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THE BHAMATI: CATUSSUTRI THE BHAMATI OF VACASPATI ON SANKARA’S BRAHMASUTRABHASYA (CATUSSOTRI) EDITED WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY 8, 8. SURYANARAYANA SASTRI Reader in Philosophy AND C. KUNHAN RAJA Reader in Sanskrit, Madras University WITH A FOREWORD BY Sm 8. RADHAKRISHNAN THEOSOPHIOAL PUBLISHING HOUSE ApYaR, Mapas, INDIA 1988 FOREWORD IT is a pleasure to know that Vacaspati’s Bhamatt on the first four Sutras will now be available to students of Indian Philosophy in an edition brought out in the orthodox style, with a critical introduction, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes. All those interested in Indian Philosophy will be deeply grateful to Mr. S. S. Suryanarayana Sastri and Dr. C. Kunhan Raja of the Philosophy and the Sanskrit Departments of the Madras University for bringing out this very useful work. While Sankara’s Bhasya is fairly well known among students of Indian Thought, the later thinkers are practically neglected. Vacaspati presents one great section of Advaita Vedanta and his Bhamati is second in importance only to Sankara’s Bhasya. : The Introduction, besides dealing with the date of the work and its place in the Advaita tradition, gives a clear and careful account of the central ideas of the Bhamatt: the authoritativeness of scripture and vi its compatibility with reason, the nature of Avidya and its seat, release—ultimate and relative—and Brahman and Isvara, among others. There are side reflections on similar views in Western Thought which are always interesting. The work will not only add to the reputation of its authors but also help to popularise Vacaspati’s views on Advaita Vedanta. Andhra University, Waltair 8. R. 5th May, 1933 CONTENTS PAGE Foreword : . . . 5 v Introduction . . . . . ix Detailed Table of Contents . . . liti Text and Translation: Superimposition : . . a 1 Desire to Know : . : 63 Definition . . . . . 119 Scripture-source . 7 : a 137 Harmony . : : : . 145 Notes . e . . . 247 Additional Notes : . . 297 List of Abbreviations . : 7 » 313 Corrections . . . . - 315 INTRODUCTION I, DATE AND DOMICILE OF VACASPATI ON the strength of a reference in the Nydyasictnibandha, it is now generally admitted that Acarya Vacaspati Misra belongs to the period round about A.D. 841-842 (898 Vikrama Era)! The last verse of the Bhamatt refers to a king Nrga.? While it is held by some that this king has not yet been identified, others ° believe him to have been a king of Mithila, a predecessor of Nanyadeva, who reigned about 1019 Vikrama Era, z.e., A.D, 962; it is said that this predecessor is named in some inscriptions as Kiratadhipati, and Kirdtas are well known to be those who had human vehicles. It is in any case certain that there should have been a good interval between him and Udayana (A.D. 984) who wrote the Nydyavartikatatparyattkiparisuddhi, as a sub- commentary on Vacaspati’s Nydyavartikatatparyatika. 'See Das Gupta, History of Indian Philosophy, II, 107. * Nares’vara yaccarita-‘nukSram icchanti kartum na ca parayanti tasmin mahipe mahaniya-kirtau s'rimannrge ‘kari may4 nibandhah. See also p. 481, under II, i, 33. *See Mm. Dr. Ganganath Jha, Sanskrit Introduction to his edition of the Sankhyatattvakaumudi. “ Ntga” means “ one who has a human vehicle,” and kirdtas are well known to be such. The same writer gives many reasons, some fanciful, for holding that Vicaspati was a native of Mithila, x That our author belonged to somewhere in Behar or Bengal would appear to be evident from the repeated reference to mustard oil. It has also been said that in what corresponds to ancient Mithila there is a city called Bhama (Bhdmatt) and a tank of the same name. It may be interesting to note a story current in pandit-tradition about the name “ Bhamati”. In those days (as even today in parts of Upper India), it would appear to have been customary to hold learned discussions on such occasions as marriages. VAcaspati, who listened to such a discussion on the occasion of his own marriage, was so struck by the vagaries of dialecticians that he resolved straightaway to devote himself to the task of setting forth authoritative expositions of all the darsanas. So great was his zeal, so mighty the task and such the patient and tireless devotion of his wife that the couple had grown old . before V&caspati could write finis to his labours. Then alone did V&caspati realise the magnitude both of his neglect of his wife and of his wife's self-sacrifice ; and as a tardy measure of reparation, he gave her name to the last and greatest of his works, so that she could live on perpetually in the Bhimati, though not in the bodies of children born of her. The story is so pic- turesque, so typical of the