[Advaita-l] 'iti' in the vAcArambhaNa shruti

[Venkatraghavan S]

The bhAshya of Gita 2.16 connects very well with the TaittirIya bhAShya
quoted.

विकारो हि सः, विकारश्च व्यभिचरति । यथा घटादिसंस्थानं चक्षुषा निरूप्यमाणं
मृद्व्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेरसत् , तथा सर्वो विकारः कारणव्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेरसन्
 । जन्मप्रध्वंसाभ्यां प्रागूर्ध्वं च अनुपलब्धेः कार्यस्य घटादेः मृदादि
कारणस्य च तत्कारणव्यतिरेकेणानुपलब्धेरसत्त्वम् ॥तदसत्त्वे सर्वाभावप्रसङ्ग इति
 चेत् , न ; सर्वत्र बुद्धिद्वयोपलब्धेः, सद्बुद्धिरसद्बुद्धिरिति । यद्विषया
बुद्धिर्न व्यभिचरति, तत् सत् ; यद्विषया व्यभिचरति, तदसत् ;
In my view, this mantra has quite far reaching implications. The root of
several concepts within advaita can be traced to this source.
Each word in the mantra (and in one case, a particular word's omission) is
pregnant in meaning - for example, the upaniShad says यथा मृत्पिण्डेन to
illustrate its' point, but in arriving at the conclusion it says मृत्तिका
इति एव सत्यं. That is, shruti uses the piNDa in the illustration but in
drawing its conclusion, the shruti carefully omits piNDa and only says
 मृत्तिका
इति एव सत्यं.
Why? Because only the form-endowed-cause (AkAra vishiShTa kAraNa) is
available for perception. To explain something subtle, we use an
illustration that is commonly known. A lump of clay is well known, whereas
clay without any form is not available for perception. Thus the veda uses
something commonly known, to reveal an unknown conclusion. In the
conclusion, by omitting to mention piNDa in मृत्तिका इति एव सत्यं, the
shruti is implying that the only real knowledge (eva satyam) of any
substance, is the knowledge of that substance devoid of name and form
(mrittikA iti). Thus the right knowledge of any effect is only as its
cause, or - only the cause is real.
As each cause in turn, is an effect, it too is unreal independent of its
cause. Ultimately this is traced to sat, which is the ultimate cause,
leading to the conclusion that all this - every name and form in this world
is unreal independent of the primary cause, sat - ऐतदात्म्यमिदꣳ सर्वं
तत्सत्यꣳ स आत्मा.
Regards,
Venkatraghavan

2018-02-14 14:54 GMT+00:00 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> In the Taittiriya bhashya for the word 'satyam' Shankara says, in
> conclusion:
>
> सत्यादिशब्दा न परस्परं सम्बध्यन्ते, परार्थत्वात् ; विशेष्यार्था हि ते । अत
> एव एकैको विशेषणशब्दः परस्परं निरपेक्षो ब्रह्मशब्देन सम्बध्यते - सत्यं
> ब्रह्म ज्ञानं ब्रह्म अनन्तं ब्रह्मेति । सत्यमिति यद्रूपेण यन्निश्चितं
> तद्रूपं न व्यभिचरति, तत्सत्यम् । यद्रूपेण यन्निश्चितं तद्रूपं व्यभिचरति,
> तदनृतमित्युच्यते । अतो विकारोऽनृतम् , ‘ वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं
> मृत्तिकेत्येव सत्यम्’ (छा. उ. ६ । १ । ४)
> <http://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/
> Chandogya?page=6&id=Ch_C06_S01_V04&hl=%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%
> BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%
> A4%A3%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%
> B0%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%87%
> E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%
> A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%
> E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D
> >
>  एवं सदेव सत्यमित्यवधारणात् । अतः ‘सत्यं ब्रह्म’ इति ब्रह्म
> विकारान्निवर्तयति ।
>
> Here Shankara establishes the mithyatva of the karyam by citing the very
> Chandogya mantra 'vaachaarambhanam....' which contains the word satyam and
> the vikara as mere name. Shankara calls that which is not satyam, that is,
> that which transforms, vikara, as anrtam.  Anrtam in advaita means mithya.
> सत्यानृते मिथुनीकृत्य...of the adhyasa bhashya.
>
> regards
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 14, 2018 at 11:53 AM, H S Chandramouli via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > >
> > > On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 5:59 PM, Venkatraghavan S via Advaita-l <
> > > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > << Is the word 'iti' in the vAcArambhaNa shruti ignored in shankara
> > > bhAShya? >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > << and use this mantra as a basis to argue for
> > > the mithyAtva of the world >>,
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >  I do not think Sri Bhagavatpada uses this mantra as a basis for the
> > > mithyatva of the world.  As Venkatraghavan Ji himself has pointed out
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > << The sixth chapter of ChAndogya starts with a question - येनाश्रुतं
> > > श्रुतं
> > > भवत्यमतं मतमविज्ञातं विज्ञातमिति - What is that thing, hearing which,
> > > everything unheard is heard, thinking which, everything unthought is
> > > thought, and knowing which, everything unknown is known? >>.
> > >
> >
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