CHAPTER
4
SUTRA -PRASTHANAM
Among the three Prashtanams of Vedantadarsana, the Sutra Prashtanam deserves a special treatment. Although
chronologically it occupies a second place among the three, it should
be given a pride of place along with the Upanishads for its sheer
literary excellence. In this Prasthana, Vedanta is explained
logically. For this reason it is also called Nyayaprasthana. Here
Nyaya means logic which constitutes Adhikarana consisting of five
items.
विषयो
विशयश्चैव पूर्वपक्षस्तथोत्तरम्
संगतिश्चेति
पंचांगं शास्त्रेSधिकरणं
स्मृतम् ||
According to the Mimamsakas, a complete Adhikarana consists of five
items. Vishaya (The subject matter to be explained), Visaya ( the
doubt arising about that matter), Purvapaksha (The immediate argument
concerning it ), Uttaram ( the final answer ) and Sangathi (pertinence or relevance)
Badarayana [the self-same Vyasa] composed Brahma Sutras to explain
the philosophy of the Upanishads in the light of the above Adhikarana
logic. The Adhikarana way of introducing a particular topic is very
interesting. The innumerable Upanishads were developed in different
Vedic schools at different times and places. Naturally, the problems
faced and solutions offered were also different and the thread of
their unity is unmistakable. It was felt necessary to systematize
different teachings so as to bring about the harmony underlying them.
The Badarayana Sutras (composed by Badarayana) ascertain the
philosophy of the Upanishads through Nyaya. The Badarayana Sutras are
variously known as Bhikshu Sutras because they catered to the
Bhikshus or monks and Brahma sutras because they established the identity of Jiva with Brahman. The sutra is defined as follows :
अल्पाक्षरमसन्दिग्धं
सारवद्विश्वतोमुखम्
अस्तोभमनवद्यं
च सूत्रं सूत्रविदो विदु:||
A Sutra is a concise technical sentence yet completely intelligible
and universally acceptable. The Badarayana sutras consist of 555
items and their further break-up is: 4 Adhayas, each Adhaya being
further divided into 4 padas.
Adhyaya I Pada II Pada III Pada IV Pada Total
I Adhyaya 31 + 32 + 43 + 28 = 134
II Adhyaya 37 + 45 + 53 + 22 = 157
III Adhyaya 27 + 41 + 66 + 52 = 186
IV Adhyaya 19 + 21 + 16 + 22 = 78
The sutras, by their very nature, are obscure and cannot be
understood without the help of a learned teacher. They have been
expounded by a succession of Acharyas beginning with Badarayana. The
first Acharya to be credited with the earliest commentary on the
Brahma Sutras is Upavarshacharya. He was known as
Jnanakarmasamucchayavadin as he advocates the equal importance of
Karma as well as Jnana in attaining salvation. Unfortunately, his
work is not available for posterity although his ideas, rather
luckily, percolated through references made by Sankara in his
Sutrabhashaya.
Sankara (A.D. 788-820) wrote a commentary on the Brahma Sutras
considered to be the oldest available commentary on the subject. His
commentary is glorified in the expression Prasannagambhira, which
means both clear as well as deep.
This commentary of Sankara is known as Sarirakamimamsabhashya.
The Sarira, being impure is known as Sariraka and the Jiva, which
dwells in this body, is known, therefore, as Saariraka. A discussion
whether this Saariraka is the same as Brahman or not is known as
Sarirakamimamsabhashya.
Padmapada (A.D 800), a disciple of Sankara, wrote a commentary,
Panchapadika. It is the oldest Tika on the Bhashya of Sankara
covering the Chatussutri portion only. The reason for
non-availability of its full version, as depicted by Madhava, goes
like this. Sureswaracharya took Sankara's permission to write a
Vartika on the Brahmasutrabhashya but other pupils of Sankara
objected to this idea as, in their view, Sureswara was originally a
Mimamsist and hence not competent to write the Vartika. Disheartened
at this, Sureswara wrote a treatise called Naishkarmyasiddhi.
Padmapada wrote a Tika but this was got burnt in his uncle's house.
