Ramanuja's Summary of the Advaitin's Position - 1

[S Jayanarayanan]

--- "S. Sriram" <ajiva_rts at YAMBOX.COM> wrote:

[..]

> Sve. 1-6 "Knowing the self and the directing power
> as distinct,
> and thereby favoured by that power he attains
> immortality"
>

Here's the verse (from the sanskrit documents site
http://sanskrit.gde.to/ ):

sarvaajiive sarvasaMsthe bR^ihante
asmin.h haMso bhraamyate brahmachakre .
PR^ithak aatmaanaM preritaaraM cha matvaa
jushhTastatastena amR^itatvameti ..

A phrase-by-phrase translation:

'asmin.h bR^ihante brahmachakre', in this great wheel
of Brahman, 'sarvaajiive sarvasaMsthe', (that) all the
living beings rest in, 'haMso bhraamyate', wandering
like swans, 'matvaa', thinking, 'PR^ithak aatmaanaM
preritaaraM', that the Self is separate from the
Controller; 'jushhTaH tataH tena' graced thereby,
'amR^itatvameti' (they) attain immortality.

A running translation:

"Resting in the great wheel of Brahman, all the living
beings wander about like swans, thinking the Self to
be separate from the Controller; graced thereby (i.e.
by the Controller), they attain immortality."


Clearly, ignorance of the equation:
Self (AtmA) = Controller (preritAra),
is the reason the jiiva wanders about (in saMsAra).
Also check out verse 1.8, which extends explanation on
1.6.

These are other translations:

http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/svetasvatara.htm

"In this great Brahma—Wheel, in which all things abide
and finally rest, the swan wanders about so long as it
thinks the self is different from the Controller. When
blessed by Him the self attains Immortality."

http://www.swaveda.com/Religion/Upanishads/svetasvatara.htm

"In that vast Brahma-wheel, in which all things live
and rest, the bird flutters about, so long as he
thinks that the self (in him) is different from the
mover (the god, the lord). When he has been blessed by
him, then he gains immortality."

[..]

Thanks,

Kartik

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