-:

/'THE BRHADARANYAKA
. . UPANISAD
/ , .
EXPOUNDED FROM
I _ _ _

SRI MADHVACARYA'S PERSPECTIVE

By
Sastranidhi, Dvaitavedantarasajna, Madhvamunipriya

r». B. N. K. SHARMA, M . A. , Ph .D. o.uu.

Retired Profel tr of San skrit and Ardhamagadhi

Rup arel College, Bombay - 16.

Recipi ent ; Sahitya Akademi Award, 1964.

Published By :
Dvaita Vedanta Studies and Research
Foundation
Bangalore - 560 004
 ., \ ..
s»

.......

t
J
,
...... -. ~ ( ,
~ .'
,~
.~

Fir st Edi t ion 1988

" , '>
-r-:J~'t. ';t ....~. : '
..':...:
;-1
ABBREV rATIONS
. , 1',,
A.A . Aitareya AraJ:lyaka
AV Anu-Vyakhyana (Madhva)
B. Brah man
BS Brahmasiitras
BSB Brahrnasutrabhasya
Co pyr ight: Reser ved by the Author. BSPC Brahmas utra s and tbeir Principal Co mmenta ries
Brh . Up. Brhadaranyaka U pani sad
Bhag. Bhagav at a Purana
Chan.Up . Chand o gya U pa nisa d
G. B. Gita-Bba sya
G.T. Glta-T atparya
M ~adhv a

MuJjQ.Up. Mundaka Upanis ad

Pr ice : Rs. 70-00 $­ 14 c. 7 Mbh. Mahabharata
Pan. Panini (Siitras)
Raghu . Raghfiua ma Tirtha
Riigh. Raghav endr Tirtb a
RV l!-g Veda
S SaJik ara
Svet. Up . SveUi svatara Upa . iF a ;
TClitt. Up . Taitt ir Iya Up a n isac
Printe d By : D lian an jay Wa rkh edka r
Su dh a Mudra na M a ndi ra m
Uttarudi M ut t C o mp o und
Bun ga lore ­ 560004 .
.
KEY TO D IACRITICAL MARKS r CONTENTS
Preface
3l a 0­ the J ntroductory Background i-xxv
:;}I'f a :s ~a Adh yaya J
~ i t:" <;Iba Asva Brahmana 4
~ j UT t:la .
,.... Creation 9
~ u (f ta 11
Udgitha Brahma na
~ u ~~ tha Avyak rta Brahmana 12
~ r '{ (la Ah arn Brahrnasmi 15
~ f ~:f dha Sapt anna Br ahman a 25
n: e ;f na A dhyaya JI
~

u: ai Q" pa J ntrod uction 34

::lit 0 'ii pha Aj at asatru Brahman a 36
:::n au 'f ba Si slI Br a hrna n a 49
. (~~)m ~ bha Miirta-Arnurta Brahmll.lJa 53
: (f€rf{ir) !). +1 ma M aitreyi Brahrnan a 60
"f." lea '.:{ ya M adhu Brahmana 78
~ kha ;c ra Adh ya ya III
IT ga ~ la A sva l a J3rahl11 U1Ja 83
85
'Q' gha ~ va . ,. Artabha ga Brahman a
0 na :;:T sa Bhujyu Brahmana 88
q Us asta Brahrnana 90
:;;J ca :;;a
'0' eha B'" sa K ah o la Brahrnana 96
;n ha Gargi Brah mUIJa 103
Ja ~
A ntarya m i Brahmans 109
~
-; jha CQ !a
Ak sara Brahmana 115
:;r na ~ k~a
;..I'::
ta ~ jfia pip
. Sakalya Brahmans
Adh ya ya IV
122

Sadacarya Brahm an a 130

Kjirca Brahmana }33
 Jy otir Br ahmana
136
"Sri Sri Gopinatho Vijayate"
Sarira Br ahrnana
154

(Maitreyi Briihma.l.la (same as Adhy.IL4) SRI SRIPADARAJA MUTT,

Adhyaya V
Mulbagal-Kolar.
Brahm an a I

163

Brahmana II

168

Brahma na III

169

Br ahmana IV

169

Brahmana V
6'. ~'"
166

Brahmana VI

172

Brahrnana VII

172

Brahmans VIII

173

Brahmana IX

173

Brahmana X

174

Br ahmana XI

174

Brahmana XII

175
Our prayers far the blessings of Sr i ma n N arayana o n behalf
Brahmans XIII
178
o f ou r well-wi sher K oul agi Ra macharya.
Brahmans XIV

179

Brahrnana XV
1~6 It is praisewo rthy that the Dvait a Vcdanta St ud ies anti
Adhyaya VI
R esearch Foundati on ha s . for the: upliftrnent 0 [' de servin g
Mukbya-Priil.la Vidy a
so u ls , cha lk ed o u t a number o r projects t o publi sh the
194

Praj atikarrna Vidy,-t

ph i losophy of Sri mad Anandat i r t ha purporting the 'eternal
195
truth ' . We pray for the hless ings o f S rtm on N driiyona t o
V arnadeva Yajfia
196
enable the Foundati on t o continue its projects with red oubled
Vam sa vi gour .
196

Paficagni Vidyii 196

Conclusion Taking the name o f Srtman Nci r(iJ' U ~UI, we offer our
202
prayers to Lord Sri S ri Goptniitha , the sa me as Sr I
Index
205
H ayavadana and S ri Rang avit[liala ,
Errat a
207

'" Sdi - Sri Vijnananidhigalu.

 SRI PEJAWAR MUTT , UDUPI.

It is a matter o f joy for all see kers of kn ow ledge that

the Dvaita Vedanta Stud ies a nd Re search Found ation has
sponsored a bi g pr oje ct fo r th e pr op ogati on o f Madhva
philosoph y throu gh rese arch and publication o f rare texts
and translati on s. Such deal s in pro mo t ing Mtidhva
Philosoph y are quite rare . We heartil y welc ome this effort
of the found ati on in meetin g this in adequacy. May this
pr oject prosper by the grace of Sr i H a ri an d Sri Guru and
wit h the co -operati on o f the gover nment and the public.
We hope that the p ro ject will be successful in reflecting in
people's mind s the message o f Sr i Madhvacharya' s Tatva
vada.
(Sd) Sr i Visvesathirtha Sri padanga lava ru ,
Sri Pcjawar Mutt, Udupi.
 CHAIRMAN 'S NOTE
Way back in March 1980, a gr oup o f pers ons interested in
and enthus iastic ab out Dv ai ta Ved a nt a met under the Chair­
manship of Late Dr. C. N. R. Ra o a nd decided that it was
necessary t o have an or ga nisat io n to initiate , develop and
produce literature o n D vaita Ved ant a which can be understood
and appreciat ed by laym en h avin g no kn owled ge o f Sa ns kr it
and directed Sri K oulagi R arn ach a r t o prepare an ou tl ine and
full-fledged pr oject taking the assist ance o f Late Dr. T . K .
Lak shma n and Sr i P. N. Srinivas of Te chn o Co ns u lt Serv ices .

Acc ordingl y, a project report cove r i ng t he va r io us acti­

v it ies , capit al requi rement s a nd co st estimate th ereof, high­
lightin g the nece ssit y fo r su ch a n o rg a nisat io n w ith object ives
such a s :

a) co ll ectio n a nd publ icati on o f wo r ks 0 11 D vait a Ved anta ,

b) Initiatin g co rnper at ive st ud ies a nd R esearch o n Phil o sophy
- Eas tern a nd Western and D vait a Vcd a uta ill particular-
c) Training sch ol ars fo r th e purpose etc., .
' ,. . amon g several others o f li ke nature s u b mitted by him was
accepted by the Co mm it tee .
HH Sri Sri Vijayani dh i Tirtha Swam ij i of Sri Sripadaraja
Mutt, Mulbag al , was app roached for assistance and he re adily
agreed to place 4-1 /2 acres of land at N arasimha Teertha at
the disposal of the Foundation a nd co nsented t o be its Chief
Patron .
HH Sri Vishvesha Tirtha Swa miji of Pejawar Mutt, who
was approached , readil y agreed to be the Patron o f the
Organisation.
 The Project wa s s ubmit ted to the Government of Karnataka
seeking financial assistan ce. The Government communicated
their approval t o the project in toto and Granted R s. 4.50
lakhs as Aid.
The Foundati or. commenced its activities with effect fr om
15th September 1983 a nd ha s o rga nised about 30 lectures by
eminent Philosophers . The texts of their lectures will be
published in the Found ati on 's 'Dvaita Darshana Grantha­
mala ' for the benefit o f th ose interested in the subjects.
Several important works such as Histories and expositions
of the sch o ol of thought have been translated and are being
published sh or t ly .
The present work 'The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad expounded
from Sri Madhvacharya' s Perspective' is the second in the
Series, ill English. It is sincer ely hoped that these publications
would rou se con siderable enthu siasm among la ymen and
scholars interested in philo sophy and particularly in Dvaita
Vedanta. 110t only in India but also all over the world.
Philanthr opi st s and ch ar it ab le Institutions have
forward to ass ist the In stituti on and it is hoped that they will
continue to d o so to enable the Institution to fulfil
objectives .
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
We are extremel y happy to present 'The Brhadaranyaka
Upauisad Expounded from Sri Madhvacarya's Perspective' as
our Second Book in the series in English. We are indeed
~~~ grateful to Dr. B . N . K . Sharma, [or having entrusted us with
the Publication of this book .
Dr. B. N. K. Sharrna needs no introduction and the Book
no apology.
With the Publication of this work which initiates a critical
and comparative study and exposition o f this famous Upanisad,
a much felt want is fulfilled and we do hope the Readers will
profit in the study of Dvaita Ved anta with the help of this
Book.
We are thankful to Soot. Vimala Srinivasan for having
provided the design 'Dvasuparna' for our emblem.
Our thanks are also due to Mis Sudha Mudrana Mandiram
COf]1e
or getting the Book neatly.
its
KOULAGI- RAMACHAR
Hony . Member Secretary

Chairman & Members o f the

I
Executive Commit tee
, ;~,"

DVS&R FOUNDATION


PRE 'b'ACE
Tile Vcd uuta has play ed a dominant role in Indian th ough t.
It is undoubtedly it s culm ina t io n . It has however come down
to u s in two o r three principal versions associated with the
names of such di stinguished Ac aryas as Sankara. Ramanuja
a nd Madhv a. Of these, o nly Sunk ara and Madhva have left us
complete co mme nta r ies o n the Ten m ajor U pa nisad s which form
the ba sis of the Vedanta sast ra.
His however sad to co nte mplate th at even at the dawn o f
the 21st Cent ury, the exagger ated a nd onesided importance
which ca me to be best o wed o n San kara's interpretation of the
Upanisads under certain historical circumstances connected with
the discovery of San skrit by the Western Scholars and its
repercussions on the National ist movement in India and the
subsequen t work of Vivek ananda in spreading the message ,of
the Advaita Vedanta all over the world should still stand in
the way of the uncompromising Theistic interpretation of the
Philosophy of the Upanisads and Vedanta Siitras sponsored'
by Madhvacarya receiving equal attention and publicity. The
writings . of well known .Pr ofesso r s of Indian Philosophy like
Dr. Radhakrishnan, Chandradhar Sharma, P.T. Raju and others
in our own time have gone the same way of boosting the
Advaita interpretation of the Upanisads paying scant attention
to their robust realistic and Iheistic interpretations.
My work on the Brah tnasiit ras and Their Principal Comm­
entaries, in three Volumes (2nd Edition) sets right this glaring
imbalance o f modern Indian and Western scho larship in the treat­
ment of the Sirtras of Badarayana.
rn t his work , J have t aken up a similar task of demanding
par ity o r st udy and interest of M od ern sc ho larsh ip from ou r
aC:I(Jem ic circles for th e U pa ni sad Bh asyas of Madhva, with
thos e of S:ui kara, in the best in terest of gen uine advancement
of t ho ught .
I have st ar ted wit h the Brhad aranyaka Upanisad fo r various
"" ..... re aso ns. It is the most vo lu m i no us a mo ng the major Upanisads
in pr ose. It ha s come t o be re gar ded as the ci tadel of M onism
of wh ich th e great Ya j fiavalkya is su pposed to be the Founder­
Fa th er w it h Sa rH:ara as hi s mediaeval exposito r. And, th ere are
near ly a dozen Eng lis h t ra ns latio ns of this Upa nisad follow­
in g o r ba sed on Sai:lkara's bh a sya on it by distinguished
wr ite rs like Hume , Radhakrishn an and several Swamis of the
R arnakrishna M ission, wh o set the pace of thinking of our
You nger gener ation.
The earliest En glish Transl ation of Madhva's Bh asya on
t he Brhadarany ak a wa s by Srish Chandra Vasu, published
in J916 in t he SBH Series, Allah abad. Besides the gist of the
Bh a ~ ya it also gave word for word meanings of the Upanisadic
tex t. But the recondite nature of Madhva 's commentary,
which embodies-implicit criticisms of Sailkara's interpretation,
wherever necessary, besides giving hi s own fresh interpretations
of the text- .th e ,mixed style of prose and verse in which the '
Bh asya is written .and the profuse quotations from a multipli­
city of fadin g and forgot ten sources given by Madhva in
s u pp ort of hi s iown interpretations couched in a highly con­
de nsed style of writing, render the task of a direct translation
r at her difficu It and less useful at present. I have therefore
pr eferred to adopt th e expository method of presenting] the
sa lie n t co ntents of his powerful commentary on the topics
figuring in the Upanisad,
 For purposes of my expositi on , r have utilised tw o very
import ant Sans kri t glos ses of the Dvaita School o n the
Brhadiiranyak a U pa ni sad . Th e fir st and the for em o st is th at
o f Sri Raghut ta mu T irt ha 0 557-96) whi ch is both c rit ica l
a nd cop io us-ex p la in ing not o n ly the Bhasviut hu but g iving
the Kha ndiirtha (o f th e: U pa n isa d ic text as such ) While dealing
with the Eh asy art ha, Raghutta mas learned g lo ss cites
relevant passa ges from Sankara 's bh a sy a o n the Upanisad and
di scu sse s the ad miss ibility o f it s interpretati ons. This offers us
grea t assista nce in und erstanding where , ho w a nd why M adhva
has been o blig ed t o differ from Sankara and provides valuable
material fo r weighing th e merits of their respecti ve
interpret ati on s a nd th eir fidel ity t o the te xt of the Upanisad .
M odern scho lars a nd c r it ica l st udents o f the Upanisad a nd
laymen t on a re sure t o fi nd mu ch to learn a nd unlearn from
such a co mpa ra tive stud y o f th e tw o Bhas ya s on this famou s
Upani sad .
The glo ss of Raghavendra Tirtha (1623-71) briefly eluci­
dates the text of the Upanisad from Madhva's standpoint.
J have here and there cited Dr. Radhakrishnan's translation
of this Upanisad from his Principal Upanisads, for passing com­
ments. I have not thought it necessary to refer to other transla­
tions by the Svamis of the Ramakrishna Misson or D.S. Sarma,
Hume o r that published by the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh,
as they mostly repeat Sankar a' s position and have nothing
original or subst ant ia l to .say Oil textual exegesis.
4/2 Shah Bldg.
Bhagat Road
. Bombay--{00016
January '2bth 1 ~) 8 8 Dr. P. N. K. SHARMA
INTRODUCTORY BACKGROUND
T H E PRINCIPAL UP ANI$A DS FR OM
MADHVA CARYA ' S · PERSPECTIVE
I
In pri nciple and in substance , the classical Upanisads
are totally committed to Brahmavidya or the science of
Brahman. For this re ason , they are call ed "Ad hyat mav idya ."
The term' Atman ' here sign ifies the Supreme Ruler of all finite
reality and its indwelling Co nt r o lle r, called th e "A ntary arni in
the Brhadaranyaka Upani sad . T he prefix ' adhi ' signifies "
t ranscendence t Adhir l svare Pan , 1. 4. 97).
While the Mantras and the Br ahmanas o f the Ved ic litera­
ture de al with G od o r Br ahman ap parently as an external
Being, the Aranyakas turn pointed att ent io n to it s immanence
in the world of matter and soul s . The sources of man's
spiritual insight are both su bject ive and objective-the light of
the self within and the wonders of the world without. In the
Sarnhitas tbe vast order and movement of nature, rtam, (from r
to move on) ho Ids attention. The Upani sads turn to explore
the inner world of man t Katha Up. V. 1). From the outward
physical world, the attention is here shifted to the inner
immortal self and its states of waking, dreaming and
dreamless sleep and beyond and its relation to the Supreme
Unseen Power, which steers ·it thro ' all these states iBrh, Up.
iv.3 .15 and BS IlI.2) . . The su p reme o f the Upanisads is thu s the
God in Man, and ill the Universe. With this shifting of attention
and emphasis, from the outer to the inner w orld o f man's .
states of experiences , bis stru ggle s and his q ues t for res t in the
final source of all finite reality, (Keno Up1 .1) ca me the birth of
tru e philos op hy .
 o.
n iii

T he :c!e:; n f ;' ce nt ra l c a ii~ : ti power behind the world h ad

sukh am .\'ii.\:votom (Svet.up .i i. 2 , 13) . We see h ere th a t t he Lord

al re ad v bee n reac he d in th e Sa mh ir a s . It h ad. h owever,

present in the individual sel f need s m us t be d iffere n t fr o m t he se lf.
rem ained ~ f. th e o u te r lt vel o f the <: ' ,!l'; pr esidi ng o ver the po wers
While the Mant r as ado pt a laud at ory a p p roac h and t he
of n atu r c : S nh ai v« sa ntam /1lI vijiillo/lli devilb (T. l1.iii,1J) . Br ahmanas a mandat ory o ne , the Upani sad s clo t he the ir t hough t s
Fol lo w ing the A ranya kas, tile Upa n is ad s perceptibly co m p leted in colorful mystic la nguage an d ima gery , analogies and pa r a bles.
th e ex te ns io n o f swa y n f the i nn er r~ o v e r n j n g prin ciple o f the For thi s reason the logical st e ps o f their phil o sophical pr o no un­
uni ver se as h o ldi ng th e key to t he ve ry exi stence , power of cements and postulation s often remai n o bs cure in the back ­
gro u nd and h ave to b e drawn ou t a nd d ev elo pe d sys tem ati cally
k no w ing and fu nc t io n ing o r a ll fin i te reali ty i Aitadiitmyam idam
thro ' d iscu rs ive rea son in g an d giv en concrete form an d shape.
sarvam Ch an . Up. vi. 1:5) mean ing : All thi s has Him a s it s
This was accornmpli shed in the Nir n a yaka Sfitras , the S utra s o f
inner R u le r ( Atllla). T h is SlIDlS up the teaching o f the U pan isa ds ,
Badarayana .
Ramanuj a poi nt s o u t in hi s .Srihh a5ya (i.I./) th at U d d a la ka's The philosophical etymol o gy o f the t erm "U pa nis ad' given
st a te men t "Tat t va rn as i", foll owin g -Aitadatmyarn id am
by Sankara in his c . 0 11 the Katha Up. 0 11 the b a si s of the
sa rvani' do es not m ak e fr esh pr ed ica tion . It merely exte nds
filly
three interrelated meanings of the r o o t ' sa d' with -Upa' a nd
' th e a p p licat io n o f the general p ri nciple. that a ll thi s h as the
'ni ' as prefi xe s, signifie s the Vidy a (lore) wh ic h lo osen s t he bo nd s
Su prem e bein g as it s inner Ruler . to the particular ca se o f the
o f transmigration , destroys the seed o f Avid ya a nd lead s t o
person a d d ressed viz. Svetaketu , wh o represents the inquirin g
Br ahman , is acceptable to Madhva al so . He therefore ins ist s
se lf. the Jiv atman , thereby pricking, the bubble o f his vanity and
that being intended to give u s th e highest k now ledg e or
co nce it a nd m aki ng him reali se that like everything else in the
Brahman (CL Aupani sad ah Puru sah) th ese U pani sads ought to
u n iv ers e he t o o is su bject to the sam e un seen power o f God a nd
be interpreted uniformly con si st ently and excl us ive ly so a s t o
is de pendent o n Him. '
reveal the trans cendental majesty o f Brahman as th e universal
The la yin g d o wn o f universal propositions such as lSdvasyam
Creator (Visvasya kartiii, the indwelling co nt ro ller o f the world
idam sa r vam (Ha Up. )A itadiitmyam idam sarvam (Chan Up .)
(Visviint aryiimis towering hi gh a bo ve ov er all finit e re ality
- rr­
as the corn er-s t on e o f Upani sadic philosophy naturally led
(Visvatol: paramam) and th at they shou ld never be de fl ec t ed
to a t} abs or bin g i nt er es t in the pursuit of serious philosophical
from their highest purpose, aim a nd o bject iv e (m ahii tcltpar y a)
reflection 0 11 t h e relati onship between the human . personality
or made to stray into miscellaneou s t opics pertai nin g t o 'lower
an d its . envi ornment . the wo rl d of matter and their highest
Vidyii ' or a duplicat e Brahman called ' Saguna ' cl othed with
go verning principle : Tam dtma st ham ye'llupa;yanti .. .. .tesiim,
sup erimp osed reality and at ributes . 2

2. Upanisattviicca vi sesat o na yatkiiicidu cy ata iti vak tum

1. Niit ra k iiicidu ddisy u kimap i vidh iyatc, Aitadiitmyamidam
yuktam Abhag a vadvisayasya ni ndi tat viit n a u panisatsu
sa rvani. Iti p ratij iidtart hasya visese Upasarilhiiralz .

( Sr ibhii\sy o)
anyad ucyate. (M . Brh , lip . III.l.lO)

;:Il~ fef.fu~~~(l ~~.itl ~~p.ffi I ~~r~t:llf4~ ~~~ ~fd

\3'!1Ffq~crr'ij fct~qW '1 f.\~fu~~ ~Rr Cf~~ ~~~ I
tlmij T~n ~1 Fct~~( ~t{mm ; I
~WIq~~ ~~~qrQ. :q ij ~q~q~ (;'{~~~~ I
 IV V

M ad hva sh o ws us in h i s co m me nt a r ies o n th e U pani sad s
ho w the var io ns Vid yii s (m ed ita ti on s) ta ugh t i n th em h av e for
t hei r p r i nc i p a l su bject mat te r o nly th e transcend e n tal majesty
o f Br ahm a n p osse ssed of infi nit e perfecti ons , as . being th e
i m m an ent so u rce o f a ll cos m ic life a nd devel opment , withou t
h ccom ing a t the same ti me tai nt ed by their ch ange o f stat ns
a n d o th er sho r t co m igs , by rea son o f it s tran scending matter
and so u ls .
T h is Br a hm a n -ce n t red ap pro ach o f M adhv a t o t he inter ­
p ret a t io n o f th e va ri o us Vi d ya s in t he Upani sad s, w h ic h o t he r
co m me ntato r s h ave a l l be en co nt en t t o ass o c ia te with th e
me d itat io n o f lesser p r inci pl es like t he elem en t s o f n ature ( as
Brahma nv co mes o u t c lea r ly in s uch co n text s a s the G ayatr i ­
Vidy a (V. 4 ) Jyotir- Br , (I V . 3) th e Pafic a gn i Vi dya (Cha n . V .
3- 10 ) the te aching a bo u t A n na rna ya, Mano m ay a et c . (Ta il t. [Jp. )
t he A dh iloka A dhi j yauti sa se r ie s ( Tait t, Up. ) T ad asya
Pratham am jan ma. (A ./f u, 4, 1 Asva Br. e,« . Up . i,
Uktha Vidy a (A . J. i j, 3) U dg i th a Vid ya ( Chilli . Up . i , 2 , 5 ) the
Sarira Br. ( Brh. Up . iv, 4 ,1-25) the Saptanna-Br. i , 5, J.23) a nd
a hos t of others .
M adh v a writes "Pr ak r t i. Purusas , their esse and potencies
"A ll Ved ant ic texts pro claim with o n e vo ice t he su pr eme
maje st y or
Bra h m an a s t h e h ome o f num b er les s pe r fecti o ns a nd
as fre e fro m al l fl a ws a n d fr o m limitati ons o f spa ce and ti me .
A mo ng th em (J) so me re p re se nt B. as endow ed w it h a ll
p osit i ve at t rib ut es such as o m nis c ie nce , lo rd ship of c reat u r es .
con t ro l of b eings fro m w it h in, be a u ty. h a rm on y an d go o dness
(2) so me ot he rs de scribe it I/f g a 1i l'I!ly a s bein g fr ee fr om a ll
bl emi sh es suc h a s s in , a nd s u ffe ri ng a nd li ability 10 mat eri al
c mb od imc nt , cha nge a nd decay (3) Y et o t he rs sp eak of it as jar
beyond t he rea ch o f mind a nd s peech , in o rd er t o m ak e it clea r
to us it s i naccess ibi lity t o o u r li mited un derst an din g , in a l l it s
co m p lete ness , with ou t its g r ace . (4) Still o t h e r s r epresent it
as th e only line that cxist s, 'C' tha t it ma y be s o u gh t as th e
su p r eme valu e or li fe 10 t he excl usion o f everythin g e lse (5)
A few o t h er s pr ocl aim Br ahm a n as th e Self(A"tma) o f a ll (san 'iitma )
th at i t rr ay be re ali sed a s the ult i nn te so urce oj the exist ence,
cog nit itlve power andfunctioning of all fi nite rea ls.
1. 2)
But uniniti a ted mind s mi ss thi s unit y o f th eir te a chi ng in
a nd th r o ' thi s var ie ty of c o mp le mentary perspe cti ves a nd mi ss
the r ichness a n d beaut y of th ei r int egral p h iloso ph y b y br ea k i ng
up th ei r unifor m th ought-cont e nt int o ' lo wer ' and ' hi gher '
~ .

an d p o wers o f kno wing an d functi oning are an co n t ro ll ed k no w le d ge o f Sugu n a a ri d Nirgu n a a n d Vyavah ari ka un ci
by the Lord 's eternal will. Just as non-cternals 111 creation are P a ra ma rthik a level s o f truth ".

governe d b y Hi s will , the etern als to o a r e equ ally go verned by As th e ultim at e so ur ce o f a l l, th e sup r em e B. m ust
His will, in respect of their etern al exi stence a n d powers. The ne ce ssarily be ill all forms o f mat eri al evoluti on and in th e
S r ut i says : N o th ing co mes a b o u t , OIl1dra, ne ar or far, without ps ych oph ysi c al . s ta l es of l ivin g be in gs thro u gh It s Ow n
T h y wi ll " (RV. X. 112 ,9 ).
m anifest ati o ns i n a ll o f th em . Th is is th e o bv io u s coroll ary
The whole fabri c a nd p attern o f U pan isad ic thought a s o f the st a te me nt in tbe T nitt , U p. (iii . 6) th at having c reate d th e

co nce ived a bo ve , has b y been put in a nutshell b y Madhva and has m an y , Br ahm an e nt ered int o th em all , in o r d er t o s us ta i n a nd
b een e lab orat ed by his great co mmen tato r Jayat irt h a . in his energ ise them fr om wi th in , w it h it s o w n a p p ro p r ia t e indwellin g
Nyii yttsudhii as foll ow s :­ Forms . Madhv a ca u t io ns u s th at Brahm an ' s manifestin g it sel f:
 'VI
i n th is way , in all its cre at ions thro ' appro pr ia te forms, IS
t o be un der st ood in th e Pantheist ic sense of transformin g
it sel f in to t hose crea ted thin gs as such but in th e esoteric sense
o f taking ap pro priate for ms of pure intelli gence a nd bli ss o f
tr a nscenden ta l essence a nd enterin g int o t hem [r r suitab le
im pu lsion an d d ircct io n fro m w it h in, at all t imcs witho ut
beco mi ng def iled by th eir imperfe ct ion s :
T atstliam t advyatirik t ani ea niyantiira m namd ntahc,
a ~~ ir ~Rtftffi T.f ~l1;art rr+lPl~ I
i Sk anda Puriina ii, 9, 16, 18)
T h is cr uc ial pa ssage fr om Skanda th o ' not qu ot ed by
cir cles. Th e Buddhi st so u rces the mselves refer to such
Mad hva hi msel f sums u p h is phi losoph ical position ad mirabl y.
At maviid ins as their r ivals whun they w ant to w ean a way
Thi s w ay o f synthes is ing the va rious th ought-currents
n r the Up anis ads so as t o co nverge 0 11 o ne u ndi vided and indi­
visible Brahm a n of infi nit e perfecti on s as th e th e me o f Ved anta
wo rked out hy Madh va, pro vide s the fu llest sco pe a nd co rn pre­
hcuxivc basis fo r the smoo th a nd o r der ly harm oni zati on
(.·/" II'li f' l'm/!) of all seeming conflicts a nd cont r adi cti ons o f
l h p lI ~dll ill thei r descr ip t ion s of Br ahm an , ar:. d it s relati on to the
", p i Id, Thi s ha rmoni zati on wo rk ed o ut by Madhva fro m a
r obus t Thci st ic stand po int gives equal stat us to all the text s
bo th Mo nist ic and Theisti c without up grading some as represen­
in g t he h il' lte';t t rutb (ta t t vGl'edak a) and down gr adin g oth er s as
Vy iiva ll:lrib 1() a lower level of reality and as such not strict ly
truth -idcc l.nu u: i a-tattviivedaka v, as ha s been d one in the
Adv ait u Sl' ltol ttl. Herein lie s the di stincti veness of Madhva's
contribut i..n 1" o u r understanding o f the he art o f the Upani sa ds
and their u nr xpu rgated teachings. Buddhistic ph iloso ph y is
indub it abl y I ll l : ,t -lJpani~adic. The flights of acosmi c and
ideali sti c s pccu lnt i o ns achieved by the Buddhist thinkers seem to
hav e made d t: t'1' lm prcssio n on th e mind s o f co n tempora ry
vE
not Br ahmini cal circles wh ich wer e sti l nurs ing th eir loyalty t o
their Vcd ic herit age. C o nsc ious ly or unc onsciou sly , then , th cy
ca me to nurse a sneak ing ad mira t io n fo r Bu ddhi sti c met a phy­
s ics , It wa s th er efo re o n ly natu r al th at in co urse of timc,
.when det ermin ed effor ts we re made to ' reha b ilitat e Vcdi c
phil osophy and pre ven t its bein g swa llow ed a nd swep t awa y
by Buddhi s m, a certa in measu re o r unwi tting co mpro mise and
re ad i ng of Bu ddhi st ideas and pa tterns o r th ough t sho u ld have
fo und their way int o t hc Reviva list literat ure o f th e Bra hmi ns .
This paved th e way Ior a parti al rc o r icnt at ion or Upan isa d ic
phil osoph y 0 11 semi-Bu dd h is t ic li ncs i ll so me Aupan isada
entire ly to thei r ways a t' thin kin g. (Sec T...mifd l l'atiir a )
TT
H oweve r, th e earlies t co mm cnt ari cs o n the Vcdant a Siit ras
see m t o have kep t d ear o f Buddhi st Ajat iva da . it s acos mis rn
a nd subjec t ivc ideal ism a nd wer e c-i ntent wi I h a Pa nt heis t ic
r end ering of Upa nis ad ic th o ught , whi ch locked n pon th e reality
o f th e wor ld 0 1' matt er a nd souls a nd the d iffere nce betw ee n
J ivas an d Brahma n as be ing d ue to real Upad h is (d iffer ent­
iating conditi on s - hen ce not abso lute o r irrevoca ble .
H o wever . it wa s not lon g before the ph ilosop h ica l ina dequ acie s
of Pantheist ic m et aph ys ics ca me under tire by the new sch ool o r
"A up a nis ad as ". inspired by Budd h ist Aja t iva da , led by
G aud ap ada a nd some o ther early writ ers li ke Aea rya Su nda ra
Pa ndya. L ater · 0 11 Gaudapa da 's fr ank leanings to wa rds
Buddhist Ajativ ada we re di sc reetl y mod ified a nd to ned down by
Sankar acary a thro ' hi s Viv a rtav ada as a co mp ro mise between
Ajat ivada an d Brahm ap ari narn avad a (o f Panthei sm ), wh ile
...
'
ret aining th e tatter 's no mencl ature of "Abhinna- n imit tcp a ­
d:i na t va of Br ah man , as a s moke-scree n .
But while Panth eism belied th e un ch an gin g pu rity and
unifor mit y of essence o f Brah man ' s being, Vivart ava da redu ced
 viii ix
Brahman' s au t ho rs h ip o f th e s tu pe ndo us universe to a n unsub­ bond age to release. The r ol e of t he Sup re me bei ng in cos m ic
st a nt ial ' app earance ' mo re ment al than physical in its nature,
devel opment in th e Th eism of M adhv a is mu ch mo re vital,
thereby t aki ng away th e meaning and ser iou sness of p ur p ose
radical , co mp rehe ns ive and inward sti it s meanin g and i mpli­
behind the wh ol e th eo ry o f cos m ic c re ation and the tbeory of
ca t io ns than th at o f a merel y ext ernal Age nt o r effic ie n t caus e
Kar ma a nd t ra nsm igrat io n o f so u ls and th e ent ire prog ram o f
o per at i ng wh o lly from w it ho u t , as in th e Nyaya Vai ses ika a nd
sp irit ua l Sa dh ana wh ich co ns t it ute the ver y basis o f es cha to log y
Yoga schoo ls . H e nce th e ter m N i mi tt ak a ra n a ap plied t o
o f Hin dui sm- r estin g 0 0 th e co mm o n and cori t inu ou s he r it age
o f Vedic a nd post-Vcdi c literature . Br ahman ' s ro le in th e cr ea t ion , sus t e nance , co nt ro 1a nd d isoluti o n
of the universe, in Ma dh va 's in t e rpret ati on o f t he ph iloso phy o f
It was ne cessary therefo re to go in for a more b al a nced a nd
th e U pan isads is no t syno nym o u s wit h it s se nse and usage in
self-co nsistent app r oach t o the phil oso ph y of the U pani sads in
the N ya ya Vai s esik a a nd Y oga syst e ms . This is a very cru cial
which th e worl d. o f ma tter a nd soul s will have an a ctu al reality
poin t, whi ch is often missed 01' ign orer! by critics evaluat ing
o f its o wn-no do u bt . dependin g o n the eter nal will of the
Ma dhv a' s cont ribut ion la Theism . Suffice i f t o sa y that the
L ord . The contro lli ng Lo rd do es not su ffer an y .kind o f
Acarys' s con cepti on o f G od as N im itta K aran a o f t he wo rl d as
dimi nuti o n o f h is aut hen t ic being thro' an y ki nd o f self­
Sarvasatt apr at jlipravrt( ini n'itt ;;rn " the so urce o f existe nce,
de lus io n i adhy dsa) in th e pr ocess o f creating and maintainin g th e
cogni sabiIity and functi o ni ng of al l e lse, is po les apar t fr o m
w o rld o f matter a nd sou ls .
the Nyaya Vaises ika co ncept io n o f G od as Nirn ittak a r a na . To
In ex plain, Dravyas (su bs tances ) gu nas (qu aliti es) Ka la , a t o ms
I n th e int e rest o f reviving sucb a pristine The ism of th e et c . in Nyaya Vai ses ika an d th ei r es se nt ia l natu r es d o not D WC
. ' .
U pani sads, it was necessar y t o mak e a clean b reak w ith their existence o r p ow e r o f functi o nin g t o G a el .
Aj ativ a da , Br a hmaparin am av ad a , Br ahmavivart avad a a nd IV
Brah man 's Ab h innan i mitt op a dan av a da, Pri mord ial Prak rt i The monop olistic hold o f Sa nk a ra - Veda nt a o n the inter­
h ad to be re st ored t o it s ri ghtful pl ace as a Para tantra tat t va pretation o f the Upa n isad s co rmo t be sa id t o h av e been
(d ependent reality) pro vidi ng th e st u ff o f th e u niver se a nd effec tive ly o r credibl y cha lle nged by B h~ ska ra o~ R am al~llj a,i~ so
o p erati ng und er Br ah man ' s im pulsi on and evo lvin g the wo rld far as they had not co m me n te d Oll a l l t he m aj or U pa nisads in
(see ~ v e t. U p. v. 5) as the materi al behind all co sm ic evo lut io n full t o inspire com p lete co n fidence in th eir sta nd . It was left
an d activity at a ll time s a nd sta ges in th e career o f so u ls, fr o m to Madhva to tak e lip thi s t ask in earnes t a nd revea l th e

3. "The d octrin e of transmtgrat ion o f souls has no interest unadulterated Thei sm o f the U pa n isads in their pr oper setting .
In commenting o n the U panis ad s M adhv a takes note of

--
whatever in as ser t in g s uch a n in explicable thing t hat the
Indi vidu al so u l loses its identity in Brahman. It is suffici ­ their Mystic idiom and phras eo logy in descr ib ing the nature o f
ent for it to mai ot ain that as a re su It of freed om atta i ned , communion o f the rel eased so u ls wit h Br ah man in pas sages
the soul is in a state o f bliss " Albert Schwit izer , Indian like Yatra nanya t pa sy at i niiny at s rnot ! t Chiin up. vii 24 . 1)
Th oug ht and its D evel opment, p. 61, Yat ra vii an y ad iva .1'),(/1 t atra 0 11) '(1 anya t p asyc t ( Bl'D. iv 3.3 1)
 x x i.

N atu t add vit Iyat n as ti t at u anvad vihhak t ant .1'01 flas.J'et (IV 3 . 23 ) the imp o ssibility of explain ing away th e D u a l is t ic texts, wh ich
a nd exp la i ning thcm i n s uch a way as wo u ld n ot LIQUIDATE a re admittedly m ore num e r ou s th an th e few M on istic- look i ng
TH E HU M A N SP IRIT I N Br ah man , ent ailing the lo ss of o nes , in a ny but t he ir f u ll ex pre ssed se nse. H e th e n s h o ws h o w Cl
i t s a nthcntic indi vidual ity ill the la st a na lys is . H e explains th at few so -ca ll ed ' Ad va it ic tex ts' l ike Idam s a rvam vatl avam .1/111 1/
the hu ma n se lf is so ab sorbed in t he ecst ati c j o y o f it s CO Ill Il1U B rh, U p . 3, 4. 6) Ta t t ra m as i (C ha n . up .) A luuu Brahtniistni
nio n wi th th e Lord th a t it has n o eye s , cars o r th ou gh t fo r a ny­ (B rh . lJp .) Viiciira mbh an am (Ch an . up. ) Prd n o vd altam asnii
thing e lse but th e L ord. I t is t h is s t a te th a t h a s bee n so p ran as t ram (AA H 2 .3) Fa re m }'ay c sa r vo cklbltavan t i , (Mund ,
p rofo und ly desc r rb ed in t he s ur ch a rged em o tio na l a ccen ts of
(up. III 3 . ]) Asattg o hvayam Purusal) (B r h . U p .) c lo t he d in hi gh ­
t h e S l'Ll li 'ill .tcd a bo ve a nd its par ap h ra se i n th e G i ta as 110 wn M ys ti c lan gu a ge and i mager y an d whi ch h ave bee n a ppr o­
p o int ed o u t b y Jayat Ir t ha : pri at ed b y M onis m t o its a dva n ta ge, o n very su p er fic ial gro un d s
Param esvarobliak t irn a ll W a b S I' ll tmii u n iyus ama ­
11ir(/v adi1ik a nd unp ro ve d ass u m pt iori s, 'c ou ld a ll o f th e m be prope r ly e x­
s /avast nhh.l'o ap i {[/I(// /ta g 1l(1I1 dh ikab an t arayasaliasreniipyapro t i­ pl ained in keepin g wi th th e re a lit y o f th e wo r ld o f mat ter and
!Jaddfw(l 11irant a rt/ p rcnl a prava hah , Yam odlt lk rtya 'ya t ra s o u ls an d t he s urvi va l and d epend en ce o f the re lea sed so u ls 0 11
n i i ny a t p asya t i n i i n y a t ,{ n W I ; sa nis ii p a s y a t o . m U I1(' !z
th e Supreme . Th e lc g ical a nd o t he r i na d equ a cies a nd self­
i tyiidiir« t is 11/rt aya h, co nt r adicti o ns o f seve r a l o f suc h. Monisti c- Ic c k in g t ext s in the
q ~it~:R~ fui~Tq fifFtM'fi: ~~Tcmclfl~~ ~i!Ftf~p:iiTS l?:i~ ;:a­ Brh. Up . i tself h av e b ee n b r o u ght 10 light in re leva nt co nte xt s in
thi s work a s the re ad e r ca n see far him se lf. (p p . 2 3,2 8,4 1.64 ,75 )
:tllJTr ~Ofi: \?1 ;:~U;~F:TQ~ lJ'( fl: !:{~Rf;q~ : Ft~;:;:{~~lU{en~: I l{1lN­
Madhva establi she s th e p r in c ip le o f Sak s i , t he A p pe rce i­
~~ ' !.f~ ;I Fll ~'l~ll' m, ~r;l{~~oi)Ri' 'm r;mr q~l{~ PT:' ~r~­ ving Self a s the crite rio n of a ll ep istemo lo g ica l cert itud e in a ll
r-;

~rct~alf: I (..vs. I .) our experiences, mund an e o r tran s- rn u nd a nc , which even thc

Sign ifica nt is R a gh aven dra T ir t h a ' s co m me nt o n thi s- deliverances o f the Sruti s w ill h av e t o respect as their U p aj i vya
- .. -. Pramana .! H e also ke ep s sc r up u lou sly c lo se t o t he co n tex t
A s am bh ii vit o aya tn prctn apravdha itvot a ah a-'Yllmn dhikr1y a; iti,
(NSP .) and the s yntactic requ irements o f th e p a ssa ge s a nd mak es

'31~fc'farSir 1TqqerrQ: ~~d '31TQ:- '~qfit~' ~Rf I u se of approved grammat ic a l . sa ncti o ns b ased o n case
syncretism, s u ppress ed cau sal co ns truc tio ns a nd et ym ol o gical
The r ead er is r eferred t o M adh va 's ex p la nat io n of Brh , Up . anal ysis of w o rd s 5 in a dd it io n to lo gi cal a rgume ntatio n
IV 3 at i ts p roper pl ace in th e p rese nt volume .
4. On the pl ace a n d impo rtance of Saks i i n M. ' s Philosophy
V see my Philosophy of S ri. Ma dhviiciiry a (2 nd Edn . M otil al
M adhva' s c om ment ari es on the Up an i sad s naturall y bring Banarasidass, Delhi - 7 (1986 ).
int o prominence the full measu re o f s u p p or t w h ich they gi ve t o 5. Sueh a s Sa pt asu p ra tliamii, sa tsu dvi tiyii.
(M(] h iivyiikara ~m Siitra)
the b asic d octrine of T he ism t hat th e su prem e Br ahm an is the
so ur ce of being bec omi ng and fun cti on i ng o f a ll fin ite r eali ty an d ~8'ij !:J~ru , ~e.: fWft~T \
 Xll
a ga inst the adm iss ib i li t y of Advait ic i nt erpretati o ns be sides t he
evidence o f a large numb er o f fa d i ng a nd forgotten s o urc e bo o k s
o f mu ch more a nc ie nt stand ing th an the interpret ations of lat er
d a y comment at o rs , ho we ver e m ine n t . Instance s o f th ese will
be feu nd by the cl isccr ni ng reade r in the bo dy of th e prese nt
w o rk .
Vl
Another s tr iki ng fe atur e o f Madhva 's meth od o f interpreta ­
ti on lie s in th e w ay i n whi ch he link s and co ordin ates the
cos mo logy o f th e Upan isads w ith the presidin g activit y o f the
tw entyfour "Tattvab hirna n i D eva tas o f the "Ved ic Sa nk hya "
covering the entire gam ut o f cos m ic evolution and involuti on
under the prim a ry i mpul si on of th e Supreme Bein g. exercised
thro ' the C it -Prak r t i or Srit attva , the presiding deity of Mii la
Prak rti it sel f, and it s th ree st rands o f Satt va , Raj as a n d Tama s
presided ove r b y the th ree fo rm s o r Sri. Bh fi a nd Durg a of
Cit-Prakrti he rsel f. T he accep ta nce o f Cit-Prakrt i a s the pre­
s id ing de ity of Prak rti foll ow s fr om the accept anc e of the
d octrine of Ab h im anidev at as in the Brahrn asutras. S a n k a ra
and R am anuj a h ave a lso ac ce pted the existen ce o f "A bh i rna n i­
dcva t as ' pres idin g o ve r I ad a-tattvas like apab and Prtliv i (see
e .g . S. o n Brh up . 3 .9. 1 p ] 22) . They h ave not however worked
out the g ra dat io na l hi er a rchy of these Abhim anidevat a s
and their uni verse o f Abh im ana in the macroc osm a nd the
mi crocosm wit h su ch pr ecisi on and t hroughness as M adhv o, in
tbe interpret ati on of the Upas ana of variou s Vi d ya s a nd in th e
cosm olo gy of th e Upan isads a nd the Pur an as-
Thu s the Su preme Bci ng t ran scanding al J creati on rem ains
rooted in hi s ow n majesty ( Sl'e mahimni pra/i,I'[!Ii/ab) and m ak es
Svii tantryasnehay orant arnita nic,
(Brh . up . V . 3. 14-1 8)
m~l[~uTt~fuFq
.
I ~
...
Xlll
~ .,
His presen ce felt everywhere; as t he ultimat e . so urce of all
finite reality , its bein g , becoming and functi oning.
Tat ra tat ra s tliito Vi~~ltt b t au acch atcttt) prabodhayan,
Ek:a eva m ahiisak t ih k urut e sarvama iijasa.
Cffl a~ fulm ~: a~~: ~
..... "' J;.,.,.
q<fi t;q i{~r~Rli: ~~ ~~+j§mT I
VII
Jn the history of thought it ha s o fte n h appened that parti­
c u la r texts have co me to be vi ctimi zed by a dominant line of
interpretation whi ch has for long afterwards prevented critics
and commentators from venturing to place them in t he ir proper
perspective . The U pa nisad s have su ffered the sa me fate at the
h and s o f Gau d a pada , Sa nka ra , Bhaskara and others wh o have
si de - tracked th eir phil osophy int o a n in vestigation of the true
nat u re of the Pratyag atrn an o r the individu al se lf of man and
the r ediscovery a nd affirm ation o f it s essenti al identit y with the
so ca Iled univers al self o r Para-Brahman .
This excessive preoccupati on of these early Monistic
Vedantins with the individual self and its affirmation as the
terminu s o f aJl philosophical quest and its fulfilment, as the
summum bonum of spiritu al life is the result o f a gross error of
perverted judgement that in its true original and primary sense
the term "Atman " which is so often used in the Upani sads st a nds
mainl y and as a rule for tbe individual self, as the real subject of
philos ophical que st and rea lis at ion. Th e A t man -Brahman equation
o f the Advaita schoo l is the r esult of this utnp ro ved assumpt ion .
How persi sten t and al luring has been the fasci na t io n which thi s
fac il e hypothesi s of traditional M o ni stic commentat ors of the
Upani sad s has excercised o n the imaginati on of m od ern Indi an
sch o l ars a nd Western s ava nt s who wer e gu i ded mostly by t he
literal sease of the pass ages with ou t ca r i ng t o go into the co n ­
 XIV
tex t , o r th e s ign ifica nce o r the anal ogie s used there, ma y be
seen from th e t ypical assertion m ake by Dr. Radhakrishn an in
th e Intr odn ct io n to h is translati on o f the Principal Up anisads
that "in th e ea rly prose U pa nisads, "A-t m a n " is the principle of
individual co nscious ne ss and "Br ahm an" the Superpersonal
groun d or th e cosm os. Soo n th e di stinction diminishes and
the tw o are id entified ." (P . 77).
But whe n one i nvesti gat es t he matt er seri ous ly , o ne finds
th at t he te rm ' A tm a n ' as used in the hi gher co ntexts o f its
o ccur rence in the Up an is ads , su ch as pertain to the genesis of
the cos mos a nd it s evo lu tio n a nd th e goa l o r m an , it does not
stand fo r th e individual self but fo r [he S upreme O verlord a nd
creator o r th e univer se as such . In the lig ht of
th e IVhole / oulldati oll (lil t! .Iupers tructl:re of Advaita m etaphy si cs
iu mb els d OIVII (I S \ \' 1' sh ul ! present ly sec .
Madhva' s chi ef con t r ibu t ion to the proper understanding
of the philosophy of the Upani sads llies in opening our eyes
t o thi s learned error of judgement and fallacy of Sankara and
his followers and their modern admirers led by Vivek ananda,
Deussen - a nd Jater m odern Indian scholars and
Indian Philos oph y .in 0111' Un iversi ties, Madhva has helped
disinterested students o f the U pan isad s to take a fresh look at
them fr om a co r re ct p erspective. The basic mi sconcepti on of the
individual sel f in isol ati on being the subject of stu dy and rea­
lisation has practically dep osed God or the Supreme Brahman
from his rightfu I place of honor in the heart of the Upanis ads
as the Aupani~adal.l Puru sa h a n d substituted , in his place,
a dummy in the form of a duplicate Br ahm an calIed Saguna­
Brahman or [ svara clo thed in all the gorgeou s apparel of
superimposed attri tb ute s g alore, all of th em of an unreal nature
(mithy iidharma) as a co ncession to weak m ind s wh o cannot digest
the co nc ept of a Ni rguna and a Ni rvi sesa Brahman ' .
xv
Nir vise sa m p aram brahma .l'ii k ,wi t k ar t ll m all i.l:\lar ii [J .
Ye m audus t e anuka mpva nte savise sanir uoanaih,
f.lf;;f~ qt ~iR ~r~~tf,~~~u: I
~ "' "\ A"' A..- ~
~ 1=l;r.:r~(1sT!i~t7.{;:q ~ICiqTql..,~qrJf: "
(Kalpataru)
A t the same tim e, Adva it a ha s exa lt ed wh at it calls man's
'Pure se lf' afte r di vesting it of a ll sp ecifi c co n te n t (Cinm atra)
as neither a kn o wer o f its own being nor o f oth ers-neither doer
no r e njoye r o f an ything o r having the po wer to d o or cnj~ y
a nyt h ing.
Madh va exp oses t his basic error or judgement o f the Advaita
philosopher s a nd re stores to it s ri ghtful pl ace the forgotten
fact o f Up ani sad ic th ou ght th at it uses the term ' A t ma n ' in its
[his fi nd ing ,
pri mar y a n d plen ar y se nse , in a ll co ntext s re la ting to th e goa l
o f man an d th e crea t io n o r th e wor ld, it s s us tena nce, co ntr o l
deve lo pme nt and d isso lutio n and the rede mpti on of so u ls fr o m
bon d age a nd the purs u it ofa l l spir itual cffo rt for th e atta inme nt
of Moksa as denoti ng o nly th e su prem e Lord who is the
Antaryamin (indwelling controll er) o f the Jivas , a n d never the
individual sel f who is a lways the seeker and never the sought.
Professors of .JtmabrahmiidaYa/:t sab diit: t amrte viSJ;tUlilavyayam.
natvsnta gun ap iirnat ii.
Na sambhavanti y asm dt ta ih
~rc~a:~: ~~: a~~ ~~olflf~ I
~ ij+{erf;a' lf~r~ ~: ~~mn ~UJ'!.ciTar 11
The foll owing fact s should make thi s clear. (l) The definition
of "A t ma n" as qu oted b y Safika ra in hi s co m me nta ry on the
Ka tha Up . h as reference t o a n all· pervasive a ll . energising
intelligent principle which su st ains and regulates all cosmic
li fe by it s tra nscenden ce a nd immanen ce, as poi nted ou t in the
Brit Up. and as differi ng fr om th e tran smigrati ng selves wh ich
ar e d u bbed as "arta' (at o anyad drtam v, Th e Jiv atman wh o is
subje ct to th e viciss it u des of K arm a and rebirt h, canno t at all
 xvi
be said to be of a 'const ant nature '. ( Yacca sya s an tat o bh ii vah' ;
w it hin th e meaning o f the term ' Atrna n ' (as given by San kara) ,
at least till h e is co mpletely released from his bond age by the
grace of God. But the subjection itself. to agelong transmi­
gration , till release is attained, is not a token of its maintain­
in g a 'con stant nature' at all times - unless its transmigration
itself is to be di smissed a s an im agion ary state of self-delusion .
That would inv olve mo re unproved as su mp tio ns of the falsity
of the experience of bondage. As wh at is fa lse is, by hypothesis
a produ ct of ignorance t he doc tri ne of ignorance scr een ing the
o ne Sa t so meho w giving ri se t o a Vyavaharika world o f matter
an d souls will open the d oor of Pand ora's Box as regards the
fu rther questions relating t o the locus o f ign orance (a.fra y a)
and o bject (vi,>ay a ).
(2) A verse fr om t he Tantra quoted by both Madhva and
Sridhar a Sva mi , the Advait a co mm ent ator on t he Bh agavata
de rives ' A t m an ' from 'a- Iat a-md' me aning the lord wh o pervades
all insi de and o u t and who k no ws everything.
A ta totviicca tn iu rtvii d iitm ii h i paramo ha ri h,
~r15a~.;q1iT~r~r~tjr ~ wn ~ft: (l
This is the mos t probable etymology of the word. There
is no basis fo r Dr. Radhakr ishna's suggestion that the word
Atman is derived from "an" to breathe , (Principal Upanisads
p. 73) for in "A t ma n" the prefix 'a ' is a long vowel and the
medial element is only "T man ' which occurs in the 15g veda
(1.69 , 1c) an d survive's in 'Tmii' in Kaiha Up . 1.3.12, whereas
the ro ot 'ari ' to breathe w ould o nly give us 'A nab' and the 'a'
and trn' would remain un accounted fo r. Parallels t o the
syll abic et ymology 'of 'Atmal~ ' fr om "A "-tata-ma " can be
found in the sp li t ting of Sat yam ' (Brh Up. V 4.1) as "s at -ti­
ya m " a nd others in Yaska ' s Nirukt a, (3) A well-kno wn pa ssage
in the Bt h . Up . In 7, 3-23 br ings o u t th e differ ence between
the Ji vatman and the Rul er of the co smos who indwells in him .
,,
XVll
as everywhere else , in iipoh Prthvi, Vdy u, Agni , Pr ana an d
vijfiana and wh o, for thi s rea son, is d esignated as their "A trnan "
ie to sa y , their "A nt a rya mi " - Esa l e ({lUIlI A nt a ry iim] am rt ah
of each o ne o f those tattva s an d th eir presi ding dei ties who are
sent ient be ings (like our own selves). Th e M adhy and ina
rec ens ion o f the Upani sad read s here, in place of 'vi jiial1 a ' the
word ' Atm ari' itself: Ya Atma ni ti s t han A t ma na m antaro
yarnayati, Esa te Atmii Antarya mi a rnrta h ". It is admitted by
Sailkara als o that the t erm s Vijfiana and Atma are used in th ese
two Sakhas as convertible terms . The first word 'A tma' used
in the lo cative case (iitmolli f( ,(han) stand s naturally for the
Jivatrnan a nd the second o ne used in the nominative cas e (esa
te a t rna ) refers to the Antaryami "o r Indwelling Lord in
that At man. These two "A t mans" cann ot therefore be the
same, as it would be me aningle ss to t alk of the same At rna n
being his own untlweller and cont roller from Wit h in his o wn se lf
and th e und welt . Thi s sho u ld be clear to th e meanest intellige­
nce . Dr. Radh akri shna tell s us th at this passage is "impor ­
tant to Rarnanuja for hi s Visi$!iidvaita and that Madhva uses it
to support his theory of absolute difference between Brahm an
and the individual sel f". But all that he is diplom atically
disposed to say as t o how Sankara him sel f ha s reacted to this
passage is that "Sa Iikar a dis cusses this next in hi s BSH 1.2.18­
20'-without letting lis know that Sail kara has tri ed t o di smiss
this difference between the first named A tma n and his Ant ar ­
yarni, so clearly taught by Yajfiavalkya, by ' exp la ining is aw ay
as just an accommodation of a difference born of ig noronce of
th e true nature of the se lf. in the Vy iivahiirika st ate 6 • This
6.: Atrocyate - Avidyapratyupasthiipitak arYa karc!J.opiidhinimitto
ayam ,~ar ;riin t ar viim ;~zor bhedopddesob . (S . BSB ! 2.20)
~~lfa - ~~~~fit~Ffir~tf,l(01T{n Nfilrn~sir ~ntfu-
~,,;\...'Q,.r'" .
;:CP11l+t"1I"'~1'1~ : I
 ...

XVll l ixx
comm its us to a n acceptance of Sa nka ra' s two-tier theory of Blit t lteu , consistency do es not see n to be Swika ra' s s trong
truth a nd th e esse nt ia l o nene ss o f t he individual self and the p oin t . For in his cornmentr y o n Brh. lip. VI 8,7 . he maint ain s
su p reme Bra hman, Oil his ow n au tltority, th at the w ord "Atrnan' with out a prefi x deno tes the
Th is goes agains t th e sp ir it and the letter of this fam o u s Prat yagat ma n" (Jiva ) by " R ii ~l h i" (con vent io nal u se ). But wh at
p r on o un ce me nt o f Ya j fiava lkya , and is repu gnant t o the ve ry is the mor e imp or tant q u esti o n wo uld be whether th e riidl.i to
co nce pt of "An ta ry ami ? ; for there is no ne ed t o posit a n be ac cept ed sho u ld be that o f th e lea rn ed o nes ] Vidv ad rii(lh i ) o r
An tar yarni in th e a bs e nc e of real wo r ld of matter a nd so u ls to be th at o f the ma n i n th e s t ree t i avidv ad - rI/(/hi) . But in thi s
con tro lled from wit h in the m by an Indw elling Rul e r. N o comme nt on BS I . 3 . 8. w he re th e Sidd hanta turns o n the
b ac kdo o r expla nat io n o f thi s d ist in ct io n between the controll er co rrec t me ani ng of the te r m ""\ t l11a n " in the passage "k now tlutt

a nd the co ntro lled as re st ing o n "lo wer knowledge " ca n ca rry At m an a lone and g ive up a ll other talk (M uIJd up. 1. 2 . 5 )
S mikara admits fra nk ly tltat tlt « pr im a ry m eaning of A tma n i ll
conv ic t io n t o any fa ir -minded st ude nt o f the Upanisad.
(4) T he u se o f th e same word "A t man " in two different se nses the Una nisads is campot ib le only wit h th e s up re m e Being S ,

in t h is pa ssa ge a nd elsew he re in the Upa n isads, may, no do u b t,

If, in spite o f a ll thi s . S'111kan sh o u ld st i ll ask us t o
be fel t t o be co nf us ing. It is ev ident ly t o remo ve su ch a
belie ve in th e id entity of th e Sii r ira A tman with th e Pr iijfia
confu ss io n th at in th e nex t , A dh ya ya (Br ll lip . lV 3 .36 )
A t ma n, it. is o nly by fo rci ng d o wn ou r thro ats hi s pet th eory o f
Y aj fiaval ky a himelf u ses the "vo rd "Sa r ira- Atrnan " (the A tman
Adh yasa and th e Mith yatva o f t he wor ld o f du alit y. whi ch is
subject t o ph ysic al emb odi me nt) t o refer t o the individu al sel f
as ki ng Io r too mu ch and takitu; lOO mu ch for g ra nte d ,
a nd the wo rd ' Praj fia A t man ' (the Omnis cient Atman) who is
not su bject t o embodiment a nd tran smigration, to refer t o the (F . N. 7 Continued .)
"Ant ar ya min o r the su p re me Brahman. Sankara himself in his Further, under Brh . U p . III 7.3. Sa ll k a ra him sel f rej ect s
co m mentary o n B. S. I . 2 . 18-20 , where the precise identity of the contention that th e p res id i ng deities o f P rthvi an d
o t her s wh o are sen t ien t bei ngs a re the Antaryauiis of
th is An ta rya mi is discu ssed by the Sut ra k a r a agr eesl th a t
Prthvi et c ., by po in t ing ou t t bat the statement of the
the term "A t mal> in its primary sens e . denotes only the Supreme
U pa n is ad that the presiding dei ty of Prthvi kfl OI1'S not th at
Bra hman and not any others -t h e o t h er s given in the context o f
there is so me oth er pe rso n th an it s OW fl self , inside it s ow n
the Sutras an d their Vi say a va ky a being the Jadaprakrti and 11u:
sel f a nd o th er th an it sel f con t ro lling it fr om within,
.livat man (Prii n abhrt} , est ablishes bey o nd d oubt th at t he Ant ar yarni is ab solut el y
7. "Esa te iu mii antaryiimy amrt a' iti ea iitmat vam rtatve inukh y e different from the Jivatm an.
p aramiunuuui Upapadyet e. Tasmiu saririidanya is varo
8. A tmasab dosca poramiumop arigrahc sa my ak avaka lpo te,
ant ary iimi iti si ddham , (1. 2.20) ( S . 8SS 1.2.18)
niirt hdn tarap ar ig rahc. (S, BSB . 1.3.1)
'o:q R\:1 1~~r ~;a~i~~a 1 ~ ~ ~rE~~~~ ~~ q~;m~
"" ...... to .
I" _ <eo. f' 0'" ~ ,...... "'"' "' ('
amlffi~a;r !R~m~:f'1~~ ~ilfCfi i31erifi~(f , ;:If',n;a~qR~~
", ",
I
;z-t{t{iilo I CRllff( ~rRlij~~ ~eros;CI~1 rrr ~ rn;w\ I ' . , .
 xx xxi
Thu s on th e ques t ion o f th e preci se identity of the co s m ic n o te the pl a y o n the word <netra ' in thi s U pa n is a d , w h ic h a ls o
Antary ami , Sankar a finds hims el f in a quandary of hi s o w n means the 'eye ' wh ich lead s '. like li gh t. It is thi s movin g
maki ng fro m whi ch he tr ies t o extricate himself b y shifting hi s description of the supre me intelli gen ce o f Brah m an , t he leadi ng

gro un d fr om Vya vah a r a t o Param a r t ha, as it SI/its his co nven i­ li ght of all life a nd m ovement in thi s wor ld a n d in Hea ven
ence . be yond (prajiiiinetro <lokah '} th at the Adv a ira has r edu ced to
a n a bs t r a ct io n a nd co nver ted th a t de sc r ipt ion into o ne of it s
(5 ) L o ok i ng int o th e U pa n isa ds th ems el ve s w i tho u t an y M ah av ak yas te aching the iden tit y o f A trn a n a nd Brahma n as
prec on vei ved not ions , it is 11 0 1 d iffic u lt to see th at in their
"S r~ t j -pra k aral~ as " such as " Veri ly, t he A t ma n a lo ne exi st ed in
.

I pure co n sc io us nes s with o ut

Bu t o nc e th e
a
prim ar y se nse o f
co n te n t «( Prajn a na l11 Brahrn a ).

th e mu c h deba ted wo rd
t h e b eginn in g, n o thi ng else wh at ever winked " i A it . Up . 1) A.t mu n in Vc da nt a is se tt led a nd co r rec t ly gras ped a fte r
"F r om th e afo res aid ..flm all r ose et h e r . fr om ethe r a i r, fro m a ir careful sift in g o f e vide nce , as o ut lin ed ab ove , it wo u ld be
fir e an d purusa" (Taill . up . ii , 1) t he ter m Atman refers avow ed ly e lea r that the w ho le q u est of Ved a nt a h a s al way s b een directed
to th e o ne Su p rem e Brahm an a nd not t o embodied se lf towards the Supre me Bein g a nd not t o ward s th e i nd ivid ual sel f
(dehabhimal! i· A t m a ) wh o is po r t of tlie cre a ted w or ld t o he . who is a lways 'h e seeker an d is neve r t he' .I'1I 1I .~ ht .
T h e Ail . A. call s th e S upreme A t man -P r ajfi atrna n ' b y reason
o f wh ose p rese nc e ill him th e emb odied A t man is a b le to c a rr y VI II
o n int e ll ige n tl y hi s b od ily a nd co ngn i t ive activ it ies . "By th at THE OLD ER MEANI NG OF SARVAM
Atrnan.s p o wer th e e mb o d ied self m akes his ex it fr 0111 th e L ik e Atma n we have a no the r word o f very mu ch less
w orld a nd att a i ns imm ortality 'v. fr eq u en t occurrence i n the U pa n isad s w h ic h ha s been a so u rc e
of misconstruction in so me c o ntext s. T h is wo rd is ' Sa r V(1.l1I ,
'Th is m akes it c lea r th a t i n t he o pi nio n o f thi s Upanisad t he
occu r r i ng in s uch co ntexts, as " S a rvam Kh al vidam Braltm a ."
e mb odi ed se l f is n o t the o ne w ho has been re ferred .t o by . th e
"Brahmavidy ay a sarvam bhavi s ya nr o ma n u aya a h u b " T as m iit t at
term A.tman , in t h e o p e ni ng passage o f th e secti on Atma vii eka
sarvam a b h a va t (B rh - up. ).4 . 10). Th e o lde r mean i ng o f
eva agr a iisit ; niiny at kiii cana m isat The reader m ay al so
"Sa rva m " a s full, comp le te , se lf- co m p lete ( p ur na m ) is met
with in some places in the Rg Veda an d in some o f the o lder
Brahmanas like the Satap oth a a nd Ja im iniyu which a re at the
9. Sa etena p rajiiiltmanii asmiillokiid utk ramya amu smin svarg e
back of Madhva's expl anati on o f ' sarvam ' as p iirna ni (infinite) in
lok e am rt ah sam abhavat . ( V. 4.),
these contexts.
B' o;~r{ ~T~JAT i3{~J{~tfi~~ ~ ~ ~ ~a:
Once the term Atman i n the Upani sad s is reinstated in its
B+{~Cffi', I i3{R~fcRi{ ~~ : 1
primary sense vas the S upreme Brahman as distinguished from
A ISQ ; A' maIl'ot irayam purusah. (B r h. Up.. .. . ) the ernboded self', the fam o us tea chin g of the Man d tikya Up .

 xxii xxiii
ab out the four pad as o f Aunan ( So ' yam all1/{/ ca t ll~\pl7d ) in
syste m is m ost p robabl y t he best that co u ld be de vised" .
term s of Vi sva , Taijasa , Pr ajfi a and Tur iya, can easily be seen Radh akr ishnan says , "So fa r a s the ea r ly U pa n is ad s are
t o desc r ibe the presiding ac t ivit y o f the Supr c nc Brahman co ncerned , it mu st be sa id th at S a n ka ra 's v ie w is representative
throu gh it s manifestati on as Vi s va , Taijas a Prajiia and Turiya o f th eir main tend ency. "
in steering th e in di vi du al se lves throu gh their states o f waking
dream j ng , cl rea m less s leep a nd M ok s a . M a dhva ' s idcnti ficat ion
o f th ere lo u r Io rrn s as th e four Ior rns of th e Supre me Brahman
IX
a s suc h (ins tead 1)[' w it h t he em b od ie d se lf impli cated in
th e se var io us sla tes) recei ves s~1 1 id su pport fr 0111 Y a j ii a va lk ya ' s fr o m what we have seen so fa r a nd wh at we sha l l see fr om
referen ce to th e emb odie d sel f (S ari ra a t ma) being lo ck ed in th e the discu ssi on o f t o pi cs in o ne o f th e ea r ly Upa ni sads vi z, the
cmbran co of th e P raj i a Atl11 a . in th e happy rep o s e o f the st a te Brhadaranyaka in wh at fo llo w s, we a re co nstr a ine d t o observe
of Sus up t i.L a p vvit i '111 whi ch is full y c o n fir med b y the Stirrakara that these two eminent Profess ors and tho se who have come to
him sel f ill In unccrt a in term s - S II,wp tyutk riintyo r hh cd cn a (D.S .) tow their lin e a r e all under th e initial mis conception o f taking
is fo r granted wi tho u t search ing examin ati on tha t word s like
Her e aga in , ,~a l1 k a r a is ready with his Famili ar pica of thi s
At rna n and Sarvam ar e used in th e U pa n isa d s o n ly i n th e ir
differen ce bein g du e to the p la y o f Avid ya !
o r d ina ry conv enti on al me anings o f the embodied self a nd a Jl
Western sc ho la rs like Deu ssen wh o t ook to the s tu dy of the
that exi sts.
Upani sads w it h av id it y in their newfound enthu siasm for
Indian Philos oph y we re m o stl y guid ed by Sankara ' s exp osition
o f them which was r ead i ly ava ilab le to them and did 110t take If the Siitras o f Badaraya na , the earli est sys t e m a t i sa t io n of
th e tr oubl e la gu be yond the literal and conv entional me anings the philosophy of the U panisa ds, have a ny locus standi in
of their w ord s like At111an a nd Sarvam a nd ;'e;l1ail1ed comfortably determining the correct philosophical me aning a nd purport
sati sfied and 1i11Ug li ke a bu g in a rug, with thei r first of the words arid pass ages o f th e Upa n j sad s di scussed by
. im p ressio n and all o wed themselves to be persuaded th at them and the rulings given by the Siitrakara in
1. 3. 1. that
, Sa Iika ra ' s v iew th at the U pa nisa d s were unquestionably wedded Atman in the primary sen se appli es only to the Supreme
to a Moni srn. Brahman and not to theindividual sel f,has any au th ority, it must
be' clear the same term Atman used in Atmet i t u upaga cchan ti
It was however left t o Thibaut to boldly express his
griihayanti ea (iv . L s .) must dispel the Atman-Branman equati on
misgivings about tbe faithfullne ss of Sa n k a r a ' s commentary on
so hopefully built up by SaIikara a t the ve r y be gining of his
the Brahma Siitras t o the letter and the spirit of the original.
Adhyasa Bha~ya· (A-tmo. Cu Bra/un a) upon which he has
Unfortunately the same scholar while writing about tbe
proceeded to raise the whole ed ifice of hi s mon istic m et a p hysic s
Upanisads opines that " the t a sk o f reducing the teaching of tbe
and its co r oll ares of Visva m lIlit hy a and the theory o f t wofold
Upanisads t o a con sistent system is an imp ossible one. But
Brahman as Saguna a n d Nirgu na - the .forner being o n ly pheno­
the t a sk Ol/CC g h'C'I1, we arc read~ to admit that SaiJkara'!l
m enal and the latter a lo ne a bs o lu t ly tr ue a nd real.
 xxi v xxv

C O N C L USI ON unequivocal st at e ment in an sw er that even the self (.4Ima) is

The disconcerting fact that the earliest authentic sys tema ­
tiser of the phil os ophy o f the Upani sad s viz. Badarayana,
did not s ubs cri be to thr vicw that in the ultimate analy si s the
jjvasvarupa is identical with Brahman comes ou t with shal­
ttering for ce a nd cle a rn ess in the very opening Surra. Atliiito
Braltm a i Uiiiisii instead o f Atha Jiva Jiji'iasa, in Sailkara's sense
of the term -unless we s t r a in a nd stretch the term Brahma­
jijii ~ls(-l to mean "Praty3g:ltmana~ Brahmatva Jijfiiisa " is Brahma
Jijiia sa that the enquiry into Jivat man or Pratyagat man as being
identi cal with Brahman is what is connoted by saying - "Atha
Brahma Jijnasa. Such an emendation besides being an unautho­
r ised liberty taken w it h the wo rd ing o f the Siitra would involve
powerless mer th e caus es of his own happiness or misery (Atmii
apyalli sr:!; s uk ha dllbk ha heto /:tJ. not to mention the statment o f
the Kena Up. in the parable o f the gods and the Asuras "By
Brahman's vi cotry you all stand glo r ified (iv . 1) a nd the gr im
reminder of the Brh, Up . (Ill 4 . 2 ). "H e is yo ur in ner RIder wh o
is inside everything and that all exc ept Him are subject to
suffering (Alo any ad iirtmn) a re suffi cient to co nvinc e unprejud i.
ted minds that the phil os ophy o f the Up ani sads h as, fro m the
beginning, been built upon th e firm foundati ons o f th e finiteness
of the selves exposed to suffering a nd transmi grati on from whi ch
they have to seek release by re ceiving the sa ving knowledge
and grace o f the One Supreme Ruler o f the w ho le cos mos .
Prthagatmiinam pJ'eJ'itiiJ'llm ca m atvii

it self in fre sh diffi culties w it h the second SLitra which defines .!1I..~! asta t ab teniimrt at vam «t i

( , ')~v et. Up . / .6 . )
Brahman as the Author o f the \\ a ri d o f matt er and su ds . Vya ­
'l~~r~r<t ?rft~rt =t'f +r~r ~g6(i: ~r~G~q?t~ I
satirtha in hi s Tatp aryacandr ik ii shows that the manner in
which Sankara develops the Vip ratip at ti (statement of doubt) in Piisa» eka/'~ e ...... Vyiiha rastnin sa m iilm tc]o yat te rtip am
the opening Sfitr a by making Pratyagatman the subject of the ka l) '{i~Jat{/mam tat le p a.I'yc7mi.
enquiry (Jijfiasadharrni) is not in tune with the Sutrakara's . ~q~ ~~lf ........ O'-(~ ~J{!~ ffrr.ff
~ ... '"'\
~ lf~ ~q 9i~zrTUfq+r
( Br it. Up. V. I)
. .
defination of the Jijfiasya (subject of enquiry) as the author of
the universe in the next Siitra. He has also shown how Sankara's
~ 'm"rm I
interpretation of the first four Sutras fluctuates alternately from Agil e naya s l/pathii J'ay c {JS/I1 t/ 1/ Vi.\:l'iilli de va 1'0 )'1//1dn i
the Nirguna Brahman to the Saguna and from the Pratyagatman vidvan. Yuy odhyiismasjjuliu r (/ !Irt /ll I' 1I() 1JI1/ yi,II lui m t e

to the Paramatman backwards and forwards to suit his own namauktim vidhem a. (Brb. Up. V. I)
convenience. ~m U~ ~Rf/T f, fcr~Hf.T ~q q~~nR ~lf.T~ I
;:rlf rrq?,"fT
~~tzr~~norrr.n 4~~gi' it ;:JJ{ ~ Rfl R~ 11
«Th e subjective interest of the Indian mind leading to a
'" "".,.;.:: p p -:­
Monism in the long run" is not therefore a well grounded -3fl ~II\~: ~rl;:a: ~l;:(f: \3J.1
premise in determining the goal of Upani sadic philosophy. The
searching question of the Svetasvatra Up . "What is t he ultimate =:::.::>~ --

so u rce of all 1 Whence are we born , By whom do we live and arc

placed amidst the joys and so rro ws o f the world (1.2) and the - -( DJ'). B, N . K. Sharmn
 .
BRHADARANYAKA-UPANISAD ' . .

FROM MADHVA'S PERSPECTIVE

INTRODUCTOR Y REMARKS :

Sri Madhvacarya generall

,.' .
y prefaces his Bh a syas on the
~ ~

Upanisads (and other.. works)

~ . . with a n invoca to r y verse in
which he outlines their main th eme a nd contents . The verse
at · the beginning of his Bhasya o n the Brh . Up . is a good
example of this . It reads :
!

PriiniiderlSitiiram
. Paramasukhanidhim
. ". Sarvadosavyape tam,
Sarviintahstham sup ii rnam p rakrtipa timajam sa rvabiihy am
sunityam
Sarvajham sarvesaktim , suram unim anujiidya is sa dii se vyamiinam
Visnum vande sadiiham sakalaj agadaniidyantam iinandadam tam,

SlTIJlT~m~n~ q~~~P:-l eel~ffollqa

.~';a : ~ti gl{.:r 'Sliifaqra~ ijel~ril.~~~~ I
~tr Q~~~ ij~!l~ij~\il'T~: e~r ijol,J3:Hol
fc(~ i(~ ij~lt QEfi~\ifl'(~ifr~;aijr;F~~ 61i, 11

'I salute the Supreme Brahman ( Vi snu ) who is the ruler

of Mukhya-Prana and other deities. His bliss is infinite. He
is freefrom all imperfections , of finitude.
,. 1
Unlimited by time
and space and in respect of his au spicious attributes , He is
ne~er subject to origination even in term s of ' Par a d h i na-Vi se­
~apti'l ( which applies to other eternals ). He is for ever

1. For .t he meaning and s ignificance o f thi s co ncep t sec my

BSPC. Vol II. pp. 127·1 28
 :2 MADHVNS BB,HADARANYAKA BHASYA
distinct and different from all other beings in creation. He
is eternal in the sense of not being liable to any of the four
kinds of extinctiou.f ' . He knows .al
. l ,about
', -' . his own attributes
,
and those of others. His power extends Qv~r .Prakrti, Mukhya
Prana and 'other beings' in respect of each and everyone of their
eightfold determinations-f He is worshipped by De,~~s; Rsis and
men. The origin, functioning and final disruption of the entire
cosmos are for ever subject to His will and depend -upon it. By
, his grace , released sou Is enjoy the complete manifestat ion of
their innate bliss of selfhood , in Moksa '. ':
The careful reader of the Brh. Up. will find these attributes of
the Lord embodied in relevant contexts. He will find the Lord's
rulership over Prana and other deities in I 3 ,1~28. 112;1 -4; and
IH 8, 16; His inexhaustible blissfulness in IV 3.n;'Hls· free­
dom from imperfections in Yo asaniiyii pipiise.s, (Ill 4), inner
rulership of all in III 8,3 and IV 4.8, His all-completeness - in
Yo y am iitmii amrt ant. , idam brahtna idani sarvam Of'S', ' 1- 14),
Lordship over Prakrti in III 8.11, Hisotherness from all else
in n
3.6, and in Ato altyad artam (Ill 4.2), freedom from origi­
2. Anityatvam dehahiinib duhkhapriiptirapiirnatii
Abhimanidevatas presiding over them.»
N asascatul" l'idha{z proktastadabhiivo Harebsadii
Tadanvesam ut sarv esiim niisii(t kccit bhavanti hi.
i3l~~~~ ~(~TPrr: ~:&mfu~~~T I ~ awkward for S. He explains that this section is intended for a
i1r~~gfi\q: m~\Q(f.~~ ~~: (1'G;r I
i3G:;~~t § ({~qf i1r~n: ~R~ +r~f;CI '~ 11
( Muhiivaraha Q. M. GT. if. d).'
For explanation see Aksara Brahmana (Brh.Up, ' l ~r 8 ) .
•
, ­ 1 ·;1
3. They comprise: Genesis , sustenance, dissolution, ..control,
obscuration andbondage,enlighwllmcnt and
release. )
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 3
nation in I 4.1, omniscience in Sarviinubhiih 01 5.19) all-power­
fulness in [V 5.11; His being served by the gods , R sis and men
in I 4.19. Hisbeing the source of the genesis, functioning and
dissolution of/the werld in 1.2.1, 1.2.5; and bestowal of bliss
ofselfbood (Kqlli) in Mok sa , in I 2.1.
The namei 'Brhad-aranyaka' given to this Upani sad pre­
supposes that part of its contents have an affinity of theme with
the ritualisticsections
~ .: ..of.the
:.
Brahmana
. or Karrna Kanda . . in the
two precedjng-xAdhyayas . The Upanisad , however. in keeping
With its predominantly 'Adhyatrna-drst i' (philosophical vision)
propounds ao esoteric interpretation of the ritualistic
(adhiyajfia [parts also. The Asva-Brahmana and the Asvamedha
Brahrnana, with which the Upanisad open s , are typical examples
of this Adhyatmic orientation given to the Adhiyajfia and
Adhidaiva, contents of the various Adhy ayas. These two
Brahmanas spell out, in a systematic way , how the immanence
of the Supreme Brahman in the whole cosmos is to be visualised
tbro' the ceremonial of the Horse-sacrifice , with particular
<
reference to the sacrificial horse and its limbs, thro' the respective
4 The introduction of a patently ritualistic rite like the
Asvamedha- at the very commencement of the "Upanisad' is
meditation in lieu of the actual performance of the rite, by
those 'w]to a re not eligible for its actual pClj'or711611C'c. But the
I,
alignment of details proposed by him does not help us in
bringing the ceremonial and its parts into any direct attunement
with meditation on Brahman as such-whicb must be the aim of
any such symbolic approach to theAdhyatmic interpretation of
Karmakanda. recognised by the Vedic seers (Scc A lf lIT 2.3).
(tu. co nrd. (IL l' .~
 4 MADHVA;S B~HADARA~YAKA BHA~;;YA .
ASVA:...BRAHMAJ:lAM (I , 1. 1-2)
The ho rse in the Asvamedh a is the symbol of the heavenl y' .
horse Uccha ih-sravas, born from the sea , ao cordin ~ .to mytho- .
logy. The four-faced Bra hma, the Creator, is taken to ·be
pres ent in h is cre ati on (the horse), in the form of a horse and
the Sup re me Brahman too abides in him 'in the Te rm ~ 6f a
horse. As the Supreme Brahman pervades every ·part .o( tlie .
horse' s bod y, what-ever is in the body and in the 'Iimbs of
Brah man is to be viewe d as exist ing in the co rr esponding body '
and li mbs of t he sacr ificial horse also . Thus , the who le' U niverse
co nsisting of the Ja da ta t tvas and their . Abhimanidevat as
(presi di ng deiti es) are br ou ght under th~ scope of ,t his contem­
pla tion of the sacrificial hors e as ha ving o riginated fr oni" and'
for ming part of the body ~nd i i mb~ of the Suprem~" Brahman
(as env isaged in th e Upani sad ic statement Yasya p rthivI Jarlraiti.
(Brlt , Up . III 7.3 ) . : : .:..: . ..
• ;:;':'. _0
(fn . 4 from pre-page concld) .
The Visis tadvai ti c commentator RailganiminujacoIp.es·
nearest to M adhv a in say ing that some sort of 'Bralzmadr,vii' '[~'
to be focu ssedon the hor se sacri fice 'and the horse figuring in '
it and that th e topic sho uld some how be interpr eted in ; relation,
to Brahman. But hi s met hod of interpretation hardly goes beyond
(t he peovisio na l transference of idea of) looking upo n, the
lower object as th e hi gher (a.§vasariraprabhrti~u avaY(lV?~'U u~q
(iidi dr ,~!i6). ..
Thi s is far from being an actual Upasana of the Supreme
Brahman as pr esent in th e var ious parts of the sacrificial horse ,
and th e accessor ies of the rite, as envisaged by ' the guiding
pr inciple give n in AA- III 2.3 which is fully implemented in the
method of eso tor ic inte rpr etat ion follo wed by Madhva­
.A ~,vA BRAHMA~A 5
Accordingly, th e deity of the dawn (uslib) who is born from
the Lord's head is to be meditated up on in her pl ace of genesis
. in the Lord, thro ' Hi s pre senc e in th e sacri ficia l hor se ind welt
by the Supreme. The Sun-g od issuing fr om the Lord 's eye
(RV.X ,90.13) is similar ly t o be med it ated up on as loc ated in
the eye of the Lord, who ind well s in the horse 's eye. The
various other tatt vas and their presiding deities are all of them
simil arly to be ali gned with other appropriate limbs of the Lord
which happen to be th eir places of origin and abo de in the
original Virad-rilpa of the Lord.
Broadly speaking, thi s is the meth odol ogy which applies
mutatis mutandis to the esot eric interpretat ion and understand­
. ing of various other Vid yas tau ght in the Up anisads such as the
Madhuvidya, the Ukthavidya Sjk~a vid y ii , Bhiimavid yii and
Paficakosavidya.
Literally .translated , the text of th e Asva-Brah man a reads:
. '
'U~a (dawn) is the .head of the sacr ificia l horse. the Sun it s eye,
the wind th e breath, the op en mouth th e Vai svan ar a fire, the
year the body, the Sky the back. th e at mos phere the bell y, the
.earth the hoofs, the quarters th e si des, the cr oss- quarters the
r ibs, the sea sons the limbs. th e clouds the flesh , food is the
'stomach vthe sands of th e earth the blood vessels, th e rivers the
liver and lungs the hills. the hairs the herbs and trees, theyawn
. the lightning, urine the rains, neighing the speech' .
" •. Madhva makes it clear at the very out set th at thi s medita­
,
.' tion is not of the "sacrificial horse as su ch, but of th e indwelling
<B r ahman in it . This principle is to be applied to all the other
\Tlclya,s taught in theUpanisads, The y are all . the records of
:'t he inward,form of mystie upasana current in the remote . ages
in the life of advanced seers to whom the in spiring words 0 f
tbe A·4 ~'-' . .
 6 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKABHASYA
Etom hycva bah vrc« mahatyukthe mtmiimsante.... ..
Most of-the other commentators on the Upanisads have
etamagn au clam viiyau etanuik ii se ,
allowed themselves to be tarried away by the appositional form'
sarvesu bhiife ~~'u etam cva brahmetyacaksate , (11.2.3).
of predication in these Upasana-vakyas , such
o;a ~q Olia~T
e
~~~!!st1J ~Jlts~'"
Q;~~m Q;cl emu m it,
I1;Cf €fiT
tll~ ~~~ Q;a~q ij1H~r:q~R I
cautions that 'i J1: all such contexts, the subject of the proposition
were a. living vibrating experience .
What Madhva has done is to recapture this grand vrsion
and pass on gli rnpse s of a very small part of this technique of
Bralim opiisanii ill N ature . thro' the various Vidyas so far as they
could be comprehended by our limited intelligence, sothat we
can form some faint idea at least of how the greatMystics of
Upanisadic age delighted in the endless possibilities of Brahman's
Sarvaniimotii , its Sa rviinta ry iim it 1'([ , Sa rvavyiipti and Sarvat 1'0 -­
fJ.iintl!ltii .
It is in this context that the famous Santimantra of the Brh .
Up . Pilrnamadah piirnamidam piirndt piirnamudacyate» has to
be pondered. "
5. It does not stand to reason to translate the above as 'That
is full and this is full , from Iulness fulness proceeds' - where
'This ' (idllm) is generally equated with this manifested world
For, while 'That' (ado[l) viz. Brahman is doubtless 'full'
('PiJ,.~zam) ' this ' (world) which is said to be 'ih1am' in the same
Upanisad (Ill 4 .2) cannot be deemed to be full or infinite. - the
more so if it is to be regarded a; mithyii, as ' in S.'s philosophy. '
Both the 'that' (odab) and the 'this (idom) of this mantra
evidently refer to the same Supreme Brahman in its ,primal causal ,
Form (miUariipa) and its numerous manifestations. This can be
seen fully brought out in the Madhu-Brahmana (Brl!. Up. n.S)
which refers to the countless eetype forms of Brahman in each
and every created being and substance.
* ~~l:;: t~lll~ 'i.lJ)f~ ~df~~~"a I
ASVA aRAHMA~A 7
as for example,
'Meditate on name 'as Brahman" ,' Meditate on speech as a cow'
The Sun is the honey of the gods, the dawn is the head of the
horse, earth is his foot. Brahmana is His face, etc. Madhva
is to be construed as denoting the presiding deity (c ctana) of
dawn, earth, sky? etc. Secondly, the nominative or accurative
case-forms in which these subjects are expressed are to be
construed obliquely -in theTocative, dative , ' a b la t ive and other
suitable case-relations so as to convey that Brahman is present in
the deity of that name dt'that the deity of the dawn is situated
in the head of thehorse indwelt by Brahman, the deity of light­
ning is in the yawn of the horse which is indwelt by Brahman
and so on.
.
This meaq\ ;~h~t in the proper interpretation of these
Vidyas , the Jadatattvas like dawn, food , rain. etc., are to be
taken to stand f~i,thei~' , respective Abhimiini devatas also . In
this way, Madbvaesta~lishes a closer and a direct alignment
and integration of the Jadatattvas of the world with their
presiding deities arid thro' them with the Supreme Brahman in
the last analysis'.
Another point brought out by Madhva in his commentary is
are that the Upasana-vakyas
:.
such as that Usa is the horse's head ,
. ':., - .. . .
are not to be taken, literally as positing any identity for the nonce,
even for purposesof meditation. Such super induced upasana
i;o,
will iead to no gob,~ .G ' The ' 'n ominat ive forms of the subject of
6. Madhva warns the . wo rshipper (Upasaka) against any
kind of superinduction or super imposition being introduced
into an>, of our meditations OF! Brahman. Brahmanshouldonly
(fn. contd. on p. 8.. ,
8 MADHVA'S B~HADARANYAKABHA$YA CR EATiON 9