Sankara who had once seen it, recited it from memory and Padmapada
noted it down [H.I.P.-I p.p. 418-19]. The commentary written by
Prakasatmayati on this Panchapadika is known as
Panchapadikavivaranam. As the name shows, it is a commentary
on Panchapadika. The work is divided into nine sections named
Varnakas. The first varnaka deals with the concept of Adhyasa; the
second, the necessity or otherwise of commencing the Brahmajignasa or
Brahmavidya; the third, deals with the meaning of the words
comprising the first sutra, i.e., 'Athato brahmajignasa' ; the fourth
varnaka describes the object of the sastra; the fifth comments on the
second sutra, i.e., ' Janmadyasya yatah' ; the 6th and 7th varnakas
respectively contain the two interpretations of the third sutra,
i.e., ' Sastrayonitvat' ; the two interpretations are "Sastram
yonih yasya sah sastra yonih tasmat sastrayonitvat" and
"Sastrasya yonih sastrayonih, tasmat sastrayonitvat". The
8th varnaka proves the authoritativeness of Brahman while the last
one describes the theory of Mimamsakas such as Bhatta and Prabhakara
and concludes with the sutra
' Tattu samanvayat'.
The Panchapadika and its commentary Vivarana put
together is the source of Vivaranaprasthana.
Vachaspatimisra [A.D.842], considered to be a colossus among the
Indian Philosophers, wrote his own commentary on the Brahmasutras
and it is the earliest known as well as exhaustive commentary. This
work is named Bhamati and it paved the way for another
Prasthana, Bhamati prasthana. Though, in isolation, the two
prasthanas contradict each other, there is no dispute on the
fundamental oneness, that is Advaita, propounded by both.
Both the prasthanas contain a chain of works pertaining to
commentarial tradition. This chain of works constitute constructive
and critical discussions not only of the theories of Advaita but also
the related matters. The main differences between Bhamati and
Vivarana schools are shown in the following table.
BHAMATI SCHOOL : The keynote of this school may be
summerized as follows.
1) Karmas are useful in generating a desire to know Brahman.
2) The realization of Brahman comes through the instrument of mind.
3) The realization of Atman becomes possible through the triple mode
of hearing, reflection and meditation. However, there is no
Vedic injunction in this regard.
4) This system gives topmost priority to the third activity, namely,
meditation.
5) Jiva is consciousness which is limited by Ajnana and Iswara is
consciousness that transcends the limiting adjunct..
6) The locus and content of Ajnana are different.
7) The primal nescience is manifold.
8) It is Brahman that is conditioned by Vritti, that is, that which
contains the direct knowledge of Brahman.
9) The first factor in the four fold aid is the discrimination
between real and
non-real.
10) The injunctive text "one's own recension of the Veda must
be studied" has for its fruit the knowledge of the
meaning of the Veda.
11) The world creation is explained by adopting the theory of
triplication.
12) The omniscience of Brahman is derived from the essential nature
of Brahman.
13) Mind is a sense organ.
14) Avidya is located in Jiva.
VIVARANA SCHOOL : The following are the main tenets of
Vivarana School.
1) Karmas by themselves generate knowledge of the self.
2) The knowledge of the Brahman itself comes from the major texts of
the Upanishads.
3) Here, there is a distinct injunction and clear instruction for
the realization of the Atman.
4) In this system of thought , the first activity, namely,
hearing gets the topmost priority.
5) Jiva is the reflection of Brahman in Avidya.
6) The locus and the content of Avidya are the same.
7) The primal nescience is one only.
8) The content of the direct knowledge of Brahman is pure Brahman.
9) The first factor in the fourfold aid is the discrimination
between eternal and non-eternal.
10) The injunctive text, "one's own recension of Veda must be
studied, has for its fruit the learning of the Veda by rote."
11) Here the world creation is explained on the basis of
quintuplicate theory.
12) The omniscience of Brahman is based on the modes of Avidya.
13) Mind is not a sense organ.
14) Avidya is located in pure consciousness.
