Vedanta-Sutras Part I · 19 of 103

Introduction (Part 19)

The present translation of the Vedânta-sûtras does not aim at rendering that sense which their author may have aimed at conveying, but strictly follows Sankara’s interpretation. The question as to how far the latter agrees with the views held by Bâdarâyana has been discussed above, with the result that for the present it must, on the whole, be left an open one. In any case it would not be feasible to combine a translation of Sankara’s commentary with an independent version of the Sûtras which it explains. Similar considerations have determined the method followed in rendering the passages of the Upanishads referred to in the Sûtras and discussed at length by Sankara. There also the views of the commentator have to be followed closely; otherwise much of the comment would appear devoid of meaning. Hence, while of course following on the whole the critical translation published by Professor Max Müller in the earlier volumes of this Series, I had, in a not inconsiderable number of cases, to modify it so as to render intelligible Sankara’s explanations and reasonings. I hope to find space in the introduction to the second volume of this translation for making some general remarks on the method to be followed in translating the Upanishads.

I regret that want of space has prevented me from extracting fuller notes from later scholiasts. The notes given are based, most of them, on the tîkâs composed by Ânandagiri and Govindânanda (the former of which is unpublished as yet, so far as I know), and on the Bhâmatî.

My best thanks are due to Pandits Râma Misra Sâstrin and Gangâdhara Sâstrin of the Benares Sanskrit College, whom I have consulted on several difficult passages. Greater still are my obligations to Pandit Kesava Sâstrin, of the same institution, who most kindly undertook to read a proof of the whole of the present volume, and whose advice has enabled me to render my version of more than one passage more definite or correct.

Footnotes lxxviii:1 Nanu vidusho#pi setikartavyatâkopâsananirvrittaye vrishtyannâdiphalânîshtâny eva katham teshâm virodhâd vinâsa ukyate. Tatrâha pâte tv iti. Sarîrapâte tu teshâm vinâsah sarîrapâtâd ûrdhvm tu vidyânugunadrishtaphalâni sukritâni nasyantîty arthah.

lxxx:1 Upalabhyate hi devayânena panthâ gakkhato vidushas tam pratibrûyât satyam brûyâd iti kandramasâ samvâdavakanena sarîrasadbhâvah, atah sûkshmasarîram anuvartate.

lxxxi:1 When the gîva has passed out of the body and ascends to the world of Brahman, it remains enveloped by the subtle body until it reaches the river Vigarâ. There it divests itself of the subtle body, and the latter is merged in Brahman.

lxxxiv:1 Kim ayam param gyotir upasampannah sarvabandhavinirmuktah pratyagâtmâ svâtmânam paramâtmanah prithagbhûtam anubhavati uta tatprakâratayâ tadavibhaktam iti visaye so # snute sarvân kâmân saha brahmanâ vipaskitâ pasyah pasyate rukmavarnam kartâram îsam purusham brahmayonim tadâ vidvân punyapâpe vidhûya nirañganah paramam sâmyam upaiti idam gñânam upâsritya mama sâdharmyam âgatâh sarve # pi nopagâyante pralayena vyathanti ketyadisruytismritbhyo muktasya parena sâhityasâmyasâdharmyâvagamât prithagbhûtam anubhavatîti prâpte ukyate. Avibhâgeneti. Parasmâd brahmanah svâtmânam avibhâgenânubhavati muktah. Kutah. Drishtatvât. Param brahmopasampadya nivrittâvidyâtirodhânasya yathâtâthyena svâtamano drishtatvât. Svatmanah svarûpam hi tat tvam asy ayam âtmâ brahma aitadâtmyam idam sarvam sarvam khalv idam brahmetyâdisâmânâdhikaranyanirdesaih ya âtmani tishthan âtmano#ntaro yam âtmâ na veda yastâtmâ sarîram ya âtmânam antaro yamayati âtmântaryâmy amritah antah pravishtah sâstâ ganânâm ityâdibhis ka paramâtmâtmakam takkharîtatayâ tatprakâtabhûtam iti pratipâditam avashiter iti kâsakristnety atrâto # vibhâgenaham brahmâsmîty evânubhavati.

xciv:1 Sankara’s favourite illustrative instance of the magician producing illusive sights is—significantly enough—not known to the Sûtras.

ci:1 Cp. Gough’s Philosophy of the Upanishads, pp. 240 ff.

cxvii:1 It is well known that, with the exception of the Svetâsvatara and Maitrâyanîya, none of the chief Upanishads exhibits the word ‘mâyâ.’ The term indeed occurs in one place in the Brihadâranyaka; but that passage is a quotation from the Rik Samhitâ in which mâyâ means ‘creative power.’ Cp. P. Régnaud, La Mâyâ, in the Revue de l’Histoire des Religions, tome xii, No. 3 1885).

cxviii:1 As is demonstrated very satisfactorily by Râmânuga.

cxx:1 Gough, Philosophy of the Upanishads pp. 213 ff.

cxxi:1 I cannot discuss in this place the Maya passages of the—Svetâsvatara and the Maitrâyanîya Upanishads. Reasons which want of space prevents me from setting forth in detail induce me to believe that neither of those two treatises deserves to be considered by us when wishing to ascertain the true unmixed doctrine of the Upanishads.

cxxiv:1 The Îsvara who allots to the individual souls their new forms of embodiment in strict accordance with their merit or demerit cannot be called anything else but a personal God. That this personal conscious being is at the same time identified with the totality of the individual souls in the unconscious state of deep dreamless sleep, is one of those extraordinary contradictions which thorough-going systematisers of Vedântic doctrine are apparently unable to avoid altogether.

cxxv:1 That section of the introduction in which the point referred to in the text is touched upon will I hope form part of the second volume of the translation. The same remark applies to a point concerning which further information had been promised above on page v.

cxxvii:1

Così tra questa Immensità s’annega il pensier mio, E il naufrago m’ è dolce in questo mare. LEOPARDI.