Chapter 3: The origin of elements and the jiva

न वियदश्रुतेः

na viyadaśruteḥ

The opponent says: space (akasha) is not created, because the Chandogya, telling of creation, does not mention it. This pada reconciles the Shruti texts on the order of creation.

अस्ति तु

asti tu

But there is such a text: the Taittiriya says, from this Self space arose. So akasha has an origin.

गौण्यसम्भवात्

gauṇyasambhavāt

The objector replies: that text must be figurative, since the origin of partless space is impossible.

शब्दाच्च

śabdācca

And from Shruti itself, which calls space immortal, like air. So the objector holds space is eternal.

स्याच्चैकस्य ब्रह्मशब्दवत्

syāccaikasya brahmaśabdavat

The objector adds: the one word 'arose' can be taken figuratively for space and literally for the rest, as the word Brahman is used in both senses in one passage.

प्रतिज्ञाहानिरव्यतिरेकाच्छब्देभ्यः

pratijñāhāniravyatirekācchabdebhyaḥ

The answer: if space were not born from Brahman, the promise that by knowing the One all is known would fail; Shruti texts on non-difference confirm that it is born.

यावद्विकारं तु विभागो लोकवत्

yāvadvikāraṃ tu vibhāgo lokavat

Wherever there is a modification there is division, as in the world; space is divided from other things, so it is an effect.

एतेन मातरिश्वा व्याख्यातः

etena mātariśvā vyākhyātaḥ

By this, air (Matarishvan) is also explained as having an origin.

असम्भवस्तु सतोऽनुपपत्तेः

asambhavastu sato'nupapatteḥ

But there is no origin of Sat, Brahman, because that is unreasonable; it is the cause of all and itself unborn.

तेजोऽतस्तथा ह्याह

tejo'tastathā hyāha

Fire comes from this, from air, for so the Shruti says.

आपः

āpaḥ

Water comes from fire, as the Chandogya says: fire willed and brought forth water. The order of creation continues.

पृथिव्यधिकाररूपशब्दान्तरेभ्यः

pṛthivyadhikārarūpaśabdāntarebhyaḥ

The word 'food' (anna) in that passage means earth, because of the subject matter, the colour mentioned and other texts.

तदभिध्यानादेव तु तल्लिङ्गात्सः

tadabhidhyānādeva tu talliṅgātsaḥ

But it is the Lord himself, by his willing, who produces each element from the one before, as the inferential mark in Shruti shows.

विपर्ययेण तु क्रमोऽत उपपद्यते च

viparyayeṇa tu kramo'ta upapadyate ca

At dissolution the order is the reverse of creation, and that is reasonable, as each effect returns into its own cause.

अन्तरा विज्ञानमनसी क्रमेण तल्लिङ्गादिति चेन्नाविशेषात्

antarā vijñānamanasī krameṇa talliṅgāditi cennāviśeṣāt

If it is said intellect and mind come between Brahman and the elements in order, as a text suggests, no: there is no special statement changing the order of the elements.

चराचरव्यपाश्रयस्तु स्यात्तद्व्यपदेशो भाक्तस्तद्भावभावित्वात्

carācaravyapāśrayastu syāttadvyapadeśo bhāktastadbhāvabhāvitvāt

Birth and death in the literal sense belong to bodies, moving and unmoving; said of the soul, they are figurative, because they depend on the body's coming and going.

नात्माश्रुतेर्नित्यत्वाच्च ताभ्यः

nātmāśruternityatvācca tābhyaḥ

The Self is not born, because Shruti does not say so, and because Shruti declares it eternal.

ज्ञोऽत एव

jño'ta eva

For the same reason the Self is a knower, of the nature of consciousness, and not made conscious by contact with the mind.

उत्क्रान्तिगत्यागतीनाम्

utkrāntigatyāgatīnām

Shruti speaks of the soul departing, going and returning, which suggests it is of atomic size. Shankara treats 19 to 28 as the opponent's view; Ramanuja and Madhva accept the soul as atomic.

स्वात्मना चोत्तरयोः

svātmanā cottarayoḥ

And the last two, going and returning, are done by the soul itself, so it must be limited in size.

नाणुरतच्छ्रुतेरिति चेन्नेतराधिकारात्

nāṇuratacchruteriti cennetarādhikārāt

If it is said the soul is not atomic because Shruti calls it great, no: that text speaks of the other, the supreme Self.

स्वशब्दोन्मानाभ्यां च

svaśabdonmānābhyāṃ ca

And from Shruti's own words for it, 'anu', and its measure, the hundredth part of the tip of a hair split a hundred times.

अविरोधश्चन्दनवत्

avirodhaścandanavat

There is no contradiction in an atomic soul feeling the whole body, just as a drop of sandal paste refreshes the whole body.

अवस्थितिवैशेष्यादिति चेन्नाभ्युपगमाद्धृदि हि

avasthitivaiśeṣyāditi cennābhyupagamāddhṛdi hi

If it is said the case differs since sandal has a definite place, no: Shruti accepts a place for the soul too, the heart.

गुणाद्वा लोकवत्

guṇādvā lokavat

Or the soul pervades the body through its quality, consciousness, as a lamp lights a room by its light.

व्यतिरेको गन्धवत्

vyatireko gandhavat

The quality can extend beyond its substance, as smell spreads beyond the flower.

