I-3 Śrī Bhāshya | Rāmānuja | 6

Topic 6 - That which shining, everything shines is Brahman

Sutra 1,3.22

अनुकृतेस्तस्य च ॥ २२ ॥

anukṛtestasya ca || 22 ||

abykṛteḥ—Because of the acting after; tasya—Its; ca—and.

22. Because of the acting after (i.e. shining after) (That which shining, everything else shines) and (because by) Its (light everything else is lighted).

The individual soul, free from bondage, and thus possessing the qualities of freedom from sin, etc., cannot be the small ether, i.e. the highest Brahman, because it is stated to 'imitate,' i.e. to be equal to that Brahman. The text making that statement is Mu. Up. III, 1, 3, 'When the seer (i.e. the individual soul) sees the brilliant maker, the Lord, the Person who has his source in Brahman; then becoming wise and shaking off good and evil, he reaches the highest equality, free from passions.' The being to which the teaching of Prajāpati refers is the 'imitator,' i.e. the individual soul; the Brahman which is 'imitated' is the small ether.

Sutra 1,3.23

अपि च स्मर्यते ॥ २३ ॥

api ca smaryate || 23 ||

api ca—Moreover; smaryate—the Smriti states.

23. Moreover the Smriti states (It to be the universal light).

Smriti also declares that the transmigrating soul when reaching the state of Release 'imitates,' i.e. attains supreme equality of attributes with the highest Brahman. 'Abiding by this knowledge they, attaining to equality of attributes with me, are not born again at the time of creation, nor are they affected by the general dissolution of the world' (Bha. Gī. XIV, 2).

Some maintain that the last two Sūtras constitute a separate Adhikaraṇa (head of discussion), meant to prove that the text Mu. Up. II, 2, 10 ('After him the shining one, everything shines; by the light of him all this is lighted'), refers to the highest Brahman. This view is, however, inadmissible, for the reason that with regard to the text quoted no pūrva pakṣa can arise, it having been proved under I, 2, 21 ff., and 1,3, 1, ff., that the whole section of which that text forms part is concerned with Brahman; and it further having been shown under I, 1, 24 ff., that Brahman is apprehended under the form of light.--The interpretation moreover does not fit in with the wording of the Sūtras.

--Here terminates the Adhikaraṇa of the 'small one.'