[Advaita-l] षड्विधतात्पर्यलिङ्गानि - The six-fold marks of determining the purport

[V Subrahmanian]

श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः

In Vedanta, in order to determine the main purport of a text, the method of
applying the six-fold indicatory marks is used.  These marks are:

उपक्रमोपसंहारौ अभ्यासोऽपूर्वता फलम् । अर्थवादोपपत्ती च लिंगं तात्पर्यनिर्णये
॥

1. उपक्रमोपसंहारौ - These two, the beginning and the concluding parts put
together, constitute the first of the indicatory marks.

2. अभ्यासः - This is the reiteration of a particular concept several times
in the work.
3.अपूर्वता - This refers to the uniqueness pertaining to the concept/text
4. फलम् - This is the fruit of knowing what is chiefly instructed in the
work
5. अर्थवादः - This is the eulogy / extolling of the subject matter
6. उपपत्तिः -  This refers to the reasoning that stands out in establishing
the subject matter

This method is adapted in Vedanta from the pUrvamImAmsA shAstra.

In the BrahmasUtra bhAShyam, for the sUtra तत् तु समन्वयात् 1.1.4 while
writing the gloss, the author of the Ratnaprabha gives an illustration for
the application of the above method.  He makes the study very useful and
instructive by giving explanations too to the upanishadic passages taken
up.  Here, to demonstrate, he has taken up the Chandogya Upanishad 6th
chapter where occurs the teaching: tat tvam asi during the course of the
dialogue between the teacher-father Uddalaka and the student-son Shvetaketu:

नापि हेत्वसिद्धिः उपक्रमादिलिङ्गैः वेदान्तानां अद्वितीयाखण्डब्रह्मणि
तात्पर्यनिर्णयात् । तत्र च्छान्दोग्यषष्ठे *उपक्रमं* दर्शयति - सदेवेति ।
उद्दालकः पुत्रमुवाच - हे सोम्य प्रियदर्शन, इदं सर्वं जगत्, अग्रे उत्पत्तेः
प्राक्काले सत्=अबाधितं ब्रह्मैवासीत् । एवकारेण जगतः पृथक्सत्ता निषिध्यते ।
सजातीयविातीयस्वगतभेदनिरासार्थं ’एकं-एव-अद्वितीयं’ इति पदत्रयम् । [Here he
has taken the sentence: *सदेव सोम्येदमग्र* आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम् । (छान्दोग्य.
६/२/१)
एवं अद्वितीयब्रह उपक्रम्य ’ऐतदात्म्यमिदं सर्वम्’ इत्*युपसंहरति* ।
इदमुपक्रमोपसंहारैकरूप्यं तात्पर्यलिङ्गम्, यथा ’तत्त्वमसि’ इति नवकृत्वो*
ऽभ्यासः* । रूपादिहीनाद्वितीयब्रह्मणः मानान्तरायोग्यत्वात् *अपूर्वत्व*मुक्तम्
- ’अत्र वाव किल **तत्सोम्य न निभालयसे’ इति॥६.१३.२॥ संघाते स्थितं ब्रह्म न
जानासीत्यर्थः । ’तस्य तावदेव चिरं यावन्न विमोक्ष्येऽथ संपत्स्ये (6.14.2) इति
ब्रह्मज्ञानात् *फलं* उक्तं विदुषः ।तस्य यावत्कालं देहो न विमोक्ष्यते तावदेव
देहपातपर्यन्तो विलम्बः । अथ देहपातानन्तरं विद्वान् ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते ।
विदेहकैवल्यमनुभवतीत्यर्थः । ’अनेन जीवेनात्मना **अनुप्रविश्य..’
इत्याद्यद्वितीयज्ञानार्थो*ऽर्थवादः* । मृदादिदृष्टान्तैः प्रकृत्यतिरेकेण
विकारो नास्ती*त्युपपत्तिः* उक्ता । एवं षड्विधानि तात्पर्यलिङ्गनि व्यस्तानि
समस्तानि वा प्रतिवेदान्तं दृश्यन्ते इत्यैतरेयोपक्रमवाक्यं पठति - ’आत्मा वा ’
इति ।

The overall meaning of the above is:

1. उपक्रमोपसंहारौ - These two, the beginning and the concluding parts put
together, constitute the first of the indicatory marks.

