Madhva’s Position

The Position of the Gauḍīya School

Brahman: The Formative Cause — Gauḍīya View

The Position of Vallabha

Two Main Divisions of the Commentators of the Brahma-Sūtras Accepting Brahman as the Identity of the Efficient and the Substantive Cause

The Particular Sections of the Brahma-Sūtras

Dealing with the Doctrine of Causation

Bibliography

Index

1

Introduction

The Vedānta has been rightly called the finest fruit of Indian thought. Indian wisdom has not produced a fairer flower than the Upaniṣads and a finer fruit than the Vedānta philosophy. The Vedānta grows out of the teachings of the Upaniṣads and passes into various systems in the writings of Śaṅkara (c. eighth century

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), Bhāskara (c. tenth century

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), Rāmānuja¹ (c. eleventh century

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), Nimbārka² (c. eleventh century

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), Madhva³ (c. thirteenth century

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) Vallabha⁴ (c. fifteenth century

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) — the great founders of the Advaita, Bhedābheda, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaitādvaita and Śuddhādvaita systems of thought repectively. Most of these orthodox great commentators have written separate commentaries on the Upaniṣads also. Even now, these systems, taken together, represent the beliefs of nearly all thoughtful Hindus and attract the attention of many a great thinker in the East and the West.

The general impression among the present-day Oriental scholar is that though the Upaniṣad texts mainly favour the Monistic doctrine expounded by Śaṅkara, the Brahma-Sūtras of Bādarāyaṇa are fundamentally opposed to it on some of the most crucial points.

Almost all the scholiasts, however, are unanimous in their opinion that:

1. the first five (or four according to Vallabha) topics (adhikaraṇas) of the Brahma-Sūtras practically exhaust the entire philosophy discussed in the Vedānta system; and

2. the rest of the Brahma-Sūtras seems, to all intents and purposes, to be pre-occupied with an elaboration of the main thesis established in the foregoing part by reference to specific doctrines of the Upaniṣads.

It is apparent, therefore, that the work of Bādarāyaṇa is susceptible of two broad divisions — (1) the first part, being a statement of the main thesis, and (2) the second part, forming an amplification and elabortaion of the same subject, however, to occasional introduction of independent topics having only a remote bearing on the main issue. In this matter of division, however, Śaṅkara makes a departure from the usual convention by insisting upon the Ānandamayādhikaraṇa to be regarded as an essential part of the corpus of the first division and he has made a vigorous attack upon the previous commentators for relegating it to a position of minor importance as its inclusion in the explanatory section would naturally connote. The real motive underlying the new procedure adopted by Śaṅkara is to emphasise the three essential aspects of features (svarūpalakṣaṇa) of Brahman, which can be serially arranged in the following order:

1. The aspect of Being — unconditional and absolute (sat) as set forth in the first four adhikaraṇas;

2. The aspect of Consciousness — pure and absolute (cit) as established in the fifth adhikaraṇa; and

3. The aspect of Bliss — absolute and unqualified (ānanda) as brought out in the sixth adhikaraṇa.

It should, however, be noted, in order to avoid the charge of misrepresentation, that in the preface to the Ānandamayādhikaraṇa, Śaṅkara openly avows it to form the beginning of the supplementary division and this would seem to contradict the position we have set forth above. But it will be obvious to a careful reader, who will look below the surface, that this statement⁵ has been made in deference to the conventional interpretation (attributed to a vr̥ttikāra by the commentators of Śaṅkara) and it would