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Vedanta Darshan or Brahma Sutra – key of Upanishads

8/24/2018

Vedanta Darshan or Brahma Sutra – key of Upanishads

Vedanta means "end of the Vedas". Vedanta or utter Mimansa, one of six Hindu Darshans, has four Chapters and 555 verses. Badarayana (5th BC) synthesized and systematized the various philosophies contained in the Upanishads in the Brahma Sutras, also called the Vedanta.
Inquisitiveness, diseases or miseries experienced in life, inspire people to inquire about Brahman (Almighty, Iswar, Parmatama or cosmic consciousness) who is eternal, blissful, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. The Upanishads gave various interpretations on Brahman, Jivatma, Prakriti and Moksha. Vedanta probed various interpretations given in Upanishads and conceptualized the knowledge of Brahman and other aspects.

The salient features of Vedanta are as under;

Brahman is said, neti, neti (not this, not this). Vedanta has explained the Brahman as follows:
1. Brahman is intelligence, homogeneous, all pervasive, formless, cause of origin, sustenance and destruction of the universe.
2. Brahman has four qualities i.e. sat (existence, found in nature/substance, true), chit (consciousness), anand (bliss) and independence.
3. Brahman is vast as it exists in places like earth, sky or sun etc., and as subtle as it can be within subtle sense such as inner eye.
4. Brahman is also called Nirguna as absence of attributes of nature viz. Sat-Raj-Tam and Saguna due to its attributes omniscient.
Jivatma as agent of Brahman sacrifices and performs all acts i.e. good and bad deeds done in previous births. Jivatma is explained as under:
1. Jivatma is atomic in size (part of hundredth part of tip of hair divided by hundred times) and not all pervading as it is going out of the body & coming in body.
2. Jivatma is not born and is eternal.
3. Intelligence is the nature of Jivatma being Brahman inside.
4. Jivatma regulates the entire body.
5. Jivatma has abode in heart.
6. By nature Jivatma is inactive and it becomes active when connected with mind, buddhi etc.
7. As Jivatma identifies itself with body and mind, it feels pleasure or pain.
8. Each jivatma is different as they are connected with different bodies.
9. Jivatma is covered with avidya. When the covering of avidya is removed, then jivatma knows the Brahman. When ignorance is destroyed, Brahman reveals itself.
10. There are five sheaths (kosha) in this body viz. Annamaya , Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vigyanaymya, Anandamaya. Anandamaya kosh refers to jivatma. Brahman is only witness.
Maya (name used in Vedanta) is another name of Prakriti (name used in Sankhya) and Parmanu (name used in Nyaya). Brahman is first cause of jagat and prakriti (Nature) is substance ((उपादान).
Nature, Jivatma and Brahman, all three are subtle and eternal.
Chief Prana (vital force), mind and senses are produced from Brahman. There are five organs of knowledge (eyes, nose, ears, touch & tongue), five organs of actions (hand, feet, anus, organ of generation & speech), inner organs (mind, intellect, ego & Chitta-memory). The organs are fine, subtle (can’t be seen with eyes) and limited in size but not atomic size. Chief Prana is not air and different entity and resembles inner organs. Functions of chief Prana are fivefold i.e. Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana & Samana. Pranas are minute, subtle and limited like senses.
By seeing a lot of things outside, attachment and aversion develop. In case of not getting desired things, it causes misery/suffering. In case of aversion, fear is developed.
Bodies are born & die. While departing Jivatma, it takes subtle parts of gross elements as seed form, for the future body.
Spiritual requisite to attain knowledge of Brahman is:
To discriminate permanent and transient
Renunciation of worldly enjoyment
Not allowing mind to externalise, mental calmness (Sama) and checking the external instruments of sense organs, external control, (Dama)
Not thinking of senses, curtailing external activities (Uparti)
Ideal forbearance, Patience till finally achieved, saburi, internal motivation (Titiksha)
Constant practice to fix the mind in the God, settling down (Samadhana)
Constructive Faith in God (Shraddha)
Intense desire to be free or attain moksha (Mumukshutvam)
1. In Samadhi, Sushupti and Mukti, Jivatma can attain bliss because of Brahman. In all the three, jivatma worships Brahman. When Prana takes action through senses, intellect thinks outside objects and Body relate to the external objects because of its protection from the body, soul is separated from the Brahman. When there is a Samadhi, Prana disconnects from the senses and the distance of soul from Prana Dharma is removed. When the egoism of intellect is lost in the state of Sushupti, then that distance is removed. When there is no dispute of body after the body is destroyed in liberation then that distance is gone.
2. Upasana of Brahman in some form is not futile. We are not able perceive Brahman on account of being covered by ignorance. In state of Samadhi and when ignorance is destroyed, it sees as light. In meditation, Brahman is object of meditation and Jivatma is meditator and when Jivatma identifies itself as Brahman so it is not shunya or void. The difference between Brahman & Jivatma eliminates.
3. Upasnas enhances the result of sacrifices (yajnas). Worshippers of saguna Brahman go to Brahmanloka via Devayana. Worship of nirgun Brahman destroys ignorance. Jivatma which attains knowledge continue its corporeal existence till as long as prabadha karma last.
4. At the time of death, function of organs (speech) is merged in mind. Mind is merged in Prana (vital force). Prana get merged in Jivatma. Jivatma with Prana take abode in the fine essence of gross elements (panch bhoots), the seed of future body. At the time of death, Jivatma goes to another body, together with subtle body and all elements in fine form requited for future body. The departure of Jivatma of ordinary person and knower of sagun Brahman is same initially. Later, Jivatma of ordinary person enters into another body and Jivatma of knower of sagun Brahman, enters into Sushmita nerve then goes out of the body & takes path of the Brahmanloka. There is no departure of Jivatma of Nirgun Brahman and it merges with Brahman and no rebirth takes place. Until liberation is attained, dissolution of Jivatma is not possible. At the time of final dissolution (प्रलय), final merging of subtle body does not take place. Heat of living organism belongs to subtle body and not to gross body which is not felt after death. Jivatma resides in the heart and its top part illuminates to show the light in the passage. With the knowledge of Brahman and upasana, Jivatma of seeker through one hundred & first nerve or Sushmita nerve leaves. Jivatma of knower of sagun Brahman leaves through skull and of ordinary person through any other part of body. At the time of exit, consciousness is developed about the next life. Jivatma of knower of sagun Brahman follows the sun rays to reach Brahmaloka.