the propositions are, therefore, to be v iewed as examples Of
case-syncretis m. T hey ha ve to be construed in as many of th'e
other appropriate case rela tions as may be befitting.
Madhva quotes the authority and sanction for such case­
syncretism in Vedic exegesis from the Mahavyakarana Siitra ;,
Sap tasu prathamii. Satsu dvit tyii . ;
which authorise the nominative cas e forms in certain cases
to be con strued in other suitable case relations and similarly
, CREATION (I. 2. 1-7)
the construction of the accusative cas e form in any of the other
six case relations .
The actual working out of such an intricate system of
exegesis based on the niceties o f Vedic grammar and etymology
naturally imposes a heavy strain on the understanding of persons
of limited equipment. This may be one of the reasons for
modern writers and exponents of the Upanis ads keeping them­
selves at a safe distance from Madhva 's commentaries. But
the linguistic and other diffi culties which stand in the way
of an easy understanding of the details of Madhva 's highest
interpretati on of the U panisad s ought not to prejudice us against
the implementation of his technique and methodology. They
promise to demonstrate their soundness to the satisfaction of
those wh o have an open mind in the matter and the necessary
equipment t o follow their applicati on, to the best of one's
abilities.
Let modern schola rs extend to Madhva the courtesy of a
patient hearing and give him the benefit of the. doubt, if t4ey
have any, on the question of the Mahasamanvaya of the
Upanisads in their entirety , in the Supreme Brahman.
(Aupan;\vodar Puru sah )
,
Accounts of creation of the world given in the Upanisads
lire not uniform. They have to be .supplemented and coordinated
.' . " . .
to get a complete picture . Th y words 'There was nothing here
before the world came into . existence' .havc , therefore, to be
. read in consonance, with asimilar pa ssage in the A il . Up: 'The
Supreme being alone was there in the beginning. nothing else
wink ed': ( i. I. ' ) i . e. was act ivc; wh ich presupposes' the
bare existence of some other eternal entities al so '! S. himself
' '.
., ( " , .
in his Cc.on' B. S. 1. 4. 3,'accepts the dependent existence of
a 'ma ter ia l principle 'a nsweri ng to Prakrt i in the state of
Mahapralaya also , '. saying 't hat, ' the acceptance of such a
principle ca lled by variou s ' name s as AvyaktavPrakrti ,
Akiisll' M~ya ; etc, is necessary and purposcfu I as otherwise the
Supreme Brahman cannot beconceived as a Creator.
. ,-.

(fn . 6 from pre-page concld).