Most of the Acharyas who came after these two established
Prasthanas wrote commentaries as well as their own independent works
following either of the two schools and often contradicting each
other. There are some authors who followed the two Prasthanas
faithfully, and some who followed either of them but not
contradicting the other, while still others followed either school
manifestly contradicting the other.
The literature on the Panchapadika is vast. Besides , the
Vivarana of Prakasatman , Panchapadika has the
following commentaries.
WORK AUTHOR
1. Prabodha parisodhini Atmasarvajna.
2. Panchapadika vyakhya Anandapurna vidyasagar
3. Vaktavya Prakasika Uttamajna Yati
4. Vedantaratna kosh Nrisimhatma Yati
5. Panchapadika vivarana Prakasatma Yati
6. Panchapadika vyakhya Darmarajadhvarindra.
7. Tatparyadyothini Vijnanatman.
8. Many other commentaries by unknown authors.
The commentary of Panchapadika, i.e., Vivarana was
pursued by many scholars. Their names and works are given below.
WORK AUTHOR
1. Tattvadipanam Akhandanandayati.
2. Vivaranadarpanam Amalananda.
3. Bhavadyotanika Chitsukha.
4. Tikaratna Anandapurna.
5. Rijuvivarana Vishnubhattopadhyaya.
6. Vivaranaprameyasangraha Vidyaranya.
7. Bhavaprakasika Nrisimhasrama yati.
8. Vivaranopanyasa Ramanandasaraswathi.
9. Vivaranojjivini Yajneswaradikshita.
10. Bhavaprakasika Parivrajaka.
11. Vyakhya Ramatirtha.
12. Vyakhya Krishna.
At this juncture, it is
thought proper to present a bird's - eye view of the contribution to
Advaita Vedanta by Andhra scholars, one by one.
CHITSUKA [A.D.1120-1220 ]
Chitsukha was one of the greatest post - Sankara Advaitins among
Andhras. He composed voluminous works on Advaita Vedanta. He was a
disciple of Gaudeswaracharya [ who was also known as Jnanottama] and
a Guru of Sukhaprakasa who, in turn, was a teacher of Amalananda.
A couple of inscriptions mentioning the name of Chitsukha were
found at Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Besides this, Chitsukha praised Lord Nrisimha of Simhachalam in the
beginning of Tattvapradipika. One of the above inscriptions
was dated saka, corresponding to A.D. 1220. Chitsukha referred, in
his works, to Srivallabha, who flourished before A.D. 1200. It may
be mentioned, in passing, that Chitsukha commented on the works of
Sriharsha who lived in the middle of A.D. 1200. Therefore, it can be
presumed that Chitsukha lived after A.D. 1200.
Chitsukha wrote a commentary on the Panchapadikavivarana and
his commentary, named Bhavadyotanika, is believed to be the
earliest work on this
subject. His commentary is also known as Tatparyadipika. This
book is now available in Madras Government Oriental Manuscripts
Library [ R 4305 ]
AKHANDANANDA [A.D. 1250-1350 ]
Akhandananda Yati's commentary on the Panchpadikavivarana
is called Tattvadipanam. Another name, Akhandananda Muni,
appears in this context. But M.M. Ananta Krishna Sastry thinks that
both are identical.
VIDYARANYA [A.D. 1296-1386 ]
Among the works written on the lines of Panchapadikavivarana,
Vidyaranya's Vivaranaprameyasangraha deserves scrutiny.
Vidyaranya was considered to be an authority on the Advaita Vedanta,
next only to Appayyadikshita and almost as scholarly as Chitsukha in
producing a number of works on the Vedanta. Though his work
Vivaranaprameyasangraha happens to be just a commentary, it
enjoys the reputation of an independent work in its own right.
SARVAJNAVISHNUBHATTOPADHYAYA [A.D. 1200-1380 ]
Sarvajnavishnubhattopadhyaya's commentary is known as
Rijuvivaranam. He was the son of Janardana who was also known
as Anandagiri . It may be pertinent to give here an idea of his
geneology. He was the father of Chennubhatta , son of Anandagiri [
also known as Janardana ] and grandson of Trinetra, all of whom were
famous commentators on Advaita.