When Jivatma become free from sins, desires, sorrow, hunger, thirst etc. and realizes its true nature of pure intelligence, it loses gross, subtle and causal bodies and exists in state of liberation. Jivatma attains absolute union with the Nirgun Brahman. The Jivatma which has not attained absolute union and only Brahmaloka, does not return to the earth. These liberated jivatmas enjoy powers of enjoyment & cognition (no power of creation, preserving & destruction). Jivatma which goes to heaven, after exhausting the virtues that raised it to status of a god, returns to the earth.

Based on Vedanta Darshan, different schools of Vedanta developed.

The prominent Vedanta schools are following:

Advaita school - prominent scholars are Gaudapada (early 6th or 7th century CE) and Adi Shankaracharya (8th century CE)
Vishishtadvaita school - prominent scholars are Nathamuni, Yāmuna and Ramanuja (1017–1137 CE)
Dvaita school - founded by Madhvacharya (1199–1278 CE)
Suddhadvaita school- founded by Vallabhacharya (1479–1531 CE)
Upadhika - founded by Bhaskara in the 9th Century.
Dvaitādvaita - founded by Nimbarkacharya in the 13th century.
Achintya Bheda Abheda - founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534 CE)

The chapter-wise detailed explanations are attempted as under (Verse wise):

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Vaisheshika Darshan – The Atomic theory & Spirituality

8/12/2018

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Vaisheshika Darshan (370 Sutras, 10 chapters) was founded by Kaṇāda Kashyapa around the 2nd century BC. Vaisheshika Darshan, one of the six Hindu Philosophies explains about the existence physical universe, living beings, soul and moksha.

