Notes-bs

BS-49 Aug 17, 2025

Main theme: Vrtti-kaara says- brahman knowledge should be followed by brahma upasanam. Advaitin will eventually say- No. For moksha, knowledge alone is enough.

Here, we are talking about vrtti-kaara purvapakshi. He says- Just knowing brahman is not enough. It has to be followed by "brahma upasanam". This "action" will give punya to get moksha. Just knowing brahman is not enough.

He says, even shabda pramanam is meaningful only if there are "verbs". Hence, everything is action-based!

Few points about vrtti-kaara. There are the following categories:

(1) Purva-mimaamsaka: Does not accept nirgunam brahman at all.

(2) Gnana-karma samuchhaya vaadi: Sanyasi cannot get moksha. You need to perform veda prescribed action till death and yes, you need brahma gnaanam also. Together, they will give moksha after death.

(3) Vrtti-kaara: Accepts nirgunam brahman. Also, accepts brahma gnaanam. But unlike the previous one, he wants only "brahma upasanam" to be done after brahma gnaanam. That punyam will give moksha. Hence, he is also saying "action is required, only he says, mental-action (upasana) is required.

(4) Vidyaranya in panchadashi chp 9: He also says "do brahma upasanam"- but the key difference is, we do that, not to gain moksha...but to remove "pratibandha"...and after removing the obstacle through upasana, we will gain moksha...through knowledge.

(5) Vishistaadvaitam: Does not accept nirgunam brahma. He says, "brahman upasanam gives moksha after death". But by brahman, he means Lord Vishnu- sagunam brahman only.

What does advaitin say?

- There is nirgunam brahma.

- Action (both veda prescribed action and upasanam) generates punya and helps us to come to knowledge (by giving guru and shastra opportunity and purified mind-set). Thereafter, gnaanaat eva kaivalyam. Hence, karma-upasana...is only to get sadhana-chatushtayam. Thereafter, we need ONLY knowledge because "brahman is an already accomplished fact" (siddham)...where a person gives up his jiva-status as "incidental" and owns up his brahman-status as the "real Me".

BS-45 July 23

Here, we have "bhaatta mimaamsa". (as opposed to praabhaakaara mimaamsa). Bhaatta mimaamsa- brahma naastika vaadi. 2 purvapakshis. 2 varnakams here also...for this 4th sutra. 

As per us...

tat- brahma tu- that alone (no karma)....samanvayaat (taatparya)

samanvayaa- going along...alignment....all vedanta are aligned...to reveal brahman alone as the central theme...(like election speech). This is the bottomline!

How do you know taatparyam is brahman? Because of 6 lingas-

Shankara says.....

1. Sad eva somya...(Chh Up) (Saama)

2. Atma va ekam eva agrey aaseet (Ai Up) (Rig)

3. .....Ayam atma brahma (Br Up) Brahman does not have a cause. World is not a real product. Not kaaranam....not kaaranam (Note..this comes in Br Up also....not Mandukya here!) (Yajur)

4. brahmaivedam amrtam purastaat....brahman alone is....anything else...is an experience (Mundaka) (Atharvana)

No karma in vedanta....

6 lingas from vedanta saara (chp 5): Chh Up (chp 6) (Ratna prabhaa talks about this)

- upakrama upasamhaara: sad eva somya + 6.16.3 aitad aatyam idam sarvam....starts and ends with brahman

- abhyaasa: repeated: maha vakyam is repeated 9 times (tat tvam asi)

- apuurvataa: something new. pramaana vaakyam (as opposed to anuvaadaka vaakyam) 6.13.2. Salt water example....shvetaketu...not seen! But salt is there! Brahman is the salt, world is the water!! 

- phalam: 6.14.2: Only prarabdha has to be exhausted....videha mukti phalam... 

- artha-vaada: glorification. eka vignaanena sarva vignaanam bhavati. Actual omniscience is not possible! One more example...brahman anupravesha....no question of brahman entering....because it is everywhere. Ninda artha-vaada: Mandukya...who ever sees plurality...mrtyo mrtyum...goes from death to death. Hence, only ONE brahman...which is abhaya kaaranam.

- upapatti- veda itself gives the logic. world does not exist separate from brahman....3 examples: gold, clay, iron....mrttika ityeva satyam.

Karma kaanda discussion for sutra 4

- Section where utility of "siddha bodhaka vaakyam" and "kaarya bodhaka vaakyam". Karma kaanda person (purva mimaansa) says, these vedanta statements are useless, unless you connect it to a "vidhi" (do something). These statements have to be used to glorify...before "doing some action". All this comes under "bhaatta mimaansa".

Vyasa gives the answer- "tat (brahman) tu (indeed..shastra yoni) samanvayaat". Indeed...unlike what you (above purvapakshi) say..."samanyavaat"...."shastra taatparyatvaat". Brahman is the central theme of the veda. Shastra reveals brahman only...and does not reveal any karma. This is the bottom line.

Sutra 4: tat tu samanvayaat

- purva-mimaamsaka: The entire veda should tell us to "do something" (vidhi-nishedha). Hence, "brahman" cannot be subject matter of veda. Only then...does it become a "pramaanam". It should have some "benefit".