1~ As required by the . principle of interpretation known as
be meditated upon as abiding in the symbo ls, adhisthanas and
Savi sesan e hi Vidhinisedhau Visesanamupasankriimatah, Sati hi
Pratikas but never as being identical with them, in mental
. ., vls esyabiidhc.
~~~ It rc.~~r.~ ~~q~aq~ifir~o:, . 6ta ~5 ~~ISll~~ I
co nstructi on . That would be a perversion of Brahmopasana.

(See M. BSB. IV . 1.4) Also:

Tasmiid vastu y ath iiriipam j iieyam dhyeyam ea Sarvadii. 2. Arthavatt hi sa. N ahi ta yii vinii .paramesvarasya ·sra§l r t vam
. .. ' . S;dlty ati.
8~~ ~g l['-'T~q SJl{ 'i~ir :q ~~ I , . " . •.. , . :. . . . I ,. " .

* ~aij ~2fqf I Ef~g m:~l{T I

~ ~ er, , ~ 8 lf r , ~~ r :q ~ it~~ ~ ~!~ .~~~ I
( AV. IV, 1... ) (S. BSB, J,ef.3)
 . .

10 MADHVA'S BI~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA

UDGITHA BRAHMA~A 11

UDGTTHA. BR AHMAJ:/ AM (f. 3./-28).

Mukhya-Prana is the fittest to be the Udgatr in -the great

sacrifices ; for he al one is impervious to the Asuric influences.
Thi s is illustrated by the parable of the Devas ami. the Asuras.!

The Dcvas are of Sa ttvic nature and arc less numerous

than the Asuras , wh o arc Tamasic by nature. Being outnum­
bered. the De vas decided to perform a sacrifice to establish
their sovereignty by propitiating the Supreme Being tbro'
Udgana. They approached the presiding deity. of speech (Agni)
to recite the Udgith a fo r them. The Asuras pierced speech with
evil and foiled the god s. The god s , thereupon approached
one by one the prcs idin g deities o f the other sense organs like
the eye (Stirya), the car and the mind for help. The Asuras
overpowered all of them. Fin ally the gods approached Mukhya
Prana for succo ur. The Asuras rushed at ' himand tried to
pierce him . But they had to fall back in the attempt, shattered
to pieces like a clod of earth , hurled with all force at a mighty .
rock. The gods then gained vict or y.
I· ' ·· .... ·

Whoever understands this glory o f Mukh ya Pra na in this

3. Atmii Virlii cah s umaniili .sudhoutasceti kathyatc
manner conquers his foes by the grace of the Lord (atrnana).
Brahmii caturmukliascetipii ryoj o y ab p rajiipatti:
.:. e-, -" '
.. . ' ~ it i sabdanirnaye, ~ .,

1. S. explains the words dcva .and asura .es the sense organs
~fi:~r ~ff~: ijJFU: ' ij ~rt Cfitra 1.fi~J.Ja 'l ._,. - . '
themselves according as they are inclined to sacred or worldly .
ijiRf :qg~&~ta l.~m l{: ~iifrqRt: '1I" ··: . ~ra: ~~~ I objectives, to good or evil. It is a distinetion of natural life
4. .So akiimayuta ~' Dvitiyome iit~'a"Jiiyeta it; and not . of beings in contro I. But, elsewhere, in his BSB.
Dvitiyo VayviJpek,myii (At) ' n. 4. 14 he upholds st rongly the existence of Abhimanidevatas
'~S~fJjl{i:1 -,;~ ij i)f[tJIT iifriti:1 :~fa ' I
.' ~ ;~ ;, : ..~ .:, directing the activities of the sense organs and dismisses the
Ptirvapaksa that the organs themselves carry on their functions ·
~ qp;~wqr '(M) ';

by their intrinsic powers. It is not clear if he ' changed his

5. Samyagiitmano Vatsabhiitiin ramayatiti 'Sarn-Vatsarah' views on the questi on while writing the commentaries on
~~lJT~~ q~6r~... :~~~ra .·~,:q~~;'
• • ., I

. ..., . ""
I .".' ", '::
' ".-' :~;: .~ -',
tJ1~ Stitras or the Upanisads,

': . ~ . ' ,':'r:

 i2 MADHVA'S BB.-HADARA~YAKA BHASYA AVyAKB.-TA BRAHMA~A 13

This parable is to be met with in different versions in the
Chiin . Up. ( 1. 2, 1-8) A.A. (11. 1. 4. ) and elsewhere
It vestab l'ishes conclusively that Mukhya Prana is ·the only
immaculate medium (adhi~thiina) among all the gods for
meditating on the lord and it 'confers on Mukhya Prana the
status of being •Jivaghana ' iPrasna V. 5) and Puru so miinavali
(Brh, pp. VI. 2. 15.) who alone is qualified to lead the
eligible souls to the Lord (Chan . Up . IV. 15.5)
~ fact do not see Him as He is actuall y.and fullypresent in his
'T he opening words of Madhva's invocatory verse : Priiniidert­
}iiaratfz are
intended to draw specialattention to the preeminent
In doing so, theSupreme Lord penetrated the world of name
and form created by Him , thro ; and thro" from the root ~ft}l'e
hair to the t ips.of. the ~ ~ils,like a razor .b lade fitting ~x'actj/
into its case or Pr ana the deity of v italb;eath (vi.§~arnl)l!ar~2)
pervading his ab odes viz. the bodies (kido)'o) of beings , .
But fools fail to perceive the Lord who has thus ~en~Hed ,
into His creation. Even ' those who may bedimlyaware of t~e;
creations , sustaining all life ' and activity in them .in various
ways.f

position ofMukhya Prana among the gods and his own depend­
ence o n' the Lor d , for such eminence. Thus Madhva 's bhiisya
i'hake{'jt a point to . bring out the majesty and independence of
th'~' Lord thro ' the various discourses in the Upanisad.
The remaining Khandas of this Brahmans (8-28) proclaim
the eminence 'o f Mukhya Pra na in different ways. The prayers
addressed to him Asato mii sad g amaya.tamaso miijyotir g amaya,
mrtyor ma amrtam g amaya in the concluding Khanda (I 3 ,28)
recalls the lead ingro le of Mukhya Prana in leading the souls to
Supreme B ~ their deliverance . (Churl. Up. IV 15.5).
! . ,", ' , ,
For His names such as 'Pral). a ' (in carryiilgouCfhea'2t'ivity"
of breathing and su staining act ivi ty do not express "the"6~lii:6t~ ';
of His.greatness . They express only parti al aspects~6f'H,{~ i
greatness. For example 'H e bears the name of'pr·ana':While
maki~1g ' others 'breathe (by -. His presence' and' : i'~"pu1Siol}~:
He is called 'Voice' in _ enabling 'oth ers to speak . ,'H e" i s ,
the 'eye' as He enables others " t o see . ' . He is:'niind' ·ih·
making others think. In this way, : '1hese~se:~;al '.~~~~gp~~fons,
are descriptive' 'Of His diflerentvactlvtties: - WhQev~r: contem­
plates Him under the one ~ or-the other-of these .names. jcould
know but a small part ofHi~~glor; a~d, not t~~ ~hrile~ '~fit
.. ' .' :'.;");:;.
~ . .~ ..._. r ...···· -.,...
". ;~ . ~< - -: . ~:

'. A~VYAKI.?TA-BRAHMA!yAM ([4.7·8) (akrtsnab'; - according to hIS own capacIty. ' :... " . y =<.::
. : . ' ", ~' \. . . . ' . . . _ . ". . . ' .
:·:" The Supre me' Bn ih ni.a n (tad)l alone existed without change
, One should, therefore, always contemplate'Him comprehen­
'61'modification of being, in the beginning. The world of name
sively under the name and attribute of' Atthan' instead ofby
' and form was then' in its causal state . (avyiikrtam). The
this or that restricted name and attribute. For the attribute of
'u nmod ified state 'of the world was changed (Vyiikriyata) by the

2. It is better t~ ~nde~stand'Visvambhata in thesen~'of.-Vayu

Lord::i'ii'to an evolved state with name and form .
. ... . (Mukhya Prana) than as 'gastric fire' (Agni) ' with S: The
--'--'~--~----'------'-----'------'--'_----:'--'-------'----------

':'1;"" The first pronoun '(ia" in the, text denotes the Supreme '
'Brahmanreferred to' earlier in A.tmii'vii idamag ra iistt Purusa- .
:'· 'v idhab,(t A .l) ;' It does f1otrefertt<>-the 'world' in its seed-form '
(I~ S, thinks, '. .. .
function~f Jatharagni is to digest 'food while the function of
sus taining life tbhoranam) in the world (visvam) is primarily
associated with Mukhya Prana, _See Brh, Up. III 7.2.
3. See Gild XV 10. asinterpreted by M.
14 MADHvA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA SUl'RbME LORD UNDISCARDABLE: 15

'iitmatva' includes within its range of meaning everyone of His
countless attributes such as bci ng Prun a, mind, etc. A 11 these
other attributesand descriptions find their fusion and oneness
in 'Atmalva ' i.e. to say, are subsumed (ant arbhavantiv
in the meaning of 'Atlll~I' which connotes a Being which is in
eternal possession and enjoyment of all tbe attr ibures.:' And
this Atman (Supreme Lord) is the abode (padCl) o f all the
. .
;:, .. dearer than all his worldly possessions." The truedevotee of
...... the Lord who admonishes another who speaks of his own self
. .o r so me one ' other than the Lord ras dearter) to him and
reprimands him that by so thinking he will be Je opardizing
his own spiritual welfare will Iir.d that his admoniti on and
reprimand will cornev-true',": Whoever then contemplates the
Lord as 'Atman ' , . all his cherished desires wil l be fulfilled
! .' ; . • • .

.c 0unt Jess attributes which are included within its meaning .v ... . and will never go in vain .
The Upasaka of the Lord as ·Atman' comes to know all
that he is competent to know and realise with the help of
this all-inclus ive attribute of Atmatva, just as one attains I4, 9-10: THE SUPREME LORD IS UNDISCA RD ABLE.
appointed results by going thro ' the right way and means of ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND KNOWS HIMSELF AS
. .. :.
approach (padam). EXISTING FOREVE!? .
The Supreme Lord denoted by the name of Atman is
interior (tara) to the Jivatrnan who is inside the physical body The human spirit discover s its own fulncss of bliss by
(at/tara). For this .reaso n, He is and should be intrinsically knowing the Lord to be undiscardable (dlulfn) , absolutely perfect
dearer to the Jiviitman than all else including hi s .own self, : . (brahma - Purnam) and always conscious ' of His eternal

.f. Yacciipnoti yadiidatti yacciitti Visayiiniha existence (asmi) .

. Yaccasya santato bhii~'ab tasmiidiitmeti bhanyate. In the preceding sediob if was shown ' that the individual
~rmfa' lfG:~~ 2i!iJTRi ~"11I~( I Self attains the . fulriess 0(": itsbiissfu( naTure 1 thro ' right
.- knowle'dge of-the 'L or d ' _as' its ~eareit ': an ~f dearest and 'inner
~R'f . {1r(Jcn ~F{:, 6~T~mtfa' ~~ 11
most of al1 iantora-t arah'; and therefore tindiscardable byall­
The Lord is called Atma because He pervades (vytipnoti) all, . . " ...:. . .
takes all as their master (tidattc sviyatayii sarvams or Sarvadhi­ The present section confirms this position by disposing of
pari and who. is ever constant without ' waxing or waning a likely objection
,
tbat may be
,
raised.
(santato bhiiva{t)
. rift piirviibhyiun ! tanu' Vistare .miin' miina iti dhatubhyiirn . .
6. Tadetatpreyah putriit . preyo ' Vittiit preya{t 'Sarvasmiit
do»: A"no arthab 'Sam' iti . "antara-tarah' Yadayamiitmii (Brh. Up. J.4~8)
on~~t 'a~' ~~r~ 'ilT~' ilr~ ua I;{fg+lIT ~ I , a~(?t~: ~~T~ ~'ijT~: ij~\ilT~ 'iilf".ij{~a{: l lJG;lJilHiJr
~~S~: '~' ~fa' I . (Brh.Up. 1. 4 . 8) ~

5. 'Atra hyetc sarva ekam bhavanti' (antarbhavantis 1. Nityanirdulzkhal1andanubh'aVa"'7p~

hi sva:t~ Uttamajivah ' (M),
l~ ~a ~~ U;;l; :l1Clf.~' (a.T;;8~qfrB) I ~~Ii1~:~cni1;~i~~~qr~ ~~ =3~~~an ·1·
'- ........

~

16 MADHVA'S BJ~~A:P~RA~YAKABHASYA
The great ones hold that the eternal blissful nature of the
self untouched by sorrow, lying obscured by beginningless
positive ignorance in the state of bondage comes to be freed
from this obscuration and manifested to the fullest extern , » in
the released state by the power of Brahmavidya or knowledge
of B. and by no other means. In regard to this some persons
(may) raise the following objection:
If what forms part of the Jivas essential nature is to be made
manifest by Brahmavidya , then would it mean that in so far as
Brahman too is always in ful1 knowledge and experience of its
own intrinsic bliss, it must also have attained- its fulness of
being by coming to know itself to be of eternal blissful uature.v
The point of the objection is this. It cannot be logically
conceived that the manifestation of B's eternally blissful
nature to itself has been brought about (siidhya) by knowledge
of its own self, in so far as B.'s blissful nature :is uncaused
and eternal . and intrinsic to its nature and no no temporary
obscuration of such a nature thro' Avidya or , any such
intervening cause is conceivable in respect of the Supreme
B: which is Nlty~suddha.buddha-mukta.svabhiiv(l1n.
The Upanisad disarms this objection by emphasising the
truth that unlike in the case of the Jivatman the manifestation
of B.'sown everpresent blissful nature IS not brought about
after being freed from any obscuration at any time. It remains
eternally and fully manifested to its personal experience and
is concomitant with its own selfknowledge (Svartlpajlziiniiavlnii
bhiita).'
,"
This is what distinguishes B. from- tbe:human
'- .
souls .
2. . This fulness of manifestation of one's naturefs called
sarvam i. e. piirnam (commensurate with one's capacity
(Svayogyam). '
3. Bhavisyantab is 'attaining itr-from bhiij to 'attain'.
4. The 'u' in 'kimu tadbrahma.. .' means kim Brahma api.
SUPREME LORD UNDISCARDABLE 17
This truth is proclaimed in the following words of the
Upanisad : 'Brahman alone ex is ted" in the beginning of the
\vor1d. It does indeed always intuit its own blissful nature'
by ' it s own eternal ill1~ediate awareness. And precisely in
tha~ .sense it remains eternally and absolutely self-comr lc te
(sarvam pI7r{WIIl) ,; The relati on or means and end isiidhyasiidha­
lIabil~il'a) obtains only between what comes to be experienced
at some time or other and it s awareness at the time. It does
not apply to what remains eternally manifested to and
experienced by the eternal consciousness of the Lord .?
It is, therefore, only by means of Brahmavidya or true
knowledge of B, and by its grace that the Jivas can hope to
attain that state where'they too can have such constant and
uninterrupted experience of their own levels of perfection of
being .
5. As there is no specific tense-form of the verb as, to be, to
express existence/or all time, the past tense iisit used with
reference to B. must be understood to express eternal
existence in such descriptions as Sadeva idam agra i#it,
Atmii va idam eka eva agra iisit . (M)
6. M.' s rendering of Sarvam as applied to B. here and ~
various. Oilier contexts (e. g. Chiin. Up. Ill. 14. 1) by 'pilr1J.{JItf,
full or 'self complete ' has the full support of ancient Vedie
usage such as Sarvam iiyur iyiit (Brh . Up. VI. 4. 14) Yadaiva
jiiyamvindate atha ha prajayatc tarhi sarvo bhavati (Sat. Br .
V. 1. 6, 10): see J. B. (Ill 110,28) and RV. (\. 126, 7 ).
7. Brahmiipi Sarvadiitmdnam aheyam gUttabrrithitam
Sarvadiismiti meyam ea V ijiiniiti tathoiva tu
Ala eva samagratvam svata cVGsya sarvadii . (M)
~~
il'fgrfit ij~~H+{r~ OI~ ~UT~lta~ ,
e~~I~lfa i{zi 'if fci\ifr.,Ifa a~q g; I
~ij ~q
.
ij+{~~q ~a
.
Q;qr~ eCl~IIl (M)
-

i8 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
After defining the true nature of B. 's greatness as above,
the Upani sad goes on to say that whosoever among the Devas, ' .
Rs is and men attains such a knowledge of B. t Brahmavidyiis
will, in his turn , be en abled by the grace of B. to experience
his own intrinsic pe rfect ion (sarvatii) (in proportion to his own
natural fitness tsvariipcy ogyat in , This is indicated by the
separa te m ention of each category of ' Brahmavidya-Adhikarins
D evas , Rs is and the .best of men , in th eir order of m erit (tath a) 8
The U pa nisad refers to the content of ,13 " s intuitive
expcrincc of its own great ness in terms of 'a liam' brahma and
asmi. These three words are not t o be c ons trued as a g rammatical
sent ence by its elf co nveying ' I am Brahman'. If such were the ..
. .
case, th e u se of "th e r eflexive pron oun iitmiin am (its own self)
in th e principal se ntence Tad iitm iinam era avet aham brahmasrni
iti , will be redundant as the meaning 'conveyed by the reflexive
pr onoun is fu Ily brou ght out by the first person pronoun aham
in aha m b rahm a asmi which wo uld tell us whe n Brahm an '
8. See: Tadyo y o deviiniim pr.atyabudhyata sa (eva) tadabhava ,
tathii r ,~ ilJ iim, ta tha manusyiiniim, (Up. ) , .
C1?Jt ~ ~;:HrJt . !:l~atllCl ij. (~~) a~~qa: a~r ~qT01t ; a~r
Jl~lll{roll~ I
Mukhy am som ag ra m lad brahma jiiiinasyiipi samagrat ab
Kincitsa ntag ratiim devos tesiim j iianam hi tiidrsam :
immanent contro Jler of all that exi sts in finite reality.
Apu stat a adham dm j ii'anat iidrktviit rsayoopitu
Nothing in finite reality, wheth er sent ient or in sentient,
Rsibhyo apyadliamii m priipurmiinu ~iiscasamagri:it ~ir , (M) "
~~ir ij~i{ C1~~~ ~Fl~rfq iji\;;ra: I
~f~~e~i{C1t ~ql~qf ~rij ~ C1i'l~~ IJ· .
i?t1r~~atse{~f ~.nrJClT'lCRqra: ~~sfit g.l
~fq +~.s Cl1evrf !:Ir~l1r~qT~ e~;;r~r~ 11
SUPREME LORD UNDISCARDABLE 19
intuit ed (without the add itio n of iitmiinams, Surely, there can be
no reasonable doubt as. to when B. cognised as ' I am Brahman ' ,
when it has been made absolutely cle ar , at the yery outset, that
in the beginning B. alone exis te d and th ere was .no othe r p er s on
or thing in ex is tence th en (acc ording to the mo nis tic int erpreta­
tion).
..
~
. :-:?
This crucial point mu st make it clear th ~t the w ord 'aham
in Abam Brahma asmi h as not been used.j~ tbeiLlpan isad as a
fir st p erson pronoun at all but as an ep i ~he; o.f.'Ji. de scripti ve
of one of its distincti ve characteristics . of '1:?eing 'aham'
undiscardable (aheyam) by any o ther being. The other two
words are also to be simil artyi con st rued . as epithets of B ~
referring to its infinitude of perfecti on s tbrahma- gu napu r nam )
and it s eternal awareness of it s own exi stence ( as-mi) . It may
be recalled that the Upani sad h ad earlier (I 4. 8) un derlined
the fa ct of B.'s being th e bes t be loved of all, as ' the one dearer
. . I
than the son or , one's possessi ons and the innermost dwe lIer
in all t antaratarahs) . It mu st be obvi ous th at it would be
absolutely impossible for any one t o dis eard what has p en etrated
into his own inn ermost self. The meaning assi gned to ah am as
. aheyam is. therefore contextuall y s ig nifica nt . M adhva 's
commentary explains with gre at penetration why B. is for
ever undiscardable by anyone . It is becau se it is the inner
can afford to discard or. sh ake off the All-penetratin g B. which
is immanent in everything, lest everything should forfeit its
very power to move and act in fr ying t o do so. Sarvaniyantrtvena
I. Saririi1ltargatajiviintPbpra vi,~!am (Raghu).
~~f:a~g~qFij:SJfi)J!~ I
 20 MADHVA 'S BB..HADARA~YAKA BHA~YA
sar vag atatviit aheyani.s As the Katha Upanisad puts it Tadu
niifyrli kaicana-ovc cannot go anywhere else dis carding Brahman,
RoJ'\' truly profound a revelation of Divine Majesty lies behind
this simple deduction of M. - Sarviint aratviu sarvagat atviit­
(a-hgyatviif aham) from tha to abandon or discard .
The Upanisad goes o n to sa y how thc celebreted Vedic
c:eer Vamadeva attained a vision o f tile undiscard able-B. '( aham)
a-s the inner immanent controller of all and thereby reali sed the
truth that the Supreme B.as the Sarvani yarnaka act ing throManu ,
Sfirya, Indra, Kaks ivan, Sukra and others as their Antaryami
(o,lJ/qratamab) and accompli she s all their deed s and gives cxpre­
sstoa to his illumination thro ' th e Iamous Sl,kl :; a uri burcdto
-h im in RV. IV.26. And it assures us that even now whos oever
realises the Supreme B. as un d isca rdab le ( al;~;·n :-;tlid.l ';a~l1) abs~d­
lutely perfect i Brahmnv and endowed with clernai self-awareness
;J"tfj.mi) will certainly attain co mplctcr .css o f bli ss (.\0':1'0/17)
cemmensurate with his deserts (irlall1-.lTayogyam). Even the gods
will not hinder him from attaining the fruiti on of hi s knowledge;
f.o! 'tad' (sab) is (bhavati) their inner ruler (iilllla It.rasa,,) and
whoever is dear to the Lord is dear to them also ,
On the other hand, who soever \....orships some other deity
.(tl/Jyiim devatiim upiis/e) thinking that the Supreme Lord is diffe­
rent from this all perfect undiscardab le eternally self-knowing
t~tity and is 'NirgU1~a or attr ibutclcss , kn ows not, like a beast
81 'burden.
But one who knows the Lord as undiscardable and all-per­
fect and worships Him is like a bea st (COlV) dear to th e g ods .
lief just as several cows offered to a person please him exceed­
1. Niyentrtvaliiine vyiipdramiit roccheda it i vipak se badhakam.
(Raghii. )
ti\Zf.~~~fit ;lflqf~l{l~~~ ~fcf ~q~ ~f\:lf.'l. I
SUPREME LORD UNDJSCARDABLE 21
ingly, even so; every true wo rshipper of B. as aheya plea ses the
gods by the asset of his knowledge, like a pers on o fferi ng many
animals to the goe s .
. Jt c'cscrvcs to be noted in ·thi s conr.ect io n that if the WOf9
'aham'ill :thc text '.To d i dam . aprcrarh! y a e vami veda 91101/1
brahm asmi it i' is 1101 understood in the sense ofithcundis­
, .
cardable ' ( aheymn) the fir st two word s ' tad ' _and 'idam'. and
'evam ' as well as the other. term ' at m;i.nam' syntac;tieal)y
underst ood to co rnp lctc the se ns e , would all bec om e super­
fluous, for the intended sense according to S. would stand full y
conveyed by sayine 'EtaI' .hyapi yo · Vcda aharn. brahmasrui iti
,
sa idamsarvam bhavai i '. TI1C other words will be purposeful
arid necessary Ql1 1y if , ;' aharu'. is.i.construed. in the .sc nae of ',the
uhdisc<li'dable ,'itl whi ch ~ .3se t ;rI and idant willrcf~'r ' to ~hjs
" ". • . .' I
Brahmanto be known in terms o l'(e1Iam ) its being endowed
wirtrrhc special attrib-ule ,of ,bcillg ..undis.carcabl.e.-, absglQLely
perfect and knowing itsclft o be ever-existent (as-mfp ' i
S. 'expands the simp le .text .Brah ma rei idam agra iistt
(1:4 :10) with a good deal ,or imp ortations, t o.acco mmoda re the
whole of hi s' Adh yasa-doct r inc , Hi s explanat iouruns: .The self,
now experiencing itself asernbcdied , was in fact the uncond i­
tiolleH :B-. it self ' (:'('/1 before rcclisl ng itself t o be-so (agre).
~h;erefore, it is all th at exist s in reality. ' However, thro '
sJp~il inp6sition it has come to regard itsclferronesuly as not
~Jta:hman ('1~brahm?) not all (a-sarvam) ,alld to .suppose itself to
be a doer, enjoyer and a .t ra ns migrat ing self ' Whcn its eyes are
opened by a compassionate teacher of Vedanta. i.that Brahman
._----- -- -- ------- ~ - .._ -- - - - - -'-- - - - - ­
9. , ' A s m i ' Sarvadaasthi meyom (M) Meyatve prakarapradar­
" , Janar.tha ,'asti~ .~ahdab(f?~?g {:N) . - ' ; ',i: ' , ' : '.0 ' ,
'31~' ~~d;I~f)Rt ~1.{~ ~q~~ q1iHq~~rrT~ 'i6l~' ~i~:
 22 MADHVA'S BRHADARA~YAKA BHASYA
comes to di scover it self as the pure object less consciousness,
free from superimposed individual 'uwarer.ess. Thus Brahman's
coming to know itself as Brahmancosvsisis merely in the removal
of the superimposition caused 'by' ignorance and is IIOt at all all
act of kno wing itself as a rea I objec t ofUs OWn consciousn ess .
When ign orance va nishes, its effect is al so wiped' out. With their
di sappearance , pure con sci osness emerges as .all that there i s
s arvam abhavatv,' 0
."
It will be seen .t ha t the way in which S. explains ag re in the
above te xt is very far-fetched and artificial and inconsistent
0 ::
with his own explanation of the same word in.s irnilar contexts
such as 'Naiveha k ifica agra as it ' (Brh, Up. 1.2.1) and 'Atmii
,~ ;"
va idarnagra as it (AA . 1I .:4.1) as 'before creation of the
world '. To abandon this .accepted sense of agre and construe
it as Priik p rab odhiid api (even before knowing himself to be
..Id ent ical with B:) is to read his entire Prakriyii of Brahrna­
" -
jfianavada into it, which is taking a great liberty with the text­
10. Tad brahma idam sartrastham yadgrhyate, ogre p rak:
prat ibodhiidapi brahmaiviistt- Kintvapratibodhiit abrahmii smi,
a sarvam ea ityiitmanyadhyiiropii! Kartiiham, Kriyiiviin
Sukhiindm ea bhokta Sukhi duhkhi samstirt iti ciidhyiirop ayati ,
Tatkathaiicit iiciiry ena dayiiluna bodh itam niisi samsiirt
; G"
it i. At miinanieviivet s viibhiivik am avidy iidy adhy iiropit avi sesa­
var'jitam - Ity evasabdii rthab Ajtiiiniidhyiiropanivtttlreva
iitmdnamavedityuktam, Niitmnno visay ikaranam, (S)
a~ ;r~ ~~ ~ft{~~ l{~~!lJ~. alii m~ qRt;ft·:n~(q ;rm~I~~ I
fti ~qqf8~~r~ O1PffRrfui, ~ij~ :q ~~r~~;l{'t:~f~qrCl. ~ait,
f?fil(Tq~~&I~t :q m~r ij{Cl') ~:~') ~el~ l-Rl :qr't:l(r~tr-1Rt I
a~ifj~~~ O1r~T'iilJf ~l{T~'ir~a "1IRt ~~lft ~Fct, '?11~>tl'i­
. ...
~' / ~ \ '"
itq~~ ~rijr~;riqfcf~r~'t:~l~(qafcf~qqf;fail., ~~q~~: I
~Wi1r~l(r~qf.1WJ~q ~gIlJ'iq~~~~~~ I·' .~ l ~~ ~'tlftifi~Ol~ I
SUPREME LORD UNDISCARDABLE 23
But there can be ' no emb odied se lf befor e cr eation, or what
passes for creation; in S.' s philosophy, And it makes no
meaning to speak of an embodied self, which is not yet in
the picture, being identical' with the unconditioned B. even
before coming t o know th e latter . If the aprahodha is to be
Brahman's own, it' would m ake B. for get it s own self. 110
matter how or why orfor 1z00 v '''0I/g ~ w h ich is incompatible with
the conception ()f, B'~ , .. as ,Nityasuddhabuddhamuktasvarupam .
Thus S. 's interpretation opens many lid s of the metaph ysica l
Pandora's box at the sa me time , with it s inevitable
consequences.
His interpretation ' cif ' the success ive s ta tements of the
Upanisad : Brahma vii idamag ra iisit and Tad iitmiinatn era aved
aham Brahma asmiriti is unnatural as it interposes between
them an intervening st age o f ignora nce of .i ts own nature in the
;; .
case of Brahman due to s uper i mpos ition (lil'idyadlzy(iropa) which
leads to its corningto look upon itself, somehow, as '1 am not
E, I am not all' . We are, therefore, asked -to go in for one more
i mportationthato~6elilg duly jn~tructedby a competent Acarya
it discovers itself To be 'what it has always been - viz. aham
brahmiismi.
This necessitates .theexplaining away of the clearly worded
second sentence of' -the Upanisad : Tad iitmiinam eva avet ......
as not so much as- a di rect and immediate act of B. ' s knowing
itself as .t he object ofits, own intuitionbut as a sublation of the ·
superimposition causedby ignorance of its own identity. Unfor- .:
tunately, this roundabout way of interpreting these two texts
taken together invo'l ~es a good deal of metaphysical kite-flying
for which there is 'hardly any justification il~ 'the wording of the '
texts as they s tand -i'n te r~ re la tedby(J 'natural sequence or
thought which do€~ not call for any parenth eti cal p;c1dilti. ·.
24 MADHVA ;S BB.HADARANYAKA BHASYA
t . , I : .
SA PT A N NA BRAHMA~A
j ' . •

S. 's interpretati on of sa idam sa rva m bhavat i as ' he beco mes 25

all thi s (world)' would, in effect , reduce the k now cr.of . B.' : t' o ,a n.
pr ed icat es of Brahm an co mp lete awareness and con sc iou sness
unreality as in S.' s Phil osophy the 'all ' or the wo r ldceases t?
of its own being in th e p recrea tion s tate. 'T his 'fo rt h r ight sta te ­
be by su b la t io n when B. com es to be known , T o render
. ' Sa idam
. l ",
ment bl o ws lip th e fir st pr in c iple o f Monistic th ought that th e
sarvam bha vati meanin gful. it ha s. therefore . to be constru ed il.l.:
subject o f all expe r ie nce cannot itself beco me the ob ject c f it:;.
a di fferent se nse that wnosover k nows th is Brahm an to .be
o wn ex pe r ien cc- us has bee n r ightl y pointed out by M ad·hv".
(evam) Le'. 'Aham ' ( und isc a rdab \e) ' br a hma ' f ull of; perfect io ns
Na hi t atp ak ye lad iitmiinam vett i
(pa"ipllr~uim) : and 'A s-m i' (knowi ng it sel f as ever -existing)
a tta ins ful ness of bein g (sar va/ vam) con'l1r,CliSlIrat c w ith hi s ow n -~f. ;,::=-- - - ­
st at ure (svQnlpoy ogy am) ,

M oreover, in S,' s in terp retati on, it has to beiclar if'i cd if

'Tad ' in the se ntence Tad idam apye ta rlii y a cvani veda is to be
SA PT A N N A -BR A-H MAljA M (L 5, 1-23)
co ns t m ed in the scnce of 'that Brahman whi ch is jdent iculwi th
the Adhikiiris va riipc m as has been dor.e by him in the earlier After havin g dealt with th e creati on o f th e go ds head er'
senten ce Tad iumiinam era. avet or in th e sense ..of .Brahrn an . by the four-faced Brahl11 ~ , in J. 4, 11-13 the .up~niia,d · no \v, p ro­
which tr an scend s all attri bit es an d chara cterist ics, .I n the fermer ceeds t o pro claim the Lord 's Ma jesty ill 'crectting t he, seven k inds
case. the relative pr onoun ' Yah' referrin g t o the same Adhika ri offood, for the ben efit of th e world.
in Ta evem Veda iah am brahmiismi iti) would be redundant . .-In
the latter alternative all- the three words event , brahm a and; asmi
That this Cre at or sh ould indeed be. th e Su:pr-eme , Lord
. '" , r...,stand
cou ld be dispensed with, as the desired meaning... _w ould . .
Himself is clear fr om His descrip ti on in th e Upani sa d th e by
clearl y conve yed by sa ying Tad idam apy etarhi yq Veda aham. iti august ' t itle o( "(our'> Father (pita F w-hlch -iecalls -to· o ur·-~
• • • " • r
i n C:
. - .. ••• '1'"

sa idam sa r vam bhavat i.

the lo ving descripti on of th e Su preme' Being as our Father- :an d
Progenitor in the Rg veda (I 1.9; X 82 ,3). A nd yet Sanka r.:
As the opening statement of the Upan isad Brahma I'Ii ascribes what t o him is but an Avidy aka-crea t.io. n-
, . to the
ida,ilbg'ra asit' refers to the pre -creationstage, itisveryTarfe­
.'

individual self wh o wro ngly believing himself t o be 'bou nd by

tched t o think o f that B. as partaking of the nature of ·the
, '.
the rules ofVam a sr arna is goaded by Kam ato serve the " ~gods
inquirer. (adhikarisl'arupabhiitam) i n explaining Tad iumiinam. in expectati on of heavenl y rewards . ' Th is deprives the 'Su pr eme
. . ,

eva.avet in the pro-creati on stage. This statement ; Tad iitmiinam
~va. .' ~ I;~t ., refe~rjrig t o Brahm~ll , ~~ if eX isi~d p dor
.
to' the world
coming 'int o being. assertsvin so many words •. that it cognised
it self as Aham brahma .asmi . · Irrespective of the me~ning~ o t'
these t hree words . th is p r inci pa l senter.ce "radiitnumam eiili ave:
. ....
Brahinan of Hi ~ pl ac e . of honou r. in ' Upani sadic .tl1? ught by
introducing ,a di stort ed perspect ive Tn Iavo r of the individu al
self as the pivotandcentre of Upanisadi c philos ophy.
The U pani sad sa ys: By H is fr ee wi 11 , im edhaya; and in
co nfo r m ity wi th th e past deeds of crea tures ' (tar r : {) th e
J
26 MADHVA iS BB,HAD ARA1';J YAK A BHAS YA
Supreme Being , our Fa the r (pU ii) created seve n k i nd s o f food!
giving sat isfactio n. H e made one of them cor n mon t o al l
living beings. T IVO he re served for th e go d s and three J or
Him s elf. One H e gave to the cattl e, trees a nd p lants,
in the form of'milk a nd wa ter upon which all beings su bs ist.
The food eaten by creatures d ay in a nd d ay o u t doe s no t get
depleted because it is being cr eated again an d aga in b y Lo rd
Himself o f infinite bliss (kcsm at) 2. He is the o ne so u rce o f
its inexhaustibility. He generates food by Hi s conti nu ou s
will and ' iJ) conformity w ith the k ar ma o f creat ure s . If
He does ,nOi .4 0 so, all th e fo od wiII su r ely get depl et ed soon er
or later. Whosoever underst ands the Supreme Lord to .be
the g e nerato'~ of inexhau stible food enj oy s a ll pl easu res
acco r d ing to h is de serts (pr at tk ena) . D evas who are eligi ble
fo r m.~djtatjng on the Lord as the au tho r of th e seven k inds
offood attain dev a-hood acco r d ing to their m eri t. The food
(enjoyments) of Devas is called Ilrj am. Other Ad hikar ins
not e)igiple for Devahood get r.ear to the gods by th eir
lfltowJedge of the Lor.d as the generator of the :' seven k inds
aHood.
1. Yatsaptiinntin! medhayii tap asiisrjat pitii
Ekamasya Slidhiira1J.am dve deviiniimabhiij ayot ,
'l{cHar?fTf.t it~lfT aq~:n~\iff?q~n I
u l~ r i v al1 e dpow er ,(A sap atna ) and presiding over the Moon,
. ~'tiJl~ ~n~:m:Ur «~CJTrfPHlT\iflf~ 11
thou gh i n r eality wi thou t kaliis is al so sa id · to be, possessed
.2 . .Kam means infinite bli ss : p riin o brahma kam bra hma
khambrahma (Chiin . Up. IV 10 .5)
See also TaW. Up. ii . 7. Hence 'kasmat ' means (create d )
by the blissful Lord . Thi s st iking interpretati on o f 'Kasmat'
may als o be seem to provide :a built-in answe r to the
question put to Siik alya by Yajfi aval k ya in Brl ., up. III 9 .28:
Martyab Svinmrtyuna Vrk~w b Kosmanmuuup rar ohott.
Jf~: ~i?frr ~or; ~~T~~T~~ra f
SAPTANNA BRAHMA1'){A 27
The Upan isad warne s th at an yone wh o look s upon
(Upaste) t he fi r st k ind o f foo d wh ich is ·befo re hi m (upa-a ste)
create d by the L or d for u niversal con sumpti on of a: 11 His
creatores, as exclu sivel y meant for hi s own ben efit will never
escape from s in . The re cannot be a nobler eth ica l precept of
soc ia lis tic ph il osophy.
Mad hva' s co mm en t ar y brings out the sp eci al importance
attach in g to the thre e fo od s wh ich the Lord is sa id to.. have
kept for Hi mself as a me ans of p leas ing Him. They ar(j t~
mi ne, sp eech and life-br ea th and their presiding deiti es,
Br ah rna , Saraswati and Mukhya Pr ana. They p r eside over
var iou s plan es of co sm ic li fe in the three worlds - Br ah rna o ver '
t he Antar iksa - wo rld. Saraswati over thi s world and Mukhya
Pr <l J) 3 over th e heaven ly world and 'si mi la rly o ver the Rg.,
Yajus an d Sa rna Vedas respect ivel y, in the Adh ived ic plane and
over the worl ds o f t he Pi trs . Devas an d men , over the
fat her mo th er a nd progency in t he Adhipraja - wo rld. vover
know ledge , th e k now n and the unknow ab le in real ity ia .uhe
Adh ivid ya p lane a nd over th e Sun, Agni and Moon in the
Adhi da iv a p lane and the ir abodes of he aven. eart h andrt ho
w ater s. T he deity Vayu po ssess ed of gre at glory (lndra) and
of t he sixtee n kal iis o f th e M oon of which .fifteen are subject
to wa xing a nd wa ning, du r ing th e t wo fortni ghts when . the
Moo n , (h imse lf) is su bject to them . But the~ixi ~enth kal a of
Vayu remains const an t. On th e night o f each Am iivasy~ . the
pre sid ing de ity V ayu ente rs 'ail creatures ~itl~ his constant
K al a and in the next morning he dons t he second KaHi.
Theref ore . . on e s ho u ld no t t ake the life of any living being on'
th e Arna va sya night as Mukhya PraQaIllakes his special
entry int o them on that particular night. The knowers say
 28 MADHVA'S BB,HADARANYAKA 13HASYA SAPTAN N A BRAI-IM A NA 29
th a t th e killing o f eve n a chame leo n is sinfu l. To avo id
Foo d is inten ded to g ive sat isfact io n . Th e Upani sad ic
taking a ny life o n th at night is a highl y me ritorio us ac t like
sta tem e nt th at the Fath er ke pt th e three k i nd s o f foo d for.
th e wo rship o f Mukhya Pran a , He is disign ated as Samva t­
Him self, th er e fore s ig n ifies th at man to w ho m th ese have been
sara , the bel oved child ( Vats a) of the Lord wh o find s g reat
given , sho u ld endeav o ur t o ma ke use o f the se gifts of God
delight ( rob) in Hi s Sire . Thi sVayu is a lso present in
in suc h a way as wo u ld p lease th e Lo r d o f cr ea t io n. Th c '
t he kn o wcr of the truth a bo ut th e Lord ' s c reat io n o f the m an i') prov ided wi th five se nses o f pe rce ptio n, it is the
sev en k ind s of food a nd and is a lso er do wed w ith th e sixtee n
mind th at provides th e necessar y cond itio n fo r the efficient
kal a s (d ig its ) of w h ic h wo r ld ly we a lth o f va r io us ki nds
o perat io n (If th e o th er se nse o rga ns . D esirc , determination,
are th e f ift ee n kal as whi ch a re su bject to flu ctu ati on whi le
yearn ing fo r ma ny t h ing'), fa ith a nd wa nt of faith, stead iness ,
his body rem ains co ns tant as th e si xteenth ka l a is lik e the
a versio n, a sense o f sha me , th ou ght , fea r a nd so o n are a ll but the
hub o f a wheel an d . hi s wea lt h mo ves up a nd down lik e
di fferent phases of th e m i nd. f They sho u ld a ll be canalised
tile sp oke s. T h at is why w he n it man h as lost a ll hi s w ea lth,
peopl e' st ill say he endures witli hi s hod)'. G od-w ard in :' pprr' pr iatc ways - to please Him ( as His food ).
H o w thi s is t o be d one has be en impressively explained by
We h ave a lready see n ho w Sank ara h as m issed the l ight M adhv a in hi , cornm cnt a ry .
hy f(! ili~'g to : identify ' the Cr ea to r of th e seven kinds of First ly. o ur de sire s ( Kiima ) sho u ld be s ha p ed to be al ways
foo d "as fhe S up reme Lord of th e uni verse, in stead o f w ith devo ted to Him. O ur resoluti o ns sho u ld be t o do w hat wi ll be
the in'di ~idu al self', While the Vi sis ta dv aiti c co mme ntato r agg rc ea b l e t o Hi m. O ur yearn ing s sho u ld be to k now the
Rangaiam ~;~j a h as taken ca re t o correctly underst an d th at
d ifferent as pects o f Hi s glo ry . Our fait h sho u ld recoil from
the Father (pitii} who creates the seven kinds o f fo od ' is
lo oking upon a ny o ther Bein g as Hi s peer o r s uper io r or
indeed' th e Supreme Lo r d a nd none el se , he has ' uot sh own
believin g a ny o f th em to be a bso lute ly fre e fro m imperfections,
th e sa/ne' consis tency of th ought in construing the refl exi ve as H e is , or associate w ith H i m a ny defi leme nt o f Pr ak rti ,
pron ou'll '(jfin cuie (for Him self) used in the t ext t o re fer t o th e
sam e'<Fath er, but to th e indi vidual self. H e was probably We sho u ld stand fi r m in re fut ing noti on s of an y others
not rh"-a pos it io n to see ho w the three kinds o f foo d (ma nah, . being supe r io r to H im . We sh o u ld refra i n fr om tarnishing
vdk dtid Pra~ a) ,COUld be sho w n to be p ersonally acceptable t o His M ajest y by th ou ght , wo rd o r deed . Wc sho u ld be
th e L o·,.·d.It is here that Madva's commentary comes to o ur h elp . as ha med o f giv ing up o r losing faith in Hi s Word . We sh-ould
. concentrate o u r th ou ghts o n acq ui ri ng di scrimin ating knowledge
M adhva throws edifying light on the inner significance
3. Kdma]: sanka lpo vicikttsii sraddhii asraddha
of the statement in the Upanisad that .t h e Father o f all
Dhrtiradtirtih h rirbhli: ityet at sar vam mana eva .
creation kepffhreekinds of food created . by Him-viz. mind,
speech ' 'a nd Pl:~i;J a' for His own satisfaction (t "i~tyiJfmane CfiT~: ~:F,~Qt fctR~ ~flr ~~T i3l~T

ak uru Un :: ~~~~~: ~')~1: ~~~C'l~ ~~ 11<=f t1;q , . (Br h. Up .)

30 MADHVA 'S I3~H AD A.R A ~YA KA BH A. S YA SAPTANNA BRAHMA~A 31

of Hi s t ru e nature and a ttribu tes. Wc sho u ld fear fa lling a mo ng the gods beca use th ey ha ve th ei r genesis fr om the
int o e r roneo us vi ew s about t hem. co unterp arts in the Lo rd's m ind, speech a nd ene rgy."
The Upani sad go es on to speak about the h igh re wa rds
Ex tend i ng th e sa me princi p le to the ac t ivities of our th at come t "J t he k no wcr o f th e Sapt a n na Vidyii a nd its
sp eec h and P ra na , we sho u ld e mp loy speech t o procla im up a san a , bct h before a nti after h e a ttai ns mok sa . T her e
Hi s greatnes s and o ur Pra na in acorup l ish ing Hi s work . Sp eec h a re th ree wor ld s to be cro sse d before fir,a l rel ea se . These are
cove rs · the er.ti re field o f so und s thc art iculatc a nd th e the wo rl d e f rr en , Pi t rs and the heaven ly wcrl d , The wo r ld of
me n can be crossed o n ly th ro' p r ogen y. th ewo rld o f Pit rs th r o'
inarti cul at e . The Lo rd is the ir ulti mat e referen t, acco rd ing
r ites li ke Jyot i st. orna a nd th e heavenly wo rld thr o ' righ t
to the seers. (Sai sii h i ant am ayattii)-I know le dge. The co nqu est o f the mo r ta l wo r ld is po ssi b le o n ly
t hro ' good son s. I n th is co nnec t io n, th e Upan isad d escribe s the
The fi vefold fu nct ion o f Priin a is s i mila r ly t o be cana ­ pa rt in g i r.struc ti o n of the ideal fa t her who has done h is
li sed t owa rd s the Lo rd ' s wo rk. Our v ita l er.crgy sho u ld duty by t he wor ld of m en, P it rs a nd th e gods t o carry
be direct ed t o do ing what is acce pt ab le t o H im. Ap ii na on after hi m th e th ree sacred ob liga tion s.v T h? ' in pri nciple,
sho u ld b e expe nded in kee p ing aw ay from th ings d isa greea b le th e Devas a rc th e . m o st competent A d h ikar in s, for the
me di tatio n ' of t he Sapt anna vid ya, mere mo r tal s a re e ligib le
to Him , Vyiilla iu re mo v in g obstacles , Udiina in pro mo ting
to be benefited by k now ledg e of the Vidy a .?
co ncentrat io n o n Him and Soma li a in brin g jj:g th e mind
and th e organs o f ac tion (k arm t:l1I/ri)'(/.\) in to u n is ) 11. 5. Et anmayo l' a ayamiitma . Viinm ayo ma nomayah P J' ii~lam ay ab
m anoviikp rana pradhiinah; , P radhiinye mayQ{" m anomayo
Vatunoyalt Priinamoyah , - .. . ...... . " . ( i, 5. 4. )
Th e L o rd is pl ea sed to mak e t he 111 i nd. speech a nd
tJ;a;:ijm eHSl1ijr ~ijr CfTiiq~l' ii~ijir : .J;fTlJflll1: Jj'.n~I~ SlTur
o ur vital e ne rgy His f ood b ecau se th ey play a prom inent . "'"'
part in contr ibu t ing to t he sp ir itua l advancemen t o f J ivas Sll:lT~: I SlPi4r;:~ Ql1l, ij.nl1~ CfI~l1 ; ijTlJfQl1: I
" . ..
by en ablin g them to pl ease H i m by serving Him wit h thei r G. Athiitai: Sampa tt iti-Yadn praisyan manyatea tha pu ir amiilia­
H~' i n~:s , · sp~ech. · a r.d vi ta l power. T he se three h ave acqu ired "tvam bra ltma , tra m yajFia [l t vom {aka iti . (Brit. Up. i. 5-17)
'ih:cii privil eg ed . p i sit io n b y v irtue of th e ir b e in g p resid ed ~~ra : ijqR! :- l1GJ !rr;l1;:J:I;l1as~ ~:;j'qr~- ' ' ~~ ~~, ~ If:ij: ~~
ovei·· : by th e th ree p rinci pal dei ti es Brah ma , Sa rasvat i and ~Ofi' ~Rt I ..
C .,

Mt;k'hYll pr a. na . These , in th e ir t ur n , a re pre- e mi nen t

7 . Sap t annop dsannn, yasmdd dcviiniitn yo aya m ut tama m .
.. . . I W narii y ogy a etadupiisiine ,

jiiiina miitre~la devii niim Sii m tpyam p riipnuva nt i te . (M)

4 . ( f. Tacil'iylly a Kl/1'Ci)'o anva vinda u
niimiijiattii sama trpy'all s r t« adlt i. a8'T?f)qm~ limr~ ~cn~f~5~~lijij~-, .
._. ."' " ~ ilU li);l1T tJ;a ~qra~ I
a~~1.{ 'filij)s;~fcl;c::rr,
.- ' ":\ ' ..~ , ,.. .... r_"'~ .
( A~ )j
rjTijTli~T ~ijitli;r, 'laSM 11 11. 3.7) ~jri1ij r;r rJf ~~WH 6T4:Jl1J.1 ~rt~clT;a (1 11
 SAPTANNA BRAHMA~A ~3

~1 MAD l-lVAIS BB.HADARANYAK A BH ASYA of a par able o f the qu arrel among th e presiding deities
of the cogniti ve senses and th e gods of the Adhid aiva
After reco unt ing th e vario us form s of rewards
sp here such as Agni , Surya and Soma . Eac h of th e Adhyatmika
accruing to the k nowe r and th e Upasnka of Sapt;1I1Ml vidy;1
deities, after they we re cr ea ted by t he Lord , re solved to go
upto and inclusive of hi s atta ining Mok sa , th e Upanisa d on wi th their work witho utrest. They wer e soo n overpowered
concludes its recital by laying spec ial empha sis on or.e by wea r iness and im pend ing death , wh ich hel d them back
1110re dut y lai d up on th e Saptii lln o p a s a k ~l , over and above from their work": Find ing t hat Madh yarn a-Pra na was able
the obliga t io ns a lrea dy lai d , such as tr eating th e first to carry on his work tirel essl y and withou t bei ng overpowered
k ind o f food created by the Lord as int ended for th e com mo n by fatigue , the y a ll decid ed to re cogni se him as th eir
goo d of a ll cre at io n and not grab bing it" all for o neself Chief and regard th em sel ves as hi s subord inates and refle­
cti on s (Pratimii}, Th er efore, just as Ma dhya rna- Pra na was
but fi rst offer ing hi" ow n legit imate shar e of it, in a ll
no t overpowered by fati gue among the deities of speech,
humility a nd th ankfuln ess to the Un iversa l Gi ver of all etc., so among the Adhid ai va s be was not incapacitated
food with a pray er- 'Gi ve u s thi s da y our dail y bread ' . by Mrtyu , Therefore, he was adj udged the hi ghest (s res tha)
This last sacr ed dut y a nd o bliga t ion is th e Priinavratam among the gods (next o f course to the Lord) . For, the
or the hom age to M uk h ya Priina next to th e ho mage other deities are subject to decline, but not Vayu (Mukhya
paid to the Lo rd of Mukhy a Prii{w ) . Th e ca ll of the Up ani sap Prana) . He is the ope who never sets o r goe s t o rest." He goes
on ceaselessly doing hi s wor k of Ham s opiis ti, thro ' breathing
in the c los ing part of the Sapta nna Brahm ans "Tasrnad
in and breathirig out. Therefore the Saptanna Vidya Upasaka
ekam eva Vr at arn car et pran ya cca apa nyacca ' (1.5 .23) has, shall always remember to medit ate on the Lord and Mukhya­
therefore. to be underst ood in consi stenc y with th e pr im al Prana while be ' breathes in and br eathes out. For they are
position of the Lord o f all Creati on (Pitii) as comme nding the two wbo make all respirati on possible .
the upasana of Mukhya Pr ana al so next to th at of the Lo rd, Hamsopastih svasarupo tayorvratamudiritam.
harnsarupau Jri tau devau svaso cchvasapravart akau .
as pointed out by Madhva-
tasmat pranyadapanyacca tadrupam samsmaret tada ,
Uttamab s arv adevesu p riina eva ha rer enu ,
~~qrf\ij: sgH3~ azi)~a~~fta~ I
Ta smiidvi ~1Jorvratasyiinu ni ty am priinavratam caret .

t(i~1 ~ at ~clt sgrijt~~~H1q~~11

;a~q:ij~~~~ " ~ r OT !J;q ~~{~ I -,

a~H~rolir~qr~r'ij a~q ~~~~~T 11

a~rf«lScrit~a{ln~ ~~i{ ~rOT~~ :q~fi 1I '"
9. It should be understood th at th o ' lik e the other gods
This pre-eminence of Mukhya-Prana, also called Madhyam ah Mukhya V.ayU is subject to di sruption of hi s body in Pralaya
PraJ;la\.18 is tben brougbt out in the Upani~ad bX mean s he never loses hi s flow of meditative Vrttijfi ana in re spect
of the the Lord or any obscu ra t ion of his awakened
8. Mukhya Prana is called Mac'hyamah Pranah because he knowledge. Al so, being ever free from attachm ent to hi s
stands m idway between the highest Prana wh o is the bo dy, he has no ri sing or sett ing con sequent on th e
Lord Himself (See B.S. L 1.28) and th e Ja(ia-Vayu , th e origination or the dissolution of hi s bod y .

lowest.
 AJ A TA SATRU- BRA H MANA 35
Th at (o r ig ina l) Form o f th e Lord is to be directl y
ADHYAYA 11 percei ved b y h im (the J iva )' .l
INTR OD UC T IO N: Even tho se wh o a re compe tent to medit at e on Erah man as
Th e fir st A dh yay a has been d evoted mostl y to indwelling in th e elemen ts of na t ure o r in th e heavenl y bodies
vari ou s form s o f ex ternal u p a sanas of Br ahmavidyas, such and their p residi ng deities o r other Avatar for ms and bl essed
as the horse , the- horse sacrifice, · the Saptann avidya and w it h the favo u r an d gr ace of those deitie s shou ld a lso me di ta t e
others . T he pr esent A dhy a ya t ak es up int ern al up asanas o n the Lord as H e is present in t heir he ar t , after ca rr ying ou t
of J rah . ~ all . T he fi rs t Brahmana here brings out the those upa sa na s o f Br ahman by wa y o f supplement ing an d co mp ­
po int ver y vi vidl y th at it is absolut ely necessary even after leting t hem w ith the me di tat io n o f the Lord as H e is p r esent in
going t h ro ' external forms of U pasanas t o me ditate Oll their o wn he arts as their B irnba r u pa . 2
B. i nt er n ully in o nc' s ow n hear t. This is shown to be
L S.interprets thi s mantra as follows: T he Lord (Par am esvarai
obli gat or y for a l l Adh ikarin s , including tho se wh o . are
while evol ving na mes a nd forms in th e u ni ver se ass umed
qu ali fied by t heir spir it ual fitness to att ai n M ok sa thro ' each and ever y o ne of th ose for ms . Th is is in o r de r
w or sh ip an d medit ati on of t he Lord ex ternally, in His : to make Him self kn ow n. If H e di d not evo lve name
Av at ar a nd o t he r for ms . This ins is t ence on the in t ernal '
and form , Hi s u ncondit ioned nature as p r im e cau se
up asa na of t h e L ord r esid ing in o ne's own heart is what
wi ll not ha ve been made k now n '.
is k now n as Birn b aparo k sa . It is a must for all. Thi s
But as th e w o rld o f na me and fo r m is its elf a
mea ns th at th e Ji va is the Pra tibi mba o f the L ord wh o .
fal se proje ct io n in S o's view , it is difficu lt to see
is seated in the h ear t. As such , he is mo st intimat ely
h ow it could help in making B. 's u nco ndi ti oned nature
related to Him . The p urp ose of the Jiva's upas ana of
known or why it (B) sho u ld be so mu ch concerned about
Br ah man is to d iscover and re alise this m ost intimate
its being known o r made k nown.
relat ion by wh ich he is b ound t o the Lord. This fact is
Rangaram anuja exp lai ns Prat ir u pa as the A ntaryam i
very si gnifi ca nt ly br ou ght out i n the cl osing part of the
Fo r m of the Lord res emb ling th e co un t less fo r ms of the
Mad hu- Vidya o f t he Brh. Up . (II.5.19) where we r ead :
created entities. Tho ' t he A ntary a rni Fo rm is near er
R l;POIII riip atn p ra ti rup o babhiiva t o the ' Bi mbar iip a ' of M. it wou ld seem t o be mor e
t adasy a riip am praticak saniiya , app r op r iate t o make the co unt less for ms of the Jivas
the Lord 's Pratiriipa ' i ns tead o f maki ng the Lord
~q ~q SJRl~~ ~~er
Himself th eir Pratirupa. For it is in the mature of a
a~ {?1 ~~q !:l Rl "'! ~-1 01[ lf I Pratirtipa to depend on the Ru pa. F or these reas ons
'The Jiva is in each and every one of his dist inctive Mv's interpretation of the m ant ra is preferable to the
ot her t wo .
fo rm s th e image tp ratir upa or nratibimbo v (If the L ord,
2. See BSPC. Vol. lII, P. 434-35,
36 MAD H VA ' S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
It is in this sense and for this reason that Aj atasatru tell s
Bal aki " tha t much which you have already done by way of
upasan as wi ll not be eno ugh t o attain Brahman ". 3
The insufficiency of the purely external forms of the
up iisana s of Brah man an d the specia l re asons for ca r rying out
so me amo u nt of internal upasanas of Brahman as the Bimb ar iipa
of the Ji vas seated in their ow n hearts is very vividl y and
impressivel y br ou ght out in th e opening section of this Adhya ya
th e Aj iita sat ru Brah ma n s .
AJATASATRU-B RAHMAijAM (II.J. 1-20)
Bal ak i , th e pro ud learned Brahmana , well-ver sed in
the Vedas approaches King Ajatasatru of Ka si, offer ing to
ins tr uct hi m in Brah mavidya . The Kin g, wh o is a more
adva nced Upasaka of Brahman , courteously list ens t o Balaki ' s
recit al of the di fferent k inds of external upasan as of B.
practised by him . ~ t th e end of each recital , the king
tells Ba Hiki how he t oo has ca rried out all th ose up as anas,
giving him add itio nal attributes of the Lord which he has
included as part of such Up asanas , by way of Gunopa­
samhara and th e benefits he has had fr om suc h up asan as ,
Bal aki recites twelve deffer ent forms of external up asanas
of B. carr ied out by hi m as the Person present in the
Sun, the Moon , lightni ng, Ak as a' Vay u, Agni, the Waters
the sound which foll ows one as he walks, in the mirror, the
shadow-man, ' in th e : four-faced Brahma and co mes to a sto p .
3. Devatiisu Bhag avantam upiisya t atta ddevatiisa m tp am priiptvii
punch svahrdist ham upiisy aiva mokso bhavati, ity ato
"Naitiiva td vidit am bha vati' ity uktam , ( M .)
~qcH~ ~l1q;:C1!!qT~ a:q~q'Ttf~'lq !:lP:~~H ~rr: ~~~~!!ql~q
m&ll ~qta :{~ar '~aICf aT fcl'fu:ii ~qta I ~(~:qjq, I (M.)
AlA TA SA TR U-BRAHMA~A 37
The king asks him if th at is all an d Bal aki co nfesses that he
has not gone beyond. The king tell s him th at it is not
sufficient to kn ow B. Sen sing th at the king kn ows more.
Bal ak! requests to be ius tru cted by hi m. As it is not for
a Ksatriya t o assume the role of a teacher of Brahmavid ya
to a Brahrnana , th e kin g re sp ectfull y offers t o inform him
what is needed to give complet ion to h is external forms
of upasana s.
The King then ta ke s Bal a ki by th e hand and leads
him to where a man is lyin g sou nd as leep . The kin g calls
out to him (i . e. t o the Lord presen t in him) by these
names-O Great One, 0 Whi te-rob ed o ne' 0 Soma. But the
person (the Lord) does not res po nd or wake up (the sleeper).
He then rubs the sleeping man 's body h ar d with his hand and
thc person ( is awa kened by th e Lord and ) gets up. Thereupon
th e king turn') round to Bal a ki an d que st io ns him "Can you
tell me where wa s this L ord of supre me in te lligence in who m
this Jiva was sound asleep in thi s bod y at th e time of his deep
slumber and whence did He (th e Lord) emerge at the time of
the Jiva's waking up ? "
Satikara ha ') t ak en it that th e k ing's que st ion is about the
whereabouts of the Jiv atrn an himsel f. Modern scho lo rs and
exp ositors of the Upan is ad have genera lly foll owed him .
But it .will not do to fo rget t hat both the king and Bcilaki
and th e Upanisad are concern ed he re wit h the Up dsanii of
Brahman as the Suprem e Being .4 Th e que stions and their answers
have , therefore, t o be prima rily con nec ted with the Lord who
isthe object of Upasan a . It w ou ld a lso be pertinent t o remem­
ber that Ba lak i him sel f commun icate') the vari ou s kinds of
4. This comes out fr om the wo rds of Ba laki -Brahma l e
bra viini, Aditye purusa et am aham Brahm a upii se.
38 MADHVA'S BRHADARANYAKA BHASYA
Brahmopasanas carried out by him and the king himself after
listening to him, teIIs him that what he has so far achieved by
way of external Brahmopasana is not sufficient to attain B.
In the circumstances, the questions he puts to Ba laki
ought naturaIIy to be designed and intended to throw fresh
light on the part played b y Brahman the Supreme L'Hd in
sending the man to sound sleep and in bringing him back to
waking life. The . Upani sadi c text itself given a clear indication
of this when it speaks pointedly of the locus in which the Jiva
has gone to rest (yatra esa s up t o abliii tv . This term "Yatra"
can only refer to the locus (aiihikara~z'1) or the place or person
in whom the sleeping self found its rest and whence
it returns to walking life. Quite unjustifiably , Sankara
construes Yatra as 'at the time of (yasmin k ate ) sleep. If the
question according to S. is where was the sleeping self at the
time of sleep. the latter part of the sa me questi on "wherefrom
does he come back (kuta dgiit) " would be superfluous as he
would naturally be coming back fr0111 the place to which he
had gone! The wording of the text gives a clear indi cation of
the identity of the locus wherein the Jiva has gone to rest as
the Vijfianamaya Purusa (Ya esa Vijfia namayah purusah yat ra
esa suptah},
It should, therefore , be clear that King Ajatasatru is
trying to make Balaki understand that the Jiva trnan in deep
sleep is gathered up in the Lord re siding in the special place
chosen by Him in the heart of man called par avesma or
poramiikiisa.
There is no difficulty in construing Vijfianamayah Purusah
.Tulness by using some other distinctive name of His own
as the Supreme Brahman of superabundant inteIIigence
(Vijiiiipracural;t). This may be seen to be supported by the
Sloka cited in Taiu, Up: 1.5 (Vijhiinam Brahma ced veda ....)
, AJATASATRU-BRAHMANA 39
Tho ' there is really no difference in the ful ness of the
' Lor d 's presence in any of tile elements or deities i n wh ich H,l lclk i
. had meditated upon Him, there is, nevert hel ess, a special k ir d
of very intimate personal relati on between the U p asnk a an d
the Lord seated in his heart, as compa red wi th h is rela t ion t o
the Lord present in the elements or other exter nal t h ings in
which He may be meditated upon. Th is fa ct m ake s a great
difference to the Upasaka, pers onall y sp eaki ng ; tho ' it makes
no difference to the Lo rds equ al p resence ever ywh er e in a ll
beings. It is to bring hom e this cr u i i -il n oint tha t Aj a ras a t r u
takes 'Bala 1<:i t') a vlee pinv man a nd t ri e ~ !:") a wa ken. the Lord in
him b y calling Him by Hi" name, o f Br h ar-P a n d a rava sa , and
Sorna which belong pri-nariliy t"l the Lo rd p resent i n t he M0 0n
as stated earlier by the king himself in II .1. 3.
The King's purpose in addressing the L ard i n whom the
soul of the sleeping man had gone to rest by the three names
pertaining to the Lord present i n the M0011 is to bring home
to Balakl the importance of th e sp ecial rel a ti on th at exi sts
between the Lord seated in the heart o f the up asaka and the
Upasaka himself thro' his bo-iv and a parti cular part of it. If
there were no such special rel ation , th e Lord sh ould have
responded to Hi'! names and roused the man fr om h is slu mber
in Him. That He has not done s o goes t o est a b lis h bey ond
doubt that there is something special which deter mi nes the
Lord's relation to the Upasaka who me ditates on Hi m all
present in his own heart and others wh o med it ate on Him as
present in any other being or element. 1'110' it may be equ a ll y
possible to make the Lord restore the s leep ing m a n to wa k e­
connected with his presence in the heart o f t he s leep er , th e s tep
taken ' by the King in not doing so but rubb i ng hard the
body' of the man is to bring out the special natu re of ' the
 40 MADHVA 'S Bf!..HADARA~YAKA BHAS yA
unfailing impact which the vigorous rubbingofjhe body will
have in rousing the Lord to awaken the sleeper. The Lord's
presence in the heart in the body is suggested by the rubbing.
This is indicated by the question where was the Vijfianamaya
Purusa in whom the Jiva had gone to rest in his own body and
its answer-there, in the ether inside the heart (11.1.17).
It would appear from the wording of Ajiitas atru' s question
Kva e sa tadii abhavat , kut a iigiit that he is thinking of the 10Cl/S
of entry and exit of the s leep i ng se lf which must necessarily be
different from th e self and, therefore, a much higher principle
and Power than the self i.e. to say the Lord called Vijnana­
maya. (Or Vijfia napracurah).
To Sankara, wi th hi s theory o f one Self which stands
isolated from the world of acti on, means ' and ends (kr(l'iikii.
rakaphalas; the que sti on t o be asked would be in wh~t sort o f
pristine state of selfhood does the self of the sleeper exist in the
state of sleep and fr om what sort of its intrinsic state does it
fall off, while returning to the waking state.
The answer t o both would be the same viz . the pristine
state of isolation from all sense of individuality. This is going
beyond the terms of reference indicated by the u se of the word
Yatra which calls for the identification of the locus of the
individual self's subsistence in the state of sleep. It cannot
refer to th e s ta te or condition of being in which it finds itself in
1· 11
that state. The straight answer given by the Upanisad to the
question is that the self enters into B. , that it is gathered up by
; 11 B. in Susupti , For it is B. which is the greater P ower into which
I
the self has entered for rest. As the Upanisad puts it more
1 ., graphically, it is the Vijfi anamayah Purusah who by his higher
power and purposive will (vijiiiin ena) gathers up (iidiiya) the
cognitive powers of the senses (prii~liiniim vijiiiinam} into Himself
11,
i I
AJATASATRU-BRAHMA!:'l"A 41
and thereby desensitizes them and the self towards external
contacts and takes it up to Himself in His abode in the heart
(antarhrdaya iikiisa) . When thi s happen s, the Jivas external
senses cease to work.
Sankara thinks that it i s the individu al se lf wh om he
identifies as the 'Vijfianam ayal) ' spoke n o f here who
gathers up the powers o f the sens es al on g with that of the mind
and enters into his pri stine s ta te of isolation , in s leep . In
other words, he eliminates th e hand of the Lord in sending
the Jiva to sleep and rest oring him back to waking life and
makes ·the Jivatman come and go as it pleaseth him to and
from deep sleep. Thi s is reckoning without the h ost.
For the Brh . Up . it self offers conclusive evidence in
IV .3 .2t which has been pinpointe d in B.S. 1.3.42. th at 'this
Purusa (emb odied se lf) is locked up in the embrace of the
Prajfia-Atrnan . in deep s leep' . In hi s Bhas ya o n thi s Sutra,
SaiJ.kara himself identifies the Puru sa referred to there as the
Sarira' (embodied self) or Ling opiidhir iitmii and the 'Priijila
Atman' as "Paramcsvara ' and agrees with the Sutrakara that
this Sruti holds the Lord to be different fr om the Jivatrnan in
.the states of both Susupt i and Utkr anti .e
But in his C . on Brli. Up . IV.3.21 , he goes hack on his
own words in hi s Sutrabh a sy a and s peaks o f the embodied self
being 'embraced by one wh o is in fact intrin sically his own self'
(Priijiiena paramiirth ena sviibhiivik ena parisvaktalis, This is
reading his own opinion into the text o f the Upanisad. The
analogy of the husband and the wife locked in embrace, given
in the Upanisad sh ould be su ffi cient to est ablish that neither
5. Su suptyu tkrdntyor bhedena (D .S. J .3.42)
:-.~ ....
~~E~~iliF~lll~~

42 MADHVA 'S BB-HADARA~YAKA BHA SYA
of them is intrinsi call y ident ical w it h the other. The purpose
o f the a na log y is no t t o make out their identity but on ly t o
emph asi se th e fact that in th e state of deep sleep the embodied
se lf locke d in th e embrace of the L ord Prajna is n o longer
con sciou s of a ny external rea li ties or h is olVn int ernal sorro ws
and cares dur ing th e s tate of s leep, being content as he is wi th
his own intri ns ic b lissfulness in the emb r ace o f the L ord a nd
is after a wh ile re turned to hi s former state o f aw areness o f
th e ext ern al wor ld a nd its cares . As no reasonable bei ng wo uld
of hi s ow n free w ill a nd accor d like to exchange a state o f
ble ssedness and bli ss for th e sto rms and stres ses of waking
life, it shou ld b e clear en ou gh th at neither the rev ert in g t o
waking li fe fro m deep s leep nor getting into the bli ssful stat e of
Su supti f rom wak ing life can be att r ibut ed to the so le ini ti at ive
of the J ivat m an, O nly a de pendent creature can be tossed
about fro m o ne state t o a no t her, fr om the Jagrat t o Svapna ,
fro m Svap na to Sus u pti and fr om Susupti to Jagrat a ll ov er
aga in , a ll throu gh li fe. We cannot. therefore , accept the
fac ile view th at wh en th e o rgans a re restrained in deep s leep,
' th e se lf rest s in its own self' . (as Radhakrishnan ha s it)
Thi s sh ou ld make it clear th at the correct interpret ati on
of the passage ; Vijiuinamaya b Purusah tad esiim priiniiniim
vijii iinena vijiiiinam iidiiya anta rhrday a akiise set e (Brh . II ~l.l7)
co u ld on ly be th at th e o mnisc ie nt Lord (Vijfiiinam ay ab Purusahv
t aking away w it h H imself (aday a ) the cognitive power s
(v iji'iiinam) of th ese se nso ry organs (prclI;aniim) by th e power o f
His own k now ledge (vijFiiinella) goe s into His place in the ether
of the hea rt.
Th at it is the Supre me Lord who plays the acti ve p ar t in
se ndi ng the emb odied self to deep sleep has been expressl y
sta ted again in Brl! . Up . IV. 3.11
AJATASATRU-BRAHMA~A 43
Swapnena Sar iramabh ;p ra hatyiisuptah suptiinab h iciikas iti
~1rry m(t~~f+Tqi[~H~Cf: ~Hr'1f+T:qr<fi~"tRt I
'Hving united th e em bodied se lf wit h deep sleep , th e Golden
Person loo ks on th e slee p ing se lves, H imself nev er asleep' .
The p as si ve a nd t he act ive ro les of the Ji va and Pa r ma t rnan
re spectivey in the mat te r o f th e J iva t rna n' s go ing. to s leep a re
well brought o ut her e, Sa nkara ma kes a vain b id h ere to
escape from this posi t ion by t aking the word Siiri ra in the
text to mean the body'' rather tha n the e mbodi ed self as such
for which there is no gra mma ti ca l auth or it y or sa nct io n ." It
also goes again st th e accept ed usage of Sarir?. i n th e Brh . lip.
it self (IV.3.35) whe re th e Sar ira-Atmu is stated t o be ridden
by the Praj fia-Atrn a , at th e time o f h is exi t from life. Co m­
menting on thi s passage in hi s BSB. 1.3.42, San kara h imself­
renders the wo r d Sa rira-At Il1 a as th e emb odi ed self an d the
Prajfia Atm a as th e Sup reme Lord (Paramesv ar a ).
Consistent then wi th a l1 th ese de t a ils t he correct way of
understanding Brh . Up . H .l .17 would be that it is the Supreme
Lord who takes th e embo d ied self t o th e repose of deep sleep
in Him by His Will(vijiiiin ena )'dfter descnsi t izing the power of the
6. Svapnena Svapua bh a ven a Sa ri ra m Sa r;ram abh ipr ahat ya
nis cest ata mapadya (S. Br h .U p . I V.3. 11)
~1rri ~~l1fctij . ~r~ ~ ~nt 3lf+lqq:~ ~~lf'!(:1r+1rqJ'a .. ...
7. While Dr . Radhakri shn an 's r endering o f ' Sar ir a ' (discard­
ing Sankara's interpret ati on) as 'What belongs to the
body' avoids th e lib ert y t aken by S. in sh o rt ening siir tra
into sa rira , it has t o face anot her difficulty in co nst rui ng
Siirtram as 'the (sleeping) sense s' . As the Sanskrit wo r d
for senses i ind riydni) is in t he neuter we sho uld ha ve
' ::,'arir at)i ' to co nvey th e sugges ted meaning .

44 MADHVA 'S BRHADARA~YAKA BHASYA
sense organs (prii1;liiniim vijFiiinam iidiiyo), This way of constru­
ing the text would provide a natural syntactic connection
between vijiiiinena in the instrumental case with the verbal
form iidiiya (having taken). While this makes an important
point that it is not by his own free will or power that the
embodied self enters into the state of Susupti , but by the will
of the Lord. the other way of construction followed by Sankara
and Rangarama nuja. taking the instrumental (vijfiiinena) in
the sociative sense and »ijiiiinam as the mind or antah karanam
is not so relevant as the desensitization of the other sen se
organs (referred to in the text) naturally presupposes the prior
suspension of the activities of the mind as a matter of co urs e .
It is, therefore, just a point of detail which does not require
to be separately mentioned by the word v iji'iiinam , especially
when the text itself closes with a separate mention of the
cessation of the activity of each of the organs of smell, speech
sight, hearing and the mind. (H.l.l?).
As the scriptural evidence is thus decisively in favor of
accepting the dominant role of the Lord in taking the Jivatrnan
thro' the states of the experiences of waking, dreaming and
susupti and back to the starting point, in daily life, it follows
that the succeeding three paragraphs of the Aja tasatru Brah­
mana (H .l .18-20) have also to be interpreted in such a wa y
as would bring into relief the Lord's chief and Independent
role in making the Jiva go thro ' the experiences de scribed in
them.
Accordingly, paragraph 18 embodies a bifocal description
of the doings of the Lord and the Jiva :
'When Re (the Lord) moves thro' the svapnanad is which
111 11 are then the spheres of His activity. He makes the Jiva move
thro' them, looking upon himself as if he wer e a king, a great
Brahmana or in any high or low state (as an elephant ·or a dog
AJ AT ASATR U-BRA HMA N'A 45
or a cat- as the case may be) while He Himself (the Lord) taking
with Him the power of the Jiva's sense organs except the mind ,
moves abou t at His pleasure in the body (of the Ji va) of which
He is the ma ster (S vam sar irami , like an Emp eror , who travels
as he pleases all over hi s kingdom, with his subjects'.
The manner of wording in the first and the second part of
this paragraph sugge sts a sharp distinction that exists between
the two movers (the Lord and the Jiva) referred to here. The
words 'he becomes (or looks upon himself) as tho' he were a
king or a great Brahmana (ut eva mahiiriijo uteva mahiibrii­
hmanahs or in states high and low (uteva ucciivacam nig acchati)
in ihe first half and the words in the second half which mention
no one but a great king in his own right moving thro' his
territories as he pleases, with his entourage and in which there
is no such expression as "'as though' a Maharaja" and no
reference to ucciiva cam nig acchati, sp eak for themselves . The
grand manner in which the King of the country moves thro'
the countryside in his own kingdom points to the unfettered
and independent position of the Lord while moving about the
nad is. Tho' both the Lord and the Jiva sojourn in the same nadis
in the state of dream, the former moves unaffected while the
latter gets impinged. This cannot be denied. It would also be
needless to repeat the analogy of the Maharaja in the second
part if both the parts pertain only to the movements and
experiences of the embodied self, as has been supposed by
Sankara and other commentators in general. These divergences
in description makes it necessary for us to agree with Madhva's
finding that the subject matter of the first part of the paragraph
(H. 1.18) is the Jivatman while that of the second part of the
same paragraph is the Supreme Lord Himself.
The next Khanda deals with the happy repose of the
Jivatrnan in the Lord in deep sleep isusupt i) , In that condition
46 tvIADHVA'S B ~HADA. R ANYAKA BH A.S YA
the J iva whose sense organs h ave all the wh ile been tempor aril y
depr ived of th eir co gnit ive powers k now s nothing ext ernal.
The re are 72,000 na d is in the h um an b ody kn own as ' hitiib'
extending fr om th e hear t t o the pericardiu m . After being mad e
t o move about t h ro ' th e m, t he Ji va tman rep oses in the Lord
who is th en in t he sus urn na nad i . By re ason o f th e proxim it y
(atighnim )S of t ha t Bli ssfu l Lord ({if/aI/doJ O, th e J ivatrn an
expe r iences hi s int r insic sp irit ual joy. Th at is Susupti.
Th e last Khand u exp lains how th e Lord is not on ly th e
place of th e Ji va' s repose in dee p sleep but th at H e is a lso the
ca us e of hi s coming back t o th e Waki ng sta te - in other wo rds ,
the Jiva is powerl ess with out the Lord's help and initiati ve
eit her to glide in to Susu pt i or wak e up from it a nd return t o
hi s for mer enviro nment (cf. A t ab p rabodho asmii t BS. Ill. 2.8)
Thi s is do ne by proclaimi ng the all -co mprehens ive truth that
the Sup reme Lord is the source of origina t io n, sustena nce,
di ssolution , etc . of all the wo r lds, all the gods , the el ements
a nd the se nses, j ust as the spider emits th e food eaten by it in
the for m o f it s we b or as spa rk s o f fire are thrown out by fire .
It foll ows as a coro lla ry from this stat ement of the Upanisad
that wh at app lies t o the ent ire universe h olds true of the
Ji vatrnan too , as he is as much a part of the creat ion as any
other . Th e J iva t rnans comp let e dependence on the Lord in
bei ng gathered to the dre a mland, a nd Susupti an d re stored to
wa king life is a logi cal dedu cti on fr om the larger dependence
o f bondage a nd re lease of Souls on His Will as can be seen
fr om th e wo rds of BS . Ill. 2.5:
8. A tig hnim dna ndasya g atvii sete (Brh. Up. II .1.19)
i31fff >.:;:frr{i'F~~ meH ~~ I
9. Anandasya p aramdtmano atig hnim samip am (M)
~fiFG;~ q{l1r~l1cnsfa~l ~+ftq~ I (s th iti). co n tr ols it as long as it lasts an d d issolves it when
AJATASATRU-BRAHMA NA 41
Pariibhidhy iinattu tlrohitam tato hyasya bandhavip aryaynu ,
The last Khan da con cludes w ith pro claiming the secret
name (Upani~ad) of the Supreme B . ' Sat ya sya Sat yam '.
SaiJ.kar'l understand s by this th at B. is the on ly reality whi ch
serves as the subs tratu m of th e illus or y appeara nce of th e
world of m att er and so u ls super impo sed up on it. In plain
words , it means B. is the real beh in d all th e unreality th at
pa sses for the ext ernal world . As thi s int erpre t ati on doe s
great vio lence t o the act ua l wor d ing of th e te xt an d its under­
lying spirit proclaiming B. as the Supre me Lord to be th e rea l of
th e reals , Madhva t akes the help of et ymol ogical an aly sis in
bringin g out the phil osophi cal signifi ca nce of the esoteri c
predi cat e ' Satya m' app li ed to th e Lord . Madhva 's interpreta­
ti on en ables us t o see cl early h ow the predi cate ' Sat ya m'
applie d t o B. b ecome s m eaningful as the primary so urc e oJ the
being , continut iy and final diss olution of the uni ver se-the
ge nesis , life and act ivity of all that is fi nite . The significa nce
of Madhva 's interpretation lies in this th at it preserve s intact
the reality of the world of matter and souls with out reducing
it to an appearance or a superimpositi on and at the sa me time
clar ifying the nature of it s met aphysical dependence forever
on ihe Lord . It will not be difficult t o see which of the tw o
st andpoints S atyasya satyam or asatyasya saty am w i IJ be in
conformiy with the Lord' s Majesty!
The substance of M adhva's interpretati on o f ' Satyam ' as
applied to B. is this . Wh atever is able to act an d fun ction lS
' Satyam' (reaJ). The Lo rd is ' Satyam' bec au se He has b est owed
o n the wo rld of matter a nd sou Is thei r 'esse ' and its continuity
 48 MADHVA 'S BRHADARANYAKA BHASYA
the time comes to do so and confers the s um m um bonum of
M oks a (sa dhuhh iili a) on deserv ing s OlL!s ,10
Thus Madh va 's co mmentary ope ns our eyes to one of the
most important asp ects of the Lord's Majesty in the Theism
of the Upani sads as Sarva vastha-Prerak a in respect of the
world of matter and sou ls- - as the King seated in the heart of
man to be contempl ated by him there.
10. Cf. Sadbhavam yapayedyasmat satyam tattena kathyate
iti srstiriha prokta jagatsatyatvayapakam,
brahmeti sthapanayaiva satvam jivanam eva ea,
Visirnata ea satyam syat sannamityahureva yat.
(M. A V.I.!. adhi.6)
ij~r~ l{rq~~~qrC'( ijc~ ~~il 1ti~l{R I
~Rl ~fuR!! s:j)Cf~r ~lJctHltCql{rq1ti~ I
~~Ia ~TqilT7rtl, 6cir iifltlilJttl 'if I
fcf~ftoTcn 'if ec~ ~l~ iji2l'm~r~~q lfC'( 11
R ead: ' Sat ' Sadbhavamjanma yapayet prapayet svavyatiriktam
sarvam yasmat ta smat brahma Sa tyam kathyate. Na kevalam
janmaiva Sacchabdarthah, kintu, jivdnamapi ; asti Devadatta
ityukte jivatiti pratyayat, Vis irnata ea saithilyalaksana
Sattvarn Sacchabdapravrttinimittam, yasmad visirnam vastu
'Sannam'{tyahuh ':?adlr' Visaranagatyavasadanesviti pathat
mukhya evayam prayogah , (Jayatirtha : Nyiiyasudhii}
'm( e~r~ ~;:ij lfjcrii~ Slrq~cr. ~ol{RtR~ ij~ 1I~'Q.
a{rjr~;fiR '«~q.' €fi~~a I il ~9~ \if;:ijcnr~;~r~=, f'l6 g, ~')Cf~·
fl'fit; a:{f~ ~qG;~ ~(~~ ~fttlffiFct Sl~~'C'( I ~~loT~r :q
~~~qi:?j&lfJIr 6~ir ~l"~~;~Q~J~~~it, lf~r~~l~ 9~g; itr~'
. (~,~: q~~i ~~(fJIlJ~Cl~TG:~ft~Rt qr61 ~( ~~lf lJ;qr~ s:r~lJ': I
5
SISU-BRAHMANA
49
,S'rS U- JiR A-H M A I:/ A M (fI.2, 1-4)
Thi s Br ahma na deals with the grea tness o f Mukhya Pr a na
wh o has been the sub ject o f earlier disc ou rses al so. Two aspects
of his greatness ar e de a lt with here- -his occupancy of the
subtle bodies (Iillgasarira) of a ll Ji vas , throughout their tran s­
migratory career and his steadfas t in scp ar ab!e attachm ent t o th e
Lord at all t imc s,
In a highly metaphori cal description , the Up an isa d speaks
o f Mukhya Pra na as the calf (.\'i.\'u(l). Th e smallshed in whi ch
he abides is the subtle body of the Jiv as. Hi s outer enclosure
is their gros s bodies. The calf is secure ly tied to its post
which is no other than Supre~e Lord Him self(Prii~zall Sthiinii} J
The rope with .wh ich he is tethered to his post is annum,
Mah alaksm}, the pre siding deity of food (or tcjo aba nnai ,
Whoever ·medita tes on this Mukhya Prana in this way sub­
jugates hi s se ven congenital foes , the untamed mind, buddhi
and the fi ve cognitive sen ses, wh ich often lead him astray
under the influence of their Abhimani-asuias (See Brh . Up . 1.3,
1-7).
The greatess o(Mukhya Prana is then made known by
saying that the seven gods of undiminished intelligence
(ak~itayab) viz. Rudra, Parjanya, Aditya, Agni, Indra, Prthivi
1. See B.S. i.1.23 ; s-». {Jp. IV.4.I 8
P rakarsenan iti stlii tim Iabhat e yasmin k rt snam jagat it i
prdnah,
SlifiqUllfuTFct f~ffi (?;~~ ' lIRil'l. ~c~~ ~lT~ ~Rl 'SHIJI:' I
R ead also Bhiiskara.s:
'Prii{lasya prdnam", 'pra{wbandhanam manah' iti p arasm in­
napi priil,Ja§abdap~ayogiit. (i. 1.23)
l~rfJI~ ~TUr', '~rlJfij;:Olir +:I.,:' ~Fct q{fm?ffTt ~rfJI~Cij~~ij)lTrC'( I
 50 MADHVA 'S BB.H AD ARANYA KA BH.ASYA
and D yau s medi tat e on him in th e ri gh t eye of man, statio ni ng
themsel ves in di fferen t a reas of th e ey e suc h as Rudra in th e red
streaks there , P ar janya in th e aq ueo us humours, A d itya in th e
pupil, Agni in th e b lack o f the eye, Indr a in the wh ite o f
the eye a nd Prthiv i and D yauh in the lowe r a nd the up per
eye -l ashes.
The Up an isad quotes a verse su m m ing u p thes e ideas:
There is a c up (cam asa) with fac e dow nward s and the bottom
upturned. The cu p is the head . I n th e ri ght eye o f the head ,
the Supreme Lo rd, Sri a nd Mu kh ya Pr ana reside - al l o f th em
full of know ledg e a nd bl iss (yasab) a nd are present fu lly in a ll
the crea tu res (l'iSl'ar iipam) 2
The seven sages men t io ne d in the Vedi c mantra q u ot ed in
the U p an i sad are th e s al!,e as the sev en go ds referred . to as
meditating o n M ukhya Pr an a fr om var io us parts o f th e fight eye.
The co nc lu d ing kh a nd a , et ym ol ogi zin g on the n ames o f
the well-kn own seven sages referred to in the ' Vedi c ve rse,
sh ows how they a re the na mes of the seven deities themsel ves.
SalJk ara t akes the babe (Sisu) t o be the 'Lingatrna-pr an a' ,
He identifi es th e abode (iidhiinam ) with the gros s . body, th e
p ra tyii dhiin am wit h the head ' and the p ost ( sthii~la) w ith the
. strength built up in th e bod y, by food a nd drink.
2. The Lord has infinite att ri b u tes ' igun at ah piirn a) .
pervad es a ll Paratant r a Ce tanasan d Mukh ya ' Pra na fill s
all Jivas. Th us all th ese th ree are Piirna (Visvarupa) , tho '
not ill the sa m e se ns e.
E.g . Rudra is G aut am a, A d itya is Visvamitra :
A ti sayitii g au r j iidna m g ot am ii, ta syii iisrayo "Gaut ama li' ,
i31ta~a-r iij~tij ~ a~r Cf~:n alT~~ 'ma'il':'
Th e reader may r efer t o R agh uttarn a TIrthas C . on M o's
Brh . Up . bluisya fo r th e de t~i ls of the ot h er et ym o logies.
S lS U-B R A H MA ~ A 51
H by ' Li ngat ma-Pr.i nu' M uk hya P r a na h imself is meant
h is be ing tether ed to Pr "1I.1a (pn /!w b- s tll//(ui ) acco rd ing to th e
text m akes no sense. Radh ak ri shn un un de rs tand s f Sv's L ili ga trna
to me an the su bt le body of th e Jiva. T his is no t co rrect as it
wo u ld m ak e it impo ss ibl e for M u khya Pra n a t o a nimate th e
Li nga sar ir a an d \V i th ou t su ch a n imat io n by Mu kh ya Pra Da the
Li nga sar ira ca n no t s urv ive . The correct positi on wo u ld be to
hold wi t h Ma dhv a th at th e Li ngasari ra is th e a bode (iidl/(llla m )
of Mukh ya Pra na. As Pr an a t o which t he ca lf is tied ca nne t
b c M uk hy a Pr an a hi msel f (Pr ii(1fls- s thii(w) , S. t ak es t h e p ost
wh ich has been g ive n as ' Pr a na ' to mean the s treng th ge ne rate d
in the b od y by food a nd dr ink. Thi s fail s to take n ote of the
fact t h at even the prop er di gesti on a nd ass im ila t io n of the food
a nd dr in k and it s con ver si on i nto en er gy , d ep end on th e vita l
force of P ran a .
A nnam rasiidiriipenu p riin. at: p arinayatyasau,
a:{.jr ~ijrra:~qlJj ~T01: qR01l{~ffi I
Rangaramanuja thinks th a t Pr a n a in P rii ~lQ b st hi'i~l 1i "(Pra n a
is the t ying post) ' is the J i viitm an It will thus be see n that
b oth these commentat ors h ave su ccessfull y elim inat ed the
Supreme Lord of all creat io n fro m th e pi cture , ev i den t ly under
t he impression that th e psych o -ph ysi cal m ech an ism of our
Sr i b odi es ca n live and ca rry o n its wo rk w it ho u t t he constant
impul si on and s olid su ppo r t o f the Lord . It wi ll never do , in
vent ur i ng t o interpret th e ph il osoph y o f t he Upani sads t o forget
th at the Supreme Lord of a ll creat io n ' is t he Priinasya Priinalt
(Brh, Up . IV.4.18) a nd Saty asy a Satyam a nd th at wit hou t Him
nothin g can live and functi on. Thi s is tru e o f Mukhya Pr a na
an d the ot h er Jivas to o , who are n o excep tio ns.
St udent s o f Upani sadi c ph i Iosophy h ave, therefore , to be
gratefu l to M adh va for being co nsi stent wi th h im sel f a nd fa i thful
 52 MADHVA'S BI~B.ADARANYAKA BH AS YA
t o the spirit o f the U pa nisad s in adher ing unswervingly t o the
cor rect p er sp ect ive of th eir th oug ht b y always placing the
Supreme B , in the fore fron t o f tb eir te achings while expl aining
the detail s a nd s ig nif ica nce o f th e va r io us Vidyas t au ght in
them." Thi s expl a in s hi s tho u ghtful interp ret ati on o f th e
ke ywords Priinas sthiinii in the Si su-Brah mana as Prdno
Nii riiya nas S thiin d » th e tyi ng post o f the calf (Mukhya Pra n a )
is the Su pr eme Lord . The purpose of this identificati on is t o
emphasi se a nd remind us o f the basi c t r uth tha t no me ditati on
of Mukhya Pr ana or of a ny o ther Apa ratattva w i ll be co m p le te
a nd fruitful unl ess it in clu des the me ditation of the Lord in
th em­
~; r..::;;: ;-~
3. Bh iitani cc,sFi m an trii sca m uk ltyap'riiniididam jagat ,
m uk hy ali prii ~tab p a ra struicca na purali k iiran/invit ah,
mukhyapriinava se sa r vam sa vi~fJo,:vasagab sadii ,
~I.arfrt ~qT ~;:;{Tff! ~~ll~nUTrte:~ ~~q 1_
~\alf: qrUT~q~~:n'fI ., q{:. ;;pr~lJnf;qa: I
~\Olf~nUT'-l~ .~ ~ ~fc{~o1)4r~~: B~r I1
(M. BSB If, 3. 10)
Up anisatviicca visesato na yatk iiiciducyate iti vak tavy am,
Abhagavadvisayasya ninditatviicca nopanisatsva ny ad uccya te.
\3q~'l(;;rr~ ~~qffi ., lff€ff,~S;:Cl{a ~Rr C1~;l{~ I i$'{4111C1­
rn:EilftlT ~f;~acqr~ ~qPrrq c~;:lj~:Clf2r
(M . Brh. Up . C. U L I .10)
MDRTA-AMDRTA BRAHM A J'>TA 53
M DRTA-AM DRTA B R A-H M A l!A iVl (1I .3. 1- 6)
The su m an d s ubs tance o f t h e t eaching (iiddab) of this
Br ahman a is the Su pre me Brah ma n 's co mp lete tran scendence
ov er a ll finit e selves . T hi s is est ab li shed in t he li ght o f the
c lass ifica tio n of a ll se lves (cetanas s i n terms of Milrt a a nd
A m il rta and the a ffir ma ti on o f th ei r comp le t e ot he rness tn eti
neti) fr om B. a nd B. 's beyon dn ess ( par at vam ) a nd the ne gati on o f
the ex is te nce o f a ny t hi ng el se beyond such a B.
The world of J i vas anI of the Ab h ima n i de va ta s who
preside over th e c osmic J ad a-tattvas compri se the twofold
m edi a in and thro ' whi ch the Lo rd' s tran scendent al majesty is
m ade known to u s (See A jatas at r u- Bra hrnana, where BiiHiki
h as a lready referred t o h is med itati on o n B. in the Sun, M oon ,
et c.) . The t wo facet s o f fin ite creat io n ha ve been de signated
as miirtam. and am iirtam . . It is s ign ificant th at w h ile what i s
d esig na te I a , amiirta is os tcns ib ly ide nt ifi ed with Viiyu and
antariksa, the first category of m iir ta is n ot directl y and
expressl y identifi ed s imi la r ly with th e r em ainin g three elements
o f nature as Prthvi , A pa h a nd Tejas . This sho ws th at the
words Miirta a nd A mu rta do no t sign ify t he t angible a nd the
t enu o us elements of nat ure as su ch as h as b een ass um ed b y
m ost o f the commentat o r s on th e Upan isad . M oreo ver , the
char ac te r isat io n of m ii rt a a nd amii rtu as ' morta l' and ' immor ta l'
wo u ld m ore pr operl y be app lic ab le t o se ntient be ings rather
th an t o innim ate pr in c ipl es li ke th e eart h, a ir , water etc.
O th er wi se , th e tran sce ndence. ( par atv a ) of Br ahman procl aimed
in III.3 .6 (a th iita iid eso nzt! neti) wo u ld be a truncated one
limited to transcende nce over · t he phys ica l ele me nts of
nature alone , which a re o n ly a pa rt of cos m ic r ealit y and d o
not exh aust all that the cosmos , .h o lds . That the co mp let e
con cepti on o f B. ' s tran scende nce according t o .t h e Srutis does
include the world of J ivas can b e seen from several contexts
 MDRTA-AMORTA BR AHM A N A 55
54 MADH VA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHA $YA