YAJNESWARADIKSHITA [A.D. 1600-1700]
Yajneswaradikshita of Cherukuri family composed a work
Panchapadikavivaranojjivini, an authoritative commentary on
the Vivarana. He was the son of Kondubhattopadhyaya and the grandson
of Yajneswara and the youngest brother of Tirumala Dikshita. He was
under the tutelege of Yajneswara and
Krishnananda. Yajneswaradikshita was a great scholar not only in
Vedanta but in Purvamimamsa also, as is evident from his commentary,
Prabhamandala, on Sastradipika. His commentary on
Panchapadika vivarana is considered to be a most
distinguished work.
BHAMATI SCHOOL
Vachaspatimisra wrote a commentary, Bhamati, on the
Brahmasutrabhashya of Sankara. Just as Panchapadika is
the source book of Vivaranaprasthana, Bhamati is the source book of
Bhamatiprasthana.
But unlike Panchapadika and its commentary Vivarana
which cover only the chatussutri portion of the Bhashya on the
Brahmasutra, Bhamati elucidates Sankara's entire
Brahmasutrabhashya. This is a scholarly treatise and
considered to be one of the most important works on Advaita Vedanta.
Like Panchapadikavivarana, the Bhamati is replete
with commentaries and sub-commentaries. Here is a list of some of
them.
1. The Rijuprakasika by Akhandanandayati
2. The Bhavadipika by Achyutakrishnananda Tirtha.
3. The Bhamati Tilaka by Allalasuri
4. The Bhamativilasa by unknown author
5. Vedantakalpataru by Amalananda.
The Vedantakalpataru was further commented upon by the
following authors.
1) Vedantakalpataru Manjari by Vydyanatha.
2) Vedantakalpataru Parimala by Appayyadikshita
3) Abhoga by Lakshminrisimha
The Parimala, the commentary on Kalpataru, has
further been elaborated in the form of a glossary.
ANDHRAS VIS-A-VIS BHAMATI SCHOOL
ALLADASURI [A.D.1300-1400]
Alladasuri, the son of Trivikramacharya and Nagamamba, was a
native of Kotikala village. He wrote a commentary Bhamati tilaka.
In the very beginning of the work he saluted his guru Vyasasrami for
having taught him the Bhamati and other related subjects which
made the subject easy and accessible. Here, Amalananda and Vyasasrama
are thought to be identical. This work is incomplete but available in
Madras Government Oriental Manuscript Library. RN (4190).
AKHANDANANDA SARASWATHI [A.D.1600-1700]
Akhandanandasaraswati of Nalagantu family of Andhradesa was the
son of Kalahastiswarayajvan and Yajnamba. He wrote an excellent
commentary on the Bhamati and its name is Rijuprakasika.
The commentary is lucid as his intention in writing the commentary
was to make Bhamati understood even by a beginner of the
Advaita Vedanta..
There are many scholars who wrote sub-commentaries on the Bhamati.
Kalpataru is one and its author was Amalananda. Kondubhatta
Lakshminrisimha of Mahidhara family, son of Kondubhatta and a
disciple of Narayanendrasaraswati,wrote commentaries on the
Brahamasutras and the Bhashya of Sankara.
While the works on the commentaries of Sutra Bhashya of
Sankara give rise to the two Prasthanams - Bhamati and
Vivarana - there were scholars who produced discourses on
Badarayanasutras and Sankarabhashya. In doing so,
some of them followed the doctrine of Bhamati while others
followed that of Vivarana.
ANANDAGIRI [A.D.1260-1320]
Anandagiri wrote a commentary on the Brahmasutrabhashya of
Sankara and his commentary is known as Sarirakanyayanirnaya.
Chitsukha authored a work Bhashyabhavaprakasika, a
commentary on the Brahmasutrabhashya. Though it is very
scholarly, it is available up to a limited extent, i.e., Chatussutri
portion only.
