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

Srinath Vedagarbha svedagarbha at gmail.com
Mon Oct 30 15:15:37 EDT 2017


If the rationale to interpret the term 'brahmasUtra' in BG as referring to
other than BS of bAdaryaNa, is due to BS was written later to BG -- then it
is flawed. It could have been true if author of BG is different from BS.
But all schools holds both are by Bhagavan Vyasa only. More over Vyasa said
to be Omniscient, it is easier to reconcile the fact that He might have
referred to the texts He is going to be writing eventually in the future.

For that mater, we also have the term "vedAntakR^it.h" in Gita 15.15. Since
vEdAnta has its "basis" in Brahma sUtras, the term "vedAntakR^it.h" as One
who has written the decisive text on the Vedas i.e., brahmasUtrAs only. So,
it is suffice to say Gita kAra has already know about what He is going to
do/write in future.

I am not saying Shanakara uses this chronology argument of texts to
interpret as he does. This argument is more by historians and neo-vedantins.

Looking from the context of events which led to Vyasa writing sUtra-s, it
is evident that the true purport of Veda is explicitly clarified in
brahma-sUtras only.

Madhva quotes skAnda purANa (in introduction to his sUtra bhAshya) about
definition and the background of creation of sUtra-s. With naration of
jnAna hAni in dvApara, and upon request by brahmEndra dEvAtas, Bhagavan
Vyasa in order to settle the purport of these shruti-s conclusively, He
composed the sUtra-s, those having the qualities of 'alpAxaramasandighamH'
etc. These sUtra-s are the decisive tool for deciding the meanings of all
the Vedic literature, and indeed of all text-based pramANa-s. In this
manner, having established the knowledge for the benefit of all including
Brahma, Rudra, etc., the Lord Narayana sports, etc.

Madhva also quotes nArayaNa saMhita (in his AtharvaNa bhAshya) about the
same topic.

With these explicit background in skAnda and nArayaNa saMhita, Shankara's
claim of the term brahmasUtra in BG referring to authoritative (monistic)
statements in the Upanishads, renders week.

/sv







On Sat, Oct 28, 2017 at 10:39 PM, kuntimaddi sadananda via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> 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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