तथा च दर्शयति

tathā ca darśayati

And Shruti shows this too, saying the Self pervades the body up to the hair and nails.

पृथगुपदेशात्

pṛthagupadeśāt

Because Shruti teaches the soul and its consciousness separately, as one who has knowledge.

तद्गुणसारत्वात्तु तद्व्यपदेशः प्राज्ञवत्

tadguṇasāratvāttu tadvyapadeśaḥ prājñavat

The soul is spoken of as atomic because the qualities of the intellect are its chief feature, as the supreme Self is spoken of as small for meditation. Acharyas read this sutra differently.

यावदात्मभावित्वाच्च न दोषस्तद्दर्शनात्

yāvadātmabhāvitvācca na doṣastaddarśanāt

There is no fault, since this connection with the intellect lasts as long as the soul is in samsara, as Shruti shows.

पुंस्त्वादिवत्त्वस्य सतोऽभिव्यक्तियोगात्

puṃstvādivattvasya sato'bhivyaktiyogāt

That connection, though present in deep sleep, becomes manifest on waking, as virility present in a boy becomes manifest later.

नित्योपलब्ध्यनुपलब्धिप्रसङ्गोऽन्यतरनियमो वान्यथा

nityopalabdhyanupalabdhiprasaṅgo'nyataraniyamo vānyathā

Otherwise there would be constant perception or constant non-perception, or a limitation of one of the two powers; so an inner organ must be accepted.

कर्ता शास्त्रार्थवत्त्वात्

kartā śāstrārthavattvāt

The soul is an agent, because the scriptures' injunctions would otherwise have no meaning.

विहारोपदेशात्

vihāropadeśāt

Because Shruti teaches that the soul roams about as it wishes in dream.

उपादानात्

upādānāt

Because Shruti says it takes up the senses and uses them.

व्यपदेशाच्च क्रियायां न चेन्निर्देशविपर्ययः

vyapadeśācca kriyāyāṃ na cennirdeśaviparyayaḥ

And because Shruti names it the doer of actions; if it were not, the wording would have been different.

उपलब्धिवदनियमः

upalabdhivadaniyamaḥ

If the soul were not the agent, there would be no rule in its actions, as there is none in perception; it would act against its own interest.

शक्तिविपर्ययात्

śaktiviparyayāt

Because the power of acting would be transferred to the intellect, which is unreasonable.

समाध्यभावाच्च

samādhyabhāvācca

And because samadhi would be impossible if the soul were not an agent.

यथा च तक्षोभयथा

yathā ca takṣobhayathā

And as a carpenter works with his tools and rests without them, so the soul is agent in both ways. Shankara reads agency here as due to limiting adjuncts; others take it as the soul's own.

परात्तु तच्छ्रुतेः

parāttu tacchruteḥ

But that agency comes from the Supreme, as Shruti declares.

कृतप्रयत्नापेक्षस्तु विहितप्रतिषिद्धावैयर्थ्यादिभ्यः

kṛtaprayatnāpekṣastu vihitapratiṣiddhāvaiyarthyādibhyaḥ

But the Lord acts according to the efforts the soul has made, so that the scriptural commands and prohibitions are not in vain.

अंशो नानाव्यपदेशादन्यथा चापि दाशकितवादित्वमधीयत एके

aṃśo nānāvyapadeśādanyathā cāpi dāśakitavāditvamadhīyata eke

The soul is a part (amsha) of the Lord, because it is described as different and also otherwise, as one; some recensions call Brahman even the fishermen and the gamblers. Acharyas explain 'part' in their own ways.

मन्त्रवर्णाच्च

mantravarṇācca

And from the words of the mantra: all beings are one foot of Him.

अपि च स्मर्यते

api ca smaryate

And it is also stated in Smriti, as the Gita says: a part of Me in the world of souls.

प्रकाशादिवन्नैवं परः

prakāśādivannaivaṃ paraḥ

The Supreme is not affected by the soul's suffering, just as light is not affected by what it falls on.

स्मरन्ति च

smaranti ca

And the Smritis say so too: the Supreme, though dwelling in the soul, is untouched by the fruits of its actions.

अनुज्ञापरिहारौ देहसम्बन्धाज्ज्योतिरादिवत्

anujñāparihārau dehasambandhājjyotirādivat

Commands and prohibitions apply to the soul because of its connection with a body, as fire is the same everywhere yet fire from a cremation ground is avoided.

असंततेश्चाव्यतिकरः

asaṃtateścāvyatikaraḥ

And there is no confusion of results between souls, since each is not extended into another's body.

आभास एव च

ābhāsa eva ca

And the soul is only a reflection of the Supreme. This sutra is read in the sense of reflection by Shankara, and differently by other acharyas.

अदृष्टानियमात्

adṛṣṭāniyamāt

Against views holding many all-pervading souls: since adrishta, unseen merit, is not tied to any one soul, there would be no rule as to whose results are whose.

अभिसंध्यादिष्वपि चैवम्

abhisaṃdhyādiṣvapi caivam

The same is true of resolves and the like; they too cannot be assigned to particular souls.

प्रदेशादिति चेन्नान्तर्भावात्

pradeśāditi cennāntarbhāvāt

If it is said the distinction comes from location in particular places, no: all the souls would be present in all places alike.