cann ot be applied t o the phys ica l su bs ta nces o f Va yu and Aka sa

suc h as th e famo us pro no u nce ment in the N a sad iya Suk ta o f
R g vcda (X .1 29) and in Utiim rtut vasycsiinah (RV. X 90, ) w hich as su ch they have to be taken in the sense o f their presiding

may be co mpared with simi lar statement s like N ivesayan deities - Mukh ya P r a na and Sr it attva o r C it Prak rt i . Of these,
amrtam martya m ea (RV .i. 35,2. ). and Visvatah pa rama rn . Th e Mukhya P r a na th o ' having a body h as no attach ment t o it at
exc l usio n o f se nt ie nt re al s from the cl assificati on o f rca ls wo u ld any time . So giv ing it up in M ah apral aya is not a wrench for
a lso make th e co nc lud i ng des cr ip t io n of Br ahm an here , as th e him as it is fo r o t he rs.! H e is , the r efore . am rta in principle.
r eal of the real s is atyasya satya m s wa nt ing in co mp leteness . Sr it at tva is described as A ntar iksa in the ens e that Sri remains
fo r ever att ac he d t o the Supreme Lord (ant ab) a nd is constant
For these rea so ns, M a dh va brin gs the Cet an as to o as a in he r unceasin g and undimini shing ( a-k~a) devoti on ( f a) to
class un der the class i ficati on o f Mirrt a. excepti ng Mu kh ya Him eveni n th e state of M ah a pral aya , when the who le cosmos
P ran a a nd Ant ari ksa. By the latter word he underst and s the is in a stat e o f sus pe nde d a nimatio n ."
Cit-Pr ak rti o r Srl tat tva (the presiding deity o f a ll Jac;1 a­ The tw o a murta real s a re al so call ed 'tyam ' in that they
Prakrt i). Thu s , Mu kh ya-V ayu a nd Sr it at tva co me un der th e are bo th pe rva si ve (ta ta ) a nd o f undiminished con sciousness
c lass ifica tion of 'um ur ta' for reaso ns wh ich will be mad e (ya m) at a ll ti mes ."
cl ear . As Mu kh ya Priin a is the sus tai ner o f all life in embod ied
se lves and as C it- P rak rt i is the pr esi ding deity o f a l l J a d a I . Vayo s tu sar iriibhim iiniibhiivena t attyiig o na marana riipu
Prakrt i, the tra nscendence of B. over th e se t lVO wou ld au t c­ itya m rta tvam, (Raghiittama)

mat ica lly establish its tra ns cende nce over a 11 inanim at e ' rea Is Cir~~S! ~itn~~F'lP1!~rr a~~l~ rr +HUl~q ~~~~q~ I
a lso ( wit hout a sepa ra te s tatem ent t o th e effect ). The result is 2. Pral ay e apl bh rg avadan tareva ra tii aksitii s thitet i srt rant a­
that the d ist inct io n of Br ahman from both the Miirt a rik sam , \M)
a nd the A rn u rt a ca rr ies w ith it the distin cti on from a ll th at is ~~~srq llrrqa:;Cl~;:{ rer, '31~al r~~Rt ~ft(;aft&.l~ I
an ima te a nd in ani mate in finite reality . And th e fact of there Antah sabdop apadiit r am ater dapratyay e. pratyay akdralop e
being 1/0 other a ll-transc endi ng Being th an Br ahm an is a lso "Ant ar': Na vidy a te k san k sayo t adak s u n , "r ruv o at isaya '
expressl y as ser ted in the text Na hy etasmiid it i net i anya t p arani ty ak /ira sy a ik iire anta ra 11 ea i'cs i n cii uariksa -n it i bodhyam .
asti at the end (11.3 .6) mak in g Brahman the o nly trans cendent al i3l;::f:~;~qqa:r~ (~~~q~lt, q~l.wr.r(~q '\3l;:a\' I rr
Re al - a l l othe rs being dependent on it for their genes is,
exi st en ce and fu nc t io ni ng (saty asy a s atyam'[.
~?I~ lif &.l~ lT~ a~&lq:, I 'i'J:m<vsRi~lT ' ~~"m:~ ~'f;r~
The Mii rt a is ' martya m' m ortal in the sens e th at it is 'i3l;:at :q ~1i:T :qT;:aR&.l~ ~Rt ;;ft l::!{~ I (R ag hilt tam a) .
susceptible t o attach ment to the body and envi r onment and Such esot er ic ety mo logy may be seen to be
in li ne w it h th e sy lla bic ety mo logy of 'sa tyam ' in terms of
su bje ct to bodil y d eath . It is st hi ta m in the sense o f bein g
sa t- t-yam give n in B rh . Up. V.5 .1.
amenable t o co ntro l b y o ther sent ien t beings (a lso ) than the
3 . Tat am sarvoj ii am ca ' ty am '
Supreme Br ahm an . Ac co r d ing to the Upanis ad , the amiir ta- rea ls
a~, ij~~:q '~~' I
are Vayu and A ntar iksa . As their characteristic as amrta(u ndy ing )
56 MADHVA'S BJ3.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
Consistent-with the affirmat io n of B 's otherness (a17)'aff~'a)
and transcendence (parOl I'll) over all finite reality in the
concluding p aragr aph (17eli 17eli) the opening words referring to
Mirr ta and Amurt a as the tw o 'Form s' (nip !!) of B. cannot be
understood in the sense th at the Miirt a and Arnurta constitute
th e essential form (sl'anlp a) o f the Lord . Madh va, therefore ,
understands the term riip am applied t o them in the sense of
their being the media in and thr ough which the transcend ental
majesty ofB . is be st made known to us. 4 This derivation of
riip am has been given by Trivikrama Pand it a in his TD BS.
(011
1.1.6) Riipyat e asm in tad iti riip am, The negations neti neti
will make no sense if Miirt a a nd Amur ita were the actual
Forms or substance of Brahman.
With the widening of the meaning o f Murt a and Amurta
t o denote two classes of sentient beings , the meaning of the
words Miirta a nd Amiirta themselves and of their respective
descriptions as (i) martyam, st h ita m and sat and (i i) amrtam,
yat and ty at have al so to be suitably modified. Accordingly,
Madhva explains Miirt am as whatever is touched by sin 5 or
evil while amiirt am would signify the immacul ate. Since Vayu
and Antarik sam , even in their physical sense of air and atmo­
sphere or space, cannot be deprived of their actual existence
(saltvam), it has to be admitted that the term 'Sat' applied to
Miirta-reals has been used in a sense other than that of bare
existence. Madhva traces it to the root sad (instead of as to
be) which has the wellknown meanings of Visarana (in this cas s
the loss of body in Pralaya and suspension (ava siidana) of
4. See GUii XV. 16-18.
5. Miiram piipom hi teniipt am mtirtamityabhidhiyat e, (M)
~t QPl ~ ij'=nij ~allr~fll~lli~ I
MORTA-AMORTA BRAHMA~A 57
consciousness . Such disinte grati on of the body ap plies to all
embodi ed souls including most of the pres id ing deitics of the
t attvas, except Va yu (Mukh ya Pr a na) and Sri t at tva as has
already been indicated .
The Brahmana goes on to say that Hiranyagarbha in the
solar orb is the essence (saw) or source of strength to all
Mfirtas. While the Supreme Lord in the ri ght eye is the direct
.,. source of strength of the amiirtas (Mukhya Pra na and Sri tat t va )
Hiranyagarbha himself takes r ank with Mukh ya Prana.
The last section speaks of the Supreme Lord's own Form
(riip am ] as resplendent like a sa ffro n- co lo red robe, or a white
onc or like the indrngopa-wvsec: or a sudd en flash of lightning.
This also goes to confirm the positi on that the term Brahman o
riip e applied in the opening section (11.3.1) to both th e miirta
and Amiirt a real s is not intended to be understo od in the sa me
sense in which the Upanisad uses the expres sion riip am (II,3. 6)
in describing the Form of the Lord as amii rt asiiram,
' I n the concluding half of the last section the Upanisad
affirms the Supreme Brahman 's otlierncss (an yattvams and
transcendence tparatvams over both the Murta and Arnurta and
den ies its likeness to either of them (neti, ncti) -(iti na , iti no) .
. .
This double negation employed in highlighting B. 's tr anscen­
dence over all : net! nct i ( it l na iti no) iti nisidhyamiiniid
etasmiid Brahmana attyat p aram /liisti,estabfishes that B . is the
only Supreme Reality (p arams which is other than (aniat ) the
Miirta and Amurta re als .
Sankara interprets the two negations in et i net i) as . cquiva-.
lent to an absolute universal negati on of everything
. other
. . than
.
Brahman. This goes ag ainst the spirit of the opening words .
of the Brahmana which, in all seriousnessvspeak oftl;eMQrt~ : ,: :'
and Arnurta as the two 'forms' of B. It would not be easy for
 58 MADHVA'S B~HADARA"NYAKA BHASYA
MURTA-AMORTA BRAHMA~A 59
Sankara to explain the concluding affirmation Satyasya satyam
in a st r a igh t sense. He can explain it only by reducing the
Sankara construes: iti nctyasnuid niiuy at p aram nirdes anam
asti , Granting th at thi s leaves the residual Brahman intact, it
miirta and amiirta to a n app earance caused by superimpositiosn
would st i ll make one of the two words anyat and p aram super­
and making B. the only reality in the true sense of the term ,
fluous. If full weight is to be given to the use of both the
If that be the upshot of the teaching (iideSa) of the Upanisad ,
terms i anyat and p aram) it can only be done by conced ing that
it could h ave put the matter more plainly and bluntly as
Miirt a and Amiirta a r e real and other than Brahman, but there
(Asatyasya sa/yam, the Real behind the unreals , instead Of
putting too fine a point on it a nd appearing t o bestow some is nothing beyond (i.e. higher than) Brahman. As Ranga­
reality on the miirta and amiirta and quietly taking it aw ay a t rarn anuja also p oints out, if as Sankara holds, the
the same time. Upanisad intends to negate everyth ing other ///(/11 Brahman the
additional term p aram would serve no purpos e and would
Sankara explain s the wards: itl na iti na ityetasmiid anyat become redundant.
p aram tnirdesanams niisti - 'There is no other predication
N a tvanyamiitranisedh ah, Tathii satl, anyat p aram iti
beyond the one of no/ this not this' This will give us an ab solute
vaiya rtliydp attch,
nihilism, without predicating the sol e re ality of B. - in wh ich
Th e import o f the concluding word s :
case the next predication Satyasy a satyam wou Id los e its point.
Atha niimadheyam satyasya sa/y am

It is evident that the pronoun etasm iid .is meant to r efer to

Pra(zii vai sa /y am tesiim esa sa ty am .

Brahman. But Sal1kara connects it with' nirdesanam' (predica­

tion) presurnab ly to agree with anyat a nd param in the neuter. is the same as in the earlier Brahmana (11.1.20) with this
But the original word u sed in the Upani sad in iide sa[l no­ diffe;ence that here the word prii"ab stan ds for all living
nirdesali or nirdesanam. In M adlw a's interpretation ct asm dd beings (priinotu i iti Priinii': miirta-amiirt d tm akiih} and not merely
refers to Brahman and not to the iidesa or 11ir desa . and the 'breaths' so called.
'Brahman' being if neuter nOUIl would very well agr ee with the
predicates any at and param (n astij.c-rneaning that the counter­ -~~

positive subjec t of the negations iti na iti na is not so me th ing '

other than or beyond Brahman. In other w ords , Brahman is th e
only one which is both other than and beyond Miirta and
Amiirt a, (e,w eva p'1rab)

The negative form of the postulation; lt i na, iti tta it i

nisidhyamiinam Et asmiid (Bralzma(1ab) anyat param niist i : may
fruitfully be compared with a similar pronouncement at the
eonelusion of the Niisadiya siikt a ; Tasmiid dhii anyan na parah
kiiica niisa,
 MAITREYI-BR AHMA ~A . 61
60 MADHVA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHA. SYA
Yaj fiava lkya is en d eav ouring to br ing home t o his w ife
M AITR EYI-BR /fflMA ijA M (11, 4,1 -14)
the prim acy o f th e ' Lor d , maki ng it 'c lea r how every t h ing in
T h is Br ah man a e njo ys hi gh r eputation as embod yin g th e man' s soci al and person al life is gov erned a nd directed by the
fa mo us d iscour se of Yajfi avalk ya to his phil osopher- wife Lord 's wi sh . It is by und er sta ndin g thi s aspect of Hi s M aje sty
M ait reyi . It r ai ses a very imp ort ant que sti on o f Thei s m-the a nd lovin g Him w ith a ll o ur heart s tha t ind ividua ls ca n attain
sur viva l of co nsc iou sne ss in th e r eleas ed st ate of so uls . The th eir objectives in li fe-th e lo ve o f kith an d k in, en joyment o f
lan gu age ri ses to a h igh level o f phil osophi cal elo quence their worldl y wea lt h arid ultim at el y their fina l rel ease .
e mbellish ing th e same p oints w ith man y speak i ng illu strati o ns <'

in ide nt ica l phraseo logy . At th e outset Yaj fiava lkya impresses o n his wife tha t it is
not by the wi ll or w ishes o f the individu al a lo ne th at a husband
Foll owing Sa nkara, it ha s co me to be believed b y modern becomes de ar to hi s w ife o r the wife t o the hu sband o r the
scho lars th at Y ajfi av al kya is the fou nd er - father o f Upani sadi c father to the so n or the so n t o hi s fath er bu t by th e Lord 's
Will and W ish es (At m anastu kdmiiya sar vum priyam bha vati) ,
m m isrn a nd abso lut isrn, in ter m s whi ch e o me peril ou sl y near
Bud dh isti c Ni h il ism and Vijii au ava d a . Sankara fin d s t he locus
T o Sank ar a th e word s Na potyu h k amiiya, dtma nas tu kiim iiya
classicus of h is episte mo log ica l do gma that At man as th e
patih priyo bhavati, me an ' no t fo r the benefit o f the hu sband
subjec t o f all consci JUs states ca nno t it self be k nown a s the
is th e hu sband . de ar to th e wife but for the be nefit o f the self
o bjec t of it s own consci ous ness. Thi s is suppo sed to eme rge
( iitmanah p ray ojaniiya ). By 'Atman 'here Sankara. does not
fr om Ya jfiava lk ya' s q uest io n- Vi jhii t dram ar c k cna vijiintyii t ?
, me an the husband' s emb odied selfo n th e w ife's .as the case may
bebut the 'Self' in abs t ractio n free fr om a ll b od il y .relations.
Thi s is r ej ected by T he ist ic Ved a nt in s li ke R a manuj a a nd
But suc h a. self in a bst ract io n ca nno t, in S. ' s phil osophy, st and
M adh va to wh o m th e se lf is essenti all y a kno wer th r o ' se lf­ in .need of an y benefit t o be d erived fr o m anywhere . as it is
k no w led ge . It is ab so lutely necessa ry for Thei sm that the
abso lu tely "asang a' (un att ached) - Brh, Up: IV . . 3. 15. The
hum an so u l shoul d k now G od an d r eturn to Him in rele ase and
o the r way o f construin g the passage. ' No t for the benefit of
enjo y co m mu nio n w it h H im . H o w o u t o f place and inco ns iste nt
the hu sband is the hu sb an d d ear to the w ife but for her o wn
is th e A bsoluti st d ogma may be see n fro m Yaj iiava lk yas
bene fit' ( atmanab prayojaniiya ) wo u ld glo r ify consideration
op ening w ord s - th e Atrnan is to be pe rcei vod by mean s of
o f one's ow n personal interest a ncl ben efit the gu id ing principle
scr ip tu ra l kn owl ed ge , reflecti on an d c ontemplati on (Ill. 4.5) . of all social philosophy a nd ethi cs according t o Y <iji'i avalkya,
That the ' A. t ma n ' ab ou t wh om Y<ijfi avalkya is speaking to hi s
which would sh ow him up as a pure hed oni st.
wife is not th e in d ividu al se lf but th e Supreme Being a nd the
Lord of a ll co mes ou t clear ly fr om Khand as 7-10 whi ch spea k A s these ,w ays of interpret in g the me ssage Atmanastu
of the Vedas, Upaui sad s and a l l o the r k no w ledge emerging k dmiiy a sa r vam ip riy am bh avat i lead to a bl in d all e1 or t o
from the G re at Being ef for t lessl y li ke breathing.
62 MADi-lVA 'S B~HADARANYAKA BHASYA
unsatisfact o ry r asu lts, Mad hva has th ou ghtfuil y sugges ted that
the expressi on 'A t ma n ' used by Yiij iiava lkya in hi s up adesa
A~lmii rii ar e dra st a vy ah, sro tavyoh, ». and his peroration
which precedes a nd foll o ws it, are to be underst ood throu gh­
out to refer to the Supre me Lord of all creati on . It has
alread y been show n in the Introdu ct ion that the U pa nisa ds
use the term A. t ma n in its primary sense, exclusi vely, to refer
to the Sup reme Br ahm an. The dati ve kiimiiya in /{tm allas tu
k ii miiy a can be tak en to be a dec lensio na l irregul arity for the
instrumental 'kiimena' meaning iccliayii (by the will o r wi sh
of the Lord) ju st as, in Viniiyai vadyamiinayai in th e sa me
discourse of Yajfi avalkya (1I 4.9) , the datives have been accepted
by a ll the comm entator s as a n irregular substituti on for the
genitive case. A s imila r subst itut io n here of the dative fo r the
instrumental is not unli kel y as a manneri sm .
Viewed in thi s new. li ght provided by Madhv a, Ya j fia­
vaIkya's fam ous eth ica l teaching willbe seen in its proper
perspective t o be ani rnpas sio nedca ll t o humanity to recogni se
and ack no wledg e in a ll it s pursuits that all things happen in
the world acco r ding to God ' s will and di spensation and not
as a man o r a wom an as father o r mother , husband or wife. son
or dau gh ter mi ght wa nt it to happen . The prime mover in all
things is the Lo rd. He is th e so u rce of all creation and the
author of the Ved as, Upan isad s , etc. Nothing exi sts o r can
exist o r happen indepen dentl y o f Hi s Will or Wish. It is H is
Wi sh th at inspires a nd ke eps a live the love o f the hu sband for
the wife or of the wife for th e hu sband . As the giver of all and
the sustainer o f a ll hum an life a nd interests and th e o rda i ner
of al! co smic life He sho u ld be th e highest object of o u r qu est ,
our reflecti on, co nt emp lation and dev oti onal surrender. Such
is Madhv a 's underst anding of the purport of Yajii avalk ya's
har an gue. H e wr ites in hi s Bhcl ))'lJ : A tma n is the Lord Nar aya na .
. MAITREYI-BRAHMANA 63
It is ind eed by Hi s Will th at th e husband becomes dear to the
wi fe . Merel y by hi s ow n fond wi sh that he shou ld re mai n de ar
to his wife a hu sband cann ot become so. It is o nly wh en the
Lord wi she s it and the hu sband ' s wish ac cords with it that it
becomes true ".! Fo r the Lord has co m plet e forek nowled ge and
when th e Supreme Lord is thu s kn ow n, r eflected upon and
co nte mp lated as th e p rimary mover, every t hing else is as good
as kn o wn and re flected upon. It w ill not be co rrect to tinder­
stand with Sa/1kara th at Ya jfiavalkya's wo rd s ' ver illy by seeing,
hearing and co ntempl at ing the A. tman all this is known '
presupposes th at eve rything in the world is superimp osed all the
Ai man (or B) and th at the world of experience has 110 reality
apa rt from the Atmarr' s. If th at be so , there will be 110 point
. in affirming that . by k now ing the A.tma n (Brahman) all other
things not k now n before come l a be k nown . (avijfiatarn vijfiat arn
bhavati) . Things sup er imposed on a substratu m are found tobe
sub late d and cease to appe ar whe n the substr a tum is correctly
' k no wn . Ap ropos :S.:'spoint of view , Ya jfiava lky a sh ould have
said , when the Atm all is known noth ing else will be left to stay,
But what Yajfiavalkya actually has in mind is something different
that Atmic knowledge imparts co mp letio n .to ou r kn owledge
of the world ofmatter and souls as a thing th at lives, moves
. and has its real being by the will . of the Lord a nd therefore
' . -" . ."
depending always e n Him for its threefold reality of being,
kn owing and fun~tiol1ing ( saitii~pratiti-p: (lvrttayab ,)
... 1. Atmii Niiriiyanah; tasyaiva hi kiim ena paty iidib priy o bhavati.
Na hi p atyiidiniim jiiyiidtniimaham 'priy ah sy iim iti k iim aniim ii ­
trena priyatvambhavati , Bhag avadicchayaiva hi tad bhavati,
1, . a:rrcilT "lTUlfUJ: I Cltttcr · fu ;nrito:r f1~T~ ~ f~~~crfct I
"l ~ q~fi.{r<1t \ifTlfTaJ'o:rTilt fW;{: ~Tllrfct ;nrJ1rrl;n~UJ f~lfc~
. .. ~ . . ..
+l~fct I *Irrcrra.:~~il{Cf ~ Cl~Cffct I (M. Bt h . Up . C.)
 64 MADl-IVA 'S 13~i-IAD ARAN YAKA 13HASYA
S. tries to find support fo r hi s interpret ation th at the
wo r ld has no real ity apart from Atman (or H.) o n whi ch it -is
super imposed (accor d ing to him) in Ya jfiavalkyas peroration
begi nn i ngw it h th e word s Bra hnt a t atn pariuliit yo anyatr ii tm auo
bra hma Veda .. .' th e B rflh rn an a will ignore and thro w him off
wh o knows hi m as being d ifferent fr om ' the self". If such be
the in tenti on it wou ld have been per t inent for Yaj fiava lkya to have
simply said·- -' Yo anya d iu m a no bralim a veda .. o' (who looks
up on the Bra hm a na as other th an or d iffere nt from the A t m a n ) .
Why should Yajfi aval kya have used a ro unda bo ut expre ssio n
like "anyatra' which is an adve r b of place or locat ion , signi fying
an a bode or iisr ay a (ba se)? We speak of a pot existing on the
ground ibh ii ta le g lza{ab ) 'Devadatta is not at home bu t else­
wher e", Thi s kind o f abide r an d a bode relation (a;' /,ay a ­
ii.\"rayibhii va ) is possi bl e onl y between two real s, Th e deprecation
. . of th ose who loo k upon the wor ld of men (br ahmana, ksatriya,
etc .) as existin g apart from Atman , according to S. is not a
rel ation of ab ider an d abo de in any significant or living sense
of the term" It is an im aginar y rela t ion at the best. The
Yajfiavalkya who is ' going to so so lemnly enun ciate th e
Antaryarni Br ahrn ana (1II. 7.3-23) and Et asy a vii Aksarasy a
p rasiisane S iiry iica ndram asau vidhrtau ti stha tab (Ill. 7.9) can
hardly be expected t o be t o be satisfied with a sublatable relation
,to 'unite the indi vidu al with the Supreme. S's own rendering
of Atmano any atra is ' otherwise than as of the essenti al nature
of Atman ' (a t m aS l'a rllp a vya t i reke~w) . But that will only signify
a mode of being (p rak iira) as \V ill be evident from the instru ­
mental form (in Vyat irek ena) ; whereas the word any atra an
adverb of locati on wo u ld point to the abiding o f one in another
pl ace or pers on as it s ab ode.. The censure of th ose who look
up on the wo rl d of bein gs as not abiding in Brahman wou ld
thu s ~o t o sup por t Mv ' s posit ion th at it is an ignoran ce and an
MAlrREyl-BRAHMA~A 65
act of repudiati on of the Lord to think of the world cre at ed by
Him as abiding elsewhere than in Him and independently of
Him. 2
Next , Yiijfiava\kya cites three illustrations of sou nds
produced fr om a drum being beaten, out of one's sight, far
away, or a conch being blown or a lute being played somewhere
far away . The sounds coming from their instruments may not
always be reco gni sable as tho se of the drum or the lute from a
distance and may be confounded with sounds coming from some
other source. This doubt will be set at rest on ly when the
particular instrument is actually perceived whil e it is being
beaten or played . Similarly the doubt whether the world
abides in the Lord or emerges from elsewhere, lingers only till
the Supreme Lord is kn own to be th e s ou r ce of it. Hence
these illustrations. The Lord is the primary factor just as the
dru m is the primary fact or in the production of the various
not es. His wi sh to create the world is an alogous to the
beating of the drum or playing on the lute . Hence the injunc­
ti on Atmii vii ar e..dra sta vyab, ". By merel y he aring the sound we
cannot identify its source of pr oduction. By merely perceiving
the world we do not perceive the Lord as its sou rce . But by
perceiving the Lord , the world comes to be known as coming
from Him just as by perceiving the drum the sound emanating
from it is fully known to emerge from it.
2 . Niitra bhag avada dhi na tvaj iiana m at re tiitporyam: 'k intu, tada­
niisritatvajiiane ceti bhiiveniiha- tadvy iicaste- ' tadaniisritat vena
sthiiniintar e ea veda' iti,
-Raghirttama gloss on Brh. Up. bh asya
ru;r ~llqG:~nil~qTSJFlitl~ cmq~~, ftfi~l, aG:i1r~a~Cl~JT~
~ra ~J~ilI~- a~UT:q~ -'\aG:ill~a~~il ~lilFa~ :q
~G:" ~ I
6
66 MADHVA iS BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
S. , h c wever , explains the iilustration in a different way .
According t o him. they prove that the world of object s is n011­
different fr om Atrnan , having no existance apart from At man,
ju st as the so unds have no existence apart from th e drum.
He argues th at when a d r um is being be aten the particul a r notes
emer ging from it canno t be di stingui shed apart fr om the total
so un d as th e parti cul ar notes are part of the over a ll sound.
But wh en th e dru m is actually seen being played these particular
n otes are he ared as pa rt of the t otal sound and nev er apa rt fr om
th e total sound as th e par ticul ar has no existence apart fr om
th e gener al.
The ana lo gy is in appropri ate. The A.tman and the world of
objects are not rel at ed t o each other in So' s system as the
general and th e pa rt icul ar. for Atman is pure co nscio us ness
while the wo rl d o f ma tter is insentient. The notes of the drum
whethe r t ot al o r par ti al are a ll of the uniform essence of sound.
Th e difficulty of di stinguishing the particular notes from the
total sound will persist even when the drum is actually seen
being beaten. There is thu s no question of general and particular
(siimiiny a viSe,wbhii va) between t he L ord and the world.
It ca nno t a lso be ma intained that the world has no
existence apa rt fr o m Atman and therefore mu st be identical
with Atman. ju st as th e sounds of a drum have no exi stence
apa rt fr o m it. For, t he actua l fact is that the drum a nd the
so u nds pro duced by it are not the sa me. If their identity is t o
be assumed on the basis of a causal relation, the analogy does
not help . For the drum is o nly the efficient cause of the
production o f so u nds and a n efficient cause is not id entical
with th e effect . It cannot be that the drum is the material cause
o f th l sou nds produced , as the material cause and its effect are
alwa-s foun d to be spatiall y coexistent unlike the drum and
MAITREyt-BRAHMA~A 67
the sounds com ing fr om it which are he ard far aw ay from it .
M oreover in S. ' s phil os ophy A tm an is o nly the Vivartak arana or
the substratum of the w orld's illus ory app eara nce, But the sounds
are not superimposed o n the dru m . Fo r thi s r eas on al so, the
analogy is not to th e point . We have, therefore, to co ncl ude that
all that is worth knowing abo ut the wo r ld is k nown by knowing
that it is the Lord 's creati on , depending a lways on Him for its
existence , ano functi o ning and for it s comi ng t o be cognised.
The next Kh anda (10) describes the Lord 's effort less creation
of the world o f sabda and artha and the next o ne expl ains how the
Lord is the ultimate support (iisr aya) of everything in the world,
just as Varuna or the vas t cavi ty of the ocea n is the supporting
base of the waters of th e seas. Simil arl y, so me of the illustrati­
ons given here, establish that ou r external perceptions and
sensat ions of smell , t ouch, et c. a ll depend o n the Lord. just as
all our sensations depend o n t he va r iou s o rgans.
SaIikara lo oks upon the 10th Khand a as est ab lis h ing the
non-difference of the world o f name and form fr om Atman on
Brahman, both before and a fter their cre ation tutpauikiile,
pr iigutpatteSca p ralayakiile ea Brahm aivo'[. Th is overl ooks the
fact that in the illustration of various cl ouds of sm ok e issuing Aut
of a li ghted fire , the fire is not identical with its sm oke (or non­
different from it) . Fire is o nly the cause of smoke. Similarly
what is called ocea n (samudr a) is no t exactly the collection
of wa ters , but their recept acle. The wat er s abi de in Varuna o r
their receptacle. They d o no t a nd canno t abide in themselves
(if the 'ocean' and waters are th e sam e).
After explaining t o Maitrey i how the Jivatrnan s in their
mundane life come into the world and live there under the
Lord 's government, Ya j fiava lkya proceeds to show that they
continue to remain in the Lord 's co ntro l even in their released
 68 MADlIv NS BB.-lIADARANYAKA BHASYA
state. Just as a lump of salt thrown into the waters of the sea is
dissolved in the sea and cannot be retrieved, while its existence
there can be known by taking a small quantity of it an d sipping
it, even so the individual self of concentrated intelligence, (V ll:
iiiinaghanai having received his physical embodiment from the
elements gives up the body following the dissolution of those
elements and enters into the Great Being (Mah adbhiitam) which
is the infinite limitless Being (like the ocean) and abides in Him . 3
We who are still onthis side of release and in transmigration
cannot have any direct knowledge about the pr ecise nature of
the personal consciousness of selves who have once for all left
this world and attained Mukti-' Na pretya samjnii asti'», All
that can be said is that they ar e th ere. . of specific acts of knowled ge (visesasa rnjfia) in connection with
S. is, however, inclined to hold that the words Na pretya
samj hii asti predicate that the relesed soul ceases t o be a
knowing subject or concious being. For in his view, the Atman
3. Abiidhyupiidiinakadehasambandhena utp adya tiini ltyamiina­Vi sayavarjitah prakiisab) .
dehiirambhakabhiitiini anv eva vinasy at i, Sarvathii deh aviyog a­
laksanamuktim priipnoti ., (Raghii.)
QlilNlqrG:T~~~~ij~;:~ ~(q':l cn~ ~lll+lTi1&i2HH{<fjlI.ClIFrt
Ql;~q ~~~l{fct- ~4~1 ~~~l[)ll~&:IUf!l~ ~lTmfa I
4. Pr etya muktyanantaram muktiiniim Samjiiii niimadh eyam,
upolaksanametat, tatsvariipam ciimuktaih na siis t ram vinii
samyak jiiiiyate.
1l~ !i~~~;a~ !i:qiTrJf ijSJT rJT~~ir, ~q~~Ufilaa:.. -C{c~~q
:ql~: rJ ~n::iJ fcfrJT RJ~ SlTll~ I
MAITREYI-BRAHMA~A 69
can never be the object of an y act of cons ci ousness, even of
his own . This is bec ause acc ording to S. whatever is known is
an object and as the self is alv. ays the subject in all acts of
knowledge it ea nnot be kn own by any act of knowledge, even
of its own . For, if it is accepted as k nowing that if knows, it
cea ses to be a subject and would bec ome an object. And objecti­
vity to kn owled ge in 'Advaita ' is a mark of unreality ( jiieyatve
mithyiitvams. As an uncompromising Advaitin S. hag to stick
to thi s positi on and he does so when he interprets the third
poser of Yajfi avalky a : Vijniitiiram ar e k eno vijiintyiit ; "By what
or by wh om should one know the kn ower " which he answers
in th e neg ativeh Thus, th o ' Sankara talks about theabsenee
N a pretya samjiiii asti , he leave s us in no doubt as to the Mukta
Atman 's remainin g without selfknowledge or consciousness of
his own being or existence . H e commits himself and Yajnaval­
kya to the position th at Moks a is a state of Nirvisesa cinmiitram ,
bare existance of pure conci ousness with out content tnirviiesah
However, if Yajfi avalkyas word s " N a pret ya samjfia asti"
an d it s supporting ar gument 'Yatra tv asya sarvarn iitmaiviibhut.'
are to be construed as a pure sta ment of fact (va stusthitikatha­
nam, it would inv olve him in a patent self- contradiction with
his own catagorival pr onouncement "Aviniisi vii are ayam atma
anucchittidharmii" - " I nd estr uct ible is the Self and so too ar e
5. Jiiiitus ca jiieya eva hi jijiids d, niitmani,
N a ciitmii iitmano visayab , (S . Brh , Up. n . 4.14)
~T~a:r ~ll Q,"f ~ f~SJrm, rJT~Jlf.'t I
9' ~WH am+l ~ ~lf11: ,


70 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
his attributes" (IV,5.14) immediately before putting up the
three posers: Yatra tvasya sarvam atrnaivabhut. ..... yenedam
sarvam vijanati tarn kena vijanlyat vijfi ataram are kena vija­
niyiit".6
Th~ only way to extricate him from such a predicament
would be to construe the posers "Yatra hi dvaitam iva bhavati
vijfiataram are kena vijaniyat " as a redu ctio ad absurdum
(tarka) intended to bring out the necessity to accept the survival
of self-conciousness and other-co nsiousness in Moksa in order
to make its pursuit a worthwhile "Puru sartha- " (object of
human pursuit) .
Admit self-conciousnees of Atman in Moksa and you have
necessarily to admit his being conscious of the Lord whom he
has been so solemnly and eloquently advised to see. hear about
and meditate upon . At least that part of the Soul's Sadhana
must be fulfilled in Moksa, in which case, the Atman must be
in a position to perceive the Brahman. The only other form
6. "Aviniisi vii are ayamiitmii anucchittidharmii ' it i muktasya
jhiiniidiniim dharmiiniimapi na kevalam svariip asyiinucchlueh
prastutatviit, piirvaviikye pratipiidakenaiva uktatviit, prasanga
eviiyamiti vijhiiyate, anyathii, piirvott a ravirodhap rasangiit .
(J. VTNT. P . 77)
'i3lfcf'H~ft cH i3l~Sl£ifW1T al~~~RIl::1I1t' ~ra ~m~ ~rrHf{trJt
l::1iftlJllllftt, rJ %r.r~ ~~q~I~~3~:, ~~ija~ClIC:C 't~qT~
~fijqrG:%~cr ~~~CJTCl., Sl~~ ~crll£~Rt fcl~TqR I aFl£~T ,
~~'Q~fcl~l::1SlijnJ~ I
MA ITRE YI -BRAHMA N." A 71
of experience remaining to be considered is the enjoyment of
external objects . The state of Moksa being supersensuous, by
all accounts, the enjoyments open to the freed souls in that
state will have to be equally supersensuous (alaukika.) There
is evidance of the presence of such enjoyments of a transempir i­
cal kind in the released state in the Chiin . Up. VIII. 11 ,3) Rg
Veda IX, 113) and in Kas itaki i; 4,5.
It is wellknown that a Prasanga-type of argument embodies
a proof of the falsity of a principle held by the objector, by
producing a logical consequence of it which is absurd or is
opposed to validly established facts o f kn owledge . Sankara him­
self in the introductory remarks o n the parallel version of the
Maitreyi Brahrnana in Brh . Up. IV. 5.1 calls it Tarkapradhiinam
argumentative . The prasa nga form of argument is otherwise
known as Tarka t anistaprasaiijanamv. The use of this kind of
argument in putting the objections Tarn k ena vijiiniyiit , vij/iiitiiram
kena vijiiniyiit leads to a logical conclusi on ill th e end that in view
of the absurd consequences fo llowing the negation of con scious­
ness in Moksa , the self has got to be re cognised to be concious
both of its own self and th e Lord with whose grace he has
attained release. To deny the survival o f consciousness of one's
own being in Mok sa to the released self would be a denial of
its sentient nature and , therefore, unauthentic (opriimiinlka) and
therefore anista (undesirable). Since two out of the three
possers have been introduced by Yajfiavalkya by way of Tarka­
argument, the remaining OGe also in the same context beginning
wit]; Yatra hi Dvaitan iVI1 bhavati k en learn pasyet ..." falls to
72 . MADHVA'S BB-HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
step with them a nd has to be similarly interpreted as a redu ctio
ad absurdum - as h as been done by Madhva.?
There a re three main aspects of the problem re lating to
Na pretya samjiiii ast i wh ich a re dealt with by Yajfi avalkya in
his explanations in the last Khanda (14) beginning w ith the
words Yatra hi d vaitam i va bhavati . What . he is trying to
est ablish by these three di stinct parts of his answer . can be
understo od ri ghtl y, only wh en we identify wha t exac tly was
Ma itr ey i's difficulty in un der standing his pronouncem ent Na
prety a samj fiii as t i and whe re it lay.
According to Sailkara , the difficulty la y in the patent
con tradiction bet ween Yajfi avalkya's two descriptions o f th e
Atman as Vijiiiinag hana ea r li er and subseq ue nt ly as Na p re tya
7. Atriinte 'yeneda m iti viiky advay am sriiy at e , Ta darthab-
Paramei varajiiiiniibhiivak svaj iiiiniibhitvasc a t dvadan isto na
viist avah , A ta h tatprasang akathanarn eveti ;fiiiy ate. Tats iiha ­
caryiit ' kena k am p asy et ' ityiidikamapi p rasahjanam eva, na
vastusth iti k athanamiti jiiiita vyamit i, (NS. P.642)
~3fr;:a ~it~lltRt crrOfllOC~ ~1:{a I (j'a:~: - q~~{:tH~l~lq:
'"
~~r~r~rcr~ ~Hcr~~~ ~ ~HmCi: I ~~: cr~Sl~rr!ti~~iT~fa
5JP-la I cr~art[:qlff~ '~rr <fi ~~( ~~r~'flJl(q Sl~~.,~ql
if cr~~ra~~rrf?fRt ~HcrollfiJfij I ~1cr~lm~~~
MAITR EYI -BRAHMA ~A 73
samjiiii asti (when one has depa rted th ere is no more kn owled ge
o r conciousness j. f
This apparent contradi ction bet ween t he t wo state ments
felt by Maitreyi is resol ved , acco rd ing t o S. , b y saying th at
the negati on of consci ou sn ess in th e rel eased st a te relates to
ac ts o f particul ar conci ous ness (vi ses asamjfia) , While acts o f
he aring, see ing. s mell ing etc. may be deemed to be acts of
perticular consci ou snes s, the qu es ti on wo u ld remain if aware­
ness o f o ne 's ow n self an d one's ow n att r ibutes o f bli ssfulness
etc. sho u ld al so be brou ght under t he s ame ca tego ry. If so , the
negation of conciousness would apply equ all y t o the self's con­
sci ousness of its OWIl being and blissful essence. Ther e will then
be no me aning in st ill looking upon th e self as a co nsciou s
principle or being. it wo u ld be li ke an y other inanimate entity
whi ch can onl y be kn own by a co nscio us being but ca n never
kn ow itself. It would th en be steeped in self-igno ra nce. l f there
is a supe r-co nsciousness o f wh ich the self is ca pab le, it would
me an that the statement Na pretya samj iiiist i is fa lse o r that it
shou ld be explained in th e mann er suggested by Madhva. that
the non-released soul s cann ot kn ow anything directl y about the
nature of conscious ness enjo yed b y the released soul s.
8. A t raiva etas m inn eviismin vas tu ni viru ddhadharmavattva­
md cak siinena mama m ohah k rt ah . Pllrvam' vijiiiinag hana
eva' iti p ratijhdya , p unah ' 110 p rety a samjhii as t i' iti k atham
vijhiinag hana evo , ka tham vii na pr etya samj hii niisttti , Na
hyu,;1Jab sitascdg nirevaik o bhava ti, . (S. Brh, Up . Bhiisya)
~~q g;afui~l'~nfm~ q~gfrf fel~~~;lCl~ClJlr:q&lIUtrj ill1' ~:
ilia: I l{,~ 'fct~ri'jq'1 1J;CI' s:fct qra5Jrlf~ ~.,: 'rr 1r~ ij~rm'
{fa CfiiT fct5Jr'1~'1 1J;Cl', 'fliT Clr ~ 1r~ ~~r ~r~fa I ~ ~'JI:
llcrfct ,
 74 MADHVA'S BB-HADARA~YAKA BHA~YA
As one committed to the accepta nce of a single reality it
may be necessary for Sank ar a to hold th at th e self does not and
cannot kn ow any oth er bei ng. But shou ld it a lso be denied the
power to know and be aware of its own blissful exi stence? If
S.' s answer is "Yes " hi s Atm avad a would be another name
for Buddhist " Naira t myav ada " . The self cannot sacrifice its
most precious and intimate ch aract eristic of self-awareness in
all states and conditions. ou t o f a mispl aced deference to the
Gramm arian' s rule o f ka rtrkarmav irodh a or the subject 's
inability to bec ome th e objec t in one and the same act. While
the rule may hold good in respect of external act ivit ies , it can­
not be extended to consciousne ss. This is pr oved by the evi dence
of self-awareness persisting in the dr eam less sta t e . The released
state is akin t o it in this respect.
The difficulties cea se when we loo k up on the three questions
of Yajfiav alkya not as unqualified state ments of facts but as a
reductio ad absurdum to establish a viable proposition . We
shall then be getting positive and categori cal answers to every
one of the three questi ons , inste ad of lea ving then as insoluble
_ or open questions . The an swers deduced by means of redu ctio
ad absurdum assu re us of the exist ance of all the three kinds of
knowledge exp erienced in the released st ate-viz. conscious
experience of tr ans-ernpir ical forms of enjoyment in release,
consciousness of the exi st ance of the Supreme Being and last
but not the least consci ousness o f o ne' s own blissful exi stance ,
The adjuncts aviniisi and anu cch itt idharm a applied to the self
by Yajfiavalkya (IV. 5.14) bring ou t the difference between
Yajfiavalkya's conception of Atman from the N yaya-Vaisesika
conception of the self which denies that consciousness is an
essencial attribute of the self {sva riip adha rma) and tbe Monistic
MAITREyr·BRAHMA~A 75
position of Sankara that Atman is attri buteless (nirvisesa)
The reductio ad absurdum ap plied to Vijniitiiram ar e k ena
vijdniyiit proves the cont inuity of self-co nscio usness in Moksa,
In discussing the meaning: a nd implications ofYiijfi avalkya's
statement Na pretya samjiiii ast l, Madhva ha s shown el sewhere
in his VTN that Maitreyi' s difficulty in understanding Yiijfia­
valkya was not because of any inconsistency or self-contrad ict ion
between his description of the self earlier as Vijfiiin aghana and
his later o ne ne gating a ll knowledge and consciousness to
Atman in the released state, as held by Sankara .
He disagrees with Sailkara's di agn osis and points out that
her difficulty was that if the Atman were to lose his self-con­
sci ou sne ss in release (as declared b y Yiijfi avalkya : Na pretya
samjfiii asti) , the pr ospect of Moksa wi11 be forbidding as it
would practically reduce Atman to nothingness ; if he were to
forfeit his self-consciousness; for it is the distinctive attri­
bute of the self (svariipadharma) alon g with blissfulr.ess and
others . The extinet ion of consciousness would be equivalent
to the extinction of the self.
On the contrary, if her difficulty wa s due to the contradi­
ction betw een the two statements of Yajfiavalkya about the
Atman, she would most naturally have pinpointed it by quoting
the two pr onouncem ents as the contradiction can arise only when
the two st atements ar e tak en togeth er . But insted of doing so,
Maitreyi merely calls int o question o nly one of the statements
of Yajfiav alkya viz. Na pr etya samjhii asti , by quoting it (with
the unmistakable quote-mark' iti', Thi s clinches the matter
that her difficulty lay her e and her e only-viz . in regard to the
76 M ADH VA'S BRHADARA~YAKA BHASYA
soul's loss of consci ousness 'scmjii dnasa' in Moksa, making it
not worth pursuing or aspiring for :"
Samjiiiiniis o yadi bha vet k im muktyii nab prayojanam.
~Tir ~ ~~ f~ B:CR~ Cl: ~~ I
This difficulty cannot be so lved by making all irrel evant
exp lanat ion that there is 110 particular consc ious ness of th e
Avidyii le vel in M oksa. The irony of it is that the released soul
has got rid of Avidyii and if after that it remains in the full
experience of its bli ssful nature , h ow can s uch a state of exper i­
ence be described as particular or sp ec ific state of consious ness
of th e Avidyii l evel ? 1 0 Sari.kara 's reference to the denial of
particul ar con sciou sness does not, therefore, come to grips with
the actu al point th at bas been puzzling Maitreyi which she has
taken care to pinpoint by qu oting th e offending pa ssag e:
'A traiva mii bhug avii n amiimuhat
" Na pretya samj fi a asti " iti",
9. Tatha sat i viiky advay opiidiinaprasangiit . Vyiighiitasya ubhayii­
sritatvii: ek asyo iva tu l'iikyasy opiidiiniit t advisayameva
dosodbhiivanom iti jhiiyate , ityulctiibhipriiyam evedam,
(l oya l irtha.) or 'resembling duality ' is to be regarded as a reality or not.
~ ~ CfT~i1l~A~Wrr~ I om~ ~~~
~ g CfT~q~la: ijf~iW ~~~l'1C\fllfu ~r:m,
~~fmn4~~~~ I
10. Niisti Vis eso sam jiieti- A liam as au amusya putro m am edam
k set ram dhanam S uk ht duhkhttyevamiidilaksanii avidyiik­
rtatviit tasyii avidyiiyiisca uiis it atviit kuto visesapr ajiiti cait a­ the meaning of the opening words Yatra hi dvait am iva bhavati
nyasvabhiiviiv asthitasya ? (S.)
;ffi\ij' M~f4(1~fu - ~~'f ~lf T*, +r?ffl: ~ ~ wefT
~:~Jlc{+ilfu:~ \:l1fcli£ll'ila (C\I~ a~ a1WwIT~ i11~ld~lC{
~ fcl~ ~rcrrC{fu1a~ ?
MAITREYI-BRAHMA~A 77
Sensing her p recise difficulty and the reasons behind it , Yajfia­
valkya proceeds to all ay her apprehensions ab out the goa l of
Moksa not being worth pursu ing in the event of the self losing
his self-consciousness th ere by laking rec ourse to the Tarka
mode of ar gument to assu re her of th e survival of self-consci­
ousness. God-c onsciousness, etc. in M ok sa which make it a
worthy object of hum an pursuit.
The Monistic inte rpretati on of the fir st part of Yajfia­
valkya's explanation sets much sto re by the particle iva after
' Dvaitam ' in ' D vaitam iva' Thi s particl e (iva) cannot possibly be
taken to signify the absence of duality (d vaita -abhiiva) . For:
in that case, the purport of Yajfiavalkya 's word s would be :
where there is an absence of du ality, or where there is no
duality, one sees an other ...' Th at would be totally opposed to
his concluding sentence: Where there is no du al ity and Atman
al one is there, how can one see another ..' The difficulty cannot
be overcome by construing iva in the sense of likeness (upamii­
rtha)-the sense of negation being obtained by implication. For
then, it will have to be clarified if 'the something like duality'
The former would be inconsistent with Monism- In the other
case , an unreality cannot be dignified with a predicate such as
bhavati (dvait am iva bhavati) which can on ly be applied to
something which ha s an actu al existence. If the existence
predicated of this semblance of duality is equally an appearance
would be 'where there is an appearance of duality there one
sees another ...' - which would be a mere tautology.
As none of these meanings of iva is admi ssible, Madhva
takes it as a parenthet ical reference to the intrinsically depen­
dent status of th e world of du al it y as such :
78 MADHVA'S ~BB.HADARA1':-TYA1<.A BHA.$YA
I vasabdastu asviitantryiirthe . Nahi tadadhinam
p rrhag itye vocyat e ( M . Brh. up. C.)
Asviitantryam ea atra s variipamiit ram uktam
( 1. N S. p. 64 ~ )
This sho u ld make it cle ar that thi s parenthetical reference
to the dependent status of all dualit y in finite reality thro' the
particle iva has no organic connection with the operative
part of the vyiipt! which is strictly confined to the words Yatra
hi dvaitam bh avatl t atra itara ita ram pasyati and the redu ctio
ad absurdum based upon it.
- --==<>X===--- -
MADHU-BRAHMAljAM (IJ.5, 1-19)
This Brahmana lays special emphasis on the unqualified
identity with one another of all the Bimba forms of the Lord
present in the hearts of all souls, - contemplation of which has
been insisted upon in the opening Brahmans of this Adhy aya,
the Ajatasatru Brahmana, as indispensable for the attainment
of Aparoksa and Moksa, in addit ion to the meditation on the
external for ms of the Lord. As such insistonc e on the medi ­
tati on of the Bimba form is likely t o give rise t o a presumption
that there may possibly be some basic distinction between the
Bimba form of the Lord and His other Forms, this Brahmana
addresses itself to establi shing with great force and eloquence
the absolute o neness that exists not only between the Bimba
and the external forms of the Lord but among all the Bimba
Forms themselves irrespective of the distinction and diversities
MADHU-BRA.HMANA 79
that characterise the Pratibimba Forms (the Jivas ) of that One
Universal Bimba Form of all o f them'!
This unqualified identit y of a ll the countless Birnbarupas of
the Lord , in spite of the fund amental di stinctions which mark
off the Svarupas of Ji vas fr om o ne ano ther which are neverthe­
less the Pratibimbas of one and the sa me Bimba Form of the Lord
is indeed the mo st str ik ing as pect of the Lord 's in scrutable
majesty imahimin which h as been out lined in the course of the
previous Maitreyi Br ah man a. f
The subject matter of this Brahrnana is M adhuvidya. s The
Vidya was first revealed according to the accounts in the RV
i.II7 .22) and the Sat ap atha Briihm an a (XIV.15)to the Asvins
by Dadhyan AtharvaI)a after he had been fitted with a horse's
head . The name madhu (honey) given to the Vidya signifies that
the knower of this Vidya w i 11 taste the delicious joy of Moksa, 4
According to Madhva, thi s Vidya is also known as 'Hayagriva­
Brahrnavidya '. In Paficaratra theology Hayagr iva is the patron
deity of Vidyas. One of the Samhitas of the Paficaratra goes
by the name of Haya sir sa-Paficar atra.
1. Yasciiy amasyiim prth ivytim tej omayo amrtamayalt pu ru sah
y asciiyam adhyii tm am siirirast ej omayo amrtamayah purusah
ayameva sal) yo ayamatrna idcmam rtam idem brahm edom
sa rvam. ( Brh. Up. Tl,5.1 )
~~~ V~ ~~71T5~:~: ~~'C.GWir ~~­
~d"il;<{415~: ~~: ~ ij: tTIsq~~r ~ ~
~~~~I
2. Brh . Up. HA.IQ
3. Sukhadii s arv abniitimiim m adhu vad ucy ate . (M)
~ ~~cnrIT ~~~ I
4. Cf. Vi~l.tob pade p aram e m adhva utsah (RV. I. 154,55)
".....,.~ ... ....
cr. fClCoUIl: q-a: q(;r +l'e.q .~~ : (RV. I. 154,55)
 MADHVA'S BB.lIADARA~YAKA BHASYA
80
The closing section of the Madhu Brahma na quoting from
RV. VII.47,18, calls the Jivas the reflections (Pratiriipa) of the
Lord. It is from these sources that Madhva derives his doctrine
of the indissoluble relation of Bimbapratibimba between the
Lord and the Jivas. This relation is unconditioned and is based
on the intrinsic ontological dependence of the Ji vasvarupa on
Brahman and its bearing a certain measure of similarity of
nature and attributes to the Lord's.
The first 13 sections of this Brahrnana speak ofthe Supreme
Lord present in the presiding deities of the the various elements
and tattvas such as the earth, waters, fire, Sun, Moon, the quar­
ters, lightning, thunder, ether in the heart, Dharma (Yama) ,
5
Satyam (Vayu), Manusa (Svayambhuva Manu) and atma.
(Brahmadeva) present in the Jivas. as their ultimate source of
happiness (Sarve~iim bhiitiiniim madhu) and support (ii srayatven a
su khadahv. These deities promote the happiness of creatness
and the creatures in th eir turn subs e rve the pleasure of the deities.
The next section (14) extols the Adhidaiva aspect of the
Lord present in Brahmadeva (iumii) and the Adhyatmic aspect
of the Lord present in the other Jivas as the infinite Being
(puru~a/.z), endowed with infinite lustre tt ejomayob) , as the supre­
mely eternal one (amrtamayab) having all auspici ous attri­
butesf (brahma gunapurna) and as all-pervading (sa rvam).
5. In M .' s int erpretation the words Prthvi; Ap ah , Dharma,
etc. stand f or th eir Abh imiini devatiis .
6. 'Tadiitmyarthe vik iira r fhe priicuryiirthe mayat tridhii'
(Atra may a] tiidiumyiirthab -)
'CITGJ~~~ fi[efiRN ~T~ it~~' (~=3i it2f{ m~~~:)
~
MADHU-BRAHMA~A SI
Section 15 extoles the same Lord (sa va ay am Atmii)
as the Master (adhipati) and Ruler (rajii) of an the Adhidaiva
and Adhyatrnic world, who holds everything in its place just as
the spokes are held 'i n place in the hub and in the felly of the
wheel of a chariot.
Section 16 speaks of the cruel deed of the Asvins in cutting
the head of Dadhyaii Atharvana and fitting him with a horse's
head and receiving instruction ab out Madhuvidya from him
and afterwards replacing his human head. The Vedic poet
while recounting these two deeds (darnsah) speaks of them as
paving the way for the attainment (sanay e) of the summum
bonum of Moksa, thro' the first revelation of the Madhuvidya
to the world of beings. Section 18 brings out the majesty of
the Lord who creates the bodies of bipeds and quadrupeds and
entered into themall as a Bird. This Supreme ' Brahman is,
therefore, called Puru-sa as He is present (say ah) in both the
physical bodies and in the hearts (hrtpuri) of all beings. There
is nothing in the world that is not filled (pervaded by) with His
presence (na' aniivrtani ) or envel oped by Him imasamvrtami.
Sankara takes madhu in the sense ' of a meterial effect.
The description of madhu may be figuratively taken to signify
what gives pleasure such as a body, but it cannot be taken in
the sense of a material effect in this context especi ally in view
of the fact that according to Sankar a, Prthvi and other elements
are the material effects of living beings (, br ahmiidi priininab )
who, as sentient beings, can hardly be the transforming causes
but only their efficient causes.
The concluding section (19) reiterates the st atement already
made in Section 14 (A yam eva sab y o' ay am iu ma) th at the Bimba
form of the Lord is one and the sa me without any difference
whatever in spite of the different nature of the beings in whom
7
 82 MADHVA'S B~aADARANYAKA BHASYA
it is present. Quoting RV (VII.4 7. 18) the Upanis ad says, Every
member of the community of Jivas is a Pratirupa (reflecti on)'
with reference to each original' Form of the Lord present in each
of them. That original Form (Bimba) of the Lord h as to be
directly perceived by the Pratibimba (Jiva) in order to attain
final release." The second half of the verse answers the question
as to how it happens that the identical form of the Lord remains
the sole Original (Bimba) with reference to count les s diff ering
Pratibimbas. by' pointing out that the Supreme L ord by His
marvellous powers (mayiibhib) makes Himself perceived (iyate)
as the Bimbariipa of countless differing souls ipururiipali ananta
jivabimbarupab). Explaining this mystery the Upa nisad says:
The numerous Forms of this Lord (a s/a - Indrasya) known as
Haris (hurayab) run into groups (yuktiih} of ten, hundred and
thousands, beyond reckoning. Be is, therefore, infinite in His
artributes (brahma), There is none who can be said to h ave
existed before Him (apiirva), There is nothing that exists
beyond His existence (anaparam). He is the inmost of all and
exists outside all. He is the all-intuiting Being. Such is the
teaching of Madhuvidya.
The Vamsa Briihmana (11.6), which follows, recites the
preceptorial line in which Madhuvidya has bee n handed down
from the Supreme self-existent (svay am bh ii} Brahman t o the
four-faced Brahma (viriit) and from him in a long line of pupils
and teachers. The Parasarya referred to in this Vamsa is a
different person from Vedavyasa.
~~
ADHYAYA IIf
The subject matter of th is Adhyaya is the same as those of
the tw o preceding o nce-viz. that the Supreme Brahman is al one
the pre-emi nent reality endowed with all auspicious attributes
worth y of being meditated upon by seekers , of truth for the
a t ta i nme nt of Mok sa.
A number of ce lebrated Brahmavadins._draw Yajfiavalkya
to a disc ussi on on vari ous as pects of Divine Majesty, by putting
him vari ous questions in the sacrificial session held by King
Jan ak a o f Videh a. Yajfiavalkya faces a team of assembled
sch o lar s li ke Asvala , Art abhiiga, Usasta , Kahola, Gargi and
Sa kal ya . H e a nswer s their questions with ceep insight and
p rofound el oquen ce. Some of the most moving pronounce­
me nt s o f U pa n isad ic philosophy are to .be found in these
d isco u r ses o f Yajfiavalkya. The name Yajfiavalkya-kanda
given to it by Sa nk ara is fully justified. It is , as he says,
clo sely argumentative. (ta rk.apradhanam)
A,~VA LA--BRA-HMA J:{A M (TU . I .1- ID)
The fir st Brahmana is named after A.svala the Hot r priest
of J an aka who initiates the dialogues. Hi s question though
a ppa re nt ly re latin g t o th e externals of the sacrificial ceremonial,
a s expl ain ed by Sankara . has been given a philosophical orienta­
ti on by M adhva.
The first t wo qu esti ons o f A.svala ( i ) by what means does
the sacr ificer free hims elf from death and (H) from the reach of
d ay and night which pervade and overcome everything, are
answered es ote rically . It is thro' the Lord (Vasudeva) present
in the Ho tr priest, in the fire and in speech. For the Lord who is
in speech is the sam e as in the Hotr priest and in the fire. He
is the g iver of Mukti (t o rnortals) and atimukti (higher moksa)
to the go ds ac co r d in? t o their fitness . (ii) It is thro ' the Lord
84 MADHVA'S BB-HADARA~YAKABHASYA

