Sri Vedanta-sutra
Volume One
Pada 2
Adhikaraëa 1
The Word "Manomaya" Refers to Brahman
Introduction by Çréla Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa
manomayädibhiù çabdaiù
svarüpaà yasya kértyate
hådaye sphuratu çrémän
mamäsau çyämasundaraù
In the First Pada of this chapter it was said that one
should inquire about the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and the creator of all universes. Certain words used
in Vedic literature were also clearly shown to refer to that
Supreme Brahman. In the Second and Third Padas it will be
demonstrated that certain other words, although less clearly
related to Brahman, also describe Him.
In the Chändogya Upaniñad, Çäëòilya-vidyä
(3.14.1) the following explanation is given:
sarvaà khalv idaà brahma taj jalän iti çänta upäséta.
atha khalu kratumayaù puruñaù. yathä kratur asmin loke puruño
bhavati tathetaù pretya bhavati. sa kratuà kurvéta. manomayaù
präëa-çaréro bhä-rüpaù satya-saìkalpa äkäçätmä sarva-karmä sarva-
kämäh sarva-gandhaù sarva-rasaù sarvam idaà abhyäto aväkyän
ädaraù.
"Everything is Brahman. From Him everything has come. The
peaceful sage should worship Brahman with this idea. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the activities of devotional service.
When devotional service is performed in this world the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is present. As one performs devotional
service in this life he will attain an appropriate body after
death. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known by they whose
minds are pure. He is the controller of all life. He is effulgent
and glorious. His every desire is automatically fulfilled. He is
all-pervading. He is the original creator of everything. He
fulfills all desire. He possesses all pleasant fragrances. He is
all sweetness. He is present everywhere. He cannot be described
in words. He cannot be known."
Saàçaya: Do the adjectives (beginning with
manomaya) in this passage describe the
jéva or the Paramätmä?
Pürvapakña: The words manaù and
präëa here appropriately describe the
jéva. The Muëòaka Upaniñad (2.1.2)
explains: apräëo hy amanäù çubhraù (The splendid
Supreme Person has neither breath nor mind). Because this passage
from the Chändogya Upaniñad contradicts the
description of the Supreme Lord in this way, it should be
understood to refer to the jéva. The opening words
sarvaà khalv idaà brahma (Everything is Brahman) do
not necessarily mean that the entire passage following them are
about Brahman, but are merely spoken so that the worshiper may
become peaceful. The teaching there is that because Brahman is
everything one should become peaceful. The rest of the passage
should then be understood to refer to the jéva and
the word brahma at the end of the passage should
also be understood to refer to the jéva.
Siddhänta: The proper conclusion is:
Sütra 1
sarvatra prasiddhopadeçät
sarvatra - everywhere; prasiddha - celebrated;
upadeçät - because of the teaching.
(The word "manomaya" here refers to the Paramätmä)
because (in this passage) the famous (attributes of the Paramätmä
as are taught) everywhere (in Vedänta literature are) described.
Purport by Çréla Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa
This passage describes the Paramätmä and not the
jéva. Why? Because the qualities that belong only to the
Paramätmä, beginning with His being the creator of the material
universes, and which are described everywhere (
saravatra) in Vedänta literature, are mentioned in this
passage in the phrase taj-jalän and other phrases
and words also.
Although the opening words of this passage (sarvaà
khalv idaà brahma) are not intended to teach about Brahman
but to invoke peacefulness, the word manomaya
definitely describes the Supreme Brahman. The word
kratu means "devotional service" and
manomaya means "He who can by understood by a
pure mind." The Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad (4.4.19)
explains manasaivänudrañöavyam (He may be seen by a
pure mind). The passage yato väcä nivartante apräpyo
manasä saha (The Supreme cannot be described in words or
understood by the mind) means the foolish cannot understand the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and even the wisest sages cannot
understand Him completely.
The word präëa-çaréra (life-body) means
He who is the controller of life." Some also interpret this
word to mean "He whose transcendental form is most dear."
The words apräëo hy amanäù (He has neither breath
nor mind) may mean either that He is supremely independent and
does not need breath or mind, or it may mean that he does not
possess material breath or material mind. The çruti-
çästra explains manovän (The Supreme has a
spiritual mind) and änéda-vätam (The Supreme has
spiritual breath).
Other scriptural passages also state that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is described by the word manomaya. Some
of these passages follow.
manomayaù präëa-çaréra-netä
"He is understood by the pure mind (manomaya
). He is the guide of the body and senses."
- Muëòaka Upaniñad 2.2.7
sa eño 'ntar-hådaya äkäças tasminn ayaà puruño
manomayo 'måtamayo hiraëmayaù
"The golden Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full
of nectar, and who is known by the pure mind (manomaya
), resides in the sky of the heart."
- Taittiréya Upaniñad 1.6.1
hådä manéñä manasäbhiklpto ya etad vidur amåtas te
bhavanti
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known by they who
have a pure heart and a pure mind. They who know Him in this way
become free from death."
- Kaöha Upaniñad 7.9
präëasya präëaù
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life of all life."
- Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad 4.4.18
Sütra 2
vivakñita-guëopapatteç ca
vivakñita - wished to be said; guëa - qualities;
upapatteù - because of being appropriate; ca - and.
