[Advaita-l] [advaitin] 'Brahma sūtram' - A unique meaning

kuntimaddi sadananda kuntimaddisada at yahoo.com
Sat Oct 28 22:39:15 EDT 2017


Subbuji - PraNAms
I have heard that the Bhagavad Geeta is believed to be before Brahmasutra of Badarayana came into the scene.  There were supposed to be many attempts made to develop sammanvayam similar to Brahmasutras. Badarayana's Brahma sutra got firmly established as many later aacharyas started bashyas on it. Badarayana is same as Vyaasa was established by many bhashya kaaras. 
Hence the reference to Brahma sutra in Geeta sloka may not apply to the Badarayana sutras.
Hari Om!Sada 

   On Saturday, October 28, 2017, 9:38:24 PM GMT+5:30, V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com [advaitin] <advaitin at yahoogroups.com> wrote: 
 
     

'Brahma sūtram' - A unique meaning


In the BGB 13. 4  the verse contains the term 'brahma sutra':
ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् । 
ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ॥ ४ ॥
(The true meaning of the kshetra and the kshetrajna) has been clearly determined by the Veda-s and the 'brahma sūtras' with reason. 
ऋषिभिः वसिष्ठादिभिः बहुधा बहुप्रकारं गीतं कथितम् । छन्दोभिः छन्दांसि ऋगादीनि तैः छन्दोभिः विविधैः नानाभावैः नानाप्रकारैः पृथक् विवेकतः गीतम् । किञ्च, ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्च एव ब्रह्मणः सूचकानि वाक्यानि ब्रह्मसूत्राणि तैः पद्यते गम्यते ज्ञायते इति तानि पदानि उच्यन्ते तैरेव च क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयाथात्म्यम् ‘गीतम्’ इति अनुवर्तते । ‘आत्मेत्येवोपासीत’ (बृ. उ. १ । ४ । ७) इत्येवमादिभिः ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैः आत्मा ज्ञायते, हेतुमद्भिः युक्तियुक्तैः विनिश्चितैः निःसंशयरूपैः निश्चितप्रत्ययोत्पादकैः इत्यर्थः ॥ ४ ॥
In the Bhashya, Shankara gives the meaning of the term 'brahma sutra' as: those sentences that contain words that indicate Brahman', with reasoning, with the help of which Brahman is understood/realized with certainty.
Shankara does not make a reference to the popular Bādarāyaṇa Brahma sūtra-s here, while others have done that. 

This term that Shankara uses in the above bhāṣya is present in the Āruṇyupaniṣad: खल्वहं ब्रह्मसूचनात्सूत्रं ब्रह्मसूत्रमहमेव 
[Indeed I am the sūtra, being the indicator of Brahman, I alone am 'brahma sūtra.'] While this Upaniṣad uses the explanation/hetu 'sūchanāt' for the Self, Shankara uses it for the Upaniṣadic sentences. 
In the Taittirīyopaniṣat Dīpikā (Sāyaṇa bhāṣya), Vidyaranya has cited from the Āruṇyupaniṣad by naming it: सन्धिं समाधावात्मन्याचरेत् ।  [one has to be intent on the contemplation of the identity between the Atman and Brahman].
regardssubrahmanian.v 

  __._,_.___     Posted by: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>     
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