NARAYANATIRTHA [A.D.1600-1700]
Narayanatirtha of Tallavajjhala family, was the author of many
great works. His Sarirakamimamsabhashyavartika written in
prose gives a comprehensive gist of the Bhashya. Though
Vartika by its very nature substantiates the merits, condemns
the demerits and fills the original with undealt as well as necessary
matters, Narayanatirtha did not try to find fault in the Bhashya.
This work is published in Asutosh Sanskrit series.
GOVINDANANDA [A.D.1570-1650] :
Govinanda was one of the greatest commentators of the
Brahmasutrabhashya of Sankara. He was a versatile scholar in
Alankara, Nyaya and Vedanta. He was originally known as Varanasi
Dharmasudhi. The family acquired the name of Varanasi since his
ancestors had lived at Varanasi for a long time. According to the
introduction to Sahityaratnakara, Dharmasudhi became an
ascetic in the later part of his life and took the name Ramananda
or Govindananda. According to the genealogical information given by
the author, his parents were Parvatanadhasuri and Yellamamba. His
father also was a great scholar who attained the title 'Vadikesari'
by defeating Janardanapandita in a literary contest. He also
defeated a Vaishnava pundit and bore the title 'Mayavadibhayamkara'.
Dharmasudhi was a resident of Pedapullivarru, which is situated on
the bank of the river Krishna. Their descendants live there even
today and treat Dharmasudhi as their mulapurusha. Scholars have no
unanimous opinion regarding his date.
Govindananda wrote Brahmamruthavarshini relating to
Advaita Vedanta. This is a commentary on the Brahma-sutras of
Badarayana. It was edited by Annavaram Venkataraghava Sarma and was
published by Saraswathinilayam Press in 1900 A.D. For the first time,
Telugu characteristics were employed. Later it was
published by Anandasrama press, Pune, in Devanagari script. Accroding
to Vemuri Narsimha Sarma this work was written by the author before
entering sanyasasrama.
Ratnaprabha was a glorious commentary on the
Brahmasutrabhashya of Sankara. It is lucid in style and
substance.Govindananda himself said that this book was intended for
those who are not patient enough to traverse all the commentaries of
Surtabhashya of Sankara. The title, Ratnaprabha, is
quite appropriate as the Sankarabhashya is a gem and the
commentary illuminates the Bhashya in a remarkable way.
VRITTI TYPE WORKS ON THE BRAHMA-SUTRAS
While the commentaries on Brahmasutrasbhashya of Sankara
gave rise to the two Prasthanas - Bhamati and Vivarana -
there were scholars who produced discourses on the Badarayana sutras
and Sankara's Bhashya. In doing so, some of them followed the
doctrine of Bhamati while others followed that of Vivarana.
Annambhatta was a renowned scholar in Nyaya, Mimamsa, Vyakarana
and Vedanta. He belonged to a clan and class - Mamillapalli -
whose mulapurusha was Raghavasomayajin. It may be of interest to
note that Annambhatta was an
unpromising student who, on being chided by his father, left for
Kasi, where he studied all the Sastras - Nyaya, Vyakarana, Mimamsa
and Vedanta. For this reason he won the title Bhatta
चतुश्शास्त्रपारंगतो
भट्ट:.
A Bhatta is one who is well-versed in the four sastras. Annambhatta
was a native of Garikapadu in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Annambhatta's scholarship evoked appreciation all round. Thus, for
instance, one Sadasivaraya of a principality gifted him an Agrahara-
[Garikapadu].
There are three interesting works to Annambhatta's credit, and
Mitakshara, a commentary on the Brahmasutras, was easily the
best. While composing this work he closely followed the Bhamati
school of thought. His another work Bhedanirasa was a
Prakarana type of work. His still another work, Tattvavivekadeepana,
is a commentary on Tatvadeepana of Nrisimhasramayathi.
ADVAITANANDA BODHENDRA (1700 A.D.)
This man was known as Sitapathi in his family life. He was the son
of Premanathadikshita and Parvathi, born in Panchanadakshetra.
Achyutakrishnandasaraswathi, who wrote a commentary, Bhagadipaka,
on the Ratnaprabha, praised Advaitanandatirtha as his
paramaguru. The guru of Advaitananda is Ramananda who, in turn,
becomes the student of Govindanandasaraswathi. He wrote a work
Brahmavidyabharanam. This is a commentary on the Brahmasutras
which followed in the lines of Bhamati. The following works
are also ascribed to Advaitanandasaraswati.