(Sankarsana) present in the eye who is also the same as is ARTA1JHAGA-BRAHMAJYAM (III,2.1-13)
present in the Adhvaryu priest and in the Sun that bestows mukti
This Brahrnana deals with several questi ons beginning with
and atimukti. .. In the same way .t he answers rel ating t o the
the 'grahas' (sen se organs) and their field s (atigraha). The
Udgatr priest and the mind have also been given with reference
objects of the senses are called "atig raha' as they sway the
to the Supreme Lord Pradyumna and Aniruddha present in th em.
senses, attract and draw them towards themselves: The intera­
He who meditates on the Lord -in the Rcas, puronu viikya, yiijyii
ction of the g rahas and the atigr ahas ma kes for the experience
and sasya attain mastery over all living beings .
of pleasure and pain in the transmigratory career of souls.
Thus the answers to the questions are all connected with
But this world of experience is subject to death (mrtyor
knowing and worshipping the Lord present in the re spective
annam). Agni identified with Hiranyagarbha is the deity
objects named in these passages.
(mrtyu) who swallows al I. This Mrtyu it self is the food of
The discerning student of the Upanisad will see that the Apah - the Supreme Lord) He who knows the Lord to be such
prospect of mukti andatimukti held out to the knowers and is "freed from re-death" .
worshippers of the Hotr and Adhvaryu priest , the fire and the eye
Artabhaga then raises three mor e important questions
and of the Udgatr-priest , air and breath in these passages be­
regarding the exit (utkriinti) of Jivas. Two of them have special
comes more fulIyunderstandabl e by going beyond their literal
reference to Ap aroksa-Jfianins and one is about the invisible
meanings and establishing their nexus with the Supreme
link which determines the future life of those who have not
Brahman as the object of meditation.
attained Aparoksa ,
It should be a matter of gratification for genuine students of
Upanisadic wisdom to find in the esoteric line of interpretation­ The first question whether the enlightened self (Aparoksa­
presented to us by Madhva in dealing with such pas sages a scru­ jfiani ) at the time of his final death makes hi s exit from the body
pulous adherence to the esoteric guide line spelt out in the thro' the Brahma nad i accompanied by the deities of the sense
Mahuitareya Upanisad (AA {JI.2 .3.)1 for the higher attunment organs (pranab) is answered by Yajfiavalkya in the negative.
of the Karmakanda part also with Brahmavidya by way of
Sankara finds room in this for hi s theory that the knower
Mahasamanvaya of the Srutis, in their entirety, in Brahman.
of the highest or the Nirguna-Brahman wh o in his estimation is
1. Etam hyeva bahvrcii mahatyukthe mlmiim sant e, etamugnii ­ the true and real 'Brahmavid' has no need to go anywhere,
vadhvaryavab; etam mahiivrat e chandog iih etamasy iim etam making his exit from the body thro' any particular niidi, He
divi , etam viiyau , etam iikdSe , etamapsu etam osadh isu . becomes one with the Nirgu na-Brahman then and there and the
sar ve$u bhiitesvetameva brahm etyiicaksate.
deities of the senses are merged along with him in the Nirguna '
ujr ~ ~ ~ +fT~, ~~+iirflq~-m: ~~ +oo"~
1. Apo iipii/anat .
~~: '«1+i~j ujr ~fcJ, tci qp.rf, ""~+iI~I~, '«1+i'k~~mq-
;a:rrq 1311 qIe'1/<"( I
~ ijl~ ~~~~q '1~I;~I'T4a;m 11 See also Ranguriimiinuja a ll Brh, Up . IlI.2.ll
 86 MADHVA'S BB-HADARA~YAKABHASYA
Discussing this questi on in his B.S. B.(IV, 2, 12-14), Sankara
maintains that the exit of the soul thro' the Susumnanadi , at the
time of final death of the Jfiani , so so lemnly described in several
Upanisads such as Katha .ii ; 3,6; Chiin. Up . VIII.6 ,6 in BSJV .
2,17 and in the GU a (VHI.9-IO) has reference only to the knower
of the Lower (Saguna) Brahman whom he calls 'the wise one'
(vidvad] as distinguished from the ign orant men (a vidvad) who
go up and down the cycle of births and make their exit from the
body thro' other channels.
However, the dtstinction made by Sankara between the
knowers of the Lower and Higher Brahman is it self a baseless
one and there is onl y one Br ahman with which .the Upanisads
are concerned and which is always the highest. The Utkranti
or exit of the knower of this Brahman thro' the susumniiniidi at
the time of the Jfi anis last death, as provided for in Katha,
Ch andogya and other Upanisads is, therefore.quite in order and
compatible with the teaching of the Upanisads ,
It is only by breaking the smooth sequence of thought in the
Siitras and side-trackin g the T adok o'dhikaran am (BS.IV.2 17)
and others following it, as dealing with the 'lower Vidya '
after concluding the incide nta l inquiry into Para-Vidya , in the
three adhikaranas preceding it, comprising IV., 12-16, that
Sarikara manages to sustain his rejection of the Utkra nt i (going
up thro ' Devayana) of the Brahmajfiani, thro' Brahmanad i .f
2. Samiiptii prdsang iki p aravidyiicintii , S amprati tu , Ap ara­
vidyiivisay am eva cintdm anuvartayati .
~ ~Bmq)T ~TR;af I fi4:l:ffu 8;, ~ll1(fcl~l~q
R-~~~I
ARTABHAGA-BRAHMA~A
87
But Madhva adheres strictly to the prevailing view of the
Upanisads and the Slitrak ara that th e soul of the Aparoksajfiani
makes it s exit (al ong with the Pr anas) thro ' the Su surnnanad i
in its pas sage thro'the Devayana. He explains that Yiijfia­
valkya 's denial of exit of Pranas al ong with the Jfiani thro ,
Brahmanad i at the time of his final death ha s to be understood
to appl y to a spec ial category of Aparoksajfianis , known as
EkaguJ:lopasakas 3 who attain Apar oksa by an exclusive medita­
tion on the single all-embracing attribute of" Atmatva" of the
Supreme Lord as envisaged in Brh. Up. 1.4 .7. As blo ating of
the body, it s inflation and stiffness referred to by Yajfiavalkya
in this connection are the natural consequences of death, there
seems to be no speci al reason to speak of them unless it be to
char acter ise a speci al category of Aparok sajfia nis, as suggested
by Madbva.
The next question of Artabhaga is als o ab out the Aparoksa­
jfiani, When such a Jfiani lea ves his body once for all, what is
it that does not leave him? 'Name' answers Yajfiavalkya,
"Name is infinite. Infinite ar e the Visvedevas , He who knows
this wins the infinite world" (1II.2.12). As our worldly names
in successive lives are all passing ones, forgotten after some
years, they do not obviously deserve to be described by Yajfia­
valkya as endless (a nant a) or eternal (nity a] as Sailkara renders
it. Madhva is nearer the truth in saying that the Mukta Jivas
have their own intrinsic names and forms (Svariipa) whi ch are
not liquidated in Moksa .f
The next question of Artabhaga is eschato logical. When
the various organs of the dead man merge in their primal sources
as described in the Sruti (seeRV.x .16.3) what becomes of the
(S)
person himself. Where does he draw his sustenance from, to
3. For more informat ion on EkagUlJOpasakas see my BSPC
Vo I. Ill .p.677.
4. See M'» C. on Pr asnn Up. Vi.5.

88 MADl-lVA 'S BJ3..lIADARA~YAKA BlIASYA
forge a fresh life? Yajfiavalkya treats the answer to this
question as a grea t secret o f the gods and takes Artabhaga by
the hand away from the crowd and deliberates with him in
private . The solution they arrive at is said to be "Karma"
"Verily, one become good by good action and bad by bad deeds ."
The seed of Karma as the vital link between succes sive lives
and the routes of Devayana and Pit ryana has been well recognised
in RV.X.88.15 . The law of Karma being purely mecoanical it
needs a sentient Being as its dispenser. Madhva, therefore, goes
beyond Sankara and posits the presence of the Lord in the good or
the bad deeds (siidhanas) as the hidden principle which explains
the operation of the law of karma .
Punyapapayo r eva punyalokadihetutvam iti pratitinirasaya
vyacaste :- ..
Pun yasthiten a riipena s varg am niray am anyag ah,
Rahasy am eted deviiniim viduh karmeti miinusiih,
Kormi uim ii tu Bhag avdn phalakartrtvato Harih .
(M. s-«. UP. C.III.2.)
Thi s brings out the pre-eminence of the Lord over the law
o f Karma and the laws of nature .
BHUJYU-BRAHMAijAM (111.3, 1-2)
This Brahmans deals with the greatness of Vayu (Hiranya­
garbha) in finaIt y deliveri ng the sou ls fr om transmigration . He
is called Vyasti and Sarnasti as holding away over the eight
cosmic elements and Tatt vas. As Vyasti he sustains the eight
clasess of beings eli gible lor Moksa, Devas, Rsis , Pitrs , Yaksas,
Gandharvas, human beings, serpents and Asuras. As Samasti
he sustains the gods, Garuda, Sesa, Rudra and Indra and their
spouses and help s them on to their deliverance by transporting
them to the region far beyond Brahmanda through a crack in
the golden egg (brahmiinda) "which is as thin as the edge of a
razor or the wings of a mosquito."
I
BHUJYU-BRAHMA~A . 89
The derivation of Vyasti! and Samast i as given by Madhva
is Vividham yad astakam lad osnute iti and Sa mp iirnom yad
astokam tad asnute iti, The Sampfirna astakas are the god s
Garuda, Sesa, Rudra, Indra and their con sorts, when they are
ready for being bodily abs orbed in Hiranyagarbha, there to wait
or their Moksa, in due course.
The topic of Vayu as Vyasti and Samasti is brought up in
answer to a question put by Bhujyu to Yajfiavalkya about the
goal of the Parfksitas and the performers of the Asvamedha , It
is clear from the description of the place which Vayu helps the
Pariksitas and the performers of Asvamedha to reach lying
beyond the cosmic egg of Brahrnanda thro ' the crack therein
that it must be the highest state of Moksa. This is further
confirmed by the Phala Sruti that one .who knows the greatness
of Vayu as the Vyasti and Samasti conquers rebirth and redeath
(apa punar mrtyum jayat i). As Moksa is not attainable merel y
thro ' the performance of sacdfi~es and as there is no recorded
evidence that the descendents of Pariksit attained Moksa
sraightway after g iving up their bodies ,Madhva construes the
words Parfksitas and Asvamedhayajins to signify Kamadevas
and Indras who have performeda hundred Asvamedhas during
their term of office. He also identifies " I ndr a " who delivers
the Asvamedhayajins and others to Vayu with Garuda (Suparna) .
Indr aniimii sa garudab siimarthyiideva kathyate
Tasmiid riipadvayam nityam saup arnam paurusam tatha,
~FiT (1 ~: tfF{~ ~ I
~~ · FI~ @q01 . ~ ~ ~T 11
1. 'P aiicabhiitiiniim manobuddhlrudriiniim pratidehakam.biihya­
tasca prerakah,
lfiI~cll~t ~fu<)muIf ~fu~~io Gf[~cr~~: I
8
90 MADHVA'S BRHADARA~Y:\KABHA~YA
In conclusion Madhva brings out the point that Vayu him­
self is ultimately dependent on the Supreme Lord. This brings
the teaching about Vayu within" the scope of Brahmavidya
as such.
Evamvyastim samastim ea yo viiyum veda tattvatal;.
Tatp aram ea Harim nityam mu cyate samsrteb pumiin.
-~=-z.,~
U$ASTA -BRAHMAljAM (IlIA, 1-2)
Us asta Cakrayana calls upon Yajfiavalkya to tell him what
he knows of the Supreme Brahman who .is Siiksiid aparoksiid
brahma, iitmi: sarviintarah,
According to Sankara the question pertains to the uncondi­
ioned (ni rup ddhika) Brahman which is perceived directly and:
immediately without the help of adjuncts and is identical with
the self which is present in all things.
Yajfiavalkya answers-He ie your own self (iitman} who
breaths with your breathing in who breaths out with your
breathing out and who is in all things.
Usasta rejoins that this does not take the bull by the horns
and is not an adjunct less description of the unconditioned being
of Brahman just like the description of a horse or a cow thro'
its accompanying characteristics. Thereupon Yajfiavalkya
explains that it is impossible to say or know what the uncondi­
tioned Brahman is directly and immediately. It is implicated in
all forms of pure consciousness which suffuses the changing
forms of consciousness of this or that object as things arise
and disappear in the mainstream. For, it is verily impossible to
capture , pinpoint and perceive the seer of seeir g, to hear the
U~ASTA-BRAHMA~A 91
hearer or understand the understander of understanding and
so on all along the line . All the same, he (the unconditioned)
is your own self who is inside all things. Everything else is
subject to change and causation . (ato anyad iirtam},
According to Madhva, the question has nothing to do wi th
the individual soul as such o r its identity with the Universal
consciousness of B. The subject matter of the question is entirely
the Supreme Brahman whi eh knows and experiences (ad) its
own being and the existence of other beings also directlyand
immediately (aparok sa} independently of any assistance from
any other being or principle outside its own self (sak$iid) in
virtue of its being endowed with infinite attributes (Brahma}
ruling and controlling all else (Atmii) by its being present in
everything isar vdnt arah s. All elseis subject to suffering. (artam)
It deserve to be taken into account in this connection,
that the opening words of Yajfiavalkya 's reply Esa te
iitma has its parallel in another discourse
sarvdnt ar ah
of Yajfiavalkya in the same Adhyiiya (111.7.22) which runs­
Ya dtmanis tisthan dtmiinam ant a ro yamayati, esa te iitmii antar­
ynmt amrtah, This passage has been made the Vi~ayavakya of
B.S. 1.2.20. Commenting on this passage in his BSB . Satikafa
himself has stated that it teaches that the embodied self is not
identical with its Antaryami - Atman who rules over it from
within and who is for that reason known as c. Atma" meaning
Antaryami (indwellingcontrol ler) . It must be evident that the
same relation of ruled and Ruler (niyamyaniyiimakabhiivas should
be applicable to the embodied selves and the Supreme Brahman­
The pronoun 'te' In Yajfiavalkya's Esa te iitma :a ntary iim : is
applied to the thinking Self of Usasta, It follows from this
1. This is the reading in th e Miidhyandina recension of the
Bfh . Up.
~I
 92 MADHVA'S BF.-HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
that th e wo r ds At m«, An taryiim i, am rtah, sarviintarah , can not
refer to the individual self of Usasta or any other person but to
a different Bein g who is the Ruler of al1. 2 Again , as the Anta­
ryarni Atman h as been described as S arvii ntarab (being present
inside a ll be ing s ) He cannot, at the same time, be identical with
the things o r beings ill which it abide s . The exi gencies of the
present context enable us to go be yond the conventi on al meaning
of th e word Atman and understand it in the primary sense of all ­
perva sive, all -kno wi ng inner Ruler and Controller of all finite
beings and objects.
Madhv a, therefore, treats this Supreme Brah man as the
su bject matter of Usasta' s question a nd Yajfi avalkya 's an swer ,
from the beginning t o the end, in ke eping with the theme of the
U panisads viz Brah mavidya . Thus, gr amma t ically the pronoun
re in Es a t e iit mii will refer to the individual self while At~a ,
Brahma, Antaryami and Sarvantara will refe r to the Lord
p resent ill the self'.
I n Sankar a' s interpretation the two words sa k 9at and
aparok,~iit be ar mo re or less the same meaning of immediacy.
This makes one of them redundant . The ablative termination
aft er aparok~' a ( apa r o k~fit) serves no purpose. Sankara himself
is ob li ged t o treat the ablative form (aparok~lit ) as equivalent to
the nominati ve ( ap ar o k~am) meaning ag aunam ' uncond it ioned' ­
Madbva's int erpret ation is much better as it avoids this over­
lapping of sense between S iik~iit and ap aroksii t and the necessity
to read the ab lat ive as a nominative .
2 . Jlv eSvariibhedanivrty ar tham ' te fitmii' iti,
(M. Brh. Up . ttt.e.n
~~fHJ~GJiI~i{ 'ij amm' ~ I
USASTA-BRAHMA~A 93
While adheri ng t o th e rad ica l sense of apar oksa as immed­
acy, Madhva exp lains ap a rok siid as a co mpo u nd word made up
o f the ver ba l noun (a d to exper ience) with th e adver b ial adju nct
oparok sam as upapada , The exp ress ion apar ok sad thus conveys
the idea th at Brahma n exp erienc es ( ad) at all times , it s own
nature and attributes as an im med iate ( ap a rok ~a) experience.
The other word s ak,~ii t is explained by him t o con~ ey that
Brahman i s ab le to achi eve thi s " indepen den t ly ( slik ;~ ad) of
and without havin g to turn t o any ot he r bein g or principle out­
s ide its own self. 4 Th is capacity di stingui she s the Brahman
fr om the in dividu al sou l (an d all the go ds) wh ose immediacy
of knowledge is subj ect to th e Lord's wish and control. Thus
the meanings of th e tw o wo r ds siiksiit a nd apa rok siit are kept
apart " Brahman has th is su preme sta t us by virtue of its
independence.
Simil arly , Madhva 's interpret ati on of Sa rviint ar ah makes
it clear that Brahman has th e int r insic power to co ntro l every­
thing else fr om withi n th em , wi tho ut havin g to look up to any
ot her Being for such powe r . The re ca nno t be any other Being
from which Brahman can be sup pos ed t o der ive suc h power and
authority for the si mp le reason s that as sa rviint ar a, it would
be equally pr esent in that oth e r B eing, if there sh ou ld be su ch
a one . But th en th er e cannot be t wo Bein gs wh o a re Sarviintar a .
3. Ap aro k sam atti, anubhavat i svar iip am anya cca rsa rvam
p asya ti, iti "aparok siid' , ':'
GlW~ Glfu, ~'m ~'Ff~ ~ ~, ~ 'al~{
4. Aparok ~y efJa p asy atii m apy anYNam bliag ava tprasiidiideva
darsanam bhavat i , na bhaga vat o a ny iip eksay a iti ' siik~lit' u!
Visesanam .
~~~ q~4dl+1~qt +rwmm~ ~ +rcmt, ~
~ ~~ ~ '~m: ~ fcf~'
 94 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA USASTA-BRAHMA~A 95

Anyaniyiimakatvepl anyiipeksii niisti ityatob , Sarviintarab ,
S a rvam siimarthyam sviintareva asti iti ( M. Brh. Up. C. )
Answering another objection of Usasta that all the fore­
going description s of Brahman may be held to be open to over­
pervasi on elsewherev Yajfiavalkya formulates a final definiti on
th at the all-per cei ving Brahman is that which cannot be full y
co mprehended by an y of the sen ses. f (See RV. VI.9.6.) He als o
adds another exclu sive definition which completel y bars all
po ssibility of overpervasion of it elsewhere, in respect of other
beings or deities ,7 This exclusive definiti on is this _ Brahman
is the only sentient Being whi ch is absolutely free from all pain,
seffering and other cre aturely limitations, for all time, while
other sentient beings are sub ject to them:
Ato anyad iirtam, 8
Ev am Sakaly ena caksu riidy ag ocaratvam it ariisiidhiiranam
laksanam uktvii , Cetana tve s at i iirtisiiny atvam api aparam asii­
dhiiranam, tattu ndnyatra ityiiha - 'A to anyad iirtam ' W.
(Raghavendra : Brh , Up. Khandiirthav

This concluding pronouncement that other than the Supreme

Lord all sentient beings are subject to pain and suffering offers
:;. E vam eva t vayii vyap adistam mukhyapriinadviirii jag accesta­
a conclusive testimony of the unbridgeable gulf of difference
katviidik am apy ativyiiptam , Yadevanyiinisthloksanam tiidrsam
that separates the Ji vas from Brahman - for all time .
vyii cdk sva W Pr~!e .. . . .. ... (Raghuttama)

~ ~ Ol{~ ~1J1ID{r \:f~~~l1ffiOlllfP"lI Sankara has tried to play down the force of the. 'Words Ato
~ ,......", •• r-; , any ad iirt am by construing iirtam in the sense of the effect
4~f""4Il'Hr~~1"lJf ~ 0lIR~ ~ ID! 11

6. Uttaramiiha-na drsterdrastdram p asveb . Tvam sarvamiiparo

7. Ata eva Vi~~lO rak a ra v iicya t vav iSe ~a la k~a lJ am vadan piirvokta­
ksyena dra stiiram p asyantam dr~!el; caksusa na p asy eh,
laksaniit ivy aptyuddhiirop ayogitvenn b rahma rudradiniim duh­
Pardmatmii caksuriidy ag ocara ityarthah, Evamuttaratvrpi .
khitvamiiha - "ato any ad iirtam' iti,
Na cedam ap i piirvavadativyiidtam 'p aro matraya' ityadisrti­
s iddh a tvena ativyiiptyabhiiviit- (Raghuttarna Blij ~ ferrmilmffi~~e.1Ur ~ ~~~urlfctOllll:t!­
~-;r ~~m~: I ~mw~ ~~~ ~m~k~i1 lil&l~i::I{li1i ~:~1Q: - '~S""4G>ld~' ~ I
~f!: =r.f§lfT <{~: I ~r =r.fg!'U<:in;H ~~ : I t!ftl~~{';ilfi:l I 8. The word ' a' denotes th e Suprem e Brahman according to AA:
A iti brahma (H . ] .8). It is one of its secr et nam es. Th e
., ~ 'i~~ I 'W~' ~~ ~Rtre~
suffix tal; conveys th e se nse of contrast (from) grammati­
~~I cally, 'A' has three m eanings of oth erness from , neg atian of
It sbould be not ed ill connecti on with this int erpretation of and opposition to s ome oth ers. M.'s C. on AA. ex p lqins
Madhva that th e exp ress ion drsteh (in the Upanisadic text) is to how th e es oteric name ' A ' g iven to Brahman admits of all
be cons trued as an irregular use for the instrumental (cf. ear lier th ese three m eaning s as contradistinguish ed from th e world
form s like p atyuh kiimiiy a (1/1(/ vit;tiiyai viidyamiiniiyai) . of matter and souls.
96 MADHVA'S BRHADARANYAKA BHA~YA
(kiiryam) - which would be applicable to insentient matter o nly.
But the word ' iir ti' p ri ma rily means pain , misery, suffering
and so on and these are conceivable o nly in respect of sentient
beings and not of inanimate reality. There .is good lo gic to back
Madhva 's objection to Sankara' s interpretation of 'A-rt am '
that on ly sent ient beings can .be affected by pain , misery and
grief and are so affected .
, A-to anyad iirtam' i ty etasmiid . ea jiviiniim bhedab
Nahi jiviid anyasya iirtir y uj ayte. (M)
.". . .
KAHOLA-BRAHMA/YAM (In 5,1- ')
This Brahrnana begins with apparently the same question
as has been raised by
Usasta. o nly that part of the a ns wer to it
beginning with the descripti on (of Brahman) as 'that which
transcends hunger and thirst, so rrow and decline, old age and
death...... , differs, .... _ . . _.
Saftkara explains the .repet it ion of the question as a restate
ment orthe earlier question (and answer) about the nature of
the empirical self as given t o kahola, with a view to going
beyond ' it to the pure . unconditioned self described in
tenus of transcending hunger and thirst, etc.
"H owever ,' as 't he individual self has ' been shown to be
subject to suffering (iirtam) it 'i s hardly possible to think of'i t as
thesubject matter of the Usasta Brahmana . The opening'words
' Yat siik sat aparoksiid Brahma' are against such an interpreta­
tion. The subject matter of the two Brahmanas must, therefore,
be the Supreme Brahman al one. ' We have to admit however
thattho" dealing with the same Brahman, they deal with differ­
ent aspect s of its Majesty and are not, therefore, indentical
in content, A scareful scrutiny of the wordingof the question
KAHOLA-BR AHMA NA 97
in the two Brahman as shows the presence of onc (or t wo) .em­
ph ati c parti cles (e l'a) l in th e te xt of the K ah ol a Brahrn an a, which
is absent in the Us asta Br a h rna na . The particles a re intended to
give a clue to th e di stinction of detail s between the two Br ah­
man as. The particl e eva is gene ra ll y used for la ying specia l
emphasis on a give n point or for permitting th e inclusi on of
so me correlated aspect of the subject matter . A s the difference
of Br ahman as makes it impossible to think of exclusive empha­
si s. it be comes necessar y to think of a related aspect of Br ah­
man 's majesty as the su bject matter of the Kahola Brahrnana.
Accordingly , M aclhva holds that the Brahmana deal s with Brah­
man 's absolute and etern al di stinction fr om the wh ole c ommu­
nity of released so uls in t erm s of its absolutely transcending
hunger and thirst , sorr ow and decay, old age and death etc.
fo r all time by virtue of it s intrinsic independence . Tho ' the
r eleased souls are no lon ger subject t o them , the y have been
subject to them , ear lie r . in their transmigr at or y career and
have rid themselve s of thos e imperfections only afte r atta ining
releas e by the gr ace of the Lord. In the ca se of the Lo r d, it is
Hi s unique nature to be abs olut ely and timelessly fr ee from
these affections and imperfecti on s .
Thus Brahman's freed om from asaniiyiip ip ase .c, is beginn­
in gle ss and eternal, while that of the released sou Is da tes f rom
the vime of their attaining r elease . This difference is f undame n­
tal and cannot be brushed aside as unreal. The principle of
1. In Sankara's reading 'eva' occu rs only once af te r j-ad while
ill M.' s read ing it occurs after tad also .. E ven o therwise , it
can be obtained by anuvrtti.
9
98 MADHVA' S B~HADARA NYAK A BH A $YA
interpretation kn own as siipe ksa -nirape ksayo r nirap ek sam svr­
!cartavyal/l is sufficient to sett le whi ch o f the two- th e indi vidu al
sel f o r th e Supreme B rahm an is t o be accepted as th e bes t
fitted and primaril y entitled t o merit the de scripti on : AScll/ayil
pipiise sokam m oham ja riim mrtyum aty cti'' sa iitm a sa rviin tara h
ato anyad iirtam (rJI. 5. f . ).
It de ser ves to be remembered in this co nnecti on th at the
Dahara Vidyii. of the Ch an. Up . (VIlLI .S) asc ri bes to t he
Supreme Brahman seated in the ether of the he art-lo tu s th e
august att ri bu tes of freedom fr om si n, old age, death, so rro w
hunger and thirst, satyakiim atva and saty asanka lp atva. The
Brh , Up. (IVA.22) al so refers t o the same Br ah man seated in
the heart-lotus as the a ll-co nt ro ler and all-ru ler sa rvasya vasi
sarvasyesiinab) . These two t exts have been ma de the su bject of
the K iimft.dyadhikaral)a of the BS.III. 3 .39, in Sa nkaras bh asy a .
All the above m ent io ned ei gh t at t r ibutes have been ascr ibed
there to th e Su preme Br ah ma n abiding in the he ar t.
'This estab lishes beyon d further argument that th e attri bu tes
of transcend in g h unger and t hirst, sorro w an d de ath for ever
are perfect ly compat ible with the et er nal nature of
Brahm an i ll a much ful ier and p r imacy sense than with th e
individu al selves o r th e r eleased one s: Th at be ing so, it is
2. Th e us e of the present tense fo rm of th e verb atyeti as app lie d
to Brahm an is to be iconst rued as extending f or all times :
Riip am riip am p ra t ir iipo bab hiiva - 'babhiiva' iti 's udeva
so mya ida mag ra as [t' lt ivat anaditviirth ah ,
~q ~q ~. ~1.,cr='cr 1.cr' ~ 'B~q m~~ i3Trm~ ,
~fQ~ ~,Tfa:~ r~: I "Having known the Atman and havin g ov er come the three de si­
(M. C . 11. :5). Th e same is' the case here.
KAHOLA-BRAHMA NA 99
indisputable that th e Su preme Br ah man r emains comp letely
di fferenti ated fr om the individu al selves both i n the ir sta te of
Samsara a nd rele ase. T h is amp ly just ifies Ma dhv u's in ter­
pretati on of th e te xt Ala anyad ii rtam with which th e Kaho la
Brahm an a a lso close s .
Afte r expl ai nin g t o K aho!a h o w the Supreme Br ah man tr an­
scends a ll the limitatio ns o f th e se lves an d r ule s ove r mo r t al s
a nd immor tal s ali ke , Y ajfiava lkyu pr oceeds ( accor d ing to
Madhv a 's expositi on of t he conc lud ing part o r the Bra hm a na )
t o out line th e mean s by which the i ndi vid ual se lves acq ui re
their knowledge of Br ah man and how the Sup re me Lord ena bles
the released sou ls t o experience the full meas ur e of their inn at e
blissof selfbood by mani festin g it to them in a m anner commen­
surate with their fit ness, by His grace an d h ow the grateful
Mukta s enjoy wh at the L ord is p leased to co nfe r 0 11 them . As
compared with the infinite a nd immeasu rable bliss of Br ahman,
the intrinsic bliss of even the h ighes t of the rel eased souls is like
a mere drop of the vast oc ean of Bli ss which is the Lo rd . Th e
released ones enjoy gratefull y wh at the Lord be stows on them,
like the alms received by a beggar fro m the Lord-
Et am eva Almiinam vidit vii Briihman iih vyut th iiya bh iksiicary am
coronet ( Brh. Up. Ill. 5. 1 ).
This establishes the great d iffe rence th at continu es t o ex ist
in the released state als o between the Lord and the so u Is.
Sankara, h ow ever, construes th e statem ent of the Upani sad
res for progen y, wealth and heave nl y wor lds , Br ah man as take
 KAHOLA-BRAHMA~ A 101

100 M ADHVA'S Bl~HADARA~YAKABH ASYA released so u l .f The figur ati ve u se of 'bh iksii ' s ugg ests Lord's
own bliss is immeasurable and inexhau stible compared t o which
to a life o f medi cancy for t heir fo od tbh iksdca ry am carantii as
the bli ss of the rcle sed soul is like a tiny drop or a dole of
a m andate to enter the Sa nnyiisa iis rom a. "
alms. f This is confirmed by a subsequent sta te me nt in the

Madhv a po in ts out th at as Sannyasa-a sramu is intended same Upanisad (IV .3 .32) ,

for t he unfettered pursuit s of Brahmajfian a , there is no point E s o asy a p arama iinan dal), E tasyaiva iina ndasy a anyiini
in m ak in g it mand at ory after ha ving known th e Atm an (et am bhiitiini miitriim up aj iva nt i .
dt mii nam vidi tvii .. . .. .bra hma nii bhik siica rya m caran ti i , ;[ Cases o f
The concludin g p a rt Ta sm iid Briihm an a h Piin dity am ni ru dya
tho se like Sanaka who th o ' a lr eady (born) Apa rck sajfi anin s
t aki ng t o Sanny a sa Asrama are exceptional, pertaining to biilycna f istltiiset Tena id rsa c va S)'(lt A f 0 anyad ii rt am (Ill .5)

Adhik arik aj iv as . T he present context is, however, general. is construed by Madhva as foll ow s . "Therefore, the aspir ant
Hence, bhik siicaryam carant i need not necessarily be construed for Brahmajfiana" s hall fir st ac qu ire eruditi on in scriptural
learning (Pii~(lifyam) and th en beco me we ll-entre nc hed in logical
in it s conventional sense and confined to non -Muktas ,
reflecti on of Sastrilrtha (btlly anz)'ii a nd stay in it. After mature
Thus we see th at t h e Kahola Brahmana necessitates the st udy a nd reflecti on h e sh all be co me en lighte ned (muni) an d he
shifting of th e su bject m atter f rom th e mundane plane t o th e shall then pr acti se med itat io n im auuam], A fter re aching
released s t ate . M adhva , therefore . explains the openin g st ate­ fruiti on of his medit at io» , he at t a ins d i rect vi sio n {otn aunam)
ment regarding the Bra hmanas wh o have risen ab ove the th ree '
5 . Brahm a pratyonanat g am aniit h l'(ihm t1(l ii tnuk tiil: ' A ~lGpa ~1Q '
yearnings, living upon alm s (bhik s aca ry am ca ran ti) as ameta­
g at au it i dh iitoh. (R or flliflom a)
phorical de scripti on of the depend ence of the released souls in
enjoying their Iirr.ited intrinsic bliss (S va riip iinanda} manifested 3V>f ~ORTa:. TfBrrTa:. ~f PWJn ~'ffi r: '~lJ[qlJ[' ~~ ~ \:ffili: I
t o them b y th e Lo rd 's gr ace. The first word 'Brahmana' in 6. Mukta api yam bhiksa nt i so at ip urn iina nd o bhag aviin s va ta
this co ntext is acco rd ing ly explai ned by him in the sense of a Cl 'a . ( M. Brh . Up. C )
~ ~ If ni"ewCf mS~arTrt~ ~q ffi ~ I
7. Prath amo briihmau o muk to dvit iya y ogya Ucy a te
3. Na nu »yut thiinasrt ili stu tya rth ii, N a vidhib; No. Aparok ;>al'inmuktay osfu trt iy en obhayag rohali , (M)
Vidhits it aviji'iaflen a s a m iinaka rt rk a t vas ravaniit . ~~T ~mon ~ ~ m~lf ::F:~ I

rs.s,». Up. C-JII.5-1)

~~f6l~'ffi~ ~<lT*1~~: 11

'....... ' ~ ' ,..." .:rl

ry~, o§;~~~Rl' : ~:11r, ~ '[C{ 1"1 :; rr I

8. Sank ara als o ex p la ins ba l ya h ere m ore or less sim ilar ly. But
~~,....... ""
Iet I"1 WJcffC{~r;A' ij~~~~Cf~9!1Tra:.
('

11 in his BSB ( 1I J. 4. 50) h e co ns t 1/ /(7S bal ya in th e se nse of

4 . Nu hi jiidniidanant ara m sanydsasya k ar tavya tii (M ) boy is h inn ocen ce and t ru st .

i1'
" . .
n~: ~MTG:'lra~ ij~r(1~ '-f,Cl~di
('
I
102 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHA~YA
GA RGI- BRA HMAt:lAM ( Il l . 6)
o f th e Lo rd. a Such a o ne as h as att a in ed direct vision of the
The purpos e o f thi s Bra h rnan a accord ing t o SaJik ara is to
Lord and the o ne who h as actually attained relea s e (Brahmanah) ,
make cle ar how the unconditioned self is est ablished as the only
howsoever they may li ve afte rw ar ds continue to depend on the
reality behind all its phenomen al appearance of elemental evo ­
grace o f the L ord in exp eriencing their innate bliss so graciou sly
luti on , by go i ng behind their outer she lls o f e lem en ts su r ro u nd ­
m anifest ed to them by the Lord wbo alo ne is the ocean of
in g o ne ano t he r t o the i nner o nes in t o which they a re woven as
bl iss .I? The co nc lu d ing sent ence a ffir ms the truth that the
wa r p and wo of and by impli cati on negat e their re ality o ne after
unreleased as we ll as the r eleas ed so ul s ar e fo r C I'C I' dependent
the ot h er , till we re ach th e i nn ermost core of a ll the
o n t he Lo rd . He is th e one and th e 011 1.1' Indep endent Being.
multipli city o f pheno me na l a p pearances in the Sarvantara' the
Ato m uk t ii amuktii sca 11(/ svatantrii h kadacana ,
uncon diti oned b ase a nd bare sup po rt o f al l a ppea r a nces of
Sva tantrastu S Il evaik o b!/(}ga1'fhz puruso tt atnah, (M)
supe r im posed real it y. !
i31aT ~r 3lE~r ~T rr ~?fr: Cfi~r::a;~ I

ffi;:"?f@ ~ ~<hT +Ffqf'1, :I~1~~: 11

This way o f int er pretin g th e mess age of th e -.G ~l1" gi BrahmaDa

is not o nly /l 01 suppo rt ed b y t he evidence o f t he prese nce of any
Suc h is th e teachin g o f Ka hol a Br a h ma na .
such th em a ti c o r pe da gogic purpo se i n th e wor d ing o f it s passa ­
ges bu t is a lso q ui te o ppo sed t o th e s pir it and letter of the
9 . Pal',l(lityamag tnnajiii! na tn . Bii lyu m yuk t is ah i tani. M au lI al11 U­
piisaniijam. Atnaunant apnroksajiiiinanr. Ni rvidyo , Nitariim qu esti ons pu t t o Y~ jfiava lkya
and t he answe rs giv en by him ,
labdhvii, Vidl r liibha it ! dltiitoh, A {ha briihm ana ih mu k to wh ere the emph asi s is o n th e asraya asrayibhiil'a t relation of

bltavatityarthah . (M) sup por ter a nd su ppo rted ) be t wee n th e pairs nam ed in a n as cend ­
~ ing ord e r I ill we reach th e Sup re me Deity (para-devatii) - viz .
qT~r~Jf~ I ~rfZi1 ~fulB~ I ~T~!!qro'lT~~ I

i3lmrmq{)~~fr1~ I firP-f~ firau ~31::qT I ~~T~ Br ah man.

,~ ~ T"r=rl " c­
ql <:"ll: I i3l~ ;fM OT : ~'Tl1 +1~~: I
10 . Sa (briih mano) muk t o ycna Ke niip i vart ay annapi ' td rsa ; el'a.
bhiksuka eva , no kada cit sva tan t ro bh avati . (M)
,. P!'[h il'yiidilly iikiiHm tiini bh iil (/11; aut arbah irbhiivena vy avastll t.
l ?illi. Tesiim yad bclhyamodhiga myiidlz igamya niriiku nal1 dr o ~·t­

~ (;rmon) ~ ~rf ~rfTfi;t ClJ~'2frq I~~'~, fir~ QA', lib siik ,sI[f sa I' I'tI /I I 01"() agall ~w iitmii sar vasam siiradharllla­
vi nirmukto dar.5ayi {o\')'a i fy ii r al11bha(1. ts. e-t: Up . III 6)
'1 q:;GJR.T~ ~a ?/l .. +=r.rRt f I
~f~O':n~~<fiT~Rl1fir ~al~ ~;a~~TEri1 ~f~~T~ I ~t
~~ llct, ~&f+nf4T{H.nNn. lr ~U~~ ~1l~ : BT&:\Tr:f
~ w.n;ai\ ~lJ( :
,. . t" "l:'~ l:' ~
~+1T BetOOR<:f~lrl~:qi1 a:?8 I ~~~ ~~41 : I
 104 MADHVA'S BB.-HAD A.RAT;JYAKA BHASYA
Th e r elat ion of otap rotabhiiva predi cated in the text bet ween
the Supreme Brahma n a nd th e "worlds" ofGa nd harva s,Ca ndra,
Sfirya , Devas, Praj apat i, etc . th ro' o ne a noth er. har dly ad mi ts
of bein g di smi ssed as a supe r impos ed one in the end. ?
We have a lready seen that th e co ncep t of Br ah man as bei ng
p res ent in all (s ar viint or a) w ill make no sense if 't he all' sho u ld
h ave no fact ual existence . Bra hma n is Sa rva ntara becaus e th e
"sarvamr is also ther e, rh o' ete rna lly a nd o nto log ica liy dep endin g
o n Brahman a nd not becau se the re is no sa rva tn at a ll speak of
'The a ll' isa rvams as pervaded bo th fr om ins ide and o utside by
Bra h ma n>­
"Ant ar bah isca ta t sarvam lyopya Nii riiyanas s th itah'
( Ma h- N . Up . X I. 6 )
wh ile everything else is wove n into Brahm an as warp and woo f,
Bra hman is no t wove n into a nythi ng else . It is both insi de a nd
o utside a ll finite r eality wh ile a t th e same time r emaining o ther
th an ' them an d un tou che d by the ir defects.
Ta t s tltam tad vyat irik tam ea .
Birnb a-Pr atibimb a-b hava (based o n dep en dence a nd resem­
Niyantiira m nanuim ah e, t S kiinda II .9.15 ,1 8)
bl ance ) r unnin g down a ll a long th e line from th e summ it to the
There in lies Its insc rutab le m ajest y.
base. T he inn ate bliss of th e Mukt a- Ca turruukh abr ahrn a is thu s
Mat sthiini sa rvabhiitiini na ciiham t esvavasthitah (GUn IX.4)
M adhva , there fo re interpret s thi s Br ahmana as dem on stra­
ting t ha t th e exp er ie nce o f th e int rinsic bli ss of a ll re leas ed
2. Mayi sarvamidam p ro t am s iit re m iirnag ana iva .
Cr. ~m ~flIc:: ~ ~ BloPT'JTT ~ I (G'ilii VII. 7)
which enl ivens th e f ig ure of spca ch hy showing h owt lie p ear ls
and the s tring (in a p earl g a rl and) a re both r ea l - the s tri ng
holding th em all t og et her witho ut wh ich th ey will f a ll apa rt
an d p er ish .
GARGI-BRAH MAT;JA 105
sou ls dep ends ulti mat el y o n th e Sup reme Brahma n's enj oyment
of its o wn infini te bli ss (sl'l1riiplinoll da ) a nd likewi se in a n
ascendi ng hierar ch ic ord er 011 th ose of th eir better s en din g with
the Supre me Br ah ma n. Th e Sup reme is not sim ilar ly dependent
o n a ny o ther. It is se lf-exi ste nt an d self-suffic ient a nd its bli ss
is infinite while th at of the released sou Is is infinite simal in
co mpari so n:
Tarsu khiinii m pa ram bralttna m ukt igiiniim po riisraya h.
E vatn eva ea sa msiire bi m batvddut taro ttara m,
N a p a rab rahm ann li k as cida sraya l) sviisraya m yata b, (M)
~qffi'lt qt ~ B:RnnAt qU~lf:
~~ =r-r ~tfl~ Rf~~~ I
f'j WMOT: ~~T~lf: ~T~ir lfa: 11
In t he previous Brahma na th e released souls were shown t o
be d iffere nt fr om th e Supre me Bra hman . H ere it is shown th at
they are a hi er ar ch y of beings w ith a well- defi ned order of
but a Prat ib imb a of th e Lo rd's - so a lso in respect of the inn at e
bli ss of the o thers bel o w him i n th e descen din g o r de r.
Mad hva c lea rs th e gr o und for thi s interpr et at io n by firs t of
a ll es ta b lishi ng that th e word 'Devat a.' used by Yajfiavalkya in
Anatip ra snviim tlevatiim at ipr ecltosi Giirgi refe rs t o a sent ient
Being . Co ns iste nt with th is th e other words A.pa/,l, Vayuh
a lso have to be und e rst ood to refe r to certain sentient beings
an d not purely in senti ent ones (as Sa nka ra woul d h ave it)
Accordingl y, M adh va exp la ins a ll th ese term s Apah, Va yuh ,
106 MADHVA'S B'B-HADARANYAKA BHA$YA
Ant ariksa a nd P r aj apati as the Abhim a ni de vatas of the re sp ective
elem ents or T at t vas , in th eir released co ndit ion . The id entities
of these Abhim anidevat as ar e established by Madhva on the
auth ority of a citati on given by him from the Brahmiinda Pllra~la.
Starting fr om 'Antari ksa' th e Upani sad speaks of Antariks a­
lo ka , Gandh arv al ok a , Adityal ok a , Candraloka , N ak satral oka ,
Dev al o ka , In dr al o k a , P raj apat i lo ka and Br ahrnal o k a .
If the word s A d ityalo ka , Ch andral oka etc. are taken in the
co nve nt io nal sense o f 'wo r ld s' or regi on s it will n ot be proper
t o speak of the lower re gi o ns as resting on those a bo ve them.
It should be the o ther way abou t. There is als o an other diffi­
cu lty, the text sp eaks of Va yu as re sting on Gandharvaloka.
This will be in conflict with o t h e r t ext s wh ich sp ea k of Va yu a s
holding to gether a ll the wo rl ds (Viiy unii hi s a ne loka neniyont c s,
a nd that it is by Va yu that thi s wo r ld a nd the other worlds and
all th e crea tures are held t ogether (Brh. Up . HI. 7 .2) Moreover,
if the term -lok a ' in these several in st an ces is t o be t ak en in the
co nvent io na l se nse of the ' wo r lds ' there is no valid re as on t o
fo rb id the qu esti on as t o where 'Br ahm aloka' it self is woven as
warp a n d woo f; fo r , li ke a ny o t her world, it sh ou ld a lso be
wo ve n into some o t her. That "lo k a ' in Brahmal oka d oes not
s ig nify a ' wo r ld ' o r regi on comes ou t clearly fr o m Y ajfi av al k ya ' s
reb uff - D on 't you da re t o question a Divinity whi ch ou ght not
to b e questi on ed too mu ch OIl .6 .1). As 'Brah111a ' it sel f h app en s
to be a divin it y, brahm a lok a wi ll ha ve t o si gnify so me essenti al
a ttr ibu te o f Bra hma n- suc h as its in t r ins ic bli ss t s varup iinandas ,
By the same t oke n ' lo ka ' in th e o t h er cases also wi ll h av e t o be
underst o od in the sa me sense . Thus t he entire ser ies of loka s
would be referring t o th e re spective sv ariip iina nda of the r espe­
ctive released so uls-Apah , Va yu. A ntar iks a, Prajapat i , Aditya,
GARGi-BRAHMANA 107
Candra, etc. Madhva ' s bh a sy a helps us t o understand h ow the
term 'Ioka' comes t o s ig n ify intrin si c bl iss ( of th e released soul) .
This word hasi ts esoteric etym ol ogy in ' Iu-ko ' = lok a. The innate
bliss of released souls Come s t o be ex pe r ienc ed in full o nly a ft e r
they have left behind (Ill) their sta te of b ondage . Hence it is
called ' Io- ka .'
S O/ll.\'(lriit lujllrI/I(tm Milk tiiniirn k rilli su khii ni !okfJ.!r :\
A s the w ord s Ap al~. Va yu , Ant arik sa a nd o the rs h ave all
been sh ow n t o be tak e n in th e unifor m se nse of di vinities pre­
s id i ng over the e leme nts and tat t vas. th e wh o le discou rse ca n be
see n 't o be co nc ern ed with the ini cr - rel at io n o f Bimboprati­
bimbabhiiva or /{ froy as r ay ibh c7!'o th at ex is ts a mo ng the Mukta­
jivas and their exper ien ce o f th eir int ri ns ic bl iss- ull o f them in
the last an al ysi s being re lat ed to th c unlimited bli ss o f the
Supreme L ord o r whi c h th eir s is bu t a dro p as it we re (Vide
Brit . Up. IV. 3.32) .
Sailkara un derst ands th e qu esti on ' O n wha t then a rc the
worlds of Br ahm a wov en li ke wa rp a nd w oo f ' as referrin g to the
world of Hiranyagarbhn co ns t it u te d o f the el ements o f the
cos mic egg i Br ahtna lok d ll am a a ~ l(!iir (/m hh al((tll i bhuuini), This
does not w arra nt th e re prim and from Ya jfi a valk ya - D on 't yo u
dare to question wh at o ug h t not to be que sti on ed o ve r mu ch'.
F or like any o th er world in finit e re alit y the wo rl d of Hira nya­
garbha too will h ave t o admit of so me hi gh er su ppo r t o r base.
3. <Linam sukh am 'k a ' ityukt am 'kam ' llama k slyate at ra yat' (M )
"~5~ '<fi' ~C?:!:ffi '<fi' rJrijaftG{R$'3i~' (M)
The happiness wh ich end ures in th e slate of bondag e is kam
(in the neuter) Gild th e innat e b liss of se lfh oo d which has
been dorm ant and lying obscured in bondag e and becomes
fully manifested ill released is k ah (in th e masculine). The
plural' '10Mb" would signify th e innumerable shades 0/
Svariipasukp<:\,
 108 MADHVA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
The question can, therefore, be disallo wed and ruled out only
if it goes out of bounds and seeks to prob e the s ou rceiof an
III
ultimate reality. As Sankara does 110t understand Br ahmal cka
in any such ultimate sense , there is no reason to stop the quest­
ion from being asked . This sho ws that Madhva is right in
construing ' Br ahm a ' in the sense of the Supreme Being and
Brahmaloka t o mean the intrinsic infinite bliss of the Supreme
Lord.
Sen sin g thi s difficulty Ra n garam anuja who also
SaJikara identifies Brahm al oka with Avyakrtakasa offers an
explanati on that th ou gh Garg is question about BrahmaJoka is
110t abo ut the hi ghe st Brahm an or Po r a-devatii but only
abo ut Avy akrt a k a s a a nd. therefore, quite admi ssible, yet
Yiijfiavalk ya hastens to forest all G arg i' s askin g a further
question about the so urce of the Supreme Reality of Para
Br ahman (Paradevata ) also , by forbidding the question about
the source of Av yak rt aka sa it self-by way of abundant cauti on
and commend able foresight.
Without flying at a tangent , Madhva comes direct to the
point a nd hits the nail on the head. Gargis audacity , in
presumin g to r ai se a simil ar que stion as t o the source on which ,
the Supreme Divinity itself depends for sup por t iotas co prot ascat
is rightly snub bed .
Thus , we come to the final conclu sion that the Supreme
Brahman is the Ultimat e source and support (asraya) of all
Mukta-Jivas in the enjoyment of their respective innate bliss.
This dependence holds among the' various cadres of Mukta
Jlvas , in keeping with their hierarchic inter-relation to one
another whi ch culminates in the one Supreme Lord: who is not
lI'oven as warp and woof in any oth e r reality.
A NTARY A-.MI-BR /{lfM A NA Ivr (DI. 7. 1-23)
The An tary a mi Br a hman a cont ains a viv id a nd spectacular
elucidati on of all that has be en sa id till now a bou t the Lord 's
being the C osmic Co ntro ller ( (/1I{aryfim i ) and Hi s d iffe re nce
from all the indi vidu a l selves . Th is di scourse runs to twenty
like paragraphs coverin g th e wh ol e ran ge of the Adhyatrnic ,
Adhid aiva, Adhibuta an d Adhiyajfi a d om ain s.
By bringing the concept o f the Lord's Antaryarnitva to
bear upon every cr oss-section o f th e material universe and the
world of s en t ient bei ngs alike , the Upani sad deals a death-blow
to both the Sankhya metaphysics which banishes the Supreme
Being from its purview and m akes the Jada Prakrti independent
in its place and the Advaita theory of the identity of Jiva and
Brahman.
At the outset, the -Br a h ma n a devotes special attention to
the place of honor which belongs to Vayu or Mukhya Prana
in the world-order, as it s controlling thread (sutra).! We have
seen the pre-eminence given to Va yu in some of the earlier con­
texts in this Upanisad (and elsewhere). Here, Mukhya Prana
is called the 'connecting thread' which sustains the entire
psychophysical life of beings. Without him the cosmic order
will come to a standstill. He serves as a foil to the incom­
parable greatness of the Supreme which is the inner controlIer
1. Siitam Jag adidam yasm in siit ram viiyu rasa u smrtah,
( M . Brh. Up. C )
., "'.. ,-. . . ~"
~a~il~~ rr~ ~3f CfT:g,~r \-+JC\: I
 110 MADHVA'S BRHADARA~YAKA BHASYA
of the Cosmic Siitra as well. 2 No wonder, the Upanisad
says ' H e who knows the greatness of both oJ th em ; knows
Brahman, knows the Gods, the Vedas , the worlds, the Atman
and everything , com mensura te with hi s ability'. Knowledge
o f th ese t wo g rea t being s makes one perfect lpiil'1)a) and, there­
fore, a Brahmavid . It makes him know the worlds as they
should be kno wn in th e manlier described (iti) • viz. as the
creation of the Supreme and controlled by It and as being
supported by the Sutratma-Prana (Vtiyu).il It makes ' him
know the G ods as they should be known, viz. . as owing their
A NTARYA MI-BR AH MANA III
comes to be ne arest and dearest to ones elf. Such a one kno ws
what is worth-knowing (sar val'id). d
The epithet ' A ntarya mi ' given to th e Sup reme Brahman
dem olishes the foundatio ns of the doctrine of identity of Atman
(the individu al self) a nd Brahman . Th e co nc ep t of th e Cosmic
Antaryiim i {Visviinta rydmis may be sai d to cp it omi ze the sub ­
stance of Up anisadi c ph ilo so p hyr,
The word ' A ntarya m!' denot es one who co ntro ls every­
thing else fro m within , - wit ho ut depen ding o n any so ur ce exter­
nal to Himself. ;,
4. Bralunavitplln:zavijiltllliit fokii//{ltIl k artrv eda na t,

Lokavid, de va vicc dsa u devclllam de vavedana t ,

divenity to them (Le. to Vayu and the Supreme Brahman. It

Vediirth avcdanaccai va vedavid blllltavittat!ul .

makes him a true knower o f Vedic wisdom that the Sutratrna

Tann iyant rt vaparij ii iina ; Cl tm avi ccdtm a vedn niu .

Prana and the Antaryarni Brahman rule the Universe. It Sar vavit sarva sdrojiio y o veda puru so ttamam, ( M)

makes him understand how all beings are supported by Vayu ~m~o1MSj rrrT~ ~~Trrr ' ~~r~ I
and are controlled from within by the Lord (bhiaavtd), He ""' '''''''' ..... "" ~... ~ .", ,-\
~~, ~CfTCl''6ffffr ~Ar ~~ff{ I
becomes an Atmavid ,by knowing the Lord to be nearer and ..... (' ~ ~ ..... ~ ,....""

~T2l~T'6fcr cre:rcr~ ~ffiCI'Q ~f I

dearer to him than his own self', because it is by reason of . the
C::. . r'\ r-.. .....
Lord's presence in him and by His will that one 's own self al'?l~~f{~rrr~ '31R~ICf'UI~C{qrIff{ I
~~~~ flm,r~ ~ ~f( g~~~~ 1I
2. Tam ciipi yamayedyasmiidantaryiimi harib smrtab, (M) .:' Pu rusa sab do at radh ik a r ip ara{l, cetanap arascn , Tath dca
~ :qlfit ~~G:~ rn: ~a: I adhikiiryutt amnm sutram ; ce tan ott am am visnumity arthah,
(Raglz u .)
Tasyaiva siitrasy a niyantiiram vidyiit, (S) ~~~s~f4<filfttR :, ~~~*l I CI~H ~ a:jf4CfiT~Wr ~,
~~~~~~.I ~8"':Ir~ ~~~~: I
5. Svatantrak sail niy ant.i ciisii ~'all t a ryant i tatah smrt ah, (M)
r-; \~ h.
3. Yo vai tatsiitram vidy at, tam edntaryiiminam iti, sa brahma ~~;:~ : {{~ f11lf"e-ffi' :qrtlrC4~~+1T 00: ~~CI : I
Yid sa lokavid sa devavtd sa bhiitay id sa .4kiisuvid sa "An tareva yami ' ityan taryam l. Antareva ityasya t dtp aryam
sarvavid. 'svatanira' iti. Yiililityasyartho niy anta it i, (Raghu.)
( Brh. Up. Tll. 7. 1 ) '3F<i~~ ;ln~r ' ~t4;:i:1~ijr I ar~~ ~~ cm~ 'm~'
~ 1l ~ ~r~ , ~ ~fi:rrit ~, (1 ~~ (1 ~~ ~ I ~+fI?-WiTm ~~;:m ~Rr i
On ly an ind ep endent Bein g (Svatantr a) can have t he power
(1 ~fctc{ ~ ~C{ ~ ~~ (1 ~refctet (1 (1~ 11
to enter into another being to control it f rom within.

112 MADHVA' S B T~HAD ARA N Y A KA BHA0YA
Such control is not restricted to the world of I nsenticnts.
It appli es with equa l force to th e domain of senti ent re al s also,
to which cat egory the indi vidual soul s belong.
Madhv a makes it clear, at the outset, that th e earth, air,
waters, sky, sun, moon, light, speech , ~ye, skin and other things
in which the Antaryarni is said to dw ell and whom th ey kn ow
not and wh ose ' body' they are, " are not the inani mate prin­
ciples of th ose name s but their presiding deities (i.e . sentient
bein gs). Quoting from M ahiimim iims d, he gives their sepa ra te
identities , in his Bh a sy a. ! It would be evide nt from the ser ies
of statements made in this Brahmana such as 'whom the earth
does not kIl OW, whom the waters do not kno w, whom the
light does not k IlOW, whom the understanding does not k now,
that such denial s would be meaningful only if they are made
to refer to sentient beings .s As Madhva says-the fact that
all organic I ife in the cosmos is controlled by the Antaryiimi
from within should suffice to est abli sh that all inorganic life
too is similarly under it s control, without requiring a separa te
mention in the text to that effect :
6. Th ey a re figuratively termed ' body ' of the A nt aryiim in on
account of th eir c omplet e dependen ce 0 11 hi m.
Prt hi vy iidyii devatiist u deha vat ta dva sutvat ah,
S ar iramiti cocya ntc. ( M. Er l!. Up. C. IJI. 7 )
m~~ ~T~ ~crcr. ~~: I
~ r-c r-: ~ "'
..... ........ ........ ~RI~[+{ffiI=t:2{r(1 I
Atrocyate:»- avidyii pratyupasthiipit; kiirya karanoptidhinimt­
7. Su ch as Garuda , Hara , Sa rasvati , Durg ii, S ri, Va runa,
Hiranyag arbha, For ety m o log ica l derivation and othe r
details see M.' s Bh iisya an d th e g loss of Raglziittama.
8. P rthivyiididevatii malidbhiig iih, Yamantaryiim inam P rth ivI­
devat ii na veda, mayyany ab ka scidastiti. (Sau kar a)
"...." r" ~ C"r-..
m~~~erer +m:r~: \ :E{+{..c\4Ilfl ul
~. "" I
;:r~..!f : 'fi1 ~1(,{\-ct lid
ANTARYAMI -BRAHMA~A 113
Jiviindm niyame ajtvam kimuviicyam iti Sruti/J Prthak
tanniyamanam naisii vakti siddhyatyatas svatah ,
SaJikara too admits clearly that the words Prthvi, Apa1.l
Vayu, Agni, Tejas, Tamas, etc . used in this context stand
for the respective presiding divinities of the elements, tho' he
has not spelt out th eir names or identities, as Madhva has
done.
Sankara's theory of the identity of Atman (individual self)
and Brahman vanishes into thin air when confronted with
Yftjfiavalkya's momentous decl aration: Ya iitmani tisthan
iitmiinam antaro yamayati esa te iit mii Antaryiimi amrt ah in the
Madhyandina recension of this Upanisad ( Satapatha Br, XIV
6. 7. 30 ) whose counterpart in the Kanva recension is worded­
Yo vijhiine tisthan vijiiimam antaro yamayati esa te iitmii
Antaryiimi amrtab (Brh. Up. Ill. 7. 22)
SaIikara himself agrees in his commentary on B.S.i.2.20
which is based on th ese two texts that the terms Vijfiana and
Atman are synonymous. Discussing these texts. the Siitrakara
also categorically asserts that 'The Kanvas and the Madhyan­
dinas pronounce the individual soul to be different from
Brahman'. In his usual way, SaJikara, while conceding the
verdict of the Sutrakara, puts up a parenthetical exp lanat ion
that this difference is all due to Avidyft and the interposition
of Upadhis, and 'is not the real truth of the matter':
no ayam Saririintaryiirnivob bhed avyap odesab, Na piiramiir­
thikah,
~~- ~ ~filafilI4ttl~uittrrMfijflr~.sirmfJU;'ij­
trlllruIr: ~~~: I ;r ~Tf~: I
. ~............. .....,
m~l~ f1 ~,
(S.BSB. 1.2.20)
10
 114 MADHVA'S BB-HADA.RA1:-1YAKA BHASYA
We are not bound to accept Sankara's reservation against
the express statement of the Sruti and the Siitra on the point,
Finally, SaIikara presses his point of the identity of Atman
and Brahman on the basis of the concluding passage of
Yajiiavalkya: Ndnyo at osti dra~tii niinyo atosti vijfiiitii
esa te iitmii An ta ry iim ] amrtah,
He ar gues that as the Sruti declares that there is no other
pe rceiv er or thinker than the Antaryiimi and as the Atman is
given in our experience as the unseen perceiver, unthoughr
thinker and so on, the two must be deemed to be identical. In
putting foward such an argument Sankara seems to convenien­
t ly overlook Yajiiavalkya's instruction to Maitreyi that the .
Atman should be p erceived, heard reflected upon and meditated
up on (Brh, Up. If. 4.5. and I V. 5.6.) That certainly implies that
' A tman' is accessible to intuitive perception, sravana, manana
dhyiina, The Atman cannot, therefore, be treated as utterly
beyond dar sana, sravana, manana,etc. That being so and as
the individual self is 'iirta' (subject to suffering, as stated by
Yajiiavalkya hin self) it CHLot possibly be an ir.depcrdcnt
p er cei ver, thinker or knower, in the last ara lys is , Yiijfi,i\,all)a's
declaration then, that 'there is no ur.seer j erceive r, ro untho­
ught thinker oth er than the Antaryami', (niinyo ato asti drastii)
will have t o be construed in the sense that the Antaryamj is the
only independent unthoght thinker. unseen perceiver and
unknown knower. The individual selves, by implication, are
dependent on the Antaryaminfor their powers of perceivine,
thinking, knowing and acting.
AK$ARA-BRAHMA/fAM ([[[, 8.1-12)
The dependence on the Supreme Antaryami of all Cosmic
principles ( tattvas) and their presiding divinities, in their
hierarchic relationship to one another, ending with Sutratma­
Prana, for their subsistence and functioning and the dependence
of the Sutratma-Prana himself on the supreme antaryami
have been spelt out in the Gargi Brahmana ( Ill. 6). A
similar pronouncement on the dependence of Mula-Prakrti
and Avyakrta-Akasa (space) - the womb of all creation and
their presiding divinity - viz. Sritattva or Cit-Prakrti is 'lOW
called for, to place in the highest relief the unqualified trans­
cendence of the Supreme Antaryamin, described as Visvatan
Paramam.t (Mah. N . Up. XI. 2)
Such a pronouncement is , therefore, made in the present
H Aksara-r-Brahmana". The term Aksara means 'imperishable '.
The Supreme Brahman is "A-k$ara" par ex cellence as it is not
subject to any of the four kinds of extinction - viz. imper­
manence, loss of body in Pralaya, liability t o suffering and
limitations of space, time, and by attrrbutes.t
1. This absolute transcendence of th e Suprem e Brahman has
been described by the significant expression 'cdhyupadesa'
in BS. 1. 3.8. Madhva's interpretation of this term gives
us a new insight into its metaphysical significance. See
my BSPC. Vol. I . pp. 215-217.
2. Anityatvam dehahiinib duhkhapriiptirapiirnatii.
Niisascaturvidhal;t. proktab tadabhiivo har eh sodii.
P1 " a:rn~: ~:@~If8{~dl I
O1ro~\q: ~ffil: ~ i{: 00 11
( M . GT. Il. 17, )
116 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKABHASYA AKSARA-BRAHMA~ AM 117

Clt-Prakrtl, ranking next to the Supreme Brahman is the of the Supreme Brahman as Aksariit paratab para(z6 (MuwJ. Up .
only dependent real which is eternally untouched by suffering [[.1.2)
( du!;klta-a SPN!ii) and, therefore, ever-free from transmigration As Cit Prakrti or Srltattva is the presiding divinity of
( nityamuktii Y, She is not, therefore, subject to bodily extin­ space it is permi ssible to refer to it by the same term of
ction ( dehaniisa ) at any time,S while the Supreme Being is 'Akasa' in conformity with the principle of interpretation
unlimited by space, time and in attributes.v Sritattva enjoys Abhlmiinyabhimanyamdnay or aikyavyapadeiah; There is thus
parity of status with the Lord only in respect of pervasion in no difficulty in Madhva's referring the question raised by
time and space. For this reason she has been called "Sama-nii" Gargi 'in what is Akiisa woven as warp and woof' ( Ill. 8. 7 )
in the Brahmasfltra ( IV. 2. 7 5 ) as an inquiry int o the source and support of Cit Prakrti itself,
which occupies a position immediately above sutratma prana
The Mundakopanisad (ll. 1. 2) speaks of three distinct and below the Supreme Brahman..
"Aksarasvlz. Jada Prakrti. Cetana Prakrti and the Supreme The emphasis laid on the .words Akiisa eva tad otam ea
Brahman. Cetana prakrti. is the middle aksara and the protam ea in Yajiiavalkya's reply to Giirgi's question, over
Supreme Brahman the highest (parama-aksara} , The concept of again in Ill. 8. 7 before proceeding to answer her oth er question
triple aksaras taksaratr ayams is implicit in the description as to where the Akasa itself is rooted, is evidently intended
to stress the special status which belongs to Akiisa (Cit-Prakrti)
in its own rights." We cannot , therefore, dismiss the repe­
3. Desatab kiilatascaiva gunatasca tridhii tatih, tition, with Sankara, as signifying nothing specials
s{J samastii harereva, . .
6. Tryaksariibhidhiiniit aksariitparatah para ityapi pilrvokta­
~: ~~ ~UYaat ~l:lT W\': I
syatva visesantu ,
m~~ ..· · 1I
~~ ~'Wf: 'R ~ ~1~ fct~qolt€( I
( M. BSB. 1. 2. 22 )
(Madhva GT. If 17)
For furth er details , see my BSPC. Vol. I . pp. 181-184.
7. Punab prainab sarviidhiirii pra krttrttyanupacaruatventivo:
4. Desatah kiilatascaiviivasthiitab svato anyatah,
dhiiraniirtham. ' Akiisa eva' itya vadhiiranii t.
aviluptiivabodhiitmii. . .
!frt: ~~: 001-00 ~fdftl;41q:q[{CI~~'1Ic{~l1lT~ I '~
~: ma~qlq@CI: ~~: I

~' ~OH€(1
::aF.:Llti.::J",,""_'ii ..................... II

( Ill. 8. 7) (M)
( Bhiig, Ill. 7. 5 ) 8. Uktasyaiviivadhiiranii rtham . punarucyate, na kiflcidapiirva­
marthiintaramucyat e. .
5. For the ety m olog ical explanation of this term and other ~ $'1~, ~ flpMa:~"dG"d(~ I
details see my BSPC. Vol. [[I. pp. 665 . (S. 8rh. (Jp. C. )
118 MADHVA'S B~HADARAI';TYAKA Bl~A$YA
The answer given to Giirgi's question about' Akiisa' . ( Cit
Prakrti ) is that it is woven as warp and woof in the Supreme
Aksara. The knowers of Brahman describe it witli great warmth
( Briihmanii abhivadanti t v as the Being endowed with negative
as well as positive attributes of transcendental character. The
ascription of some of the negative attributes like "being neither
gross nor subtle or being without mind or radiance" is to be
understood in the sen se th at Brahman's attributes are all of
them of transempirical character. This is supported by texts
which describe Brahman as 'na Prajiiam, as apr ajiiam, ( MiiIJrj·
Up ) Prajiiiiniim Brahma' ( Ait. Up. )
This section of the Brh. Up (III.8 .8) has been introduced
by Madhva as the visayo vaky a of the B.S. Anyabhiivavyii­
vrttesca (i. 3. 12). The meaning of the Siitra, according to
Madhva, is that it is in keepin g with the unfathomable majesty
of the Divine per sonality that it can accomodate within itself
mutually contradictory attributes or properties of a purely
transcendental na ture, whether positive or negative, like the
ones mentioned here, which are not found to exist in one
and the sa me subject in the empirical world. Such coexistence
of even contradictory attributes of a purely t ransempirica I
nature is the essence of the mystery of Divine Nature.l?
9. This phrase ups et s Sa1ilwra' s description of Br ahman as
sabda- a vacya m .
10. Avirodhena g ovinde santyasthiiliidikiini ea.
.... . .. . . ....... . . tani lingiini t adanyatra na santyapi .
~f4~Fh1 ~ ~f.t :q I
.... ..... ~ f~@f ~ <1 ~ 11
(M. AV. 1.3. 12)
AK$ARA-BRAHMANAM 119
Descriptions of Brahman like ,It is not red, not adhesive
, deny material attributes to it. Others like 'not shado w
signify that it is not touched by the shadow of ignorance
or that it is so all- pervasive that it casts no shadow.
' Having no darkness' (atamab) . means that it is not open to
obscuration by any other power . ' N eit her air nor sky' means
it is unattached. 'Without taste (arasam), smell (agandham)
... ' mean it has no material body composed of the five
elements.U 'Without measure' (amiitram) means there are
10 continued)
'Viruddhairluksan airyutam' ity anena etadabhip retam tiinya­
sthiilatviidikiini anut vamahatviidikiini ling iini tasmiid
Brahmano znyatra sahiisanty api Govinde avirodhenaiva,
sahaiveti yii vat, santi W. Na punab virodhamabhyupetya­
ek atriivas thiinamucyate, ye na vyii ghiit alt syiiditi,
'fc{~~£~~&~' ~~ ~~~ ffi~Tfrr ~­
*I~~~lilfrr f~TTfrr amT~ ;multS;:<ffl Bm\i~fit mAAs­
M~~q, ij~~Rr i.ITq~, \iFra ~ I ;r~: fc{U~~
~tfi3Tr~Tem~~, ~ &fI~a: ~nta:ffi 11 ·
(NS. 1.3.12)
11. Ek apr akaranagatdniimapi asthiilatviidipaddniim priikrtasth­
aulyiidinisednaparatvam, "atamo aviiyvaniikiisam' ttyiidtniim
sarviitmand tam a /i dinisedh aparatvam iti vy iikhy iinam katha­
mityota iilta- <ad ubkhamasukham samam' 'Na prajiiam
1)iiprajnam' ityiidi ca.
~~~lal'1T~fil 3l~~l{G;T'1r QJiiClt~~~l:'ftRfci,
3lamSqpJ:('1ICfl~' ~<{r'"It ~1qT~'1T a+T i31T~~
~ ~~.:r . ep~flt~ i31T~- '~:~~ij~ @1~' ';r ~
;fi~' ~:q I
( Raghiittam a llrh. Up. gloss)
120 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
of internal distinctions of parts (svagatabh eda) within its
being. 'Having neither a within nor a without' (anant aram
abiihyam) signifies that there is nothing but its own self
which can be said to abide in it or outside its being; in other
words, that it is that which abides inside and outside
everything. (Scrviipek sayii svayam eva antar am biihyam ea),
'It does not eat anything' signifies that Brahman does not
have to depend on any others for its substenance as all
other beings depend on it for their life and functioning.
(Ill. 8. 8).
The positive attributes of Aksara-Brahman are then
described in terms of ef f ortless cosmic controll ' of heaven and
earth, time and its divisions, the planets and stars and
their presiding divinities, the regulated flow of mighty rivers
in ·various directions ( Ill. 8.9, )
At its behest the gods are pleased with the oblations
offered to them in sacrifices and the beneficiaries of sacrificial understand to the One Supreme Reality Wh om they can never
fees and gifts (dak~inii) praise their patrons. Hence only such
12. Etasya vii aksarasya p rasiisone .g drgi siiryiicandram asau
vidhrtau ti~lhata, etasya vii aksarasya prasiisane dyiivii­
prthivyau vidhrte tisthat a, nim esii muhiirtii ahor dtrdnyar­
dhamiisii miisii rtavah sam vatsa ro, p riicyii al'J 0 r adycb
syandante, dadato manu,syiif:z p rasasanti yajamiinam, de vii
darvlm pitaronviiyattiib ,
~ err ~~ sroR1~ mffl fl4N~~;r fc{~ ~ ~
elf \5{~ srnTij~ ~~ ~ fmre, ~t{f ~
~1?IT~ ~ ~: ~T, ~:r.crr O{Oll'T ii?l:
~~, a:a:et ~~~: ~f.Ri ~~l~, ~crr G.crl NaU;qf­
~: I
AKS ARA--BRAHMANA
121
work s as are performed with right underst andin g of the Aks ara­
Brahman 's greatness are co nd ucive to the lasting . rewards of
Mok sa . Act s performed without such kno wledge yield no more
. than temporary benefits in the ceasele ss cycle of rebirth (II .8.1
9-10) .
Yajfiavalkya's recital of the transcendental attributes of
Brahman concludes with the words "It is the unseen perceiver
of all, the unheard hearer of all , the unknown ·knower of all.
Ther is no other but the Ak sara that perceives, no other but
it that hears, thinks or knows ". (Ill' 8. II) . .
These are to be interp reted in the same manner as the
earlier description of the Antaryiimi-Brahman in Ill. 7. 23 that
..
the Supreme Brahman is the only independent ·principle that
knows, thinks and underst and s by its own intrinsi c power,
while all other sentient beings owe their power to know or
know or understand in all th e fu lness of its nature and attri­
but es. All finite reality including the Siitratma-Prana and the
Cit Prakrti (Akiisa) is, therefore, rooted in the Aksara Brahman
and is woven into it like warp and Woof.
===.....- ­
H