The word "manomaya" here must refer to Brahman)
because the qualities (given here) most appropriately describe
Brahman.
Manomaya (knowable by the pure mind),
präëa-çaréra (the controller of life), bhä-
rüpa (effulgent and glorious) and the other qualities
mentioned here are appropriate for the Supreme Personality of
Godhead but not at all for the jéva.
Sütra 3
anupapattes tu na çäréraù
anupapatteù - because of inappropriateness;
tu - indeed; na - not; çäréraù - the jéva.
(The word "manomaya" here) cannot refer to the jéva
because the qualities (described in this passage) cannot be
attributed to him.
The manomaya her cannot refer to the
jéva because it is not possible that the qualities
described here refer to the tiny, glowworm-like jéva
.
Sütra 4
karma-kartå-vyapadeçäc ca
karma - object; kartå - agent; vyapadeçät - because
of the statement; ca - also.
And because the distinction is drawn here between the agent
and the object.
With the words (Båhad-äraëyaka Upaniñad
3.14.4) etam itaù pretyäbhisambhavitäsmi (After
death I will attain Him) at the end the manomaya is
clearly designated as the object of the sentence and the
jéva, with the words abhisambhavitäsmi (I
will attain) is clearly identified as the agent. Therefore the
manomaya, being the object, must be different from
the jéva, which is the agent. The
manomaya must therefore be the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The word abhisambhavitäsmi here describes
meeting. The jéva meets the Supreme Lord as a great
river meets the ocean.
Sütra 5
çabda-viçeñät
çabda - words; viçeñät - because of the difference.
(The word "manomaya" here cannot refer to the jéva
because the words are in different cases.
The text says (Chändogya Upaniñad 3.14.3)
eña ma ätmäntar-hådaye (He is within my heart). In these
words the devotee jéva is placed in the genitive
case and the object of his worship is placed in the nominative
case. Because the jéva and the object of his
worship are in different cases they must be two distinct persons.
Therefore the manomaya here must be the worshipable
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is different from the devotee
jéva.
Sütra 6
småteç ca
småteù - because of the småti-çästra;
ca - also.
And because of the statement of småti-çästra also.
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is different from
the jéva is also confirmed by the following
statement of Bhagavad-gétä (18.61):
éçvaraù sarva-bhütänäà
håd-deç/e 'rjuna tiñöhati
bhrämayan sarva-bhütäni
yanträrüòhäni mäyayä
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O
Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities,
who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."*
Avataraëikä: Someone may object: The
Chändogya Upaniñad (3.14.3) describes the
manomaya in the following words: eña ma ätmäntar-
hådaye 'ëéyän vrér heva yaväd vä (In my heart is the Self,
smaller than a grain of rice or barley). This text shows that
because it is very tiny the manomaya must be the
jéva and cannot be the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Sütra 7
arbhakaukastvät tad-vyapadeçäc ca neti cen na nicäyyatväd
evaà vyomavac ca
arbhaka - small; okastvät - because of the residence;
tat - of that; vyapadeçät - because of the teaching;
ca - and; na - not; iti - thus; cet - if;
na - not; nicäyyatvät - because of meditation; evam - in this
way; vyomavat - like the sky; ca - also.
If it be said that the word "manomaya" here cannot
refer to Brahman because here it is said that the residence of
"manomaya" is very tiny, then I say no because Brahman
should be meditated on in this way and because in the same
passage the "manomaya" is said to be as great as the sky.
For these two reasons it cannot be said that the
manomaya is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In
this passage from Chändogya Upaniñad the
manomaya is said to be greater that the entire Earth
planet. The text says jyäyän antarékñät (He is
greater than the sky). Because the Supreme Brahman is all-
pervading the word vyomavat (like the sky) is used
in this sütra.
How may these two statements (that Brahman is very small and
very great) be reconciled? To answer this question he says
nicäyyatväd evam (Because Brahman should be meditated on
in this way). This means that it is said that Brahman is very
small so He may become the object of meditation. This means that
when in the Vedic literatures it is said that the infinite, all-
pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead is as small as the
distance bewteen the thumb and forefinger or some other very
small distance, in some instances it is meant to be taken
figuratively and in other places literally. In the first instance
(figuratively) the devotee meditates on the Lord in his heart and
in the second (literally) by His inconceivable potencies, the
Lord personally appears in the heart out of kindness to His
devotee. Although the Supreme Lord has only one original form, He
still manifests in many different forms to His devotees. This is
described in the småti-çästra in the words
eko 'pi san bahudhä yo 'vabhäti (Although He is one He
manifests in many forms). Because of His inconceivable potency
the Supreme Lord, although He is all-pervading, may become as
small as an atom. This will be described (later in this book) in
the section (Sütra 25) describing Vaiçvänara. In this way when
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifested in a very small
form, as the size of an atom or the distance between the thumb
and forefinger, that very small size is present everywhere, so in
this way also the Supreme Lord is all-pervading.
Avataraëikä: Someone may object: If the
Paramätmä is then also present within the material body just as
the jéva is, then, because of His contact with the
body the Paramätmä must also feel all the pleasures and
...
dhruva