[Advaita-l] The significance of the Gold and Dundubhi examples

[V Subrahmanian]

The significance of the Gold and Dundubhi examples

In response to a friend's question on the above, here is the reply, which i
thought will share in this forum:

The loha (gold) example is given in Chandogya along with clay and iron. In
all the cases, the kaarya (ornaments) are nothing but the kaarana, gold.
The kaarya-visheshas are mere names and the saamaanya in them is the
kaarana, which alone is real.  The dundubhi example is given in
Brihadaranyaka:  The idea is this:  when we hear the sound of dundubhi
played, we cannot grasp any special sound like thakkitta, jhamkitta...etc.
without the saamaanya sound of the instrument. This is because the special
sound is never a separate entity apart from the saamaanya sound of the
dundubhi.  An example: When we are seated in our house, supposing we hear a
familiar song played in naadaswara from a nearby temple. We immediately
spontaneously recognize that as so and so song played in naadaswara.  In
other words, the song is heard, even if not correctly identified, only by
the general sound of the instrument.  We all are familiar with the sound of
the naadaswaram and will never mistake it for flute or veena.  This
general, saamaanya, sound of the instrument is what is inalienably present
in the vishesha sounds which we recognize as so and so song or so and so
swara being played in such and such sthaayi.

The message is: the special sounds can never come without the general sound
also being there. The special sounds (ornaments)  are only manifestations
of the saamaanya sound (gold, loha) of the instrument. In the same way
everything in the world is Brahman alone.  All individual
objects/events/persons etc. are only manifestations of Brahman. The
individuals can never be grasped as different from Brahman, for they are
only Brahman alone in those forms.

  Brihadaranyaka .Bhashya 2.4.7 कथं पुनः इदानीम् इदं सर्वमात्मैवेति
ग्रहीतुं शक्यते ? चिन्मात्रानुगमात्सर्वत्र चित्स्वरूपतैवेति गम्यते ; तत्र
दृष्टान्त उच्यते — यत्स्वरूपव्यतिरेकेणाग्रहणं यस्य, तस्य तदात्मत्वमेव लोके
दृष्टम् ; स यथा — स इति दृष्टान्तः ; लोके यथा दुन्दुभेः भेर्यादेः,
हन्यमानस्य ताड्यमानस्य दण्डादिना, न, बाह्यान् शब्दान् बहिर्भूतान्
शब्दविशेषान् दुन्दुभिशब्दसामान्यान्निष्कृष्टान् दुन्दुभिशब्दविशेषान् , न
शक्नुयात् ग्रहणाय ग्रहीतुम् ; दुन्दुभेस्तु ग्रहणेन,
दुन्दुभिशब्दसामान्यविशेषत्वेन, दुन्दुभिशब्दा एते इति, शब्दविशेषा गृहीता
भवन्ति, दुन्दुभिशब्दसामान्यव्यतिरेकेणाभावात् तेषाम् ; दुन्दुभ्याघातस्य वा,
दुन्दुभेराहननम् आघातः — दुन्दुभ्याघातविशिष्टस्य शब्दसामान्यस्य ग्रहणेन
तद्गता विशेषा गृहीता भवन्ति, न तु त एव निर्भिद्य ग्रहीतुं शक्यन्ते,
विशेषरूपेणाभावात् तेषाम् — तथा प्रज्ञानव्यतिरेकेण स्वप्नजागरितयोः न
कश्चिद्वस्तुविशेषो गृह्यते ; तस्मात् प्रज्ञानव्यतिरेकेण अभावो युक्तस्तेषाम्
॥

regards
subbu