 SAKALYA-BR AHMAJ':IAM (Ill. 9. 1-28 )

SAKALYA-BRAHMA~A [23
Sailkara holds that as the earlier Brahmana had dealt with
their multipli city is subord inated to the One s upreme power
the Antaryami 's controlling the Cosmic order through the
controlling an.
Sutratrna Vayu in his Vyasti and Sarnasti aspects, the present
The concept of' Antary amin ' can have no place in a moni­
one goes into the ramifications of the network of presiding
dei ties connected with the various phases of cosmic develop­ stic philosophy where there is no real world to be ruled and
controlled. It would be a misuse of language to talk ill all
ment.!
seriousne ss of 'Niyamana' of a passing show of superimposition
However, the purpose of philosophical inquiry according to
called the cosmos.
Sankara is th e affirmation of the one unconditioned self (AtmaD)
There is contextual co nsist ency in the way Madhv a explains
revealed in immediate experience as self-shining,2Such affir­
the subject matter of this Brahrnana. Starting with the number
mation can best be achieved by the forthright denial of Paramii­
of divinities given in the Nivid as 33,000, Yajfiavalkya gradu­
rth ik a reality to the entire cosm ic order. It would thus be quite
ally reduces their number by a pr ocess of subsumpt io n to
out o f pl ace to enter into any elaborate description of the
smallet' units until finally all are brought under the direct con­
remifications of the subject of presiding divinities of the cosmic
trol of One Svatantra Brahman, immanent in all and holding
order, their reduction in numbers and their subsumption till
them in a graded system of unity in diversity.
1. Ta sya ea bra hm an o vy iikrta visayas iitrabhedc su ntyant rt va­
The divinities in the lower rung of the hierarchy are the
muktam, Ta syaiva brahmanah siik\viidaparok~atve niyanta vy a­
retinue of those above them and set off their greatness by having
de vatiibhe das mik ocavik as adviire r;iidh ig antavye it i tadartham
SfikalyilbriihmafJamiirabhyat e. their own greatness included in that of their higher-ups.
Mahimiina evaisiim et e trayas trim satveva devil it! (Brh , Up .)
~ :q ~ &'{1~ai4~~ fit~~~ I ~q
Ye ye avariis tetu paresiim mahimiitm akiih (M. Brh . Up. C .)
~f!lor: ijTaJT~q~t~~~ ~~~~:qfcf~R1ID~f4­ The expression • Maliimiinah' in the te xt referring to the
r[~ ~ ~. ~W~;tll!lOI+lI,(~ I numerous divinities is construed by Madhva to mean that the
, l , ( S. Brh. Up. C. Ill. 9. 1) greatness of each larger group is fully contained within (mitam)
2. Ta sya ea (otmanalz) nirupiidhis variipas ya kriyiikiirakavinir­ th at of the smaller group above it and is included in it.~
muktas vabhiivasyiidh igamiit vimucyat e. Atmasobdena pratya­
g iitmi: ucyate, tat riitmasabdasya p rasiddhatviit,
3. Th e term mah i (in mahirnanah] denot es g reatness or g lory in
a~ :q ('3lRif.l:) ~ ~
1"~'1119'\'1~!WI
~ ""~
1~919'lR~I61liJft'ffifEi+rrcr­
~
~19~I+{TCI:.,
~
161frUl aI "'
'3lW1~~ ~lTWlr ~, (f-{r~­
.. tne Vedlc language ( RV. 1. 62. 2 . i. 157. 22. ) Th e roo t m a
ha s the sense of' to be contained in' or 'limit ed within' vide:
Tanau mamus tat ra na kaitabhadvisab
~~~~CI:.I
( S. Brh. Up . c. IlL. 4. ! ) ~ it!!$r ~ ~~: I .
Tapodhanadhyiig am asambhavii mudah
~~~I~~~qT ~ : I
(Miigha i )
124 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA SAKALYA-BRAHMA~A 125

The number of divinities is thus progressively reduced by re­ blissful." He is 'Brahman' end owe d with infinite attributes .
grouping from 33 to 6, 3, 2, l ~' (adhyardha)und finally to the He is <tyat ' wh o rem ains the same in his undimini shed gl ory for
One independent Brahman. all time , without change o r modifi cation >

The 33 are Indra, Prajapaii , the eight Vasus. twelve Adityas
and eleven Rudras. The Rudras are the divinitie s of the eleven
sense organs and the Adityas are deities of the twelve months.
Then come the gr oup of six deities which is subsumed in a
group of thr ee (G aruda. Vayu and Mahesvara which includes
their spouses too). The two divinities are Anna and Prana,
meaning Sraddha and Vayu. The -Adhyardha' is Muk hya prana.
For, in him the six qualified Jiiiina ; Vijiiiina , ai svarya, Vtrya,
Sri and Yasa s are most highly devel oped - - as compared with
th ose of the lesser divinities. He is for this reason referred to
as Eka iva (only o ne as it wer e) because, th o' numerically one
he is always in th e company of the Lord. Yet he is not 'two '
bec ause he is the best beloved of the Lordf - next to Sritattva .
Fin ally, we come to the One Supreme Lord (ek o devab)
wh o IHI S non e co mpa rable to hirn.f He is -Prana' the
After answering two more questi ons of Sakatya about the
eight abodes (iiyatana) . the ei ght worlds (l okiib) divinities and
their -Purusas", Yajfiavalkya offers a friendly advice t o. Sakalya
not t o persist in putting him further questi ons to te st his know­
led ge in Brahmodya. Sensing Sakalya 's defiant mood, he puts
him a searching questi on ab out the highest Puru sa of the Upani­
sads t aup anisadali puru sahs wh o pa sses out with His internal
Forms present in those eight ab odes, worlds, deities and Purusa,
by uniting Himself by Hi s own power with Hi s own external
Forms ruling over th ose ab ode s, world s, deities a nd Purusas and
transcends them all. !l
7. 'Ne' t yii natula udd ista iisamantii t rrakrstat at:
Priino hi bho g aviin vis nulj ..
'Ut' ~Terr;FG: ~~g ~T ff~;:aKl:. !l~:

~Turt ~ 4lrp.rr~ ~ ; 11

(iIJid)

4. Nity amii dhikyena r ddlrii g UlJii yasyetyadhyordloh, 8. Tuthiitv ena y a to ni tynnm vik d ren « Yelfi hi
' T'yat ' it yuk tas tat o visn uh sn rvadevesvores vorob.
~~m ~T ~IJfT ~~~: I
-, - Pr! ,. ., 1: r-; Ar
«:I'~~CFf ~~ijICi<firOT llTRI IQ. I
5 . Na ca ik at vam bhav cd viiy ostadvisi st o yato harih .
Na ea dvi t tyatii t asmiu p rttirabhyodhikii 1101'('(1. "~Q.. ~'"
~~~~<:11 TCf~ : ~~
~jC\(O,"I~fh.sfH :
(M)
rr ~CfifeT ~'{ ~p.f~~it ~at~: I

9, "Tam tvau p a ni sa darn Pl/I'U ,1(I111 prc chii mi ya ]:

rr ;q mm(ffif q~ ~lfu~<fir i<: I
purusiinni ruliya [11'/1 1yultya atva k riim at '
tall

6. 'Eka' it y ucyate nit yam ya smii n tuinyas t athavidhah . 'a ~~ ~~~ 'l=uJrfq- ~: cH~

, ~ A '
~ ~~;:>~ 1'1~ ~~?1T;:lj: «:I'~ncrer: I ~~IR1~t'[ ~~~i!l 3l~~1~~ I

r-;

(M. BriJ. Up. C. Ill. 6) ( e-« . Up. Ill . 9. 26 )

 s AKAL YA~ BRAHMA NA 127

( amr5ii). It foll ows th en th at Yaj fiava lkya is driving h om e the

126 MA D H VA'S B R HA DA R A~ YAK A BHASYA
H e a lso litt er s an i mprecati on th at if S a kal ya fail s t o
an sw er hi s quest io n fully . hi s head wi ll fall off. As Siik aly a
is unable to a nswer, his he ad fa lls off. Turning t o the stunned
assembly o f Br ahr n av adi ns , Yaj fia valkya puts it another questi on
ab out th e gr eat mys ter y of how the Jiv at m an comes back to life
on ear t h afte r he h as been struck d own by death , ro ot and
br anch like a tree. "?
Accord in g to Sankara , the op enin g half o f the vers e :
Yathii vrkso vanasp at ili ta tha iva pu ruso amrsii
Gf~.:rf 'I~rr CfrR:qR\": q~Cf ~~S~f:Jf
( HI. 9. 28 )
makes a simp le state ment o f co mp a riso n that the human being
iPuru sak; it; like a m igh t y tree tvanasparii . Such a construction
mak es the use o f the ot he r word ' Vana epa t i' placed in appositi on
w ith 'Vrk sah ' taut »logo us. as th e two words have the same
meaning. It serves no purpose to hold with Sankara th at
'V an aspat i' is adject iva l ly u sed t o qu alify -Vrks ah' to denote a
'm igh ty tr ee ', But su ch an ad jecti ve h as no specia l bearing
on the po int of compar isi on in the second quarter o f
th e verse between the hu man being and the tree . Moreover, the
predication made in the sec on d qua rter that the human being
(Puru ,l'Q) is no t unreal ( amn 'ii) leav es no r oom for doubt th at the
point o f the comparison lies in est ablishing the continued and
pe rm anent exist an cc o f th e human being, as ot herwise it would
be a truism t o say that a tree a nd a hum an being are both real
10. Ya ts amidamii vrhe yub vrk sa m pu nariibhavet,
Ita
Martyab svin inrtyunii vrknah k asm iin miiliit prarohati ?
point th at th e self of man is no t su bject to birth and de ath which
pertain to the body, thou gh b irth and dea t h of th e body are
not figme nts o f t he im agin ati on but real facts affecting th e
earthly career oftb e s ouls,
Fr om thi s s tart ing poi nt, we adva nce to t he conclusi o n
that as the bodily connections of the individual whi ch are the
root of hi s rebirth are complet ely cut off in the state of Mahii.­
pralaya and as he bi msel f is not an independen t be in g who can
initiate a fresh body fo r himself, b v hi s own power, the so u rce
of his resuming hi s earthly life again m us t be sought in the
One Independent Su pr eme Being whi ch alone can inve st him
with such rebirth by its o wn unl imited power, Wh ile Itself
remaining unborn in p r inci p le th o ' assum ing many appr opr iate
Fo r ms o f its o wn in regard to th e vario us Ab h im anidevat as
connected w it h the ev oluti o n o f the corr cs an d th e be-dies in
which the tra r.srr.igr at i r.g irc.. iv icua ls are to t ak e the i r re birth .
It is thus tbe Sup r err e Brah rr an which is the an swer to the
quest ion abo ut rf,e t ON } I en, which m or tc I 1r.G I7 rejuvenates
himself after Mah iip ralaya. ,
M a rty ab S vinmrtyunii vr], ~wJ.z kasm anmiil dt praroh a ti ?
i{~: Rc!ri!~T ~0fU{: Cfi~;:~~T~ ~~m ?
It is the Supreme Being which is accordin gly described as :
Jiita eva na jiiyate k o IIvenam janayet p unab ?
'" .,;4 '" • '"
~Tcr tJ:Cf ~ ~fGf(f <tli;-;'..frT ;jf~~ 3t=f: ?
( llL 9.28)

l{~~~: '!~ r{ ~~ I
" Tho' un born H e is b orn ? fo r wh o e lse can generate Him ?"

~: ~Ji~rIT '!Cff1{ : "li~T~T~ ~l?:fu ~

( Ill. 9. 28 )
 I2l{ MADHVA'S B~J-JADARA~YA1<A DHASYA
Madhva's commentary focus ses attenti on on these impor­
tant fact s by placing the opening verse -
Yath d vrk so vunasp atili; t atliai va puruso amnii.
If-'-1T ~ ~qffi:; ~q ~~S~qf I
which institutes a comparison between the human being and
a tree, in a better perspective, in the light of rocognised
principles of grammar and syntax, instead of leaving us with a
tautology: Vrkso vanaspatih,
He reads the nominative 'vanaspatil), in the locative and
supplies the ellipsis in the predication by adding a connecting
link of "iti " to be read before the predicate amrsa and supply­
ing a corresponding iti after " Pur usa" to balance the two
propositions :
Y atlui vanaspatau vrksa iti (a y am sabdab) amrsii
Tathaiva puruse purusa itt (ayam sabdab) amrsa
.r:- ".
~T CFlrnrT ~ ~
(aw ~:) ~f I
the best bel oved object of pr opitiation (r iitib) to all those who
a~ ~~ ~~ ~ (~ ~~:) aw:'ff I
dedicate their works to it as its worship. It is the dearest goal
"Just as the term vrksa used with reference to a mighty tree
(vanaspat i) is tru e~j 1'0 its name, similarly the term Purusa
applied to a Purusa is true to its meaning."
The idea is this. Etymologically, Purusa connotes one
who is without a beginning in time ipuru Kiilepi san). True
to his name Purusa ha s no beginning in time. In the same way.
the Vanaspati is true to its name of 'Vrk~a' liable to be cut
down for use as building material (vrom Vrasc - to cut), Thus
both Vrksa and Purusa truly satisfy the appellative basis
(Pravrttillimitta) of their designation.
Our main inter est here is obviously the Purusa and hi s
continued existence even in Pralaya. wh en all the roots of his
rebirth are snapped .
,,".,· 1
SAKALYA-BRAHMA~A 129
If in spite of this he co mes back to life and rebirth o n
earth it can only be due to the agency of a power far superior
to him , because he himself lies helpless in Pral ay a . This
unseen power needs must be the Supreme Ant aryarnin , Aksara
(or Atman in the primary sen se o f th at term)ll
After leading his listeners to thi s logi cal conclusi on r egard­
ing the identity of the hidden source of rebirth of the human
being , Yajfiavalkya concludes hi s di scourse with a bri ef
description of the Lord's Majesty:
Vijaiianmiinan dam brahma riitirdiituh pariiyan am.
Tisthmiinasya ta dvidah, ( HI. 9. 28 )
~;:p:fA~ ;m URrG:m: qUlfl1[~ I
fcb!!+il~~ ~: I
As expl ained by Madhva this means: The Supreme Being is
infinite knowledge (vijfia nam) . It is infinite bli ss (iinandan) . It is
to all those wh o have gained true knowledge (tad vidal;) of it
and the so le r efuge t Par dy unams of all th ose who remain staun­
chly devoted t o it (ti ~!h amiin asy a) for all tin .e (ek ant abhiivov.
0<::=>0 K:.:>Q
11. Puru~af1iilJltIk (lt viinl1ity(]sya ji vo sya yii vanm ukti punarutp attyii
bhavitavyam; no siirlre~lG saha niisah, Tasya ea s votpat tiiva­
s viitant ryiit anyenotpiidakena bh dvyam , Ko asiivit i prasn ii­
sayab, ( M . Brh. Up. C. Ill. 9 )
~;:If+rCf<~ClT~~ ~rcr~ lffCR);RP T'l~~q~GfT i-@{acir i ..1
~~ Bff ~ro: I ~:q ~cn~'ijf~fa;~ a:r;~l~TG:~"
+lT0W3:. I cm5BJ~ffi Q'-m~<.f: I
12
11
I' ADHYAYAIV
I image (Pratisthii}, the esoteric name to be meditated upon
I
The previous Adhyaya had dealt with the wrangles (vijigi,wkathii)
in which several Brahmavadins had engaged Yajfiavalkya,
to thrash out the nature and attributes of Brahman. They were
all worsted . In the present Adhyaya Yajfiavalkya is formally
accepted a nd chosen by King Janaka as his Guru whose upadesa
lead s to Moksa. The Guru and the Si,lya here enter into a
Vad ak atha o n the su bject of the supreme Brahman.
$Al)A-CARYA-BRAHMAlYAM (TV.1.J-7)
The scene is laid in the court of King Janaka. Yajfiavalkya
11 comes to him to instruct him in the lore of 'the subtle one '
(an vantiin. vaklum) .l Before giving his instruction, he asks
I th e king to tell him what he had learnt from other persons.
I Thereupon the king recites to him the different kinds of
Upasanas, wh ich sixteachers, headed by Jitva Sailini have
im parted to him in regard t o Yak, prana, Caksus, Srotram,
Manah and Hrdayam, Yajfiavalkya questions him if they have
told him about the abode (ayatana) the nearest approximate
1. Madhva straightway renders •anvanta' as final truth con­
cerning the Supreme Being:
A nu r bhagaviin. Tadvisayiin nirn ay iin. vaktum vd .
(I
~+m~ I
rn: ...
~.
d'441'"(~UI~I'"( ~ rU I 3.
As Yajnava lkya knows more'about Brahman than Janaka,
M adhva hold s that the purpose of his visit is not 10 seek
k nowledge but to impart it to the king. Accordingly, he
co nstrues pasi1/t icchan, anvantiin (vaktum) ,
I'
'I
I,
SAl/ACAR YA -BRAHMA ~A 131
and its meaning.S On Janaka's confessing to him that they
had 110t done so, Yajfiavalkya o bser ves that what he has
learnt from them is only a quarter of the subject and proceeds
to supply the full particulars regardin g the iiyatana, p ratisthii,
the secret name of the Lord connected with the abode and its
meaning.
According to Saiikara. the upasanas contemplated by the
statements Vag vai br ahma , pran o vai brahma et c. • are inade­
quate definitions of Brahman, oal lin g for a su per pos itio n of the
idea of Brahman on them accepted as Pratlk as , A s Madhva
does not countenance a ny up a sana o f anything other than
Brahman a s the subject matter o f a ny of the Vidyas taught in
the Upanisads - which would othe r wise make th em Asad ~
upasanas, he interprets the words Yak. Prana, Man as . Hrdayam
etc . given in the text, etymo logicall y. as denoting Brahman
present in Yak, Prana, et c. and bearing those names in their
primary sense. Barhman is Vak as it co nfers the power of
spe ech on mortals, It is Prana because it sustain s life in all
creatures It is the eye, ear and mind as it is the independent
perceiver of all. he arer of all. It is 'Hrdayam' as it is lodged
in the heart of beings. 3 It d oes 110t make sense to say speech
2. Pratimiinam a vasthilnam rahasyam niima sarthakam ,
Catustayam yadii jniilam tadii vidyiiphalam labh et ­ (M)
~~Si'4~ m~ ;rr+r ijf~ I
~ 7W smr dGJ ~PliC?; ~ I1
Viigh visnuh. viicakatvena priinah pranayaniit svayam.
M ana mant rtvato ni tyam sa caksub s arvadarSaniit.
(M)
Srotram sravanasaktitviit hrdayam hrdgat o yatali
c@'~" CJRcp~~ ~rlJ{: WJTlf~m:.. ~~ 1
~ il'"WCldt P!,4 ~ :q~ : ('l~a.~"llQ.. I
~. ~qOI~rRh~
......;
Ier, ~ir ~
. i.ffi: I
,
I
132 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA K DRCA.BRAH MA 1':-1 A I J3
!
I
'I is the abode of speech, Prana is the abode of Prana and so o n . Lord in the top of the pericarp me asures a full thumb and is
This difficulty will not be there when 'Yak' in Vag vat Brahma the support of the Jivas comin g t o the waking st a te . All these
III
1 is construed in the sense of Brahman present in Viik., As the three forms o f the Lord in the he art are to be meditated upon
I
meaning g iven to iiy at anan and pratisthii by Sankara is more as "H rdaya m",
o r le ss the sa me , Madhva prefers to construe p ra ti sthii (prati­
Madhva' s co m menta r y brings into bold relief that the six
s thd ) as the 'nearest ap pro xi mat e image' of the original
Upasanas retau ght to Jan aka by Y ~tjfi av alkya, with fuller
(Brahman) , He regard s Sritattva ( Aldisii) as the pratimii of
details , are a ll o f them self-co mp le te, direct meditation s of the
Brahman, in the meditation of Brahrna as Vii ttndm ak:a and
Supreme Br ahman as such a nd not o f things like Vak , Prana,
present in Viik 4 .
Caksu s . etc . viewed as prat ik a s , in S ank ara ' s sense of superpo­
"Hrdaya' i s Brahman seat ed in the heart where the Jiva .sit io n of the idea of Brahm an o n th em . for purposes o f upasana .
himself abid cse. There arc present in the heart three Forms of
The a t t ri bu tes o f Br ahman whi ch thi s Brahman embodies
t he L ord. O ne which pervades the heart is of the measure of a
are ea sil y d edu cibl e fr o m th e e tym o lo gica l expl anat ion s o f the
span . The seco nd For m of the Lord call ed 'Mulesa ' present at
wo rds, Vak , Pr un a, M an as. etc . • as referring to Brahman
the r o o t o f the peri carp me asures h alf a thumb in size . In
Susu pt i a ll Jiva s re st in thi s Form. The third Form of the primarily , given by M adh va a nd by many o t her fact s emerging
from the elucid ati on o f thi s Vi dya an d the Pliala srut is o f each
part.
3. (C ontinued )
r_l! :~ ll':l(: '! _ ::lr~
Cr. A ,ig u~'!!IO[l p uruso au ta rdtms. .
So da janiiniim hrda y e s ann ivi s tah (Svet. Up. tn. /3)

~~wn~ : ~OOS;:aU~T I
K UR CA7BR A!JM A1YA M (l V.2.1-14)
mu \if<lT<lt ~~~ ij~: I
4. Prat isthii pratimii prokta pratiriipena sa sthitelt, This Brahmana de scribes the spec ia l form of internal

Prat im iidh ik a siidrJy {i( mukhyii v(~~l olz sadii ramii . upasan a of Br ahm an in th e hea rt for which King Janaka is
!
!, D ip t atviid iisamantat sa cak(isa it i gtyate. (M) eligible as a member of the kin gl y o r de r o f Adhikarins . among
Mukt as. It c onsist s in the med it at io n of th e Lord as the shining
~ID ~~ mmr ~qlJf ~~: I
one Jndl:ab'.t He is in the ri ght eye o f all a nd is the one rresent
~rf4"fiBI~<1Ti'I. ~T ~lSoTt: tlGJ 00 11 in the lods Yama a nd Indra t o be a tt a ined by the class of
~cU tlll~i'I. tlT ::r.rfcfiTW Wt nt~ 11 Mukta Cakravart in s . H ence th e relevance of this Vidya to

5. Hrdi hy esa iitm ii. Janaka.

(Pra SfJa Up. [[ 6)

~~~ i3lWlf I 1. From "indh' to shine , kindl e.

 KURCA-BRAHMA:t;JA 135
134 MADHVA 'S BB-HADARANYAKA BHA~YA
tara' is the Jivatrnan himself and that is the subject matter of
ill In the left eye is the form of the Lord' s consort Sri who is this discourse. As the epithet sar ira is applicable, on good
! His nearest im age" known as 'Virat'. The Vedic praises authority, to both the Lord and the Jivatrnan, the latter is here
(samstava) of this couple sung by Mukhya Prana (in the specially qu alified by the pronoun asmiid (this siirira) meaning
heart) can be heard by closing the ears and listen­ the embodied self. It would be farfetched to explain away asmiid
ing to the sound. Their place of taking food is in the pericarp as pointing to the self implicated . in the waking state as
of the heart-lotus. Their garment is the net-like covering of the distinct from its own state of existence in dream and dre amless
sleep. Where a difference predicated can be understood in its
heart. Nadis rising upwards from the heart are the passage of
primary meaning of natural or intrinsic difference between two
I their movement . The nadis placed inside the heart with which the
~ individuals it is not proper to reduce it to a difference in the
Lord is in clo se contact (hitii/:!) branch off dividing into a
states of existence (avasthii-bheda) of one and th e same person.
li thousand parts . Those going up from the heart branch off like
Moreover, as the Jivatrnan continues to occupy his body in all
a hair split into a thousand parts These ar e the nii<;fls thro'
I which nectar from the head flows down. It is the food of the three states of waking, dream and su supti, he remains very
'Indha'. By reason of partaking of this refined essence of food, much a sdrtra throughout. Hence the pronoun asmiid has
II the Supreme Brahman ' is said to be consuming food which is necessarily to be taken to mark him off from the Lord present
I
1

entirely different from that of this embodied Self (praviiktii­the body (heart).
in
1

I hiiratarah) , The particle iva after Praviviktiihiirata ra in the The next paragraph throws light on the Majesty of the Lord
Upanisad is to signify that the Lord enjoys the subtlest forms of seated in the heart. He is served by various presiding deities
, III
riipa, rasa and other enjoyments of the Jiva also , while the Prii~1iib)
guarding the ten directions round the Lord's holy
11
I Jivatman is incapable of enjoying any part of the Lord's own abode in the heart. Madhva's bhiis y a identifies them in couples
I1
I'
enjoyrnents. It also signifies that in the Avatara Forms. the guard ing the east and south-east, south and south-west, west
LOrd does also enjoy gro sser forms of enjoyment. and north-west, north and north -east, tJie zenith and the nadir.
Madhva names the fourfaced Brahma and Mukhya Prana and
I I The words Tasntiid esa Praviviktdhiiratara iva asmiid
I
their consorts as waiting upon the Lord 'Indha' in the
Siiririid dtrnanah in the text (iv.2.3) proclaiming the Lord to be
III Zenith.
I: the eater and enjoyer of subtle food establishes the Lord's
In conclusion, Yajfiavalkya assures the king that he has
I difference from the embodied self (who is a sthiilabhuks, As
indeed attained the state of fearlessness by conquering birth and
such. it is against the view of Sai'tkara that the -Praviviktahara­
death after being initiated into this upasana of the Lord as
lndha. The king gives him grateful thanks and places himself
2 . Viime aksini sthitam purusariipam purusapratim ii VirliJ).­and his kingdom at the service of his Guru.
1;lamn~ srilt . (Raiighattama) 6~
~~
cV...
.:.>&r
@'u..
~.,

