Mandukya Upanishad, Class 55
In the first five verses, Gowdapadha
offered namaskara to guru and talked about the glory of teaching. The glory
being it is beyond argument or vivaharam. From the sixth verse to 10th,
Gowdapadha summarizes the vedantic teaching. The essence being we are
always free, and moksha is not a goal to be achieved. We are ever free
brahman. Neither the jivatma nor jagat born out of Brahman. Therefore,
we need not become free. Since we are all ever free, what is required is
owning up of this fact. If it is an event in future, then it will be
temporary because it is in time and space and it will be temporary. Our
problem is the delusion born out of ignorance. The freedom we require is
freedom from the delusion. Because our own conditioning we are away from
our own nature and what is required is deconditioning.
Verse 11
From the 11th verse onwards
Gowdapadha negates other systems of philosophy.
- Asthika, accepting vedas
- Sankya Dharshanam
- Gyaya dharshanam
- Nasthika, not accepting vedas
Sankya and Gyaya philosphies propose
different theories of creation; vedanta says there is no creation at all.
these two philosophies quarrel among themselves and mutually cancel each
other. Sankya dharshanam is a powerful philosophy and requires
negation. In the chapter 2 of Baghawad Gita, vedanta is called sankya
philosophy. This is a philosophy established by Kapila muni (not the one
from Baghawatham). The verses 11, 12 and 13 negate sankya
philosophy. Gowdapadha does not negate gyaya philosophy because it is
fundamentally flawed: A nonexistent thing originated. This can be
dismissed due to the two defects:
- Grammatical: When you say nonexistent thing
originated, originate is the verb and nonexistent is the subject which
means there is no subject. With no subject, it does not
grammatically correct - Fundamental: Origination of nonexistent thing is
against the law of conservation which says matter cannot be created or
destroyed. Energy also cannot be created or destroyed. So, a
fresh thing cannot be created.
Sankya philosophy says a nonexistent
effect can never originate therefore I do not propose a production of pot, tree
etc. Sankya says no new matter is created when a pot is produced, but
before the production of pot, the pot was not in pot form; it was in some other
form. Pot before production existed in some other form – in lump
form; curd existed in the form of milk; tree existed in the form of seed; Therefore,
a karanam is that which is kariyam itself in some other form. When you
want to produce kariyam, the karanam itself is modified into a new shape or
kariyam. Production is the process of converting something from karana
avastha to kariya avastha. When you bring about this conversion, certain
faculties which were there in dormant form in karana avastha will become
manifested in kariya avastha. Every production is a transformation; e.g.
gold into ring; tree from seed; etc. Sankya philosophers accept karnam
and kariyam are essentially one and the same substance; the difference is only
in the state or avasta or configuration. Gold and Ring, Milk and curd
contain the same matter the difference is only configuration. Ice, water
and vapor are all the same H2O. The difference is the state – solid,
liquid and vapor. Vedanta agrees with this principle within limited
scope. This theory will be in trouble when you apply to the cosmos. First
principle is karanam equals kariyam
The next principles is cause of the
universe is called prakrithi or pradhanam. This karanam is nithyam.
This karnam, prakrithi (cause) is nithyam
The third principle is the unvierse
is born out of prakrithi and therefore it is called prabajanja is a product or
kairyam. Therefore the kariyam is prabanja; Prabanja is anithyam,
subject to beginning and end. Karanam is prakrithi and kariyam is
prabanja.
Four defects or doshas of sankya
philosophy:
- Principle number 1 karanam =Kariyam
- Karanam = prakrith = nithya
- Kariyam = prabanna = anithyam.
According to principles 2 karanam is
nithyam; according to pricniples 1 karanam = kariyam; therefore, kariyam must
also be nithyam; but the third principles says kariyam is anithyam. This
is the first defect.
Principle number 1 karnam =
kariyam; principle 3 says kariyam is anithyam; therefore karnam must also be
anithyam; but principle 2 says karanam is nithyam. This is the second
defect. These two fallacies are mentioned in vereses 11 and 12.
Verse 12
Second line of this verse is same as
the verse 11.
If you join principle 1 and 2, it
will contradict third principle. If you equate prkarthi with prbanja and
say one is nithyam and another is anithyam; either you must say both are
nithyam or both are anithyam.
Verse 13
One more principle of sankya
philosopy: They arrive at prakrithi and its faculty with the help of
reasoning. The prakrithi which is pradhanam or moola prakrithi or the
original cause of the unvierse. That prakrithi is not perceptible.
I arrived at prakrithi with anumana pramadhanam and the other name is anumanam.
From prakthyasha we experience smoke
and fire and we come to know that wherever there is smoke there is fire, From
that we got the invariable co-existence of smoke and fire. If you
see smoke alone in one place, you can conclude there is fire. This is
inference arrived at by co-existence. Through inference Sankya philosopher
talks about prakrithi and says prakrithi is the karanam for whole universe and
it is nithyam. Vedantin says the perceptual data from our experience is
that every cause we always see itself is a product. Parents are products
of their cause. Seed is a product, but it is the cause of tree. Therefore,
it is anithyam. Whatever is cause is anithyam. If go by that
reasoning, that all karnams are anithyam, prakrithi is karanam it should be
anithyam. Proper inference is prakrithi is anithya and karanam.
Sankya does not have any anumanam to show an eternal karanam. All data
prove that all karanam are anithyam. That is why god will become non
eternal if god is a cause.