In the Chandogya passage/s taken up, the commencement of the main teaching
is with the declaration that 'this universe that we experience was, before
its creation/manifestation, none other than the secondless Brahman.  This is
the 'mark' indicating that the teaching *commences *with the declaration of
the unity, the secondlessness, of Brahman. By saying that the world was
Brahman 'alone' it is taught that the world has no existence other than that
of Brahman. Thereby the Upanishad is barring the possibility of any second
entity called the world that could take away the 'adviteeya' status of
Brahman.

At the end of the core teaching about the nature of the world/creation, etc.
the Upanishad *concludes *by saying that 'all this, the seen world, has for
its self, essence, the Sat, Brahman'.  By saying so the Upanishad teaches
that it is the secondless Brahman that is the Truth, Reality.

2. अभ्यासः - This is the reiteration of a particular concept several times
in the work.
The teaching nine times 'Tat tvam asi' giving out the non-dual Brahman as
the purport, is the abhyAsa.  When someone comes to invite us for a
function, from the time of their arrival up to their departure, if they say
'you must come, without missing, ..' several times in several ways, it means
that they are keen, tAtparyam, on our attending the function.  This
'reiteration' therefore is a mark indicating that the non-dual Brahman is
the subject matter of the Upanishad.
3.अपूर्वता - This refers to the uniqueness pertaining to the concept/text.
Brahman devoid of any form, taste, smell, etc. cannot be known through any
means other than the Upanishadic teaching.  Thus it is *unique *in that
respect.  In the Upanishad Uddalaka points out to the fact that the Self
residing amidst the body-mind-senses-praNa complex is not discernible unless
through the intervention of the Upanishadic teaching and tarka in tune with
it. Knowledge about 'Svarga', etc. are also beyond the ken of the senses and
the Veda alone is the authority/pramana in their existence.  However, upon
going to those places, one experiences them through the sense organs.
Brahman, on the other hand, can be known through the Upanishadic teaching
alone.  No means are there to experience It; It is the very Experience,
one's svarUpa.

4. फलम् - This is the fruit of knowing what is chiefly instructed in the
work.
The Jnani, who has the realization of the Truth that is Brahman as his very
Self, is liberated for ever from the trammels of samsara.  He lives in this
body only as long as the body is destined to live; after this his bodiless
liberated state is ensured. This is the *fruit* of gaining the knowledge of
the secondless Brahman.  No other accomplishment results in this fruit.
5. अर्थवादः - This is the eulogy / extolling of the subject matter.
To induce the aspirant to engage in the knowing of this Brahman assiduously,
the Upanishad says that this Brahman, the Creator, has 'entered' this jiva,
as the jiva, and resides in the jiva as the knower, hearer, doer, thinker,
etc.  By hearing this teaching of the upanishad the jiva is able to
appreciate the Brahman's existence within himself, so close to himself, as
himself and enthused to put in efforts to realize It.

6. उपपत्तिः -  This refers to the reasoning that stands out in establishing
the subject matter.

The Upanishad gives three examples: of clay, gold and iron, to demonstrate
the fact that the effect, kAryam, is not different from the cause, kAraNam.
The effects, mere modifications of the cause, clay, gold, etc. are only
names while the real substance is their cause, the clay, etc. In the
dArShTantika, Brahman, the Sat, the Cause.  The effect, the world including
the body-mind complex of the jivas, is mere names, having for its substance,
essence, AtmA, Brahman alone.  As names, effects are mithyA; their cause
alone is the substance, essence, satyam.  The Bhagavatam says: वाचोदितं
तदनृतम्, व्यपदेशमात्रम्. By giving out this reasoning, tarka, upapatti, the
Upanishad is establishing on firm, unshakable grounds the secondless Brahman
as the Truth.

Thus, by the method of applying the six-fold indicatory marks one is able to
arrive at the purport, tAtparyam, of the Upanishad.  The Ratnaprabha goes on
to say that with a view to bring out this fact alone Shankara proceeds to
cite several other passages, from the four Vedas, as representative samples.
This is the fact that the Upanishads have for their purport the teaching of
the adviteerya Brahman.  It is also stated in the Ratnaprabha that these
marks may be found jointly or severally in the Upanishads.

It is said that this very author or someone else has demonstrated the
six-fold marks for several Upanishads.  It would be a good study material if
one can locate such a work.

श्रीसद्गुरुचरणारविन्दार्पणमस्तु