cqitsfflffat ~€i ~~~q

.
~~~fdilT
­
FcrUlJlJfT~;.ft ~'): I
 J YOTIR:"BRAHMANA 137
JYOTIR-8RAJIMA/yAM (iv B , 1- 38)
with 'the immeasurable bliss of the Supreme Lord (iv.3.33)
The Lord's role irienabling the Jiv as to quit their bodies at the
This is the biggest Brahrnana of this Adhyaya with thirty­
time of death and taking them with Him: on ' their way to Mok sa
ei ght paragraph s , dealin g with the Lord's Majesty as the so le,
are ~Iucidated with two expre ssive analogies of a king touring
intimate, inner inextingui shable Light of all Jlvatmans, both
his kingdom and going to his capital (iv.3.37-38).
in their st ate of transmigration and in their release. It is by
th e power of thi s light of th e Lord that the Jivas are in a posi ­ Answering Janaka's question "who is this 'Atman', said to
tion to go thro ' the experiences of their states of waking be t~e eternal unfailing , Light of Purusa, " Yajfiavalkya says :
dreaming and dreaml ess sleep , in mundane life, over and over He is the 'Vijii::inamaya' (of the essence of pure intelligence),
again, in rotation (iv .3.7-3 2) and in release enjoy the bliss of the Light within the heart of Jivas and of their senses.s
their selfhood tsvariipiinandas according to the measure of their
intrin sic fitness (iv.3 .33) . In death tbey quit their physical He is further described as the 'Unattached person, remain­
bodies with His guidance. He leads them on their journey to ing (in) the same (condition) in spite of bis moving about
Moksa. He is tbus their unfailing indispensable Light from between the two world s: 'S a sam iinas sa n ubhau lokiivanusati­
the beginning to the end , at all times and places and in all carati, directing the movement of tbe sou ls and Himself trans "
states and conditi on s of their existence. The Br ahmana, there­ cending all such worlds . The next two descriptions of "At man"
fore . takes its name from the Lord who is established as the as "seeming to think " {dhyiiynti iva) and "seem ing to grasp­
unfailir:g eternal Light of all the selves : Atmajyotih (leliiyati iva) and "beco m ing a dream or dreamless sleep ')
Purusoh, (sa svapno bhiitvii) have been ' explained by Madhva in tbeir
causal'
-:.
senses
.
referring
.. .
to
.
the
.
Lord's greatness and Majesty in
The Upa : is ad speaks or the i mrrens ity of the Lord 's
steering the selves ill and through the various st a tes of experi­
Sv arfi pa nnr da as P nr (/~WI iinondch (iv,1. 1 3 ) . the t ranscenc'erual
ence. Tbe verbs dhy iiy ati and leliiyati are, accordingly. rend­
bli ss which IS infinite and incomparable . Both in the states
o f bondage and release the bliss experienced by the souls is
Iike a tiny drop as compared wirn the oceanic bliss of the Lord , 1. The suffix maya as applied in designating the Lord as
They gratefully su bsisit upon their infinitesimal bliss which 'Vijfiiinamaya' bears the sense .o f indentity of essence
the Lord enables then to enjoy (Et asyaiva iinandasya anyiini (tiidiitmya) vide : '
bhiitiini mat ram up ajivanti - iv. 3.32) Elucidating this "Tiidiitmyiirthe vikiiriirthe priicuryiirth e mayat tridhii',
comparison, the Upanisad out lines a beatific calculus
'aw~~~ ~~ul1 ~~ +r~~~' I
(iinandatiiratamyas with particular reference to the
In otber cases it denotes modification or abundance.
released . state of Jivas of different grades of intrinsic
fitness - in an ascending order of blissful experience of
2. SeeAntaryami Brahmana of sm.u». (III.7.22)
their ow n · all o f them no more thana tiny drop in comparison
13
 138 MAOHVA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
ered as implicit causal formss conveying that the Supreme Lord
causes the Jivas to meditate, grasp things and so on. The
particle iva after the verbs indicates the complete dependence
of the Jivas on the Lord's impulsion in all that they do. As the
primary and unseen cause of all that takes place in the world,
the Lord is Author of the dreams and the Creator of the objects
presented to the self in his dreams, as well as the sustainer of
selves in their waking state, - in short, throughout his entire
history of bondage and release. 4- It is in this sense that
Yajfiavalkya says "There are no chariots there, no horses, no
roads or waterpools. He indeed is their, Author and Creator"
(IV.3.l0). This statement is backed by the citation of a mantra
(IV.3.]l) which reads: "(The Supreme Lord) as the unique
wanderer (eka hamsab) uniting (abhiprahatya) the embodied
soul (siir tram} with dreams and dreamless sleep, and Himself
not-sleeping, perceives the sleeping and dreaming
3. This grammatical principle is known as antarnitanijanta in
Sanskrit grammar. Mi 's commentary cites several exam­
ples of the kind in support of his present interpretation,
from the Epic and the Puranas :
Jajii e bahujam paramiibhyudiiram (Bbiig' ) Sankara himself endorses the position that God is the ultimate
~~'R~~I
<Drastub caksuso niisti jihvii',
'~: :q~ rrr~ ~' I
See also
Adhthi Bhagavo Brahma
~l:f1~ +m~ ;m
(Tait. Up. Hi-·I) for ~e~ I adhyapaya.
4 . T ato hya sya bandhaviparyayau , (BS. III.2.5)
~ ~ Ci{~ 1
JYOTIR-BRAHMA~A 139
Gathering up the Jiva (Jukriwl)f> who is a creature subject to
pain (suk) and plesure (ra) the golden person returns (the Jiva)
to the waking state".
The terms in which the Sarlra (Jlvatman) and the Lord
(eka Hamsah} have been described in this mantra in respect of
their relative positions are sufficient to establish that the sum
and substance of this discourse is that it is the Supreme Lord
who plays the governing part in the mundane and super­
_ munda ne lives of Jivas and that the latter have only minor
roles to play and are dependent on the Lord in going thro'
their experiences G.
~atikara's interpretation here. shuts its eyes completely to
the place of honour that belongs, by right, to the Supreme Lord
in the philosophy of the Upanisads, It substitutes in His place,
beings the individual self as the central figure of the Cosmic drama in
Upanisadic thought, assuming that Jiva and Brahman are one
and the same being called by either name. This does grave
injustice to ' the established majesty of the Lord as the One
Independent Ruler of all cosmic life, including the life and
career of the souls in transmigration and thereafter, Elsewhere'
cause of everything that happens in the world (S. BSB. Il. 2. 3).
But it is one thing to subscribe theoretically to such a position
5. Sokena ratyii ea yuktatviit sukro jtvah, (M)
~ ~ :q ~€41(( ~ \iftq: I
6. Cf. In whichever womb the Supreme Lord who is always
united with th.<l Jivatman ordains his conception there and
there only does the Jiva go to dwellv- not anywh ere he him­
self would choos e to be born (Mbh, Xn.219.1l). quoted
by, M.. . (TB.. XV.8
. .. .
 140 MADHVA'S BI.tHADARAl~YAKA BHASYA JYOTIR-BRAHMAN.A 141

and quote another to successfully demonstrate its implementation No ea jlvali s am iina h so n u hhau lokii vanusaiicarantl ,
in the philosophy of the Prasthiinatraya. It is thi s laps e of Sukhaduh kh avi sesavatvdtlt .
~ailkara that Madhva's commentaries set themselves to rectify. rr Tl ~]C{: «BR: ~~ i3'm ~Cfir~""RRt I

Madhva's interpretation of the Jyotir Brahmana is an outstan­

~{Cl'~:{Cl'- fcliTqCJ'tqr~ I

ding example of this achievement. It may, therefore, be said

without exaggeration that a practical emendation of the cl osing The vicissitudes of the Jivas cannot be dismissed as unreal
part of Saftkara's halting admission sotto voce: Siistradr~!yii III (mlthyii) , as Sankara would very much like to do. " For',
punch s a rvat ra lva ts vardpeksatvam iipady am iinam na par anu­Yajfiavalkya himself impresses on the king. in the very next
dyatel . into Saporikaram Vyutpadyate 2 would be fitting tribute Brahmana, that when the Jivatrn an departs from the body, his
knowledge and hi s works take hold of him and go with him,
to Madhva 's achievement as a commentator on the Prasthanas.
as also his past experiences, which cannot, by an y means, be
As the 'Puru~a' in the opening question of Janaka (IV. 3. 2) supposed t o be uniform or th e sam e in all cases:
is the embodied self of man, the "Atman" who is proclaimed to
Tam Vidy dkarm anl sam anviirabhete, Piirvapr ajhii ea ,
be his "light ? needs mu st be different from the Purusa and
cannot be identical with his own being. This is the most
f€ fcMr~ @f"~H~, ~W :q I
itut, Up. IV.4 2).
natural interpretati on that must suggest itself to a ny open­
Sa(lkara to o cannot afford to deny that the embodied self
minded stu dent of the Upanisad.
transmigrates wi th differ ent residual karma . jiiana and ex ­
,,{tm il bhagaviin eva asya jyotih . (M)
p eriencest , In the face of this unalterable fact, it has to be
~ :ijlJCJr~q ~ iMfct: I accepted that the Person spoken o f as Samiinas sa n ubliau
The contrary position taken by Sat1kara goes against some lokiivanusaiicarat i must be the Supreme Lord Himselj and not
of the crucial statements made by Yajfiavalkya about the the Jlvatrn an. Of the Lord it has been sa id in the Upanisad
"At man" such as that (1) He moves about the two worlds that "He neither waxes nor wanes by deeds (or their absence) ".
The other s ta tement SHe becomes a dream or susupti " (sa
re m ai ning th e s ame (unaffected) while doing so and (2) that he
svapno bhutva) cannot be taken in its literal sense of 'becoming
becomes a dr eam or deep sleep.
a dream' or sleep, by any one - as even the Jivatman only
The Jlvatrnan who is subject to the vicissitudes of life
experiences the s tate and does flat become the state itself. It
cannot, in truth. be said to move about this world and the gives very good meanin g if it is construed in a causal .sense .. .. , , "
next, unaffect ed (soma nab s an) , Such a distinction is the referring -t o the Lor d as inducing the Jiva to fall asleep or t o
Lord's prerogative. Madhva is. therefore, fully justified in
raising this objection against Sankara's ' way of interpreting the 7. Drsta scayom janmanalvo pratipriinyucciivacariipam Upa­
text: bhogb prov ibhojyamiina iik asmi katvdsa m bha viit anusayasad­
bhnvam siicayati, (S. BSB ;III. f. 8)
1 ~IT~ $I ~rr: ~fcWtCJ ~~rt~CJ+lTqi#Jlij(:r rr ~~ I m~ \il.-n~q ~r~~rCR~q ~mrr: ~~l{+1Ft ~refi- '
ilB~O$~ff I ~€Wlr~+r~ ~lItIW~ ~~ . I ,
142 MADHVA 'S B~HADARANYAKA BHASYA JYOTIR-BRAHMANA 143

dream. f The same principle of interpretation in term s of
Antar~lita1Jija/lta could be extended to the statement sa I'ii ayam
Puruso jiiyamiin o II1r i ynlllii~wfz as referring to the Lord. "
Enlarging on the subject of the Lord's inscrutable powers
in steeri ng the Jivas thro ' variou s st ates, Yajfiavalkya refers to
the Lord's some times taking the Jivatman partly out of hi~
physical body and makin g him have certain experiences in the
course of sleep and dream itself"? and normally within the body
itself. (lV.3.12)
8. Sviip am nayatiti svapnah iti vyutpottib,
~q ~l.Rftfa ~: ua ~~qfu: I·
9. M. 's commentary explains this statement as referring to
both the Jiva and Brahman, in different senses:
'Sa vii ayam jiiyamiina' ii ea dvyiis rayii sru tih
Sections IV. 3 23-31 argumentatively establish the opening
Yadii tu bhagaviinuktah t adii sviitantryt o vibhuh,
IV.3. 15-16 deal with the Lord 's lndependent jagency in
respect of the souls ' Susupti state (Samprasada) and bringing
them back to the waking state. In Susupt i and Mok sa the Jiva
finds repose, rest and contentment in the Lord (IV.3.20). The
states of su supt i and moksa have a clo se affinity.
Yajfiavalkya describes the st ate of hi ghest bliss of susupti
and moksa as the abode of the Atichanda - 'the Lord, whose
greatness exceeds and excels the bounds of scriptural descrip­
tion. " H e is the h aven of fearlessness (abhayam) from samsara. On
attaining, Him the Sou I becomes freed from its sins and enters
into the enjoyment of its bliss of selfhood.
Itjs then free from
all its former obligations to society and to kith and kin.
(IV.3.22) .

proposition that the "At man" (the Lord) as the Universal . .

Mriyamiino jiiyamiina iiyukrastanniyiimakah,

'u err ~ \ifTlImrt'ua :q ~~l{T ~:

~
Li ght of all souls is the sole and only Independent second Being
which exists and controls all states of experience of all Jivas at
ltGEI W1~: ~GJ ~W-~ ~~: I
all times and places. There is no second being (dvaitam or .
~jllliri* ~~ ~~~~~: 11
dvittyam) which equals or rivals it or is above. it. Na tu
taddvitiyamast i tato anyat vibhaktam y at pasye~ Which does all
When construed as referring to the Jivatman the causal
this. 11
construction is not applied:
Yadii tu 'Kimjyotira yam purusa' ityupakriintak jtvah 'Sa vii if § C\C{~~ mftSrl.«( ~ c«q~ I
ayam purusah' iti pariimrsyate, t adii tu yathasruta evdrthah, na
dvyarthatvena vyiikhyii . (Raghavendra, Bih, Up. Gloss. IV 3.3.) 1 O. continued)
~ § '~R\{~ ~~' ~;:a: \1ftq: 'u cH ~ Amsena jtvamadiiya kva cidtso bahirnayet,
~'~ q{I~~~, ~ § l{~~~ ~~:, if ~~ Svapnesu phalgunam yadvat kr snab kailiisamiinayat,
~ \iflqilRTlf ~:qGJ~ q~tr~ I
~

0l.IJ\0l{T I ~ a ~

10. This applies, acc ording to Madhva. to some ' Samsa-Jivas ~~ 1fi~ ~~ ~: 9'i~IWf~ 11
only, He mentions the case of Arjuna being taken partly 1L For a similar significant negation, earlier see Nahy etasmiid
out of his bodr' in dream, by Sri Krsna to ' Kailasa ; itl netyanyat p ar am asti (Sr I!. Up . 111. 3.6.)

144 MADHV A'S B~HADARAY~AKABHASYA
For , given that the Supreme Lord is the a ll-perce iving
neverf-ailing Light. He is sure to perceive any such second Being
of equal o r rival or superior status to Himself. if su ch a Being
exist s in reality . : As the all-knowing , ail-perceiving, never­
failing Light does not : perceive any such being, it follows
logically that su ch a sec ond being has no existence at all 12·
Nor is there the least possibility of the Lord's perception being
op.en to error in any instance .
anysuch rival, equal or a superior being existing unknown to the
all-knowing Lord or beyond His ken.
It follows then that Supreme Lord as the Eka -Hamsa
remains the sole and only Independent Controller of all finite
life and existence, at all times and places. The negations
conveyed by Natu taddvitiyam asti tato anyad vibhaktam yat
p asyet (IV . 3: 23) and yatra vii an yad iva syiit tatra anyoanyat
po syet (IV. 3. 31) have, therefore, to be construed as significant
neg ations and not as absolute negat io ns of the existence of any
se~ond ent ityas such.. · besides the Lord . Otherwise, the terms
anyah, anyat and vibhaktam in the concluding part of the
\ ' t : ' _
argument would be redundant.
~" •.; ' . . :. ..' ,- ,"!' - ' . .
The explanation given for the presence of "anyat' in the
Advaita interpretation of the text as an absolute negation of all
duality is this. But for its use, the perceiving subject and the
perceived " objects cannot be effectively distinguished as it : may
w~U be that the perceiver sees them as ideatical with himself. This
contingency can be prevented only by putting in tbe word anyat
pasyet to effectively mark off the two .
Hence, there isno possibility of
But then this purpose is
JYOTIR-BRAHMA~A i45
fully served by the presence of the word "anyah " preceding
"anyat' - in th e face of it no su ch doubt or contingency can
ari se. 1 3 Nor ca n it be defended on the ground that if the
proposition is worded simply as " Yat ra vii anyad iva syiit tatra
urvab po sv e:" (where there is as it were another. there one might
see another) it would entail the undesirable consequence that in
the state of Kaivalya where, according to Advaita philosophy, all
objects and du ality projected by Avidya cease to be , tbe Atman
t oo would no longer be a tlrast ii (perceiver) - as there will be
nothing for him to perceive or experience. But as the Atman
never forfeits hi s dra strt va (ibid IV. 3.23), it has to be made
clear that in the stat e of kaivalya the Atman continues to be the
seer even though there is no second , no object but himself tbat
could be seen. For this purpose it is necessary to put in tbe
word "any at " in the argument " Yatra vii anyad iva syat tat raanyo
any at p asyet" so that the Atman's dra strt va (being a seer) is not
jeoparpised ,
The weakpoint in this argume nt is that the Advaitic Atman
is by definition incapable of knowing 01' perceiving it self as th e
object of its own knowledg e or perception and besides the Atman
13. Nanu darsaniidivisayasya dar saniidi k.artrananyat vasankii­
viir o~l iiyii anyadityet at s iirthok am iti cet , tadii visay asy a
dar sanddikartrananyo t va 'sank aiva na bhavati) na hy ekasya
anyatve onyasyiinanyatvam bha vati, Ato dvitiyo anyasiibdo
vyartha eva s yiit . (M)
~,G:~lAArr;;~ G:~r,lfa:q.~~~~rcrr~IJfP1 i31~~~~
C" Po'"'
BT~Cf.I~Td
=-
"Ci(f., ClG;T
r-;
lC{tp:r~
I:' ~ I:'
~,l,,;.,'1.*1~~~~c[
~
.,
r-;
~C[ffi

., ~Cf.~ a:{~~~S~rr.;:l1~ ~C[fij I 31€t @fttl1S~~~

12. Yatkiiicit vastu bhagavatii na drstam tanniistyeva ,
. , ." ~ " _ .. , .. ". ' ,, " " - '

. (M) . ClIil t1;C[ ~~ I

l{ft~fqa-, ~ ~r !1 .~l! c:I?fl'~ I
14
146 MADHVA'S BB-HADARA~YAKA BHASYA JYOTIR-BRAHMA1;JA 147

there is nothing to k no w , as all else is unreal (mithyii),
Hence, the additi on of anyat serves no purpose. 14­
Sankara construes IV. 3 . 32 as a description of the perfect
sta te o f Susupti it self as the world of Brahman which is said t o
This does not do justice t o the profound significance of
the words Brahm aloka .t » Pararn agat i and P orum a-iinendahtt
used in the text as the characteristics of Brahman. It is this
attainment o f t he Supreme Brahman which is described in tbis

h e the highest go a l and the highest bliss , - "on a particle of secri--r 3S the pinnacle of dr a rda The prr-grev-ive ratio of

wh ich other bein gs live". He likewise explains IV , 3 . 33, whicb increase of annndo by hu nr' rcd rercer.t teJIT irates at the level of
speaks of a ri sin g gra d a t io n of bli ss enjo yed b y different c lass es the Svarupananda of Caturmukha Brahmii.. The bondless bliss
of beings like M anu sya s , Gandharvas, Pit rs , Ajanadevas, Indra of the Suprerre Brahman lies far bey o nd these ratios. (Tait t. Up.
a nd Prajapat i ending with Brahma the bliss of each member of 11.8). Tt is beyond a ll co m pa ri so n . As Yajfiavalkya puts it,
the higher cl ass bein g a hundred times more than that of the all the Mukta Jivas from Brahrr.a d own to Manusyottama
one belonging t o the class below. He speaks of this grades of Muktas subsist on a j ot o r tittle o f the Lord 's ananda :
blis s as the limited porti ons of the infinite bliss of the self Etasyaiva iinandasy a anyiini bhiit ani m iitriim upajtvanti i Brh , Up.
broken up by Avidya into external forms of bliss coming IV.3.32) . Even the blissfulnes s o f Susupt i can , at the be st, be
from objects of experier.ce ar.d enjoyed by those classes o f regarded as giving a foretaste o f what lies in st o re for o ne in the
se lves while they are still in the bcr.ds of igLOJ 3I.ce. 15 state of ultimate relea se. It is admittedly sho r t- lived and can­
not, therefore, be taken t o be the topic o fI V. 3.32. The King 's
14. . Avidyakabhediibhiivadasiiyiim svabhinnokarmakadarsa­request here and earlier to be in structed further for hi s libera­
niidinisedhiirthameva Vi~ayaviicakadvitiyasabdafz s iirthak a
it i cenna. . Syiidevamiitmiinah svadrsyatviidikam , yadi
iitmanah drsyatviidtkcm eva syiit ; na cai tadastt (odvaitamote) ~CfT~~~ +lrm alfcf~T~q~fiRlt fClqtrr;~(1~e1tflr~­
(Raghiittama) fcrmOl{+{T~r ~QT~ \3l{~tCff.:a , M Q;cJFr~Ta:fcf~l{r ~+(ijl{­
alrfcr~~GJ4lT~m~ ~~4tfl~l~rt~friiJ~~ijq ~­ +lFl~~mfur al;llJtrr ~: qR~o:r~HrrT~ ~ i3'q~tqf;C\
crr~tflfWfiCffi~: m~tfl ~ffi' ~ I ~rd.~T~Ff: ~~­ ~I
~en~, l{~ alWli1: ~~~q ~Cl.; i1 ~C\a:f(q I
16. Brahnialok a is expl ained by M. as in finite intelligence .
(al~) (Brh adjhiinahpur nam, lokah jii iinam yasya ). In IV.3 .3 2 , S.

15. Etasyaivdnandasy a miitriim avidyiipratyupasthiipitiim renders Bralnnalok ai: nUL as the wo r ld o f Brahm a but as

vi:~ayelldr iyasa mba lldh akiila vibh iivyamiiniin i bhiaani upoji­ Brahmalva loka/;i.
vanti , t ata evdnandada vidyayii pravibhajyamiinatvariipiini 17. These epithets are all e xpl ained by M . as referring to
anya tvena brah m anab parikalpy omiiniini ananyiini up aji vanti Brahman as endowed with infinite knowledge ail-per­
bhiit iiui (S. s r« Up. IV. 3. 32) va sive ness , absolute sovere ign ty and infinit e bli ss.
 14S MA'D H VA' S B R HA D A RA ~ Y A K A BHASYA
JYOTIR-BRA.HMANA 149
t ion 0 -"' . 3 .1 4; 16; 33 ) d oes not m ean that thesa topics are not
co nc er ned w ith su ch a su pre me go a l. It is simp ly a respectful Madhva takes hi s stand on se vera l poi nt s co nta i ne d in th e
;, ay o f so liciti ng fu rt he r inform ati on about the summum boum recital of A-nondom lm iim sii in thi s Brah man a a nd it s cou nte r part
app ro priu te t o o ne 's f itnes s 1S . in Taitt. Up. (11. 8) in co mi ng to th e conclusio n th at thi s
'beatific calculus' is prop ou n ded wi th special referenc e to t he
M a dhv u, the refo re . deems it proper t o interpret paragraphs state of Mok sa. H c draw s att ent io n t o th e pri ma r y significat ion
32-3 :' as dea ling pri mar i ly w it h the ineffable bliss of Moksa-in of the terms rddh a, samsiddha• .sro:riv a akiu nahatc a nd avrj ina
a,,:; lives o f J ivas. Th er e they com e into the full measure of
t heir b liss. o f self- ho od is variip iinandos in an ascending scale of
in the Upani sad" which a re appl icabl e t o a nd fulfi ll ed only in the
case of released s oul s . Riiddlwan d so m-siddho; refer t o o ne
..
the con te nt of t heir intrinsic bli ss. The sum mit of bliss is the who has attained the hi ghe st goa l. Th e s ta tes of a-vrjinatva
-:.o r d 's o w n wh ich is be yond the reach and attainment of any (sinlessnes s) and a-k am aliat atv a (inv uln er abilit y t o ycar ni ngs )
o t he r b ei ng . It is th e b oun dl es s bliss upon which all released are absolutel y realisabl e only o n ly in r ele ase . ' Sr ot r iya' men­
so u ls dep end fo r suste nance in the enjoyment of their own tioned in this con text ca nno t p ossibly be ta ke n i n it s o r d in ar y
which is i n fintcsi mal in com pa ris o n with the boundless bliss of sense of ' one wh o has read t he Vc d a s ' . A t ru e Srotr iya is o ne
B r ah ma n . The M ukta Ji va in M adhva's view is thus the full wh o has attained the fru it of scrip tu ra! wis rlon: ( p r ii{' fa,fl' lI f i­
bl o wn M ysti c and Yaj iiaval kyas descr ipt io n "E tasy ai viinandasy a phalab) which is M o k s u a nd its S up rem e h li-.s .
m ii tram " su ms up t he att it ud e of suc h a mystic soul in respect
o f hi s own st ate of b lissfulness in t he presence of the ocean of The grad ation o f Sva riipa nan da of sou ls in Moksa
Bliss . I n "Et asyaivu iinandnsya anyii ni bhiit ani matram upaji. culminating in the unli mite d and boundless b liss (If th e Lo r d
vant i" t h e expressio n uuitrii is sym bo lic . It is not to be under­ gives meaning to Yajfi avalk yas pr on ou ncc mc nt t hat a ll ot her
st ood in the se nse th at the Svar iipananda of the Mukta is an beings in Moksa d raw I h ei r sust ena nce f'r o m th e Divi ne Bl iss .
(See Taitt. lip. 1I . 7) 1 (l
actul part, ho we ver s ma ll , of the Lord's own bliss .

..II1Y(/ ( ji'iiinom t u j tvii niun anyajjii anam pa rasya ea ,

~ SJTiI IT ,*,lCfFH+l~frr q(~ :q I 19. Muktas y iipyii nandasy a p arantcpu ru sn evv liet urit i srt is mrt i
darsayatalj 'esa hye vona ndoyot i ' y ady ap)' (ll' ahut apiip llla f l'ii di [L
satyasankalpiinto gu nag anah pratyagiitmanah sviibluivika
18 . Pur vok tum ap i m ok sity aiva bhavat i, ata iirdhvam (vimoksiiya)' "" eviivirbhiitah ta thiip i t asy n t athii vidh atvo m eva p ara map urosii ­
l'i s( I'!I//I/ ok 5iiy " /)1'/717;­ y a tt am . Tasya ni tyast h i t t s c a t a d iiy a t t i i . P r t ra m apt r rn sasva

.':il'oy ogy ,L!J/w g avacld r :' j eb S arvair muktiraviipyate' (M)

etannityatiiyii nitye stat viit , nityatay ii vart at e iti na k as cit
virodhah . ( R ii!n (/ l1l,'j a S ri hliiisy a I V- 4 . 20 . )
q~fi:r +1Te.nit~ +lerRf, ~a i3i'~~ (~t~tf) M~1!!m&.1p;t ..... 1", r-; r-; " ~ ,
~ ... " ~~ "" ~rt:mol;:~ q{~9:m ~ ~~Rm ~mt~ffi ~~~ij: t-J:q
:;j 1 ~ -~~n~+I~ (C\~i !! : ~1"\~2"'t:ll~'1 r t:Gld I ':>
~, ~ ...,.... Pr · ...
~~m ....
lf~.f1:lf1l~qJt: ~ ~cnI G, : \1 ~~"l1~':n ~ !fUfJTUT:
150 MA D H VA ' SBR HA DA RA~YA K A DHA!)Yt\ JYOTIR -BRAHMAl~A 151

IV . 3. 34 r eaffi rm s the fac ts a lre ady se t fo rth at g reat
le ngt h in JV . 3 , 7-22. tha t i hc supreme Lord m ove s abou t in th e
b o dy of the Jiv as stee r i ng them ihro ' the varied experience s of
th eir w akin g, dream and sus upt i st a t es and their migrati on s
fr om thi s wo r ld t o o t he rs , necessit ated by their wo rk s of merit
or deme ri t. Th e purpose o f thi s repet ii ion here is t o drive
h o me th e i nvari able a nd u nive rsal nat ure of th e Lo rds o rde r ing
of th e liv es o f.j ivas for a ll t irr.c a nd thereb y t o 111ak ~ clea r the
eternall y depe ndent nat ure of th e so u ls , 20
Sec t io ns 35-38 es t a b lis h that the stat e of d ying in the
nor m al course of li fe and final death leading t o Moksa are
b oth eq uall y gove rned by the Lord .
In sec ti on ,'\ we a r e t ol d h -v w at the lime o f dea t h -in the
norm al C0 11 r~ e " f life (P rarimora··a). i he e rnboc'ied ~ e l f ( .sar ;ra
iUm ii) leaves behi nd hi s ph yvical b od y ai .d go es onward s ,
pres ided o ver ('!lIviini{ihob) h y th e Pnij r,a- A. t ma (I he o m n isci en t
Lore') sea ted in hi s he art-ju st as a traveller by ca rt d r iv en by the
c a r t man , leaves behind him (u t sarjan) the village he had till
then dwelt i n . 21
The ne xt sec t io n (36) deal s with fin al de ath . It say s when
th e Soul journeys t ow ards the Suprem e Lord ianimiinam lIy pti)
i t leaves behind the body , in the sa me ' m anner a s befo re
(Pr al;II,I'ay am) to a ttaih a different state 22 a nd goes fo r war d
to me et th e L ord. Th e body falls off as a mango or a fig or a
pipal fru it rel ease s itsel f fr om it s st alk at the ri ght time
a nd the so u l go es th ro ' V ayu in the Arcir adirnarga .
The next p aragraph (37) rea ds : Ju st as when the King of a
country drives throu gh hi s do m a in , hi s vassal s, so ld iers , officer s
and headme n line up , o n the r oute, bearing him o ffer i ngs t o
welcome him , ev en so wh en th e Supreme Lo rd passe s o n taking
with him th e en lig ht e ned s ou l t o hi s d om ain , the presiding
deities o f th e ro ute of A rc ir ad irna rga wait upon Him . (Seeing
the kin g's s tan dard flu tterin g fr om the t op o f the ch ar io t fr om a
di stance) they say t o them sel ves. here comes the' fl ag a nd here

21. This passag e fr om the Br h . Up . figure s in BS. i . 3.42. as

~~B'1: ~+r@tOfi u:cnfcrta: a~, ~ ij?lTfct~ the Visaya viiky a of a n adhika ratza, where the Siitrakara
tell s u s in so man y w ord s that in the s t a tes o f Su supt i
Wl9:mr~ I Cl\<{ fiI~~ffi~ ~ I 'W1~
and Utkriint i (exit fr om th e b ody) th e jiva re main s different
i L.,D,::lUi i l l frR~~~, ~CF-IT qaa ~ "l Ofi~ fct~hl: from the Lor d.
(S/l ~uptyutk r al1 ty or bhedenav
20. Evam niyamavijhaptyai Ji viis\·iitan trJ'(Jl'iltay e.
(~~I~M~)
Parivrt tima - vasthiisu snhhyiisii vakt i hi s rtili. (M) ,
22, Prat inyiiyam piirviivastiih aot avas thiinta ra m p rii pyamiti
nyiiyamanusrt va .
Qjr frr;rJ{fct~~ ~fl~~~ I

(Raghavendra).
qft'!fWl9~m ~MroT Clfu; fu '"~: 11
- ~~ - ~eITcr~Tffis~T;a~ ~r~ ~r~~~ I


152 MADHVA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
comes the King himself. 23 Simil arl y, these deit ies see ing the en­
lightened so u l on hi s w ay to Mukti a rr iving with the Lord,
gather o n the way to ho nor the Lord and welcome the Jiv a .a nd
felicitate him.
Th e las I sec t io n (38) poi nts out that ju s I as I he King pr oce­
ed s o n hi s wa y in regal s ta teu s befits hi , posit ion , 11()(
but dul y acco mpa nied (escort ed) by a not he r g roup o f hi s
person al ret inuc , the Su pre me Lord proceedin g 0 11 hi s way to
hi s ow n dom ain taking with Him the enlightened so u l ripe fo r
Moks a at the lim e o f his final death (antakiile) is dul y acco m­
p anied by an oth er gro up o r escort s formin g hi s per so nal
retinue .
Yajn a valkya ' s co nc lud ing hi s di scourse with th e ill ustr a ­
tion o f th e k ing o f the country movin g in sta le to hi s d o ma in is
a n unmi st ak able indi cati on th at th e ce ntralfig ure i nte nded 10 be
projected by him in t he Jyotir Brahmana is t hc Su pre me Lord
23. • Yatliii riijdn amiiyiint am p ra t ik alp ante, cvam hyevatnvidam
sarv/i ni bhiitiini pratikalponie-idam brahmu a yot i , idam ii­
g accha ti, iti', Idam mukt aj ivas variipom dg ac cha t i, a to
saha idam p a ra mb ra hma iiyiuit i p arabrchntan ali plij ortham
pr atikalpante , Yathii riijiio dli vajiidikam diirii t dl ~\'!l' ii,
dh vaja iigacc h at i ta smet 'r aj a iiyiu iti PI/jam p rat lkalp ant e,
tadvat , (M)
'l{~ ~RfTrfi1rl{f"..ij ~Rtcg;rRt, u;ir ~~ oofiJr
...A ..... r-; "A"
>t1~~~tRT- ~ ~ ~KT, ~~i1Fl~, ~l~ I ~~-
\if)~q~Rt, ~.siA ~m: ~ ~ a1pwnRt tromUT:
~r~ ~fucg;q;ij I l{~T n~ '6~;f. ~q: ~, ~
'tcrr ~i~I'if§ffil ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~cg;~, .~ I
JYOTI R-BRAHMA ~A 153
and /10/ th e Jtvaunan, wh o is onl y a ben efici a ry taken al ong
with him by the Lord. The dominant r ol e o f the Lord in
steer ing: the Jivas thr o' their vari ous st at es a s their unfailing
Light and Guide through out . sugges ted by the wor ds Atmajyot ir
ay am Purusul) an d furth er co rr obo ra ted by [he niant ra: Svup ucna
.\'ii./'iralll ( I V. 3 . 1 1), not t,) speak o f the express reference 10 th e
al auc Supre me Lord as tdam 111'011111(/ i'/.I'tl ti (I V. 3. 37) leave )1(1 ru o m
[or doubt th at it i ~ the Sup reme Lo rd who i ~ lauded in IV. 3 .37
a nd not th e tn di vlduol .I' C ~r, t o t!l(' ex clus io n (~r t l.e ford. It
would be a mi su se o f lan gu age to elevate the Jiva , till now
cau ght in the mesh es pf l ra ns llligra t io n , to th e status of a Ki/lg .'·H
Thus, th e pr,en ing (lI{J ak r ama ) a nd th e end iuposamh iito) of the
I vot ir Br fih ma n u make it a bu nda nf ly clear t o the d iscernin ge ye
that it j, the Supren,: e Lor d wh o has be en celeb ra ted by
Yii,iilavalk ya in thi s Br a hma na as the unfailin g, independent
Light of man. ( ..( tll/{(i.l'oti(t PUrl/5a b). . ,
The clos ing sec t io n as int erpreted by Madhva very impress-­
ivel y brings out the filet t hat th e Lord is no t on ly the guiding
light of Jiva s in their dail y cxpe r iences of waking, dreaming
and sleep, but o r their migr ati on s to different world s and back
1II1N/{/
and finally in leadin g them to th eir salvation .
Sankara's interpret 'lti on o f ' Brah ma ' in Idam Brahma iiyiiti
ay am (IV. 3. 37) as (the individual se lf wh o is) the d oer of karma and
the enjoyer of its fruits iinom brahma kartr bhoktr ca} deprives
24. The compari son with the Ki ng will be hardly consistent
~~lTfir with the miserable plight o f the Jiva parting from life o n
earth in acute di stress , :pa nt ing for breath' - accordi ng to
S's Int erpretati on of i Brh. Up . lV. 3. 38.) Note that in
M's iruerpret at io n <utsa r]a t' refer s to the leavir .g behir.d
of the b ody (a nd not t o gus pi r g}. And the ' pers- :r. cl hjl)'
referred to is not the lfv(J but th e Lord,

154 MADHVA' S B I,tHAD ARA~ YAK A BHA $YA
the word of its established prim ary sense as the Br ahman of
Vedanta.
Having thu s removed th e Supreme Lord from the picture,
Satikara is hard put t o it explain satisfactorily the purpose of
making tw o parallel statements idam brahm a dyiiti , idam
iig accheti, to refer only to one person. This cannot be
explained as a token of regard (adara) , In such cases, the same
wording is required in principle - as in Aho dar saniyii aho
darSaniya-whereas here there is difference in wording, which
shows that tw o different persons are intended to be referred to
- the Supreme Lord and the Jiva , and not the lira alone , as
Saftkara would have it.
This isa crucial point. Sankara has been harping on the
King 's repeated requests to Yajfiavalkya - Sir, instruct me
furth er for my-Liberat ion (IV. 3. 33) But his interpretation of
the entire di scourse does not take us an inch beyond the souls'
Susupti and ph ysical death . The situation is hardly cornpli­
mentary toYajfiavalkya .
---==>c==-
SARIRA-BR.4HMAlfAM (IV. 4.1-25).
Th is Br ahmana gi ves us further details (in continuation of
what has been stated in the closing part of the Jyotir-Brahmana),
as to what happens when the Jivatrnan who is ripe for Moksa is
at the door of his final death. This comes out clearly from the
reference here (IV. 4. 4) t o th e destruction of the Jiv a's Avidya
iavidyiim . giimiiyit vii) and get t in g a more auspicious body
Kalyiinatar am rupam) .
155
SARIRA-BRAHMA~A
Before death comes, the Jiv a lo ses his outward consciousness
and approaches (/lyeti) the Lord who is the giver of st rengt h
to all creatures (ha/yam) . At that time, all the deities of the
senses in their resplendent forms (tejomiitriib) move with
him towards the Lord . Gathering the jiva with him, the Lord
makes his way to his place in the heart.
When the Lord who has been directing the Jlva's external
activities from his position in the right eye (cak~w ,l'Glz puru,mb) 1
turns back to the heart (which is hi s speci a l seat), the Jiva is no
longer in a position t o perceive external reality .
When the Lord find the Jlva whose special places are in the
heart 2 unite themselves with th eir OWIl respective pr esences in
the heart of the Jiva, they say the man is not perceiving
anything outvide. When their presence is similarly withdrawn
from each ro f the o th e r senses into th e heart a nd thus get UT ified
(rl'fhh f' l'O' :) wi th -heir " WT' respective basic Forrrs in the heart,
they <ay the man d oe s not hear. srr-el l, touch N understard ,
1. The Lord In the right eye h as been . called 'indha' (the
kindler) - Brh, Up. HI. 2.2. See also
Daksinnksimukho visvoli­
~0lT~~ ~~: I
(Ma~1f)iikya Up.)
2. In the waking state of Jivas th e Lord is specially present
in the right eye to direct external perception.
Jiigarite aksyiidisu svisesena sannihito bh avati.
~~ al~~ fc{~1M BM~ +rWt I
(M. Ail. Up. C.). The Lord is present in one form in the
heart. . The jiva pervades the d ifferent parts of his body
with the attribute of hi s illumin atin g consciousness only
(See BS. U. 3. 26).

156 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BH ASYA
Then, wh en the J iva . abo ut to be released from bondage,
gets near the Lord in the heart, the tip of the Jiva 's heart is
lighted lip by th e Lord and thro' tbe route thu s bri ghtened the
Lord takes the Jiva with him and goes out of th e body either
thro ' the eye or the apert u re in the skull o r thro'the ear
according as the enli ght ened Jiv a is eligible to stay in the
worlds o f the Sun o r of Brahma o r the L '"lrd Hi 'mself o r of o ther
deities as the case may be, before fin ally going-t o the world of
Moks a.
The deity of ch ie f breath (Mukhya Prana) follows the Lord '
when He go es o ut of the body . The other deities of the senses
foll ow H im . T he Lor d leaves th e body (whldh He h as been
su st aining fo r th e'J
.
iva) t aking with Him the Ji vamian (Sa vijiui no
~
bha vatlv a nd rid ing him ( vijiiiinam anvavakriimat i) . Th e
presid ing deities of the Jiva' s kn owledge (Brahma) a nd works
(G arud a) and of hi s intrinsic fitness or Svariip ayogyata (and
the goddess Sri) a lso accompany the Lord .
It will thus be see n th at acc ord ing to Madhava' s interpre­
t ation of the Sarira Brahrna n a, the entire process of utkriinti o f
the Jiva fit for Moksa is d ominated by the Lord's leading TO le,
the Jiva being pas sivel y led. It is the Lord who is des cribed as
the C ak su s a-Purus a. The ekibltava sp oken o f is
unifi cation o r mer ger of th e Jiva wi th Brahm an o r the emb odied
self with it s o w n pure self as made out by Sankara, but the
unifi cati on o f th e se lf with it s 0 11'/1 basic pr esence' in the heart
and the unification of th e L ord ' s Form in the ri ght eye with His
own Form in th e he art. Sankara explains that the word VijiHin a
\
in Brh , Up IV. 4. refers t o the hazy sort of comprehension as
o r e has in th e dream state a nd not true vivid kn owledge . It is
this haz y sort of kno wledge in the form of impressi on s
. . . .skaras,
(sam . that the
.- Jiviitman
- . t akes with
. -. him
. wh. en he leave..s
SARIRA-BRAHMA~A 157
tbe body. Dr. Radbakrishnan takes a different view and
translates Sa vijiiiino bhava t i as "he bec omes one with intelli­
gence" and the next sentence as "Sa vijliiillamlllvavak riim at i"
as "wha t has inteJligence departs with him" - probabl y meaning .
the Li ngadeha. Mq,dhva is in a position to take vijfi ana in its
undiluted sense of tbe individual self himself, on the autbority
of the Kanva recensiou of Brh , UP. (III.7.22) which is
cor ro bo r at ed by itscouriterpart "At man" in the M iidhyandina
text. He is not , therefore. o b liged to dilute the meaning of
the word VijiHina as ,Sa nkara has been oblige d to do, by viewing
.
the entire recital a:;; ' dealing exclusively with the exit of the
Jivatmau alone without giving the rightful pl ace to the Supreme
Lord in master-mind ing the whole process of the Utkriinti of
the enligh tened Ji va on the road t o Mok sa , We have already '
see n th at irrespective 'of whether th e exit of the .~ iva is during a
death in the natura lcourse leadi ng toa rebirth or final death
leading to Mok sa . .the Lord remains ill com m and. It needs no
repetition tbat Ma dhva' s approach to. the career of the Jiva in
a ll it s st ages, fr om the beginning to the end , is in full conformity
with th~ prim acy of the Lord as th e centia ( ,subject of the
philoso phy o f the Ved a nt a . D islodge Him altogether or shelve-
H im to a seco nda r y.pl ace and yo u will have a , Brahma­
M im a msa without Br ah man-Iike the staging of Hamlet without
the Prince Denmark.
not th e
IV . 4- 4 describes bow the L ord a rrang es th e ex it of the
J iva fr om his bo dy , on his wa y t o Moks a, w ith a couple of
illustrations. A cat erpillar reachs th e end of the blade of grass
he has settled on an d get s a footh ol d on an ot he r blad e and then
d r aws itself up after relinquishing it s ho ld on the for mer bl ade)
Sim ila rly the Lord end ow s the Ji va wi t h saving kno wledge ,
puts an end to his begin ni ngl ess igno ra nce ia vidyiim g amoy it viis
and throws off the Jlva' s physica l body (idem sa riram nihatya}
l S8 MADHVA'S B ~H AD ARA~ YAKA BH A~YA SAR I R A-BRA HM A ~A 159

and reaches t o the J iva's subtle form (svarupadeha) and draw s
Himself up fr om th e fallen bod y, Or, lik e a go ldsm ith wh o
melts UOWl1 go ld-o re, refi nes it and makes new and newer
things out of it , th e Lord burns up the beginningless dross of
Avidya . ka ma and karma of Ji vas, in the fire of Hi s powerf
and gives them new form s- acco rd ing t o their fitness , su ch as
of a Br ahm a . a Pr aj apati (Rudra) , Pitr, Gandharva , et c .
The 'illust rat ion of the goldsmith brings ou t two points th at
prior to th e refi nem ent by the go lds mit h the go ld-ore ha s only
the pot ential fiitness to be pure go ld. In the sa me way, the Jivas
to o have their own potent ial fit ness to be released by th e
removal of th eir beginningless dros s of Avidyii etc. 5 But this
ca nnot be done byLhemselvcs. It is only God who can do it for
J . . Eva m sa bl.ag avii n vi,s~lUb jlvasvarnasya yan m alam
avidy dkiim axarmiidy am iitmiig nau niisy a sa rvak rt .
; Sv ecchay ii 'k urute 'tasy a tadyogyam ta sya mukt igam,
-Pit rj t vasy a pitryam sa gii ndharvani tasya caiva hi.
, Brah m an o briihma m cveti ni ty iinandas va riipak am , (M)
tJjr ij ~ilcrrf;qt~: ~~~~(f ~ril~ I
of hi s princel y identity. Coming t o kn ow of it lat er , th e pers on
~l9irll;:r;i1f;q i31r~r~ ~l ~~ t1~ I
th em . Th e seco nd point is th at th e goldsmit h subjects the ore
t o a process of puri ficati on . Th e Lord th en is the g oldsm ith
and th e J ivu who se A vidyii has 10 be rem oved is the ore . Th e
ore d oes not m elt itself int o ref ined go ld : It s;. bm ils passive ly to
the go ldsm ith in it iat ive, Th is gives th e who le ca se awa y for the
doc trin e of o neness bet ween th e Br ah man an d th e Ji va who is
t o attain rel ease- In t he light of th is obvio us finding, the
subsequ ent descr ipt io n in IV. 4. 6 - "H is Pranas do not go out
of him. Being Brah man he atta ins Brahman" has to be
underst ood in the sense that Ji va duly qu alified t o attain
M oks a, having become bri mful of the th ou ght of Brahman and
attu ned hi s desires t o th e will of Lord (iitl1lak cll11 o{l, iiptukc1mu b)
reac hes Brahman t br ahmdpy et iv. The transiti ve ver bs 'apy eri'
and ' soma/mut e' cannot be explained in t erms of an identity
relati on . On the theory of oneness, th e proper wording would
be Brahmaiva san Brahm o vijiiniiti , (Bein g Br ahman he come s
t o k now he is Brahman). There is no ' propriety in saying he
reaches (apyeti) Brahman. Even the neckla ce round one's own
neck whi ch the wearer has forgotten and goes ab out searching
for it, is said to be 'found ' and not 'obtained ' (pr iiptam). Take '
th e an al ogy of a Pri nce bro ught up among she pherds in ing orancc
wou ld on ly say to himse lf ' J kn ow no w that I am th e Prince' ­

but Dot ' 1 now join the Prince (apyemi).

, ~~~ ~& Cl~ Cl~ Cl~ ~~;Z I

I V'. 4. 5. extol s the Lo rd ' s Majesty as beyond all finite

~\iftcw.r ftl~ u m~~ Cl ~lf ~Cf it: ,I
un derst an di ng. B e is far (sub) andnear (ay am) al l perv asive
«

;morr 'fT~ ~r~~~~ 11

(ii lnui ) of inf in it e attrib utes (brahma)? of s uper abu ndan t
in telligen ce (vij fianamaya h). But Hi s inte ll igence is not
4. P iirviinunubhiitat vat na vataram z bhuvti, (M)
...
~~~m~ ~~ *fqRl I
. ""
6. Not e t hat M . gives separate meanings and signifi canc e , to .
5 . Pii vam tu y ogyat iimiit ram dvijatvam biilake ya thii. (M) the st ring of words S;a rii OYWI1 dtm ii brah ma etc . which
~~ ~ mlRlTllrir ~ ~r~~ ~~' I
1 o thers pass over wit ho ut muc h atte ntio n.
160 .
MAD H VA ' S BRHADARAN
'.YAKA
, ..
BH ASYA
S AR I R A-BR A H MA~A 16 1
derived fr o m Vij fian at attv a ( mjiiiiillamay ab). Then foll ow a
I nc identa lly descri bi ng the lot of t he tra ns migr ati ng se lf.
seri es of positive-cum-negative de scriptions of the Lord. H e is
, ,
Ylij fiava lky a sa ys - att rac ted b y t he des ires for ea rthl y and
(Man omoy ai the so urce of a ll thought but his th ou ght is not a , .
heavenl y rewards t he J iva pe rforms vario us Kam ya ka rrnas and
pr odu ct of m anu st att va (ama nomaya lis. He is ' Pranamaya (alI-
I ' reap ing t hei r fruit s comes back aga in to) do so . Such is th e fate
energy) but hi s energ y is not derived from Ah arnk ar ik apra na , of th e de s ire - bou nd tkiimava manai.
therefore He is a lso up r a nam aya . The str ing of negat ive s
has t o be co nstr ued o n vhese lines . The suffix 111 0 )'(1 applie d T hen fo llow s (IV . 4 .6 ) th e descri pti on of the enl ig htened Ji va
t o Hi s att ri butes arc all of them to be underst ood in th e r ip e f or Mo ksa , t Atha akii mayatniinah} , H e has learn t to
se nse of su pera bun dance o r the ir const it ut ing th e esse nt ia l a tt un e hi s wi shes t o Lo rd 's w ill (a-k am ab) . He h as no un worthy
nat ur e of Br ahm an ' s Sv ariip a.l As the seer of a ll, He is wishes (/li :~k iiill u b ) Eve n in respect of worthy desires hi s wishe s
Caksurtnaya ; as independent hearer of all H e is Srotram nya, a re at tu ned to the Lord 's (ak amomay ab). He has re ali sed hi s
Asthe bearer of a ll He is Prthv im a ya ; but he is not o f the ch ief object ive in life (aptak al1lab) . H is so le o bject o f desire is
ea rth, ea rthy taprthvtm ay ativ, He is space as He prov ides r oo m th e Lord (iitm ak amab) T he vital a irs of such perso n do no t
for object s t o abide in (Akiisamay ah ).S He is K amam aya as h e depart fro m him in Muk ti i.e, to say, he is no t su bject to de ath
desires to create and s us ta in th e wo r ld by His own nature. He thereafter a nd ther efore hi s Pr an as d o not dep art fr om hi m,
is a nta go nis tic t ~ a ll ev i l a nd therefore ' Kro dhamaya' but hi s Thi s is a very meaningful explanation of a mu ch di sputed tex t
anger is unlike .o ur s (akrodhon iaya), He is Dharmam aya in the Upani sads ,
._ . . . • I •

having infinite bliss,

. knowledge and other attributes (dh arm a) , , The next mantr a (IV . 4. 7) acc o r d ing ly points out that th e
but He has no. material attributes iadh arm am ayah y. He is 'that' Mukta enters into Para Br ahm an in Mah aprala ya (p assiv el y)
(t~t) as He is th e .same as bef ore. He is ':Yat ' - being , the
IIO W
a nd coming o u t of the state of Pra laya he is again in active
same inside beings.as
.,,,' well as outside of all. ':H e is ' .etat ' as
'. communio n with the Lord . ( at ra bra hm a sa m a sn ute s, He h as
He is the same infinite now and forever. He causes Jivas to do
tran scended death once for a ll. Th e mo rtal so far tpiirv am
things according to His will in conformity with their de serts . mar ty ab) no w (at ha) beco mes im mort alr amr to bhavat ii,
Th,e Lord being possessed of such a nature, the Jiva does wh at
the Lord impels him to do in keeping wit h hi s deserts. Hence . The co nc luding part of IV. 4. 7 makes it clea r that the
they say the Jiva follows the Lord's will (Kiimayam iillab). Mukta does not attai n an y p arit y of st atu s wit h the Lord aft er
becom ing r ele ased . We have a lready show n th e i mplications of
the t wo illust ra t ions o f th e caterpill a r an d th e go ldsm it h
7. Priidhiiny e ea m ay a] prok tch sviit antry e ea yatto bhovet . which make clear the leading rol e of th e Lord H i msel f i n help­
m~~ :q, i{~ m~: ~a;;tr :q ~ ~~a:. I ing the Jiva t o attain Mok sa.
8. A v aka ~upr abii . v ii : ak asarnaya try ot e,
T he remaining po rtio n of th e Brahmana con tains a number
~~srGJ('Fl\Ta:. a:tTCfiT~i{lf ~a- I of ver ses bearing o n d ifferent as pects of t he Lo rd ' s M aj est y such
15
162 MADHVA'S BE.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
as the integr ation o f Hi s countless attributes with His Being,
the five forms a nd colors of the Lord' s ma nifes ta t ion s, the i m­
portance of acqu iri ng kno wledge of the Lord here and no w, the
d uty o f the en lightened one t o spread and propagate true
know ledg e and be re ady to counteract the sprea d of false
k now ledge (avidy ii). Th e eloquent pr ai se of the Lord ? as th e
Lord o f a ll, Master of All, who neither waxes thro ' karma,
nor wa nes w it hou t it - the great embankment which holds
together the wor ld and wh ose supp lican ts in the enjoyment of
their joy in Moksa, released soul s are (IV. 4. 22), and the re­
sou nding wo rd s : Esa nityo m ah imii Briihmal;Zasya-"Such is th e
Majesty of the Lor d as we k now Him f rom the Veda s"10 leave
a bsolu tely no room for d oubt that the Lord's Majesty tmahimii)
is indeed the centr a l theme of the Siirira - Brahman a. 11
9. S arvasy a vast sorvasyesiiro h sorvasya dhiptih na siidh unii
ka rm anii bhiiyiin 110 eviisiidhu nii kan iyd n (I V. 4. 22)
ij~ q~ ~~ij: ij~qffi: ij m~T (fi;llJ{T ~~
on ~1WIT <r.~~ I
10. Vediik hyabr ah m aniinyatviid v i~lJ u /.! brii hm ana ucya te.
~(ij~0lRCIT~: ;f{@JT ~ I
11 . The next two Brahmenas are th e Maitreyi Br ahmana
(IV. 5. 1-15) and the Vamsa Brahmana giving t he list of
tea chers of Brahmavic ya (IV . 6.). The present Maitreyi
Br ahrn ana is more or les s identical in content with its first
vers io n given in Il. 4. 1-14 already dealt with. One very
important passage in the second ver sion is Av iniis i vii are
ay am dt mii onucchittidhar mii (IV . 5 . 14) which has been
discussed by me under n. 4.
- 0­
ADHYAYA V
The fifth and the sixth Adh ya yas of the Brh adaran yak a
Upanisad de al with anciJIa ry meditations connected with the
vari ou s Vid) as pr op ou nded in the first four Ad hyayas . Th e
presence of a V amsa Brahrnan a (List of Teachers) at the end of
Adhya ya IV is taken by some modern scho la rs t o est abli sh th at
origin all y t he Brh , Up . was con clu ded here and that the two
succeeding Adhyayas were a later ad d it io n. Curi ou sl y en ough ,
the last Adhyaya too h as it s own Vamsa Brah rna na at the end.
TraditionalIy also the last two Adhy ayas ar e rega rded as
Pari sist as (or Ses abhiitas,
BRAHMATYA - I (V,l).
This Brahmana arises by way of cl ar ify in g a doubtful
position whether there is any mutual difference in the Fiv e
Forms and colors of the Supreme Brahman present in Hit a­
nadis as referred to in Brh , Up . IVA. 9. This is set at rest here
by reaffirmin g the truth indicated in passing in I V.4.20 with a
(M)
c lear enunciation th at all Forms a nd manifes ta t ions of the
Supreme Lord-such as Ant arya mi forms in th e hearts of
countless beings and in the elements of natu re an d the Vi sva
Taijasa. Prajfia and other Forms controlli ng the d ai ly li fe and
states of the persons - and above a ll th e var iou s A vat ara Forms
of the Lord are all of them equ ally an d uni for ml y infinite in
the power and potency of their a ttri bute s. The sou rce-F or m
(miilariipa) of the Lord is infinite (p iirl)am) in a n its attr ibutes.
So too are Its manifest ed Fo r ms s uch as the Av ata rs ce leb ra ted
in the Srutis and Smrtis. From that infi nite Being (adab) th is
(idam) infinite being emerges iudacyatei . Wh en th e rOOt
164 . MADHVA'S B~HADA.RA~YAKA BHA.SYA ADHYAYA V BRAHMA~A I 165
Form takes back or absorbs within itself (iidaya) the Manifested
to Madhva for discovering the locus classicus of this great
Forms, it remains the same infinite ipiirnameva avasisyate),
doctrine of Theism in the body of the Upanisads and the
The priority or posteriority in time and place between their
Siitras and given it renewed currency and its place of honor
coming to be perceived by others makes no difference to their
in the philosophy of the Vediinta.
infinitude of content or their absolute identity of being.
Na desa - kiilasiimarth yiit pourviiparyam katham cana (M)
Saflkara interprets the word adah in this mantra as the
This is one of the great mysteries of the Divine Nature.
unconditioned Brahman and idam as the conditioned (by attri­
Therein lies the fulfilment of Theistic doctrine of the ontologi­
butes of creatorship, etc.). But he is not prepared to accept
cal relation between the Deity and its manifestations on the one
the conditioned and the unconditioned Brahman to be infinite
hand and the countless attributes of Divinity to the Deity
in the same sense tho' the Sruti says so: Piirnam adah piirnam
itself. Centuries ago the Upanisads said the last word on the
idam without reservations. His view is that by rescinding the
subject.
conditioned aspect by true knowledge the conditioned comes to
Ekadha ivanudrasta vyam ne/ut niinast i kihcana
be recognised as the unconditioned and the infinite. This
Q,9itJ~oir ~~ O1ri1r~ f€o~ I
reduces the two plain categorical propositions of the Upanisad
t Brh, Up. IV. 4. 19 - 20)
"That is infinite; This is infinite" - into a single proposition­
Yadeveha t adamutra yadamutra t adanviha,
Mrtyob sa mrtyum g acch at i ya iha niineva pasyat i,
viz. that the "That" (adalz) alone is all the while and in strict
truth the infinite (piir~am) not the idam (this) also as such, Is
lI~~~~~R~ I other words. the position of the Upanisad would be sPurnam
il?-rT: B' ~ ~ffi tr ~~ 'll~er 'Wfffi I adah' - only; 'not Purnam idam' as welI; In Sankara's
(Katha. Up. u. 1. 10). philosophy, to
be conditioned is a mark of finitude
Christia ~
and Islamic theology are still feeling their way (paricch innatvams What is <p ar icchinna' is apiirna (finite).
towards an uf,equivuc"l a.:cept<lLCe of this truth. l Credit goes limited. '. As we all know p aricchinnatvam in his philosophy is
1. Cf. "Adherents of Trinitarian religions persuade themselves one of the grounds (premise) of mithyiitvam (unreality) - of the
by a juggler) . f weres that the) believe ii. One God and world (cf. Vimatam mithyii drsyatviit jadatviit, p aricchinnatviit
the best that has been said on the subject is that it is a sulct iriip y zva r).
mystery of which DO rational explanation is possible".
S. Radhakrishnan, Eastern Religions and Western Thought,

Dr. Radhakrishnan holds that Piirnam idam refers to "the

1940, p. 343.

manifested world presided over by the Personal Lord"

"At present Christanity is still encumbered with its Trini­

tanian and Christological superstrctures,' from - 'Tmpor •

(Principal Upanisads p. 289). He writes - "While this world is
tance of Dvaita for the Christain Wesl' article published by
infinite, it has its roots in the Absolute". Certainly, the world
L. Stafford Betty, California in Dr. B. N. K. Sharma's 70th
has its roots in Brahman. But can it be styled "infinite" on
Birthday Corn. Volume Bombay 1979.
that account! The Professor says: "the manifested world does
IGfJ MADHVA' S Bl~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
not , take awa y fr om the fulness or integrity of the Ab solute "
(ibid) . All this merel y hides the naked truth that the manifes­
ted world as such is not infinite. We have already seen under
Brh Up . (Ill. 4. 5) th at Sankara regards the manifested world
as iirtam , Wha t is iirtam cannot possibl y be piirnam . The se
phi l osophical di fficulties sho w that we cann ot get away with
the interpretati on of idam in the m antra Piirn am adalt piirnam­
idam in the sense of a co ndit io ned Brahman and the manifested
worl d. Th e posifrom is not improved in Svami Krish uan anda' s
1'1'. of Br b. Up (Dive ne Life Society, Ri shikesh) . The
interpreta ti on o f ada li and idam given by Madhva su ffers
fr o m no such difficulties a nd has much to commend it.
Th e Brahm an a goes o n to describe the Supreme Brahman
wit h th e words Om kham br ahma , kh am PtiratJam and viiyu ram
kham.
Sa nkara t a kes the se as referring to the Prat ik opasana o f
O rnkara a nd tak es 'the first k ham in the sense of non-elemental
Aka.sa tp aramiitmiikiiso v and the second one (viiyuram kham) as
elem ental Ak asa (ether) - where the wind abides and bl ows.
Madhva .does not subscribe to Sankara's definition of
wh at con stitutes Pr at ik op a san a , To him there is no place for
any sort o f su per pos it io n o f the idea of Brahman on a Pratika
(symb ol) in a ny of the Upa sanas taught in the Upani sads ,
Br ah mopasan a t o M adhva is actual Upasana of the Supreme
Br ahm an who (as immanent in all finite reality) is a lso present
in any given Pr at ik a. H owev er, the present context, acc ordin g
to M adh va , is not one o f Pr at ikopa sana. It is a direct Upasana
o f Br ah man as om kliam brahma, k ham piirnam and viiyuram
kham, A ll these words den ote Brahman directly . "Om " ex­
presses the meaning that the Supreme Brahman is possessed of
infini te attd butes ·· for in finite a re the attributes wov en into its '
ADHYAYA V BRAHMA~A I 167
being: Otiib sarvagun ii yasm iid asmin om Vi snur ucy ate. S It is
eternal, beginningless (pttrii1)am) , allpervasive (brahma) . efful­
gence tprokasiitmakums, It is of all-blissful essence (kham)
and gives delight to Va yu (Mukhya Pran a) Viiyo ratidam
(Vayu ,f"am). It may be useful to recal l here that Viiyu ha s been
described in Brh, Up . 11, 2. I as th e child (sisu) tethered to the
Lord iPrdnas st h ii~l ii) . We a lso find the word 'ram' used in
Brh, Up. V. 12 in the sense of givi ng delight 3 which lends
weight to Madhva's interpretation of Viiyu- ram, here , as
"giving delight to Va yu ".
The Brahmana concludes by sayin g that the knowers of
Brahman call it "Veda" · not o nly because Brahman is of the
essence of kn owledge (from Vid) but als o because it is
only with the help and gr ace of the Fl awless One (a) - viz.
Brahman that one knows wh at is worth knowing in life.
Vedo'yam Briihmonii vidub , veda u a nena ena ya d
Vedit avyiims
2. Cr. Otatvaviici hy onkiiro Vakt yasau tadgunotauim .
iWt~C{qRT ~U q~m ~uTRffifl\ I
(M. Anuvyfikhyfina)
3. Priino vai 'ram ' priine khalvimiini bhiitiini ramante,
~roTr ~ '~' ~rU'r ~qmf.l ~arf.l ~;:a
~~ ~ra:a~ I
4
Madhva re ads an additional ena after anena in the text
while Satikara read s Vedainena ya dveditavya ml . In
Madhva's interpretation ena is the inst rument al singular of
'a' the name of Supreme Lord, as given in ' A ' iti brahmar
( A A II.3 .8) meaning 'flawless' • based o n o ne o f the three
meanings of the negative: A m iinona l) p ratisedh avacan ee,
Piin 1.4.57) CL als o:
'61' ~ ;m I i3l1Wf~r : ~l:TCRI~ I.
168 MAD H VA 'S Jj\UI A DARA~ YAKA B HA~YA BRAHMA I;JA V. III 169

B R liHMAlYA V .2 . 1-3 : BRA-HM A lYA V. 3 :

Thi s Br a h rna na te ache s the u ni vers al hu manit ari an code of
Thi s Br ahm an a te aches th e Upa san a of th e Lord as
et h ics a nd ri gh t living fo r all mank ind with the h elp o f a
"Hrdayam". The L ord is to be meditat ed upon as "H r-da-ya"
parable of th e Devas, men a nd As uras seek ing i nstru cti on fr o m
in the sense th at H e t a kes for Him sel f (hr) Hi s share of the
th e fo u r -fa ced Br ahm a .
o b la t io ns in sacri fi ces (see Git d IX 24). H e gives knowledge
T hey are a ll give n a s ing le syllab le ' da' by w ay o f such
(da) a nd le ads th e Ji vas t o their deli ver a nce (ya -pa ya t i) .
in struct ion when th ey approach Praj a p ati severally.
T he Devas fi nd themsel ves i nst ru c ted t o prac ti se se lf­ BRAHMA lYA V, 4 :
co ntro l a nd re stra in th eir pri de o f power a nd strength. The
Thi s Br ah ma na t ell s us th at the Lord is t o be maditated
men fee l i nst ru c ted t o pract is e cha r ity a nd g ive up greed a nd
up -in as 'Ta t ' (all-pervasive) be caus e H e r em ains uniforml y the
a va rice . T he Asu r as fee l themsel ve s instru ct ed t o be
same now, in the p ast an d in the fu ture . He manifests
co mpass io n a te a nd cease t aking prid e a n d de ligh t in the use of
Himself as Sat (V a s ud ev a).
br ute fo rce o n ot hers . Viewed in a more comp re he ns ive sen se
t he t h re e vi rt ues of dan ta . diina an d dayii a re wo rt hy of b eing BRAHMA lYA V. 5.1 -4
p ra ct ised b y a ll cla sses of th inking men , The Upani sad adds
The s ubj ec t o f t he med itat io n o n the L ord as Sa tya m is
th a t N atu re her sel f co u nsels the practi ce o f these redeeming
co nt inued here It is e njo ined th at the Lord sho uld be
v ir tues, t hr o ' the echoes of thunde r resound ing with the so un ds
meditated upon as pre sent in the so la r o rb as •Aditya '
tin, do , da . T hi s de ep so c io -e i h ical me ss age t o humanit y
receiving the o b lat io ns in sacr ifices a nd as present in th e ri ght
co nv eye d tb r ou gh the ru mbl ings of t hu nder bear s test im on y t o
eye o f Jivas. He is he r e ca lled b y the na me "A p ah "1.t he a ll­
the sa lut ary ideal s and lofty im agina ti on o f the g rea t seers and
Br ahmava din s o f a neien t Indi a . protecting Vasudeva. H e cre at es Brahrna in the be ginning
a nd Brahrna creat es th e o th er Dev as. T hey a ll wo rs h ip the
(r; a~ ta siitra under Akiiro any iibhdvaviruddhiivitci s, Tasmiit p iir­ Satyam-Va sudeva . T he name ' Satya ' h as t h re e syll a b les . ' sa l'
ata ntrytilp agun at viidi sa rva vast us vabhii vaviru ddh as vahhi i vam , et' a n d ' y a' . The fi rst a nd the last sy llab les for m -Satya' . The
s vatantram p iinl :lg u ~ta /ll sarvaj tvajadebliyo any at ajiiit na­
duhk luilpotvapiiratant ryotp a i t iniisiidisarvadosava rj it am
bra hmaiva , ,.{, sahdiir thah. 1. 'Apa(l' can no t re fer to the pr ime va l wate rs here as Sa nkara
(M . A A. Bh fi~ y a H. 3.8) understand s it. Fo r the wa ters be ing th e msel ves crea ted
cannot h ave exi st ed as s uch in M ah apral aya . N o r can iipab
ej"fiTnS~PlTerfcf~~T~ I a~Tq:, qRi;l~r~~IJl ~~rft:fl~ -
be construe d h ere i n th e se nse o f th ei r pr ot o -fo r m as
~~8~~T~P.t ~~~~rir , ~a~ 'idr~riT tl~~~+~S;:~q:, , undifferenti ated . FM they ea u Id not h ave. crea t ed the
Supreme Lord ' Sa tya ' as stated in t he t ext. This ' Sat ya '
~:tfAg;:@~q~q'R~"'tqRt;:rr~tl~qqf~ ~ '31"­
cannot be t ak en in th e se nse of the Fou r-face d Brahrna
~OGJ ~ : I because the iatter's cr eat ion by B rahman is separ ately
(M . AA. C. 1I. 2 .5 ) mentioned in th e te x t . . •
170 MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHASYA
middle one (t) is purely euphonic and has 110 distinct meaning.
<Sat' means destroyer of ignorance (from 'sad '<to disintegrate)
and 'ya' signi fie s leading to deliverance.
These two forms of the Lord Vasudeva as Satyam in the
solar orb and in the right eye of Jivas rest in each other. TM
Lord in the solar orb rests in the right eye thro ' His rays.
These rays in the eye of the Jiv as enable them to perceive
things and extend the visi on as far as the solar orb, The Lord 's
presence in the ri ght eye is to be known from the fact that when
He decides to leave the Jiva's body making His exit thro ' the
eye, the Jiva will not be in a position to perceive the rays of the
Sun (which the Lord withdraws from his sight) and he will be
seeing only the bare solar disc. This is a sign of hi s impe nding
death· which may take place instantly or within seven days''.
To facilitate the meditation of the two Forms of the Lord
Vasudeva (sat yam) in the solar orb and in the right eye, the
Brahmana specifies their respective li mbs and their secret
names , The Lord's head in the solar orb and in the right eye
of Jivas has the name of (the Vyiihrti) bhid), which means the
protecting one . The right arm is called 'bhu' - the source of
2. Yadotkramisyan bhavati suddhamevaitanmandalam paivati,
nainam ete rasmayab pratyiiyanti , (V.5-2).
~~Ilrl:il:{~ +t~ ~~ij;llU~ q~, ~Olit~ ~:
~~l
..... ... .. . .. .... ... .. .. niisya pratiyante hi rasmayah .
Tatksan e ni yamenaiva k esiiiicit snptabhirdinaiba.
............................~ s«ft~ ~ ~+Jcr:
"Aham iti pratyag dtmabhiitatviit,
~~~ fiti(~'4 ~qT~ B~: ~: II
BRAHMA~A 5 171
creation and the left arm is called wah' the sou rce of destruc­
ti on " (of the world) . The ri ght foot is called "su' the giver of
the svarnpananda of Jivas in Mcksa and the left foot as the
bestower of knowledge is called 'var'. The Lord 's head is
spoken of as the protector becau se th e Lord pr otects the souls
with His gr acious look and wor ds of sav ing knowledge and
the organs of sight and speech are located in the head.
The secret name (Upanisad) of the Lord present in the
right eye of Jivas is 'ah am' meaning the undiscardable
ia-heyamv: It is not correct to hold that this name "aham " is
the name of the self i pratyng dt m ans , For the Upanisad has
described the head . arms and feet of this Being in the right eye
(ak~i~thapuru~ab) But the Jiva trnan ha s no separate head,
arms and feet in his right eye. It is the Jivatrnan's form
located in the heart that comes to be present in a special
manner in the right eye in the waking state. And the secret
name of the Lord in the solar orb (for meditatio n) is ssavar'
which means '~hining bri ghtl y' or illuminating the whole world
(prakiisaniit). One who knows the Lord in thi s way and
meditates on Him is released from his sins and gets rid of
(sanjahiiti) the evil influences of Kali.
3. ' BMi' satt iiy iim , Sattii ea rok sanariip ai va. viitergatyarthatviit ,
"nasta' ityarthe ' g ata' iti prayogiit . Vinii saniit 'volt'
ityuktab, (Raghiittama)
'4i..'ij'ijflIT~ I ijW ~ ,a~UT~ttCf I en~Clfil~T~ , ,~~'
~~ 'rra' ~ wnm('( I fct<lTWlT~ 'q:' ~~[ffi: I
4. For this meaning of "a/w in" as explained by Madhva see
also the earlier context (T.4.10), Satikara also agrees that
(M)
the form "aham" is derived from the root ha - to ahandon.
Piirvavat (hant er)
jahiitesca (riipam) • Brh . Up . (V. 5. 4) He leaves the initial
'Il' - unexplained .
172 M ADHVA 'S BB.H ADARA~YAKA BH ASYA ADHY A YA V BRA H MA~A 8.9 173

BRAHMAlYA V. G : BR AHM A /YA V. 8 :

After exp la in ing the u pa sana of the Lo r d as pr esent in th e Thi s Vidya is a med itat ion o n Sarasva t i the pres idi ng deity
so la r orb a nd on e's r ight eye, the Upanisad now prescribes of all speech a nd Vid ya s. She is t o be med itated up on in the
His med itat ion as being prese nt i n the heart of the up asaka. form of a cow with fou r u dd ers - th e de it ies of Svah ak ara,
The Lo rd in th e hear t is to be med itated up on as M an o may a ­ Va satkara, H antak ar a a nd Svadh ak a r a .i The go ds subs is t o n
o f the nature an d essence of S'O prerne Kno w ledge i mah iijii ii niit­ th e. first t wo Udder s, men on H ant aka ra and the Pit rs on
maka)1, He is th e "Puru . sa " endowed with the six sovereign Svadh a kar a. Her Lord ( Vr~a bh a ) is M uk hya Pr ana and RUdra
attri but es (pl/r{l G - ~a(lgu( la h ). H e is ' satya ' - full of au spiciou s th e pres id ing deity o f the mind is her calf,
attr ibute s (sad. g U1;1a ). H e is tr an scendent al efful gen ce (bhiib).
BR A-Hlvi A fj A V. 9 :
Hi s measure in the bea n o f man is that of a grain of rice or
barl ey. He ru les all and is the pr ime mover (ana) of all ot he r This is a meditati on on th e Sup reme Lo rd as ' Vais va nara '
dei ti es in vest ed wi th limited rul ership of different secto rs and and not o n the ga st r ic fire o r the fire. go d . Th e Supreme being
He co ntro ls all . present in the gas t r ic fire and Agni m akes it po ssible for gas t ri c
fire a nd the fire · god t o di gest t he fo od ea ten . Th e term
BR AHM A lYA V. 7 : Vais vanara as ap p lied t o the Lor d is expl a ine d by M adh va as a
T he med itat io n of the Lord as 'Vidyut ' is tau gh t here. He co mpou nd of Vais va and ana rah , The Lord is "Va is va - pos­
is Vidyu t - wh o k nows a ll. Vidiiniit (fr om svid' to kn ow) , also sessor of all attributes. H e is never su bject t o any of the four
be cau se H e s unde rs (fr o m ' do' t o cut off) o ur fonta1 igno­ kinds of los s o r dest ruc t ion of p ersona lit y 2 ( a samy ak na t iyate ).
r an ce comp lete ly ( pi) . H c re moves the sins of those who k no w His praises a re being su ng con stantl y by Mu khya Pran a. Its
thi s a nd med itate o n Him as " Vidy ut " and en able them t o sou nd can be heard by clos ing one 's ea rs and li stening to i1. 3
reali se Hi m i Vldy oti ' iit mii nani vedaya ti ant arn ltan ic'[. But when the L ord is abo u t to depart fr om the bod y of the so ul
this sound ceases t o be he ard any more . That is a sign of death
1. As already ind ica te d in earl ier co nt exts , th e s uffix maya coming.
adde d to th e Lord ' s a tt ri butes sig nifies the ir su per abu n­
danc e i prii curv a) o r th eir co nst ituting Hi s ess enti al being
1. Different ' ha il - wo rds' used in the sacrifice. such as Sviiha
Sva dhii, Vasa t , etc.
(tiidfitmy o) . The re ference sim ply as bhab exp lained by
Sal; kara as bhiili cva svariipam yasya (wh o is of th e nat ur e 2. Anityatvam dehohiin ili dubkhapriiptirapiirl')atii. Niisascatur­
of ligh t) sho u ld make it clear th a t Man o - ma ya a lso will vidhak proktab··.. ... . .. .. (M. GT. II. 17)
hav e to be taken in a simi lar w ay. The five forms of ~~€1 mT~: 9;:\9~Tfffi~rJraT I
Brah man as annam aya , p r ii n arnaya , ma nomaya, vijiiiina­ ;:rr~~fcfCl: ~: 11
maya a nd anandamay a tau ght in the Taitt . Up. have a ll
been expla ine d by Madhva in th e same sen se of superabun­ 3. Sankara t akes it t o be t he sound pro d uced by gastric fi re
dance and prddhanyo . when food is being digest ed. .
 174 MADHVA'S B~HADARAN.YAKA BHASYA
BRAHMAljA 11:
This Brahmana deals with the topic of the Jiva's exit from
the body already referred to in Adhyaya IV and gives some
details about the route traversed and the guides on the way.
When the Jiva departs from the world, he first reaches Pravaha
Vayu 4 who opens out for him like the hole of a chariot wheel
for his upward journey. He then finalIy reaches Aditya after
going thro' Ahar and others who make for him a hole like the
one in a musical instrument. G oing up through it he comes to
the Moon's world and thro ' Vaisvanara and others C(\JTe~ to
Mukhya - Prana and then flnaIly to the world of Brahma which
is beyond sorrow, beyond frost - viz. the world of Caturrnukha­
Brahma where he tarries till Br ahma himself attain Moksa.v
BRAHMAJ;1A V.I2:
This Brahmana prescribes a meditation of the Supreme
Brahman to be practised by Jfianins when they are in prolonged
ailment which makes it imp ossible for them to carry out the
active round of spiritual sadhanas as in normal health. By
its very nature, then, the upasana prescribed here is intended
for advanced Jfianins only, in the circumstances indicated. It
cannot, therefore, be turned into a cheap alternative 10 one's
duly recognised codes of spiritual Sadhanas and obligations for
all and sundry.
The true Jfianin in acute illness need not indulge in
remorse and self-pity. He wil1 do well to meditate on his
illness itself as a form of Tapas sent by the Lord to cleanse him
of his karma. He shall think of his dead body being carried to
4. Called Ativahika in BS. IV.3 .4.
5. Mundaka Up. IlI.2.6.
ADHyAYA V BRAHMAN.A 3 175
the cremation ground as a holy pil grimage that he will be
making to the forest as a Vanaprastha and visualise the actual
cremation of his own body, as a Paiicagnitapas, to reach
the Lord .
It is not to be const rued from this that Jfianins should
take to tbis up asana only when they are hopelessly ill. They
should condition themselves to look Upon illness when it comes
upon as a God-sent form of involuntary penance to cleanse
them to be carried out eheerfu lIy , as His pleasure, But no
penance performed without the true knowledge of the Lord's
Maje sty will be of an y use .
There can be little doubt that this sort of upasana
presupposes the highest sense of spiritual commitment of
oneself to the Lord's Will to look calmly upon the various
stages of one's own death and dying in the past or the present
life as a Tapasya and a test of faith sent down by God
Himself.
Satikara regards this Brahmans as a piece of general advice
that sickness and suffering must be endured without chafing
under them. Madhva's interpretation shows how even sickness
and suffering can be sublimated as a sadhana towards God­
consciousness and realisation.
BRAHMAJ;1A V. 13 :
This Vidyii is concerned with the intimate relationship
between Vayu and Hiranyagarbha in the part played by them
in maintaining the lives of creatures in health and happiness,
by their mutual interpenetration in the body. They should
accordingly be meditated upon as such.
The Brahmans opens by saying - some look upon the FOUTG
faced Brahma the presiding deity of food or matter (annam), as
176 MADHVA'S B B.H AD ARA ~ YA K A BHASYA
ADH YA YA V. BR AHM A ~ A u. 177
n ot dep ending. 0 11 af/Y deity or principle oth er than tire
Brahmana replies th at they bene fit equa lly .·\ Fo r (the dei ty o f)
S up reme Brahman , in acco mp lis h ing hi s t ask of giving nouri sh ­
food is :vi ' - as all bein gs re st o n rood (pra -I ' i ,~.t iin i) and Pr ana is
men t t o crea tures. O ther s sim ila r ly b ol d that th e deity of
vit al energy, Pr a n a, keeps crea tures in hap piness w ithou t •ra m' - source of happiness as a ll beings derive the ir happiness
de pending on any otber save the Su pre me Lord - . The (r amallte) onl y on acc ount of the presence of Pra na in their
Brahm ans points ou t th ese views a re no t correct. (Tan na bodies." (Pran e hi bhiitiin! ra mal/le ).
tathii).
This makes it clear tha t Pr a na need s mu st p lac e Hiranya­
The truth is th at the se two deit ies h ave to interpenetrate
garbha ( annam) in hi mself and Va yu , in hi s turn, by placing
each other t any ony iinu pra vi sto ui in orcer to be able t o keep
himself in Hiranyagarbha give s deli ght u tiro: al/na m ) to bein gs.
crea tures a live a nd hap py. For, wi th out the pr esen ce of Pr an a.
food ca n no t be di gested and will become putrid and without '
food ener gy in the body will dry up . Hence the tw o de it ies 3. Viiyupravd ena brahmanah brahmapravesena viiyosca
ente r in t o eac h ot her (ek adh iibhiiy am bhiitl'ii) and making them­ pray oja nasy ok I atvii t p rasniibh ip riiyutnii ha -rbra hmaviiyvo ­
selves prop erly esta blis hed (p aram a t iim gocch a tah'; t o rnainta in r anyoa ny iinup ravesena siima nvaprayoianam Sosaniidy a­
the bod y a live an d happy. bh dva riip arnasty eva, V i s (! :~ ata{r pray ojanam k asy a it i
To a qu esti on - as t o wh ich o ne of the se tw o deities is to p rdbravid iti sa m bo ndhab . (R agh iittama}
be take n to ben efit more part icul ar lyf by this arrar.gernent , the err~~~ ~or: ~~~ qrit~ wn\Ji~~ ~W­
ntm~~- ~en~~~rl:fr~~~~ ~rm;t.jw.rT~.:r ~qUjT­
1. This ke y t o th e und er st anding of the wo rds ( Annam brah ma
ity ek e iihub is sup plied by Ragh avendra Tirth a in hi s

~+fP;r~~~i:f I ~~C{: ~~\;fiI Cf.~ ~ffi ~riief,~ffi ~~;l:T: I

Kh andiirth a : Brahm ii nivesaniy ah {sviitman i) vcly un ii. Viiy usca as y a

A nniibhimiini caturmuk habrahm a svukiiryebhag avadiinyana- (br ahm anah any ony ay orii tm ani pra vesaniit} rat ip ra dab, (M )

p eksa it yeke iihuh, .

~r fif~c:fr:t : (~r~~ ) qr~r qr~~ ~ (iilHOf:

'3lW~r~ :qg:~~ ~rlf ~~~r~q&J ~~~ '3lr~: I
Simil arl y in the case of.
i;:;j~;t.j~r~Fi ~~rjr~) \~: I
Priin o brahmetyiihureke ,
;:-. ~ ..... ....... 4. Atab p ray ojanam tulyam any oanyanup r avesa na t, (M)

~rUjl Ml&!lI~<9'i I

'3lC{: w.r~iI §.~~S;:7.{r~~~rjr~ I

2. Ka st vanay orekadhiibh iiyam bhiitva p ara matam g acchati I .

(V. 12). 5. 'P ra.u e' iti nim ittasapt aml
~rp.m:<fiClr~~ ~~r ~~Clt r(~fcr ? 'mot' ~Rr FitmrolFfT
3. . See next page.
16
178 MADHVA'S B B. H/\ D A RA ~ Y A K A BHA~YA
ADHYA YA V, 179
BR A/-IMA l;1A V.I ] :
BRAHMA ij : f V. 14, H :l :
T h ese four Brahmanas deal with the meditati on on Mukhya
Thi s Br ahrn ana deal s with the n.edirut ion o f the Supreme
PniJ) 8 . Hiranyagarbha - Muk hya Pra na is the Usher of the
Being in and throu gh the st ru c t ur a l pattern o f the well - kn own
soul s to their final goa l o f Mok sa" . G ayatr i M antra .I

A Iter prescribin g th e combined meditat i..n on 'Anna' Thi s mant ra consist s o f three octosyllabic lin es (trip odii) .
(Hir a n ya ga rb ha ) an d Pra na (Mukbya - Vayu) the Opalli~ad The Bruhman a s pea ks al so o f a fourth quarter o f the Ga yatri. ?
n ow goes o n to prescribe the special meditation on Muk hya Sankara think s this refers to the Sun-g od as the subje ct, matter
Pr ana a s the Uktha or uplifter o f souls to M oksa (Utth iiplll/(id o f the mantra itself (a syii abh idhe yabhiuam v. But the uniform
uk tlianiimii s. He is a lso to be meditated up on as 'Yajus ' u se of the word "p c dc.' i n the sens e o f a metri cal 1'00( 3

becau se he unites them (yuj) with their true fcrms in release. throughout thi s Brahrnaua sh o w s th at this fourth p ada too
He is al so to be meditated upon a s Saman as he de als equitably must be identi fied with a unit o f eight component elements, If
with th o se eli gible for M ok sa, He is 'Kst ram ' the protector not sy llables , all of them, Madhva 's po sition that thi s fourth
([1'0) from injuries, 2 for he protects the go od souls who meditate Pada is the Ornk ara itselfv with it s eight organi c elements o f
on him from being spiritually thwarted by Asuric influen ces . a , u, Ill, l 'll d ll , bindu , ka l a, sii nt« and atisiinta is , therefore,
Mukhya Prana is able to d o all this ' because he exercises
auth ority o ve r the wh ole w orld , by God 's Will.
Om Tatsavitur varc u yam bh arg o devasya dhimah i ,
Dh iyo yo nai: p raco daydt ,
~ ""~ .......

1. Puru so mdnava ety a brahmalokii n g amay ati e» a~g~~lJlf~ I