He postulated as under:

Atomism - All objects in the physical universe are constituted of paramāṇu (atoms),

2.   Monotheism – Supreme Being is one and Atma (Souls) are many. The ultimate source of the actions of atoms is to be found in the creature. Supreme Being directs the operations of atoms according to the karmas (invisible deeds) of individual souls and with reference to the end of moral dispensation.
3.   Atheism – Parmanu are eternal.
4.   Creationism – No action / activity is done without reason. Activity is non-eternal. Supreme Being is creator and operator of the universe.
5.   Salvationism – The ultimate goal of living being is escape from re-birth and attains liberation (Moksha).

The salient features of the Darshan are as under:

Physical Universe – Creation & Function
1.    Parmanu and the true being is eternal, having no cause.
2.   Part of the world is non-eternal i.e. subject to origin and destruction in time. All composite objects are constituted by the combination of atoms and destroyed through their separation. The 1st combination of 2 atoms is called a dvyanuka or dyad, and a combination of 3 dyads is called tryanuka or triad. Triad cannot be perceived, but are known through inference.
3.   At the beginning of creation, God's given effort is possible only by the combination of atoms; earth and tree are all things.
4.   A lot of great qualities arise from the properties of the atomic particles, etc. It is the effect that the qualities which are in the causation, those qualities are inferred in the activities.
5.   Elemental knowledge is created by knowing nature six substances. The substances can be classified into six categories, dravya (substance - six), guṇa (quality – twenty four), karma (activity - five), sāmānya (generality - two), viśeṣa (particularity) and samavāya (inherence).
6.   The experiences about the substance are derived from the interplay of substance (a function of atoms, their number and their spatial arrangements), quality, activity, generality, particularity and inherence and liberation is to be attained through understanding the nature of existence.
7.   The natural qualities of the earth, air, fire, water and ether are smell, touch, form & heat, fluidity & coolness and sound.

Living Beings –Execution of Karma
8.   The living beings are having bodies with senses and possessing mind, intellect and egoism. All these exist and interact with one another in time, space and Moksha.
9.   Living beings are souls who enjoy or suffer in this world according as they are wise or ignorant, good or bad virtuous or vicious.
10.        The knowledge of happiness and misery is not from any sense, therefore, in order to know these qualities, the soul needs some reason, and the reason is the mind (mann). The seat of knowledge is soul.
11. Desire which create tendency in the offerings of charity, yagna and donation, is Dharma (virtues). Violence, malice etc. are the tendency of the wicked. The activities done by speech, mind and body, are called tendencies. Speaking truth, speaking sweetly, speaking for others' sentiment are virtuous tendencies. Telling lies, talking bitter and harming others is sin.
12.        Karma is done by the combination of soul and effort of organisms. The soul inspires the mind and the mind inspires the senses. By this inspirations the karma / activities arises.
13.        Attachment and aversions create its strong sanskar/impressions in mind.

Wisdom to attain Moksha
14.        Dharma & adharm (unrighteousness) or atma (soul) is associated with the body, senses and mind. This association is called birth. When atma separates from the body & senses, this is called death. Cycle of birth and death, is the name of the world. Dharm-adharm is due to attachment & aversion which caused by false knowledge.
15.        False knowledge is a cause of sadness, desire and defects. The destruction of misery is not salvation, but the continuous happiness is the only salvation (Moksha or liberation).
16.        When the mind (mann) detaches from the outside senses and lives in the soul, no action is done and the mind becomes steady. The same condition, when leaving all the work, meditation is called and that is Yoga. When yoga takes place, it is not the beginning of action in the mind, when Yoga happens, there is a lack of grief and the action is done to remove misery.
17.        When the false knowledge is destroyed, attachment & hatred/aversion and their tendencies disappear, which results in the loss of karmic account of re-birth. Thereby, re-birth gets stopped, that is only salvation/liberation.
18.        Knowledge of nature of atma and parmatma, at that time the body and mind which is separated from the soul, it is called moksha (liberation).

The chapter-wise detailed explanations are attempted as under (Verse wise):

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Vedanta Darshan or Brahma Sutra – key of Upanishads

Vaisheshika Darshan – The Atomic theory & Spirituality

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