Sri Vedanta-sutra, Part 127
BY: SUN STAFF
Aug 03, 2021 — CANADA (SUN) — Sri Vedanta-sutra - Volume Six by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, Translated by Sriman Kusakratha dasa.
Adhikarana 4
The Individual Spirit Soul Enters the Combined Elements
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
Now will be considered the statement that the individual spirit soul enters the element fire.
Samsaya (doubt): Do the individual spirit soul and the life-breath enter the element fire, or do they enter all the elements combined?
Purvapaksha (the opponent speaks): The Sruti-sastra says that the life-breath enters the element fire, therefore the life-breath enters the element fire.
Siddhanta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sutras gives His conclusion.
Sutra 5
bhuteshu tac chruteh
In all the elements, because of the Sruti-sastra.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
The individual spirit soul enters all the five elements. It does not enter the fire element only. Why is that? In Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5) it is said:
jivasyakasamayo vayumayas tejomaya apomayah prithivimayah
"The individual spirit soul enters the elements ether, air, fire, water, and earth."
In this way the Sruti-sastra affirms that the individual spirit soul enters all the material elements. A further explanation is given in the next sutra.
Sutra 6
naikasmin darsayato hi
Because they both say it is not in one.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
It should not be considered that the individual spirit soul enters into one element, into fire. The word "hi" here means "because". This means, "because this was described in the questions and answers in Chandogya Upanishad Chapter 5, Parts 3-10.
Adhikarana 5
The Departure of the Enlightened Soul
Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
Now will be considered a doubt that may arise concerning Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.6.
Samsaya (doubt): Does this passage describe the departure from the material body of the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge, or the soul that is not enlightened?
Purvapaksha (the opponent speaks): In Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.7) it is said:
yada sarve pramucyante
kama ye 'sya hridi sthitah
atha martyo 'mrito bhavaty
atra brahma samasnute
"When his heart is free of all material desires, the mortal becomes immortal. Then he enjoys spiritual life, even in this world."
There word "atra" (here in this world) means that the enlightened soul need not leave the material world. Even in this world he enjoys the bliss of spiritual life.
Siddhanta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sutras gives His conclusion.
Sutra 7
samana casrity-upakramad amritatvam canuposhya
Indeed, in the beginning they are the same. Also, immortality is without burning.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
The first "ca" means "indeed". In the beginning, the enlightened soul and the unenlightened soul depart from the material body in the4 sa,e way. However, when they reach the nadis (subtle pathways emanating from the heart), their paths diverge. The enlightened soul passes through one of the hundred nadis, but the enlightened soul passes through a different nadi. This is described in Chandogya Upanishad (8.6.6):
satam caika ca hridayasya nadyas tasam murdhanam abhinihsritaika. tayordhvam ayann amritatvam eti visvag anya utkramane bhavanti.
"101 nadis lead away from the heart. One passes through the head and leads to immortality. They others lead to a variety of destinations."
This is also described in Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.2). The soul endowed with transcendental knowledge departs from the material body through the passage passing through the top of the head. The unenlightened souls depart through the other passages. The scriptural statement (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 4.4.7) explaining that the enlightened soul enjoys spiritual life even in this world means that such a soul no longer produces any karmic reactions even though his connection with the material body is not yet burned away.
Sutra 8
tad apiteh samsara-vyapadesat
That is so, for it is taught that until then there is the world of birth and death.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
This describes the immortality of an enlightened soul who is free from sin even though his connection to a material body is not yet burned away. How is that? The sutra explains, "apiteh" (until then). Until he attains the direct association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual spirit soul still has a relationship with a material body, and thus he remains in the world of repeated birth and death. The direction association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is attained when the soul travels to the world of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusion of the Vedas.
Sutra 9
sukshma-pramanatas ca tathopalabdheh
The subtle, because of authority and direct perception.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
In this contact the relationship of the enlightened soul with the material body is not yet burned away. This is because the subtle (sukshma) material body still persists. How is that known? The sutra explains, "pramanatah" (because of authority). Even when he travels to the worlds of the demigods, the enlightened soul retains relationship with a subtle material body, as is seen in the words of the moon-god in Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.3). Therefore in the previous passage of Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.7) the "immortality" described is one where the relationship between the soul and the material body is not yet burned away.
Sutra 10
nopamardenatah
Therefore it is not by destruction.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 4.4.7 does not describe the kind of immortality where the relationship of the individual spirit soul and the material body is destroyed.
Sutra 11
tasyaiva copapatter ushma
It has warmth, for that is reasonable.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
The warmth that touches the gross material body while it is alive is manifested from the subtle material body, not the gross body. Why is that? The sutra explains, "upapatteh" (for that is reasonable). When it is alive the gross body is warm, and when it is dead, the gross body is not warm. From this it can be seen that the warmth in the gross body comes from the subtle body.
The word "ca" (also) here shows another reason also. When he leaves the gross body, the enlightened soul also takes the heat-producing subtle body with him.
Next, fearing that another doubt will be raised, the author of the sutras speaks the following words:
Sutra 12
pratishedhad iti cen na sarirat
If someone says that it is denied, then I reply: No. It is not so. Because of the resident of the body.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
Here someone may object: The enlightened soul does not leave the gross material body. This is corroborated by the following words of Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.6):
athakamayamano yo 'kamo nishkama apta-kamo na tasya prana utkramanti brahmaiva san brahmatyeti
"One who does not desire, who has no material desires, and whose desires are all fulfilled, his life-breaths do not leave. He is spirit. He goes to the spirit."
In this way the scriptures deny (pratishedhat) that the enlightened soul leaves his material body.
If (cet) this objection is raised, then the author of the sutras replies, "No" (na). This means that the text of the Upanishad does not specifically say that the life-breath leaves the "body". The meaning of this text is that the life-breath does not leave the individual spirit soul. After all, it is clearly seen that even enlightened souls leave their material bodies.
Sutra 13
spashto hy ekesham
Because it is clear in some.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
In this passage of Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (4.4.6) there is no room for controversy. This is so because (hi) in some (ekesham) recensions of the Vedas, namely the Madhyandina recension, is seen a clear (spashtah) denial of the idea that the life-breath does not leave the material body. This same passage in the Madhyandina recension reads:
na tasmat prana utkramanti. atravaiva samavaliyante brahmaiva san brahmatyeti.
"The life-breaths do not leave him (the soul). They enter there. He is spirit. He goes to the spirit."
The word "atra" (there) clearly shows that the life-breaths enter the spirit soul.
To this the objector may reply: In the Kanva recension, in Yajnavalkya's answer to Artabhaga's question, it is clearly seen that the life-breaths of the soul enlightened with transcendental knowledge do not leave the material body.
To this objection I reply: This passage describes a special case, where the enlightened soul is very distressed in separation from the Supreme Lord.
The impersonalists claim that this passage describes a person who thinks he is one with the impersonal Brahman. They say that for him the life-breaths do not leave the material body.
To this I reply: This is fool's idea. No words in the text support this interpretation. At any rate, the impersonalist idea has already been clearly refuted.
Sutra 14
smaryate ca
In the Smriti-sastras also.
Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana
In the Yajnavalkya-smriti (3.167) it is said:
urdhvam ekah sthitas tesham
yo bhittva surya-mandalam
brahmalokam atikramya
tena yati param gatim
"Among all of them, one great soul travels upward. He breaks through the circle of the sun. He passes beyond the planet of Brahma. He enters the supreme destination."
In the Sruti-sastra also it is said that the enlightened soul passes through the nadi at the top of the head and thus leaves the material body. In this way it is proved that the enlightened soul certainly does leave his material body.