~~~ llACf ~ _f,T~ ~ I wr "'f "'~ A e-;
\:llll~ I
(B rh .Up. VI. 2. 15)
Pr an a is call ed asurapiipmiividdhab in th e.
Nm mi1: ~lfr~ I
css«. Up . (1.2.1) 2. A th iis yd etadeva turiyam dar satam padam paro rajah ,

~{Fqfl:J1 rfci~ : \>l~Wir T!:a~cr gi1~ G:~8 q~ r:m ~T :

(Brh. Up . V. 14. 3)
2. Ka.lidas a -der ives his etymol ogy of Ksatra (Raghuvamsa J. Etadevas yii g ayatryai: p adatn p adah, (S. Brh Up . V. 14. I)

qc::. qJG:: I
Il. 53) fro m th is passa ge . "'
~~~ lwp~r ;

3 . Uthdp ana d ukth andm a viiyureva jagatpat ib . 4. Ca t urthap ado gayat ry ab p ranavas sam udi rila{l, I,M )
~'~~:rrq .,Fr€f~B r~n eJrq'tq- ~fl~qffi: I T.{~~q~ ~rr~~: ~Urq ; ~~fflq; I
...,:, ""
 ADHYAYA V. BRAHMA~A 14. 18 I

Sankara' s interpretati on, th erefore. los es its point. For

ISO MADHVA'S B~HADARA~YAKA BHA~YA
unless all the three padas are t aken t o be addres sed b oth
ver y mu ch to be preferrede as corresponding to the structural severally and collectivel y to th e sa me person as their o bject o f
pattern o f the other three Padas, with their eight component reference [abliidliey ablriit am}, it cannot be es t a b lis hed that the
elements (of syllables) Sankara's view that this fourth Pada of Sun god is their abh idh eyobhiitam, In the interest o f
G ayat ri is the Sun himself standing "above the dark skies add ek al'Zi ky a fa , th e three Padas to o mu st be admitted to refer to
g lo w ing yo nde r far higher than everything dark and who has the same abh idh eya , while giving the fourth p ad a full sco pe t o
ye t bec ome visible as it were by coming into sight" is very present it in it s more comprehensive aspect-as pa ro .rojdh, It
s uperfic ia l as it does not rise above regarding the celestial lumi­ is, therefore. necessary to agree, th at in keepin g with the t rue
nar y (or it s presiding deity), as the object of meditation thro ' spirit and intenti ons o f Upanis adic phil osophy , th at med it at io n
th e G a ya tr i Mantra. It makes the least effort to demonstrate on Gayatr i and it, c irnpo nent parts is the actu al me ditati on on
by actua l int erpretation how it is not the Sun or the Moon or the Supreme Brahman present and indwelling in the Sun? a nd
a ny o th er terrestrial or celestial body or deity presiding over that each Pada of the M antra has th e s ame Supreme Brah ma n ,
th em which is the object of quest, prayer and meditation by the for its subject mat ter .
a nc ient R s is o f the Vedic and Upanisadic traditionf but the one The Omk ara standing a t the be ginning o f th e G ay atr i
Su pre me Lord or Brahman who indwells in all of them:
Mantra used for meditati on, can ju stly be te r ne d it s fourth
R eo ak sare param e vyoman
Pada , with its eight component elements correspon d j rig 10
ya sm in devii adhi visve ni sedul:
y ast am na veda k im rcii ka risy at il (RV. i.164.39) their eight syllables of a P ada , While epithet s like A ditya o r
Siirya may se c ond arily be t aken t o denote the min or d eit ies o f
US~q~q~~

those names, the Omk ara. happily , is th e inulletiabl c and

~~ ~T i3{~ Fc!"SU· ~~:
exclusive name of th e Supr em e Being and of none else :
~ij ., ?{C{ Fcfi~r '-iiR~Rr I
Om it y ekiiksararn brahma vyiiharan . (Gitii VIII . I3 )
Indram mltram Varun om agnim dhuratho divy ab sa
~fil~CflT~t ~ ~T~~ I
sup a r n o g arutmiin.
Ekam sad vip rd bllhu rilii va dr-nt i i . (RV.
, • • • • • • • • • i, 164.46) Ta sya vacakab pranavab. (Yoga Siitra 1.27).
~ cH""'-ii: ~urcr: I
~;:~ ~ cr~~fWrl~~ ~~: ij ~ ll~rrt

~cj:; B~ fc{m ~\:lr C{C{f;:a I

Ya aditye tisthanniid it vo m ant ar o y omoyat i . Yamiidi ty o na
7.
5. Akdriidyat isdnt dnt ai: pranavo hya~tiik~aro y atah , (M) veda esa te almii ant ary iim i amtt ab, (Br/:r . Up . IIJ 7.9 )
'31'-iiRmRrol;:ay~:~uMfI:nzr~m (.ffi: I
6. N a t atra s iiryo bh iiti 1W candrat iirakam, (MulJr). Up. ii~2.10)
~ i3{T~~ Rr~'i!'r~~tr..a~ ~i1lffij lfi1Ita:~T

rr a~ ~1 mfct rr :q~aT~ ., ?{G; tJ.l;f a\3lr~ \3l;:CflfT~ ~: I

Bh isodeti siiryab, (Taitt. Up . 11.8)

ill.n~Rr ti~:
182 MADHVA 'S BJ3.HADAR A~ Y AK A 13Ht\~YA ADHYAYA V. 14 183

Hence Madhva is 0 11 firm gi·OIIlH.I and o n th e ri ght track in three Pad a s of Gayatri. 11 The rest of it, a nd it is much m ore
h oldin g th at the e nt ire meditation o n G a yatr i is a meditation than what is re vealed by the other three Padas , lies unreveal ed
on the Supreme Brahman present in the Solar o rb . The three t o any finite ur cer stam'ing beyond all Pr ak rt. i i p aro raj ah esa
p ddas o f G a yatr i . co ns is t ing o f e igh t syll ab les euch , emb o d y t ap at i I1n iva ke nacana iipva m-Brh. Up . V .14 .6). This phra se p aro
the Lo rd ' s M aj esty as presidin g over th e three cos m ic pl anes o r rajalr has to be und erst ood in a fa r higher a nd deeper sense
A dh l lok a, A dhiveda an d A dhy at m o": \\ ith Hi s a p p ro p ria te form s than (If " lying beyond the dark skies " - i. e. to say in the sense
of Vyiiha as Aniruddha , Pradyumna a nd Sankar sana . The of tr ar.scending: the wh ol e d cma in of Prakrti and its presiding
fourth Pa d a r epre sent ed b y Omk a ra , with it s ei ght ( Cl] po r ent deity (Sri or C ciana I'r ak r t i) . Such an interpret ation a lo ne
ele rnen t s , d en ote s the Transcen dental " a spe ct - Vasudeva­ will do full justice t o the L ord's ab so lnute tra n sceud cnc e :
F orm of th e sa me S up re me Brahman which i s b ey or.d Prak rti Adlz)'upaddiit (B.S. 1.38) , Vikva t ali p aramant (Moh. N . Up.
(bot h ace tan a a nd cetanai an d three g U(l CS of Pr ak rt i XI.2) Aty atistli ad dasiutg alum (RV. X .90 .1.d).
t satt vom, raja s and t ama s'i. This Tran scendental Form of M a dhv a arrives at thi s i ~ ~ t crpretati on of Pa ro rajiih by
Brahm an tho ' present in the yor.der Sun is not ph ysically going into the d eeper m eanings a nd nuances of the phr ase s:
visible. It is vis ible as it wer e i dad rsa iva) throu gh th e spl en­ pa ra 1' 0;0(7. l ad va i t at s at ye pr{/ti,~ thila/1'r) Cak sur vai s a t y am
d or o f its gl ory radiating fr om the So la r o r b .!? The ic ca is
. '
tadvai t at S .1ry .11Il b i le prat isth itum » Priino voi bala m (Brh . Up .
that the Lord 's Majesty is o nly partl y r evealed throu gh the
V.14 .4)
The Cet a r.a Prak rt i is ca ll ed Rajas - th e sh in ing one
(So b!lOmana) . As transcer cin g. her. the Lord is paro-rajiih .
8. Bh iim y anta riksam dy aul: re o yaj II1l1)'i siu niini pr O(1O apiino
R ajas den otes al so o ne of three g u n a s of Prakrti By upalaksana
l'yii na it y as tii k saram, (Brt) . Up . v. 14, 1, 2 , J)
(exten~ion of sign ifica r ce ) it m a y refer t o all the three aspects of
~~;:aft~t m: ~ ~fil ijr+1lfrr,~roTIS'U~ ~rr ~r~Hq:, I Prakr t i ar d the Lord \\ ho is ab ove the swa y of Prakrti is p ara ­
rajah , The d escr ip t io n o f being in the region far ab ove rajah.
9. Et adeva turiy am darsatam p adamit i dadrsaiva ltyesa para is s ign ifican t ly ap p li ed to Vi sn u , in o ne of the verses o f the
rajiih, (V. 14. 3.) 8g V-cda.

~~q ~~i{ ~ q~fl'rRr ~~~ ~q)xl'{ q{r ~~r : I T OUl'a gr /.1 am i tavasoma tavvan

K.Jay ollt am asy a rai asa h par iike. (RV. VII . 100.5)

70. (S ii ry ama nda lag o l'i ,~(lub) t uriyam pa da m . Da drsn i va

dr staiva Tndadhin o t e ja hp uii jasv n .I' ii rvantandaIas )' G un a t ray a.l­
11. Var/Jotr ayii tmaprakrtim at tt al) siiryamandale .
a drst at vin. (M) (M )
milcdtn hiihv c vuto at ah .1'(/ p aro rojiih,
($B~~ fcr~:) §;M q~ I ~~ ~ ?l! ~q I a~~rr~ Cj'~~fc'{~ma : ~(J~ I
~~:g\r,~ ~I)~ ffiCff~ I ~U1~1.irf"1=fOfit ~r~ ~$a: ij q~ ~\iiT: 11
184 MADHVA 'S BRHADARA~YAKA BH A~YA ADHYAYA V. BR AH MA ~ A 14 185

ffiClT ~lJTJflr aerij~a olfr~

But as the aim o f Upani s adi c phil os oph y is t o di scl o se the
Supreme Being to o u r und er st andin g (cf. Ta t t vam pusan
~1~~ ~'31fT: q{J~ I

apiivrnu satyadharmiiya drs taye i Brh , Up . V. 15 . 1), Sa nka ra ' s

The Chi e f Ab h irnan ic evat a of Gayatr i is Sri (Cit-Prakrti )
interpretati on fall s sho r t o f th e r equirem ent s o f the c ru x o f
and th e se co nda ry o ne is Sarasvat i, Both these are est abli shed Upanisadic tAup anisa dam i darsana m , r egar di ng the primacy o f
a nd sta bi lis e d i n the L ord wh o is the fourth Piid a o f Ga yatr i »
the Lord a s the aup onisadab Puru sali .
(Sa isii Giiy atr i et asm in tur lye p ade prat isth i ta ) . The three
The ei ghrth paragraph o f the Br a h ma na expl ain s how the
w orl d s of ea rth, m id -regio n and he aven are st a b ilise d in Satya 12
meditari on o f the Lord thr ou gh th e G a ya tr i is t o b e c arried n u t "
o r th e deit y Se~ a in wh om th e L ord stays (Sa -tya ). Ses a is the
He is t o be med ita ted upon as Ekatuid . dv ipiid, tripod.
Ab h ima ni de vat a of " th e eye " o f the world -viz Silr ya. Se~ a
catuspiid, apiid and Turlv npiid He is eka p iid as o n ly a quarter
fi nd s sta b ili ty in Bal am (Mu khya) Pr ana . In t hi s way, th e
of his majest y is reve aled by th e fir st qu art er o f Gay atr i a nd so
G iiyatri a nd it s Abh irn an id ev at as a re all r o oted in the Para'
on in respect of the o t he r tw " The ter m Ca tuspii d, as a p p lied
r ajfi(1 the Supr eme Va sudeva , who i s "A d hy a t ma" (L0Td o f all
to the L ord of G iiyatri h a s a lrea dy b een ex pla ined with refer­
Jiv a s.)13, T he Br adrna n a goes o n to o bser ve that it is bey ond
ence t o the ei gh t compon ent ele men t s ('I f Orr.k ara . O m is the
th e cc pac ity o f fi n ite underst anding t o comprehend the Lord' s
name of the Lord p osse ssed o f infi nite ' a tt r ib u t es . Th e etymo­
M aj est y i n it s en ti re ty . Ev e n the four-faced Brah m a in his
logy o f Om a s the name o f th e Lord h as b een g iven by M adhva
rel eased s ta te is ab le t o co m p re he n d o n ly a limited mea sure of
in his A V: Otatvaviici Eyonkiiro vakt y asau t (idgu ~ otatam .14
s uch majest y re vea led b y th e three Pad as o f G a ya t r i .
Giiyatri - (the Lord) : is al so Ap iid .(foo t less) as His m a je st y

Sa lik arc. ex p la in s 'Pori: rojiib' applied to the fourth qu arter cann ot be grasped in full by a nyo ne el se.

o f Gaya t r i - as th e yo nd er physical Sun. "above the dark skies ". 'altffiCferr=Tft ~U ~~€?f a~ortaCl~ I
Thi s m ay be a ll ri ght so far a s the ph ysical Sun is con cerned .
14. "O m " is th at Being in wh o m countl ess att r i b utes have been
woven into a unit y . Th e e t y molo gy of am is fr om the
12. Th e te rm etat i n Tad vai etat sa tyc p rat ist liitam r efers to r o ot veii o r iiy ; - t o weave - 'R ead:
the three r egi on s : Bh iim i , ant ariksa and dy auJ.t a nd no t t o "Otat vavact' ity oft cr · vt:ll u l'ii " " I~I'i ' fyas)'a I" { riip um . A., j
th e Turtya piida whi ch do es not depend o n any o t h er piirvakatvena cl - iita iii (ci - llfa i t i) va sthite, g unc ca
principl e .
otatvaviiciti riip am .
13. A tma nama dhi ka t l'cna Var t oma nam odbvs tm am . (Ra ghav endra Ti rt ha, NS - Parimalav
Adhik yarthc ad!Jft)'Ql'yo)'am.
a1ta~~'~?T ~o1T <iT ,~lft'~~ <ir ~~ I
i?tlH~~T~~~~ era~r~~ tlm~~ I
91N. ~~~. \3lF3'a ~ (i?tlT ~CI ~ta err) ~ij, ~ifr ~
3l~~s efl~cGf~ I

~~~fc't ~rw, · ·1
] 86 MA D HVA'S B~HADARA "N Y AKA BH ASYA AD HYAYA v. BRA HM ANA 15 187

T he Bra hma na co ncl udes with a reverent sa lu t a t io n t o the hei llgs the y decl a r e Him tu be ex ist ing as Brahrunn". (A /i . ILL

Lo r d (Va s udeva ) as G a yatri. (Giiyanlam t riiyat e) r epresen t ed 2.3) and p ut th e c loa k back t o Po lyt hei sm instead (,r r isin g to
by Omk .i ra (the fo ur th pa da of Gayatrr). the wo rs h ip a nd med it at io n o f " Ek am sat " un der th e name s o f
a l l t he o the r deit ies , in t heir fu llest pri mar y c o n no t a t io n .
N O /l/O SI(' l /l r ~l'iiya dnr.l-o liiy opndiiya tiarorajasc
Yo tle vii niim uamadh ii rk a era (RV . X. ~:' . 3 )
BR AOHM A f':1A V. 15 :
A ~ a n a rde nt res usci tato r o f th e Ar ~ a t r adi ti o n of the Ved ic
'Th is Br ahm an a co ns ists of four Mantra s which form th e
seers , Mad hva p laces t h is conclu d ing Bra hma n a o r th e V
cor-el ud i ng pu t of th e lSiil'iis y a Uponisad . a lso . Sailkara
Ad hyaya o f th e Brh , Up . a lso i n its pr o per perspective a s t h e
l ook s upon these mantras a s a prayer made t o the Sun go d him­ la st p raye r t o be made to th e Su pre me Lord a s the Sa rv antar­
sel f by a ' J nana ka n na-sam uccay aviid in ' a t the time o f hi s death, yarn l. by th e good so u ls w h o have c o m p let ed t he ir Sadhana s in
a s the Sun is th e four t h pada of the Gayatri - i e . to sa y its thi s life, pr ayin g fo r t he .' Irect vi si on o f the Lo r d lYat l e riipam
theme ( oh!l idh ey am) .l ka ly dn atamam t at te 11a ,ly ii m i) a nd by such o th ers wh o have
We h ave . h ow ever, se en that this will be a very na rrow a lrea d y h ad a d ir ect vi sio n ( np a rok yajiiono ) pra ying sti ll for the
view to t ake o f th e Up a nis a ds as Brah tnavidyii and thei r Lard 's a bund an t graccf in li ftin g th e twin ve ils of Par an.accha­
te chnique 1'1' U pasu na . It would be a retrograde step fc r t he dika a nd Svagun a cchad ik :0" t o e na b le them to reach fu lfi lrr.ent
U pa nis a d ic see r s to t ake , to coun sel medit ati on o n m in or o f their Svariip anan d a in M o k s a. f
deit ies like th e Sun when the Aral).yakas them selves had made
it c le a r th at "it is t he Su p re me Brahman th at the Bahvrcas laud
2. Tat resva ras iiksark iir o nop dso niim iurena bhava t i. N iip i
in the g rea t uk t lta , (Brh at is ah asra), the Adhvaryus in Agni , the
m oksa h siik ,50 fk ii ram al re (l a; k lntu bha g ova tp ra siidena ity at ah
Ch a nd ogas ill th e Mah a vrat a stotra. The wi se ones p ro c laim it
k rt op iisanena siik,l"iitkiir a rt hom , 11 rap t asiiksa tkii reniip i m ok ~(/ ­
t o be present inl be ,ea rt h . in heaven, in the wind' the s ky, t he
rth nm bho gavatp riirt hanomk ii ryam . Ta tpr akiirapradarsa naya
wate rs ' herb- . t ree s, the mo o n and the sta rs. In all th ese
<h i r a n m a y e n a piit r e n a ' iti briih man am i i r a bh y a t e . (R aghu )

1. Yo jiianak a rm as am uccaya viid i sa autakiil e iuli tyam p ritrt ha­ ci~~~BT~r~Til c:nqTWlT+fr~rlJ( ~qffi I rjTftt ~~~ : t1T e.~T?-liE ·
ya t i . Ast i ea p ra sa ng ab Gii yatry iistu rtva h p ado hi sah,
+f~or ; ~~ ~rrq cqijT~., ~a : ~qrij~ BT~T c~TU~ ,
, Pii san' it yi i dini niimiini iimantron ii rthiini sa vit uh .
s. Brh up V. J 5) .. m8"(1T ~~TcCflTl~uHfi:l ~~T21ij CfiT~ I acq"fiR!:fG:~rj T l{ '~Ul1~"
mSJT.,~~l{C(f(.{t B ~;aCfiI~ ~~cir qf~ I ~fuT=i:f .' ~ ~mor+fTFl{~ I
q€w: I lTf~fTlf: q~ fu: ij: I '!!~' ~~ rjT+fWf 3. Regardi ng the na ture o f t hese tw o veil s see m y Philosop hy
<alT~T ~lrfit ~g : I of M'adh vii ciiryo , Ch a p . XXH II .

'-­
188 MADHVA'S BB.HADARA~YAKA BHASYA

For it must be borne in mind that the direct vision of the

Lord which leads to Moksa (MuU {/ . Up. II .2.8) is not to be
attained m erely by upasana , Nor is direct vision of God
attainable by the sheer power of one 's own effort - unless the
Lord Himself is pleased to reveal Himself to the devotee.f
The first mantr a, according to Madhva , conveys that the
Lord's resplendent Form (vapul;) in the Sun lies hidden behind
the dazzling orb of the Sunv. Seated there the Lord absorbs
(pa) the waters o f the rivers and the seas thro 's the solar rays
and protects (tra) the world from drought, by sending periodical
rainfall, Her-cc the solar orb is figuratively described in
myst ic etymo logy as piit r a , Unless the Lord is pleased to
uncover Himself, the devotee cannot see Him. Hence the
prayer "0 Pu~an (endowed with the fulness of the six sovereign
attributes) be pleased to disclose Your Form (svan/pam) so
that Your devotee who bears You 6 in his heart (satyadharmii)7
may see You.
4. Paramiitmiipar oksyam ea tatp rasiidiideva, na Jlvasaktyii .
q~~lF+{1'1n~ir "'l ~~~G:l~, ., ~CfflCRCrr I
(M. BSB. III.2 .23. See also Ka[ha Up. i, 2,23)
5. Siiryamandalaniimnii tu piit rena svemukham Harih,
Pidhiiyaiva jag atsa rva m pasyatyamitGl'ikromab.
~4+{OG~mr $! qr,rOl ~ij ~ft :
ADHYAYA V. BRAHMAJ':'lA 15 189
The Lord is then addressed by seve ra l other nam es as the
Unique Knower of all (ekar ,q) the subduer of all (Yarn a) wh o
warmly accepts His devotee (Suryaje whom the fourfaccd
Brahma (Prajiipati) attains closest among Adh ik arins ."
The devotee now prays to the Lord to enliven (vyiilta) his
(the devotee 's) Svarupajfiana (rasmi) and widen isamiiha v his
external understanding (t ejab) so as to enable him to perceive
the auspicious Form tkolyanatomam riip am) of the Lord (I() in
all its beauty, commensurate with his own limited powers of
understanding - as the same Form of that Person of Infinite
perfections (y o asau Purue ,\'a(l) who is present in Mukhya Pr ana
(Asau) ar.d who bears the secret Dames of "Aham " (the
undiscardablelt? and "Asmi" (one having eternal and complete
awareness of His own absolute existence and self-consciousness
at all timesl s],
The specia l mention of Mukhya Pra na at the end of the
principal sentence - Yat teriip am k a lydna tatnam tat le pasyiimi,
as the special Prat ik a (base) of meditation of the Lord) over
(M)
8. Urikrteb svabhok tasyiingtkrteh siiryah, Siir ig amyatviit vd.

~~~~: ~+l'ffi~ri1ii~: ~~: I ~{[~~erla: en I

fllelrtrcr \iTrTH:l~ ~~flt~: 11

9. Prajiipater visesen a g amyatviit prdjdpiityah,

6. The word 'Sat ya' here refers to the Supreme Lord Himself.
Sankara also says Satyakliyam Brahma jyotirmandalena
apihitam iva (Brh. Up. C).
7. Satyam puramiitmiinam lirda ve dhii tayat it i satyadhortnii
bhaktab . (M)
~~ tH~+!Tij ~~ ~lfffim B~l:1+{t 4i-qi: I
~rqffi~ijqOl lfJll~err~ ~N~: I
10. This fact that "Ah am " and "Asm i" are the two secret names
o f the Lord has been expressly referred to in the Brh . Up.
earlier (V.5.3-4). See also Chiin . Up. IV.111, 12, 13.
Brh. Up. 1.4.10. Isa, Up . 17. and M 's A /[ (If. 3, 8) corn.
11. <Asm i' nityiist itdmiindt nityasa tvena p ramitatvat ityarthah­
,~~' f.:f~Tfurer+rro:jr~f.l(l/(1C~rt !.1l1l~cCfTa: ~~if: I

l
 ADHYAYA V. BRAHMANA 15 191
190 MADHVA 'S BB,HADARANYAKA BHASYA
with the outer Vayu.l ' Tbis is taking too great a liberty with
and ab ov e ot he r Pratikas like Yama . Sfirya , et c . is due to
the text as it is given by tbe Upani sad , Moreover, Vayu the
tbe special statu s of Mukhya Fraua as the immaculate deity
deity has been described elsewhere in the Brh . Up. (i, 5.22) as
impervious to the evil influences of tbe Asuric forces ->.
"the divinity that never sets" . tanasiamitii devatiii . The
Upani sad, therefore, intends to convey some viable proposition
Sankara has interpreted the st atement Vayur ani/am amrtam
by the particular concatenation of the words - Viiyllr ani/am
ath edatn bhasm iiutam sarira m as a prayer made to the Sun-god
amrtam. It is for us 10 find out what it call be. Madhva's
at the time of deatb "May the vital airs in my body get merged
suggestion is both helpful and contextually appropriate. The
in the imm ortal bre ath . May the body er.d in ashe s . " A s it is
Mystic formula Yosau asau Puru sali So 'ham asmi bas proclai­
inevitable that tbe vital a irs of the body join the ou ter Vayu
med tbat the Supreme Lord abiding in 'Asu ' , the deity Vayu
a nd the body is con sig ned to Fl ame s, there is no s pec ial need
(Mukhya Pra na) is "Asmi " - one who has eternal existence
t o se nd lip a pray er 10 th at effect. The purpose of a prayer
(nityiistttii) and his eternally aware of such existence of His
would be more th an fulfilled by saying Viiyur an i/am p ra t iguc­
being. An objection may be raised against this on the ground
chatu , The add it io na l vo r ld ' am rLO I1I ' af ter ' Vayuh ' in the
th at as Mukhya Pr a na (Asu) In whom the Lord is sa id to abide
text serv es no purpo se . A j Sankara takes ani/a in the sense of
(Yosau asau sthit ab) is subject to disintegration of his body in
o u ter (biihJ'a) Vayu it ca m .o t be treated as omrtam 'Immortal',
Pralaya, bow can the Lord who abides in him be taken to be
.as Sl ated i ll th e p ossag r. Dr. Radhakri shnan's tran sl ation ,
everlasting and having an imperishable auspicious form 'Z This
theref ore, ' May thi s life enter int o th e im m ort al breath ' is
objection it n',ct · by showing that as the detsy Vayu. in whom
un su st ainable . Til e tw o references g iven by Dr. Radh ak ri shn an
the Lord abides, is him self imtn oratal it follows readily that the
to Brh . Up. lII.2.13 and R V. X 16.3 do not qualify the word
Lord too mu st necessarily be immortal. The word a - nilam
Viitam u sed there (fo r Vayu) by any suc h adjective as imm ort al
(amrt am) , Outer air cannot by an y st re tch of the imagination is accordingly construed in the sense of . Vayu 's abiding
be regarded as Imm ortal, 'Immortal ' is applicable only to a tnilay oi in the Lord (A).H Vayu ' s <immortality ' iamrtatvoi is,
se ntient being a nd not t o in senti ent e nt it ies lik e ou te r Vayu , 13. S o ahamasmyamrtam iti sambhandhoh, Mama amrt asya
Baffled by these diffi culties, Sankara has shifted th e word satya sy a sar trapiit e sar tras thab priino viiy uranilam biihyam
am rt am from its gi ven place in the se ntence Viiyur ani/a m viiy um eva p ratig acchatu, (Sankara Brh , up. 15)
am rtam to the preceding sentence, to be r ead as S o' ham asmi
mSQ:~;~a ~ ~; I ;:j';:j' \3l~ij~ ~~t}~qffi~~~:
amrtam , "(I am tbe immortal. Aham and "As rni ) -and after my
body fall s off, may the vital air in the body become united ~rrifT ~T~(~ ~~ eH~iter ~ll~g I
14. Adosatviit ' A' ityukto viiyus tann ila y o y atah ,
A nilam tata evdsiivamrt am cet i ka thyate .
12. This fact has alread y been made clear in the Udgtth a Tadasrayoapi hya mrtab k imu s iik~ii t svay am Har ih, (M )
Briihmana (Br h. Up . 1.3). See a lso c i e». UP. 1. 2,7- 8. See a lso ; 'A ' id Br ahma (A A)
 ADAYAYA V. BR AHMA ~A 15 193
192 MADHY A'S I3~HADARA NYAKA BHA $YA
p al Mi ) so that we may attain th e i mperishab le wealth (" ii,r c) of
h owever , to be understo od in- term s of his re taining hi s
Vruil
,

. fi an a undiminished even in the state of Maha - Pr alaya

,

even wben hi s phy sic al body has been dissolved then. I 5 '
The devotee who has , atta ined direct vision o f the Lord
sha ll pray to Him at th e time of bis giving up tbe ph ysicnl
body as foll ows, "0 Lord of . infinite att irbutes (Om)
a nd kn o wlege (k rat ov, Be ple ased to extend Your boundless
gra ce to me (sma r a) taking my Sadhanas int o considerati on ",
:As. tb,e Lord can never -fc i g et ' ar.ythirg . there is no r.eed for
-H irn t o 'rememb er' , Th e expr ession " SIT ara " :(r emr;nber) in the
Upani sad is ' acc ordingly rrostlhrughtfully construed by
Madb va to mean ~ "Be gracious to me ." IG.
The last mantni ' " Ag ne naya sup athii re/y e;" hails the
Supreme Lo rd as Agni - (one wh o takes up the Lingasariras o f
Aparok sajfi anius.o n their , upward journey along the , Areira­
dirn arga . The prayer runs ; 0 Lord. lead us thro' the
. Moksananda. You know a ll th e Sadh ana s (of jfiana , bbakti,
etc.) performed by us ( Vayllllcini) , nece ssary for tbe attainment
of Mok sa . Put aw ay from us (Yu y odhi) once for all our
unwtaned load o f Priir abdbakar mas wbicb tend to gravitate us to
the world of rebirth. In return for your benefaction, we can
only offer You our gratefu l salutat ions enr iched (bh i;y i ~!iim) by
knowledge and devotion )17.
J. Bhqklijfiliniibhyiim bhiiy is thii m namauktim vidliema.
( M. h a. Up. c. )
+{Rn~Jrlp·-m ~fifID ~~~r~ fer~ I
---=~
v•

auspicio us route whe nce .there .is no return to Sam sara (511-'

~~q~cH '~' . ~~$t CfI?l~~~<D lffi:

O{fir~ 00 ~crrf!T~ ~ta tfi~lf~ I

ClG:T~~S(q ~~: Feli!! f!T~Ter. ~l{ . ~ft: 11

15. For det ail s see Miit arisviidhikarunam of BS. n. 3. 8 as

interpreted by Madhva and my B5PC. Vol. Il , p. 145.

6 . Bhak tiiniint sma ra nam Visho r nit yaliiap tlsvariipatah,

A nug rah onmukhatvam tu naiviinyat hiiicidi syate.
( M. Isa. Up . C. )
N aira lly at sa mskiirakii rono k cm ityar thoh (J)

+rqiT~t ~~uT fc{lso1tfrf~~~qij: I

0{~~~\9~ § ~~~fu~~ 11 17

~crr~ er. ~~tfiT\CfiHlJ{tfifll~ if: I


ADHYAYA VI
The s ixt h Adh ya ya of th e Brhadaranyaka Upani sad con­
sist s of five Bra hmanas . dealin g with the t opics o f Mu kh ya
Pr a n a Vidya - Pafi ca gni vidya , Praj atikarrna, Va madev a yaj fia
a nd Va m sa .
Briihmana t .
The M uk hy a Pr a na Vid ya est ablishes the pro-eminence of
M ukh ya Pra na. th e de it y , by means of a parable of the dispute
amo ng th e pres id ing dei ties of the senses -Garuda, Sesa a nd
Ru d ra (of manasi l ndra (he ari ng) Siirya (sight) Agni (speech)
a nd Varu n a (semen) . A ne ar-parallel version o f the parab le is
to be fo u nd in th e Chii n. Up . (V. 1) a nd in AA (11. J. 4-6)
The d ispute is sett led b y ea ch o ne of the deities being told
t o go ou t of the body, by previous arrangement, by turn s. He by
who se ex it the b ody ceases to functi on and by wh ose r e-ent ry it
rev ive s is to be ad ju dged the pre-eminent Uy esth as , sre,~! hasca ) .
The exit o f th e o t h e r deities makes no great difference to the
ot he r ac t iv it ies o f the body being carried on normally except
t he fu nction pret ainin g t o the ou t go ing one. But when M ukh ya
P r an a pre pa re s t o leave, the functi on of all t h e o t her sen ses
a nd their dei t ies co lla pse u tt e rl y a nd the body is o n the verge
o f death. T he o ther deiti es t hereu pon accept th e superiori ty
o f M ukhya Pr a n a . I n the Brhad a ranyak a versi on we find th at
in r eco gni t io n of hi s p re -ern inence the other deities agree to
p ay a tribute t o Muk h ya P1' 8.l).a in the form of Pra n agnihotra ,
co nsi st ing of foo d a nd ra i me nt , t o be performed b y Si ~ t. as
while having th eir d aily me al by t aking fiv e sm a ll mo rsels
o f fo od and sip p ing wat er. Madhva explains that it is not
BRAHMA~A VI. III 195
th at M uk hya Pr a na lacks food o r raiment withou t this offering .
It is only a mark o f g ra t it u de to hi m o n t he pa rt o f th e o thers
by o ffe r ing w hat be lo ngs to him a s th e Siitra t ma Pra na , co nt ­
rolling the wo rl d' s mo vement in acco rdance wi th the Lo rd ' s
w il l.
Briihmana TJ[ :
The Prajat i- K arrn a Vid ya sho ws h ow good hou seh olders
ca n achieve g rea tn es s for th em selves a nd th eir o ffsp r ing thro'
both transitory a nd pe rm an e nt rew a rds in thi s li fe and i n M o k sa ,
by begetting good he althy a nd pi ou s p rogeny, if such progeny
is conceived an d br o ught fo r th by parents obs e rv ing the a rd uo u s
rites o f Upasad-Vrat a a nd the r itu al o ffer ing of Mantha in
the prescribed ma nner with A but is o f ghee in the con sec ra ted
fire and p art aking of th e sacre rne ntal dou gh after wa rds .
The d ou gh imantlias is to be pr ep ared ou t of t en
different cultivated gra ins (n amed), m ixe d with ho ne y , cu rds
and clarified butter and gro u nd in to a pa ste. A hut is o f gh ee
a re to be offered t o vari ou s deities na med a nd the re maining
gh ee , each time aft er th e Ah ut i, is t o be poured o n t he dou gh.
After the Ahu ti s, the d ou gh is t o be di vid ed int o four par ts
a nd the Yajarn a na takes them i n hi s hand o ne by o ne lau ding
the Sup re me Lord present in it as the Rul er of t he wo r ld
(riij esiina) and eat s t he m t o the acco mpanime nt o f ma ntras
(given) After washing a nd s ip ping wate r , he re tires to rest for
the ni ght laying hi s bod y t o th e wes t of the fi re with h is head
turned to the east. In t he mornin g afte r a b lut io ns h e prays
to t he Lord in th e Sun a nd re cites the lin e o f teache rs who
h ave ea r lier t ran sm itt ed th is Vid yii t o t hei r d isc iples (named ).
The pow er o f t he dou gh is suc h th at if So me of it is spr in k led
on a dried up stump o f a tree , it wo ul d co me to li fe and put
fo r t h branches, ·leaves a nd fruit.
196 MADHVA'S BJ3..HADARAI':-l'YAKABHA ~ YA ADHYAYA vr BRA H MJ\ NJ\ £T 197
Briihmana I V: a ft er death it a sce nds t o th e 1l100n'S wo r ld p assing th ro ' the
In the fourth Br ahmana de al s with married love a nd the Pitrya na a nd back agai n to the wo rld of mortalit y . T he se a re
procreative ac t co nceived as a Vamadevayajfia , performed with the Jlvas we dde d to K a myakarr n as . T he o ther clas s o f s o uls,
the Lo rd's impul si o n ri ght throu gh for the procreati on o f goo d with more promi sin g as set s o f Jfia na, Bh akti a nd Vairfigya
prog eny . It a lso deal s with o th er aspect s of eu genics , conju gal a nd Niskarna karma dedi ca ted to th e Lo rd , make their exit
compatibility, se lec t ive pa renth ood , et c. fr om the bod y tl, ro ' t he Su s u m na na d i o r o ther zo nes and

Briih mana V: j ourney thro ' D evay an a an d go t o Bra h ma loka, · p assing thro '
the world s o f A rc is, Va yu lok a , A h a r , br ight fo r tnight. utt ara­
R eco r ds th e ge nea logy of teachers o f Brah rnavid ya ri ght u p
ya n a and re ach Vai d yut al n ka (pr esi ded over by Bh arat i ).
t o Va yu ( S vav am bhu brahma s a nd closes w i th a fina l salu tat io n
There the Puru sa- Man ava of t he h igh est int elli gen ce (Mukh ya­
t o the Supre me Br ahm an.
Prana) lead s them t o the worl d of Caturrnuk ha Br ah ma a nd
Briihm ana JI: aft er their t arryin g the re till t he e nd o f t he Br ah mak alpa lead s

The Secon d Brahrnana is ca lled Paficagniv id ya . Th is them o n to t he h igh est worl d o f'Mo ksa a nd t o the prese nce of the
is an eschato log ica l acc ou nt o f th e re curring desce nts of Supreme Lo rd. T he h igh office of co nd uc t ing t h e en lig ht e ned

Jiva trn ans i nt o th e mo r tal world for em b odi men t. encased in t he so u ls t o fin al M ok sa , a fter t he complet ion o f the j o ur ney t hr o '

three sub t le el e men ts of Teiobanna , carrying wi th th e m th e Deva yan a , assi gned to Vayu (Muk hya Pra na) is ev idence ,o f hi s
resi d ual i ngredi ents of their intri nsi c Yogyat a , Vidy a , an d p re-eminent st atu s as enj oy i ng th e specia l con fi de nce a nd favor
Karma an d th eir pass age through Pit ryan a a nd D eva va na . o f the Supre me Lord (see M . NV. IV .3. ad h. 5 and my BSPC.
accord i ng to th eir Sadh an as a nd Svar fipayogyat a - T he Ill. p . 734) . Th e Br a hmans t ext asser ts ca tego r ic ally t ha t there
is no return to rebir th a nd t ran smig rati o n of t hose so u ls
Pit ryan a (the pa t h o f t he Fathers) is ca lled the d ark path
w ho have j ourneyed t hro ' D eva ya na to Brahma lcka :
(kr,~~lGg a ti) o f sm o k e, daks in a ya na , dark fortni ght and ni ght.
Th os e wh o go u p t o th e w orld o f the moon led stage b y st age by T e Brahma lok esu pariib p ariivu to vasunti

the p residing deit ies o f smo ke , d ark fortnight , n ight an d so o n t esdm (IQ punariivrttib (Brh, Up . VI . 15) .

go t o the w orld of Pitr s a nd thence finall y to the wo r ld of t he This clear state ment affords co nc lus ive evid e nce that
moon . There the go ds get themselves serve d b y these Jivas Paficagnividya is a Bralunovidy ii in esse nce in as mu ch as
i bho k say an tiv: After working o ut the accumul ated part of Apunarii vrtt i (n o return to rebir th) is th e essence a f f i na l M ok sa ,
their karmas duri ng their s ojourn in the world of the mo on, these which is attaina ble o nl y thro ' k no w ledg e of the Supreme
souls descend gradu all y t o the w orld they had left behind, passin g Brahman.
through the worlds of the deities o f AkHa, Vayu, rain, the earth
a nd food . The fo od eate n by the pr osp ecti ve father of a p arti cul ar Satikara is not, ho wever , prepa red to acc e pt the posit.i o n
Ji va is conve r te d into sem en a nd thr o' se men the sou I get s lodged that knowers of Pafi ca gn ivid ya wh o med itate o n the Lord as
in the mother's womb and in due time takes birth. Once ag a in Satyam in the for est s (VI.15 ) a nd reach Bra b rna loka thro '

198 MADHVA'S B .RH AD ARA~ YAK A BH A SYA
Devayan a are fr ee d fro m tran smi gr ati on fo r ever afterwards .
Ac cording t o him tbe D eva ya na o r Arcirad i rna rga is intended
onl y for the k no wers of Apar a Vid ya and L ower Brahman! a nd
not for th e k no we rs of Nirguna Br ahman who have neither
utkranti t h ro ' Susum na or other nadis nor h ave to go a nyw he re
to reach Br ahrn au.
This is q uite o pposed t o w ha t has been established in the
E ra h masii t ra IV .2.17 . Sa nkara, h owever. explains it away
as pert ai ning to Apa ravidya o r kn owledge of Saguna Brahtnan
and o t he r deities. Hi s mental reservation on this questi on a nd
hi s con sequent att empt t o find r oom for his Nirguna Vidya in
so me ea rlie r adhikara nas of the Sfitras leads t o a pa rody o n hi s
part o f mak ing th e Sfit r aka ra's inquiry int o Brahman . start
h op efull y with the Nirgu na Br ahman but end most d isa p po in­
tingly with the a tta inme nt o f the Saguna Brahman. which is not
th e ul timate g oal of Jijiiii sii.
San kara expl ains away t he state me nt Tesiim na punarii vrtt ih
as purporting t o say th at kn o wers of a1l Saguna Vid yas su ch as
Pafica gni vi d ya a re b o und t o return to Samsara ill an oth er (next)
Bralim ak al pa th o' not in the pr es ent Kalpa . Thi s conflicts with
h is o wn o ther s tate ment t hat th ey li ve in th e wo r ld of Brahma
for m any Bra hm ak olpas .:! . He a lso r efers t o a va ria nt reading
o f th e te xt in a no the r S ii. kh a w ith a n additional word iha
I . Tastniidap aravisayii <! I' a g a t isrtay ah, (S. BSB. IV. 3 .14 ).
~~rG:~qll'r ~ nfij~lf: I
2 . Tesu brahma lok es u prakrstiih sa m ah samvatsariinanek iin
l'asant i- brahmarJO anekan k al pa n vasanti , it yarthah (S)
~ ~~~ ~'li~r : ~Fn : ijt:j'~fI~r~ ~- if&IUiT
~ ttl<!-qrr.:mT~ , ~~: I
ADYA YA VI BRAH MANA JI
199
(te siim neha p unariivrtt ii: a nd arg ue s 0 11 t hat basi s th at th e text
limits th e n o re t urn of the kn o wers o f Pa ficiig niv idya a nd others
t o th e world o f tran smi gra ti on to the Ka lp a in wh ic h they have
re ached Brahmal ok a , without mak ing s uch "no ret urn" t o
rebirth abso lu te , for ever afterward s. Ru t as Sall ka ra him self
co n st r ues the wo rds Pariivato vasa ni i in th e sens e th at these
Adhikiirins r es id e i n Brahm al ok a for m any Kalpas (and not fo r
ever) it w ould naturall y go to es ta b lish that a t th e end o f th at
long period they are bound 10 ret urn to rebirth , The u se o f the
add it io nal wo rd ilia to co nvey thi s idea wo u Id , th erefore, be
q u it e Ill/neCessary , f or this pu rp ose.
It is clear from a verse quoted by San kara in his co m ment a ry
o n B . S. IV . 3.11 :
Bralimana saha l e sar ve Sa ll1p r clp le pratisai1cu!'e.
Pa ra syii nt e k rtiitmii.lla(z pra visant i param padani.
a~ . ijm'ff ~~~ I
;mDJr iji[
~~H;R ~r~FJ : .f;a
that Sagu1).opa sak as wh o h ave r eached the wo r ld
q~ ~~ 11
of
Hiranyagarhh a tarry ther e t ill M ah apralay a sets in. At the c
en d of M abapralaya (pa rasy o an te) th ey all ent er the highest
stat e of Moks .i a lo ng with C a turm uk ha Brahrna, aft er gett ing
further eni ighter.m c nt du r ing th e ir so j ourn th ere. S T h is shows
3 . M ahiipraloye p riipte p a rasy a }fira ~lyagarbh asYiinte brahmn-:
!okaniviid na{l .\'u ddhaditiyt, (z tat rotp onnasa m y agdhi'yah ,
br ahmanii mu cy am iinena saha Param pad a m pr avisanu it!
y oj ana .
+l i[T!=f~~ m1r!:R~ fW~ UlF1~T ;:ij ~~l Cf. frrcrrfu .,: m Nlj':
am~q?l'fI~lj~t1~ : ) ~muir !!:;:;:q~H ij., fiEf Gt ~ SfF.r ~Tf..cr ~m
rn~r I
(Not es o n S.B SB. I V.3.11, p. 66 1, printed at Bh ar a t iv ijayam
P ress , M adras - 5). Pu hli shed by t he Kafic i K arr ak o r] Peeth a.
200 MADHV A'S I3J~J-JADARANYAKADHA$YA

th at th e st atement in the Brh. Up. ab out the Jivas ' who have
journeyed th ro' Devayan a nev er c om ing ba ck 10 he b orn Oil
again sh ould a lso m ean that fr om Brahmaloka th ey g o hig her up
to final relese (param p adam ) after a long stay there and not
th at th ey com e do wn to this world f or rebirth, in another Ka lp a.
Th e finalisati on or the true meaning and intention of the
words "Te siim neha pun ariivrttil)" in re spect of th e Pafi ca guividyo ­
pasakas and others as ab ove, gives Madhva the correct clue to
interpret the teach in g o r th e Pafica gnivid ya as a Brahntavidy ii
p a r exce lle nc e a nd explai n its bearin gs on rebirth of Jivas and
their redemption from such rebirth .
Accordin gly, he is abl e t o see in these five fires of yonder
world, Parjan ya, this wor ld , man and wom an the presence of the
Five Vyuha Forms of the Lord as Narayana. Vasudeva.
Sankarsana, Anirtiddb a and Pradyumna. The etymological
details of the application of these names of the Lord to tbe five
fires (of Dyu , Parjanya. Ayam 10ka};1, Purusah and Yosa) and
of the fires, their fuel, spark s; etc. in each group. have all
A D HYAYA VI BR AHMANA [I
20 1
ea rt h
o bjects deno ted by the m, does no t o ff,'c r /h e ('Ull i'(' lI/ i o l/ a l
connota tio ns o I' tho se wor ds accepted in word I y co mmer ce : 1
.
In like man ner th e word s 'A ,~~n j' (flr e ) 1Il/i~ li l"l/ (coals) u /"c i (1
(flame) S am it (fuel) vi,\'pliIJ l i ,ig( 1 (sparks ) co nnected with ea ch o r
the five fires a re al so sho wn to be prim ari ly app lica ble ( 0 the
re spective Forms or the Lo rd presen t in the things mentio ned
in the re lev an t conte xts , apart fr o m the th ings th em se lves. The
Lord is the' Sam it ' (the superexcellenr) dh um a (re siding in
dh iim a ) Who ca uses all evil-d oers to tremble (dhiitkiirCTf) "ar cis'
th e ado re d ) 'wigara ' (wh o deli ghts in Hi mself in hi s o wn bod y
(and limb), ' Visp liullngo (wh o flash es on the wise ones ). He is
Aditya wh o draws ever ything t o Himself, rasm i (joy and wis­
dom)" aha r (who cannot be overpowered by anyone) , candram ii
-- _ .­
4. Nii ra y ano dyu sabdoki ah sa r vadii dyut ihetiu ah
Viisudevast u p arja nyal, p ara rn sa janayedyat ah,
Sankar sanastu p rthivi or ath it aiv ia su daiva hi
Pra dyumn oii pu ru sct y ula a purayetsa j agady atali (M)
"T'adadhinam ya tah s arvam sarvosab.tatstato harih

been given by him in bi s commentary with necessary JI.1ukhyiibhidh eyast vanyiini t (J t sang iidupacii lat ab. »

•Tadadhinatvadarlhaval' iti bhag ava d vacanam ,

grammatical analysis. For example, Narayana is designated as

Samiikarsiiditi ea.
(M)
<Dyu", the resplendent o ne . Va sudeva is Parjanya-the creator
of the high-placed Brahrr ii (p aram janayoti) , Sankarsana is ;rm~ ~~Cffi; ~r ~~: f
"' e • ~
called Prthvi as He is well kn own amo ng the gods.Pradyumna ;:ugC(q~ ~~: 'R ij ~~~: I
is Puru-sa who pervades and fills the whole world (piira y et sa ~m~ ~~ r;JMa~ ij~C£ ~ I
Ja got sarvam) , Aniruddba is "Yo sa' who is loved a nd sought
~~rr: ~~tRY: ~W~ ~a; I
by all devotees ( j y osyo akh ilaih'[. This way of applying the
"i:i~~ (id": ij~ ij~~~~ ~R: I
names of Dyu , parjanya , etc . to the re spective forms of the
E~~lITf.l ~*n~q~Hd" : I' j
Lord in their plenary and Primary senses of these words for
'~eftrrooa:~('(' (B .S)
purposes of meditation on the Lord as being present in the
~ffi +r~[iI'l~ I ~;rr~~Rt :q 1I

18

 CONCLUSION 203
202 MADHVA 'S BB.HADARA~ YAKA BHA~YA
be meditated up on thro ' the Pa iica gnividya . the Pr ,i!:la-Vidya,
the gladdener ), nak sat ra (having no overlo rd). Similarly w ord s the Prajati Karma and thr ou gh th e knowledge of the great line
like 'DUa!:z' riitr il: s ro tra rn, upastha , y onih; abhispandoh , of Teachers of Brahmavidy a co m i ng clown to U5 from
antah, k aran am are als o explained in their esoteric senses as Svayambhu-Brahma (Mukhya Prana).
referring to the Lord.f
Paiid ign ividy oy ii ca i va t ai h ai va I'rfW avidy ay ii .

PrajiifikarnW{la caiva tatltii j iiiino pr adii llota b.

CONCLUSION
/{ciiryn vmii sav ijiid nii t yob !Jlij y ab Pu r usou amab ,

SarPall f ary ii 1l1i!co ni tyo namast asmai Paratman c.

Madhva conclu des hi s co mmenta ry on the BfhadiiraDyii~ a

Upani sad giving expressi on to hi s vivid realisation that cos mic q~rn~fcl'~~r ~et a~et l;fTOl~T I
life in all it s forms a nd manifestation s derives its impul si on
!:l"~Rt~;T1JlT ~ ~~.H SWl~q: I
fr om the One Sup re me Lord a nd that all the VidY{IS taught in .
t he U pa nisa ds are t o be co nst r ued and pr acti se in the proper alT~TWl~fcl'~T~l~ If: tI.;Slf: ~~Wl: I
perspecti ve o f Br ahmad r sti as Br ahrnavidyas : ~ett~~Trn<f,t frt~T ~l{~~ ~T~ 11
Ier sa lute the Supreme Purus a , the eternal Paramatrnan wh o ~ c­
I1 ~TW:UlTqlJf~tg; 11
indwells as the Ruler and Controller o f all bein gs and wh o is to
11 ~ttI.~?pfT~nqTJt+t~~ 11

5. A- Sam ant iit k asaniidiik iisaJ;. Samy ag vatsiin ramayat iti

Sa m va tsa ra li, /{ dcsaniiddi sah . A viintaranuidisatityaviintara­
d isah , ra i lka ra ruit viit riiti[l, Va caniit viik., pranayaniit
~ ~

p riinal ) , jahdt i g amayatiti jihvii , cas t a iti caksu b Sf lJot iti

s rot ram; Up asthitatviidupasih ah; y apay at i nayati cet i yo nii:
abltinandaya ti ti abhinanda h , . upamantranamantaqkaranam
ea sa eva k aroti. (M)

~r ~+;;;aT~fir~1'1TG.Tefirm: I BQf«r~ {+f~ &q~{:,

\31r~~FH ~m- : I ~erT~~:nta:~~erRi~~:, · ~Rr~~T~r~
URf:, ::RATa:. etr~: . !:fOllATq: !:lfUl:, ~f<Hre ' ~~mre ~T, :erE:
~ ffi 'tffg: J:<l UrtCil m ~5f:r.r, , :~qmffi ~er f ~~T ; ; m~;:mR\" ~f#
~frt:, i:$lf1FF:\~ffi01m'1;G;:, \jq+{~ur+t~ :Ofi~oi -:q ~ U;Cf Cfl~ I
 INDEX

202

A 1\1
the gl: Ahh in uiuidcvatas 4, "/
like' Adyardba 124
M a gha J 23

Madhuvidya 79

anta h, Ar'hyat mad rs t i J

Aham Asrni 21,1 89,190 ,191

Maluivya karun a Sutra ~

referr Maitrcy is problem 73-75

An vanta 130

Antarik sa (Lak s m i) 54, 55

Mukt i and Atimukti X4

Ant arn itanijanta J:\X

Miutu -Amfirtu refer

1\ 10 anyad ;i rt ;1111 ') 5

to C c t ana s pri muri ly 53-5(.

At ighn] 46
Muk hya -prana

N At raiva 111,-. moh.un .. . "7 (,

- i mmacul a tc base o f

Upu'i Albr rt Schwc itvcr

mcd it atio n 0 11 B. 11

1ife il Prof. viii

his greatness 33

11
- worshippcd by th e god s 49

from)
Brnhma loku 147 197, In
-as calf 49

the ~
D Mfirta et ym ol ogy 56

pers~
Duharavidya 9X

Destruction
N
-Iour kinds of 2

Net i neti 57

oS' s expln, 58-5 9

G
Na va are patyu b kii mu ya 61

Gayatri Mantra 179

N a prctya sarnjfia 69 , 73

5.
-its fourth Pad a Om
N eg at ive defn. of B. 118-119

Gargis audacity 106

Goldsmith
p

-illustration of 158
Paradhin avi sesapt i I

Pafic a gnivid ya 196

H Prajfia atma 43

Pr a n avr at a 32

Hams opast i 33

Pr anah Sthuna 51

K Praj at ikarrna 195

Pr au agnihotra 194

Karma
Praviviktahiiratara 135

-as a name o f Br ahman 88

Piiruatnadah purnamidam 6

-higher attunernent in
Punar avrtt i from Brahmaloka

Brahman 84
for kno wers of Paiicagnividya

Krjshnanan da Sva rni 166

-S's views ex amined 197-19~

 Rangaramanuja q, 35, 51, 108 v

Radhakrishnan 42, 43, 164, 165 Vid yii
Raghavendra T. 45.43,95. 163, -Iower and highera/c to ·
Saukara 66
164,165,176,185
KHJ{ATA.
Sarvam
Ramanuja 149

-in ancient Vedi c usage 17

Raghiittama-65. 94, 119, 124
fn.43
Sat yam
Re ad
Page Line For
s -three meanings of 48

Satyasya satyam 47, 59

Ixx 2 Br. up. Chan. up.
Sak~at aparok~ad 93 U
Sankara 9, 11, 22, 23, 24, 29 Upasadvratam 195
Schwitzer Schweitzer Pref. Viii fn
35, 37, 38, 40, 45, 50, 57 V
xxiv 4 shat sha­
Vtiyu
64, 66.67 72. 81. 86, 92, 95 (7) footnote Peovisional provisional
-as vyasti and sa mas t l 89 4
96,97,107,113,100,140,153 -as Siitnitma 108, 110
4 14 esotoric esoteric
141, 179, 180, 184, 190, 197 Vamadeva's experience 20
Vi sva,Taijasa etc. 163 18 17 when whom
Sannyasa asrama 108
Sohamasmi 191 Vyiiha forms 182 19 2 when whom
Yiijiiavalkya 60, 61, 64, 65,
Stafford Betty 164
90. 130. 133. 143 20 5 tha ha
Yatra dvaitam iva (Prasanga) 27 1 warne s warns
71 125 fn. 7! ~T~~ Oft'!'l"lI'1ri:\

127 16 comes cosmos

149 11 only only only

157 24 Prince Denmark Prince of Denmark
166 10 Devine Divine
171 17 savar suvar
184 13 Bradmana J3nlbl1Ja~la

191 12 and his and is

.. . '"

. ... . .

355 8-95-.8 tY . '. -:

-- \'"
~. • ? •

\ 22-92 '\ 'I \ ,

e" ,.
0.