1. Santhivivaranam
2. Gurupradipa
3. Adhyatmachandrika.
4. Atmabodhatika.
ADVAITANANDA TIRTHA (A.D. 1841-1946)
Advaitanandatirtha, who belonged to Kurunganti family, was a well-
known scholar. He hails from a family of scholars. The village Vemuru
of Tenali taluk of Guntur district is his native place. He was the
son of Madhavasastry and Mahalakshmi. He wrote a commentary on
Brahmasutras and his work is known as
Brahmasutratatparyadeepika. It is also known as
Tirthiyabhashya. He passed away on the day of Sivaratri in his
81st year, in February 1926. It may be mentioned, in passing, that
the renowned scholar Kurunganti Sitaramayya was his son.
CHITSUKHA :
Chitsukha wrote Bhashyabhavaprakasika, a commentary on the
Sutrabashya, but the commentary is available up to
Adhyasabhashya only.
We now take a very quick look at a few more of the
scholars.
UPANISHADBRAHMENDRA YOGI:
Upanishadbrahmendrayogi wrote a commentary on the
Brahmasutrabhashya of Sankara, an exciting treatise.
NARAYANATIRTHA:
Narayanatirtha's commentary on the Brahmasutrabhashya is
known as Sarirakamimamsabhashyavartika.
JAYARAMA :
Jayarama of Nagara family who lived in A.D. 1700 wrote
Brahmasutrarthaprakasika.
BELLAMKONDA RAMARAYAKAVI:
Bellamkonda Ramarayakavi wrote Sarirakachatussutrivichara
VENKATADRI SURI:
Venkaradrisuri of Prayaga family wrote a work called
Vidvanmukhabushanam, a commentary on the Brahmasutras.
Coming to the modern age, SubhramanyaSastry of Goda family, son of
Rukmini and Krishna Sastri, was a noted scholar in Vedanta. He wrote
a commentary on the Brahmasutras. His work is known as
Brahmasutrabhashyapradipika. A special feature of this work is
that SubrahmanyaSastry was out and out in agreement with Sankara's
statement that not only Sriti but logic also is of considerable
importance (as far as Advaita doctrine is concerned) in elucidating
the philosophy of Advaita. In this context we have to go to the
history of the conflicting approaches of post-Sankaradvaitins - Sriti
and Tarka- There are many Advaitins who came after Sankara and who
were not interested in the logic part of the Advaita Vedanta. In
sharp contrast, SubrahmanyaSastry did give importance to this aspect
of the philosophy and, for this reason, he was highly appreciated by
his interviewer Ramachandrasastry.
SubrahmanyaSastry composed Brahmasutradeepika, a commentary
on the
Brahmasutras, having been taught the Brahmasutra
literature and other works related to it by his guru
VenkataSastry, for a long time, giving importance to Anumana ( logic
) on par with Sriti.
भाष्यं
प्रसन्नगम्भीरमनुमारत्नगर्भितम्
|
अन्त:
प्रविश्य
मृग्यन्ते रत्नानि कृतबुद्धिभि:||
भगवत्पादभाष्यस्य
चानुमानार्थदेहिन:
|
अर्धदेहप्रकाशाय
यतिष्ये गुर्वनुग्रहात् ||
(
ब्रह्मसूत्रभाष्यप्रदीपिका/पृ/२/श्लो/९,१०)
Here is a list of some more commentaries :
Venkatapandita - Brahmasutradeepika.
Veeraraghava Yajvan - Advaitabrahmatatvaprakasika.
Agnihotrasuri - Advaitaratnakosapurani.
Ramakrishnamacharyulu - Advaitabrahmavadam.
Chennubhatta - Paribhashatika.
Dandibhatta Veeraraghava - Advaitadeepikanukramanika.
Dharmayyadikshita - Advaitavidyatilakadarpana.
Chitsukha - Adhikaranasangathi.
***
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