Even if the veda mentions something descriptive (artha vaakyam), he says, it has to be connected to a "vidhi vaakyam"- so that you can "do some action". 

(Veda agni story- agni's tears became silver! Devas had to wrest valuables from agni after the war with asuras. The story is to finally convey- don't give silver. Again, "karma, action" is the main thing in veda)

Similarly- brahman dhyaanam should be the message of veda...he says.

atma description- to enthuse the jiva (he says)

brahman description- to praise the devatas (he says)

Hence, either way- it is to prompt you to "do action", that the veda talks about all this.

As per him, entire veda is "one shastram". We say "2 shastrams". 

In knowledge, I don't "get anything" (he says). 

Sutra 3: Shastrayonitvaat (June 24, 2025)

Varnakam-1

These are the 5 points for an adhikaranam.

1. Vishaya vakyam: asya mahato bhutasya nishvasitam

2. Samshaya: Can Bhagavan be author of veda if veda is nityam?

3. Purvapakshi: 

       Purva-meemamsa: Rig Veda says veda is nityam. How can Bhagavan be author?

       

4. Siddhanta: He does not create the veda. He manifests the veda in every cycle. Vedanta krt (BG-15)

                      Mahabharata Shanti Parva also says so.

5. Sangati: Related to omniscience of the Lord...which was indirectly inferred from previous sutra

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Varnakam-2

(1) Vishaya vaakyam: aupanishadam purusham prchhaami

(2) Samshaya: Why can we not have other pramanam for Brahman? e.g. Anumanam?

(3) Purvapakshi: Nyaya-Vaisheshika talks about anumanam (previous sutra)

                           Pramanam status will be lowered if Bhagavan doesn't need veda!

(4) Siddhanta: Veda has always been with bhagavan. Hence, its pramana status is not lowered

(5) Sangati: Satisfies the curiosity of previous sutra- How to get that Brahman

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Sutra-4: Tat tu samanvayaat

Purva Meemamsaka says Vedanta is useless. It has no "Action Item"! If it all...it has to be incorporated....it is inside a ritual. Else, it is like "uushara bhaaga" (like desert land!)

This has to be countered!

 

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Sutra 2: Finishing up (June 17, 2025)

yato va....Tatastha lakshanam for brahman

anaandaat eva imaani bhutaani- Swarupa lakshanam for brahman

Why does Brahman need Veda/shabda to reveal it...when it is self-evident (siddha vastu)?

(1) Because brahman has no attributes- ashabdam...aparsham...etc. Hence, no pratyaksha pramaanam. Hence, no other pramaanam also.

(2) Veda itself says...it is the only pramaanam for revealing brahman- "sarvam brahma aupanishadam"

Hence, whether it is sadhya vishaya (attaining heaven etc.) or even siddha vishaya (Brahman as self-evident atma)....in both cases, we need veda only. 

Omniscience of ishvara is indirectly revealed through sutra 2.

It is re-inforced with sutra-3 by pointing that ishvara is the cause of the veda too.

We need the world to exhaust our karma

We need veda to provide the teaching and release us from samsara. Veda is the "key"!

Sutra-3 can be interpreted in 2 ways. That's because the definition of a sutra allows for multiple ways of looking at it.

Shastrayonitvat is an example of vishvatomukham.

Is veda anaadi if ishvara is the kaaranam of veda? 

Answer is veda is anaadi...At the time of creation, Ishvara makes the unmanifest veda into manifestation.

6 vedangas - shiksha, kalpa, vyaakaranam, niruktam, chhandas, jyotisham

4 upaangas - puraanam, nyaya, meemaansa, dharma-shaastram.

4 upaveda - aayurveda, dhanurveda, gandharva veda, artha shaastram 

chaturdasha vidyaa sthaanaani !

What is the vishaya vaakyam for Sutra-3?

Br Up:

asya mahato bhutasya nishvasitam etad yad rig vedo etc.

Mahato bhuta - refers to Ishvara (sagunam brahma)

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Sutra 3: Shastra-yonitvaat (june 17)

2 meanings: 

(1) Ishvara is omniscient since He is the author of the vedas. From the sheer dimension of the veda, we infer the omniscience of Ishvara. (yoni here is kaaranam for veda). His effortlessness is pointed out through quotes like "yasya mahato bhutasya"....vedas are manifest as easily as his breath (for Ishvara, it is that easy)!

As an example of the exhaustiveness of vedas, we have a pointer to the veda-angaani- shiksha, kalpa, vyaakaranam etc. In particular, Shankara refers to Paanini...and says, that grammar is only one shastra and that itself is so vast and so grand! Then, we can imagine the magnitude of the vedas...themselves!

(2) Ishvara can be known only through the veda. Nyaya-Vaisheshika feels Ishvara can be "inferred", but the arguments are fallacious. Hence, Veda is the only way pramaanam to know brahman (as sagunam (ishvara) and as nirgunam). (yoni here is pramaanam)

Sutras with alternate meanings like the above are called "varnakam" by Padmapaada.