2023-05-31 04:00:44 by ambuda-bot
This page has not been fully proofread.
INTRODUCTION
Brahma-Sutras:" From whom are the birth, etc., of this
(universe)" (I.1.2)
That Brahman itself is all the three kinds of causes is
illustrated from a Vedic text, "The Brahman is the forest.
He is the tree" and established in the context of the Brahma-
Stras (I. 4-23.): "(The Brahman is) also the material cause.
because there can be no contradiction of the proposition and
its illustrative examples." (To the question, "Which is the
tree from which the whole universe is shaped?", the answer
given is: "The tree, the forest and the Director are the same
Brahman.")
Some distribute the causes between two agencies. The
Lord is the material cause, and Maheśvara is the instrumental
cause. Their stand is not Vedic. A question may be raised to
the effect that if the Brahman is the material cause, that will
be attributing to it imperfections like the quality of changing.
There is no ground for such a question, for evolutionary and
other changes are only in respect of prakriti (matter) and
other things (souls) which constitute His own body. The
example of the spider was cited by the respected Vedas only
to meet this point.
Then, when the question by Yudhishthira was, "Who is
the Supreme Deity?", the answer must naturally be
"Vishnu". Instead of laying down a conclusion, Bhishma
starts by saying ya! (he who), (as if this is something already
known to the questioner). This is to show that it is well
known from the sustras that Vishnu is the Supreme Deity of
all deities.
Besides, in the Upanishads etc., the Supreme Being is
described in various places, i.e., when they direct themselves
solely to speak of His characteristics, His Reality, worship of
Him with contemplation, attaining Him, etc., sometimes with
no adjectival qualifications and at other times with qualifica-
tions like 'supreme' and in words that may be applied in
common to all sorts of persons, such as Sat, Asat, Brahman,
Akshara, etc., so that doubts arise as to whether the reference.
is to Brahmä (the four-faced) or to Hari or to Siva, etc. To
set at rest these doubts, there occur passages like " Nārāyaṇa
is the Supreme Brahman", Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Reality"
Brahma-Sutras:" From whom are the birth, etc., of this
(universe)" (I.1.2)
That Brahman itself is all the three kinds of causes is
illustrated from a Vedic text, "The Brahman is the forest.
He is the tree" and established in the context of the Brahma-
Stras (I. 4-23.): "(The Brahman is) also the material cause.
because there can be no contradiction of the proposition and
its illustrative examples." (To the question, "Which is the
tree from which the whole universe is shaped?", the answer
given is: "The tree, the forest and the Director are the same
Brahman.")
Some distribute the causes between two agencies. The
Lord is the material cause, and Maheśvara is the instrumental
cause. Their stand is not Vedic. A question may be raised to
the effect that if the Brahman is the material cause, that will
be attributing to it imperfections like the quality of changing.
There is no ground for such a question, for evolutionary and
other changes are only in respect of prakriti (matter) and
other things (souls) which constitute His own body. The
example of the spider was cited by the respected Vedas only
to meet this point.
Then, when the question by Yudhishthira was, "Who is
the Supreme Deity?", the answer must naturally be
"Vishnu". Instead of laying down a conclusion, Bhishma
starts by saying ya! (he who), (as if this is something already
known to the questioner). This is to show that it is well
known from the sustras that Vishnu is the Supreme Deity of
all deities.
Besides, in the Upanishads etc., the Supreme Being is
described in various places, i.e., when they direct themselves
solely to speak of His characteristics, His Reality, worship of
Him with contemplation, attaining Him, etc., sometimes with
no adjectival qualifications and at other times with qualifica-
tions like 'supreme' and in words that may be applied in
common to all sorts of persons, such as Sat, Asat, Brahman,
Akshara, etc., so that doubts arise as to whether the reference.
is to Brahmä (the four-faced) or to Hari or to Siva, etc. To
set at rest these doubts, there occur passages like " Nārāyaṇa
is the Supreme Brahman", Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Reality"