scholar’s neglect and the true scholarly recompense, that it deserves to be true. TI. Works The works of Vacaspati are enumerated in the concluding verses of the Bhamatt. They are as follows: a the Nydyakanika (a commentary on Mandana’s Vidhi- viveka), the Brahmatattvasamiksa (a commentary on Mandana’s Brahmasiddhi), the Tattvabindu (a discussion of language in its relation to meaning), the Nyaya- vartikatatparyatika (a commentary on Udyotakara’s Nydyavartika), the Nyayasictnibandha (perhaps written as a supplement to the Tatparyattka), the Sankhyatatt- vakaumudt (a commentary on Tsvara Krsna’s Sankhya- karika), the Tattvavatsaradt (a commentary on Vy4sa’s Yogabhasya) and the Bhamatt (a2 commentary on Sankara’s Sartrakamimamsabhagya).’ The Bhamati has itself been commented on by several other works. The most notable of these is the Vedantakalpataru by Amalananda (13th Century A.D.). This work in turn formed the subject of two commen- taries, the Parimala of Appayya Diksita (16th Century A.D.) and Abhoga of Laksminrsimha (17th Century A.D.), The Abhoga is written in the light of the Parimala and sometimes criticises it. Other commentaries on the Bhamati are (1) the Bhamattvyakhya or the Rjupra- kasika by Srirahganatha otherwise known as Akhand- ananda?; (2) the Bhamatttilaka*; (3) and the Bhamativilasa.' ‘All the works have been published with the exception of the Brahmatattvasamtkga, not even a manuscript of which has been found so far. ? This kas been published in part at Calcutta by Mahamahé- padbyaya N. S. Anantakrsna Séstri. 3Manuscripts of this work are found in the Government Oriental Library, Madras. i" Mentioned by Das Gupta, History of Indian Philosophy, xii IH, RELATIONS TO OTHER WRITERS The name of the Bhamatt is identified with one of two main streams of S&hkara interpretation. Vacaspati owes the major part of what is distinctive in his teaching to Mandana’s Brahmasiddhi. But as the ‘views starting with Padmapdda are known as the tenets of the Vivarana-prasthana, the views that started with Mandana passed current as the tenets of the Bhamati-prasthana. Vacaspati draws largely on the Brahmasiddhi, and sometimes on the Paficapadika, wherever necessary or possible. Striking verbal resemblances to the former work are indicated in the notes ; a few of the resemblances to the Paficapadika are noted here: bhasyam prasannagambhiram ; (ahankara as) idam-anidam-rapam; mithya-s‘abdo ‘pahnava-vacanah ; sariram eva sarirakam sfarirake bhavah sarirako jivah; bhikgu-bhayan na sthalyé anadhisrayanam ; so ‘yam s&nti-karmani vetalo’dayah; anvaya possible even without reference to asti-kriyaé as in rajfio’yam purugah." 'The references are to pages 1, 18, 4, 40, 63, 91, and 97 of the Paftcapadika (Vizianagaram Sanskrit Series). The statements on pp. 63 and 91 of the Parcapadika are well-known proverbial expressions ; what is striking is the use of them by both writers in the same context. The interested student will easily find the corresponding pages of the Bhamatt. Some of the criticiem in the Bhamatt would seem to be expressly directed against the doctrines of tbe Paicapadika; see the Kalpataru on I, iii, 17 (p. 298) and on I, ii, 26 (p. 264). We owe this reference to Mr. T. R. Chintamani (Journal of Oriental Ri h, Mi Ya. Hip) mtal Researc fadras, xiii IV. SRUTI AS PRAMANA For Vacaspati, as for all adherents of any orthodox school of Indian Philosophy, Revealed Scripture (Sruti) is the final authority in matters of the Spirit. The Spirit (or Intelligence, Consciousness, the Universal Self, Brahman) is that whereby knowledge is possible ; it is itself knowledge. It cannot, without losing its self-hood, become an object of knowledge. Itis manifest, since but for its manifestation the whole world would be blind. But it is not manifested by another, since that would lead only to an infinite series of the blind leading the blind. It is self-luminous and self-manifest. Perception, which would have no value but for the mani- festation of the self-luminous intelligence in and through it, could not have that intelligence itself for its object. Much less can inference make that its sphere, since it is dependent on concomitances between the perceived. Brahman can be known only through intuition and that only by gifted and disciplined souls, whose minds have been purified by Scripture-ordained duties and concentrated on the Scripture-taught reality. Such minds will by first hearing of the only real, one without a second, reflecting on it and refuting all objections to the doctrine, contemplating the real uninterruptedly for a long time and with faith, realise Brahman. The supreme pramana is Scripture, though it mav and indeed has to be helped by reasoning, as an auxiliary, in order to remove the doubts that assail the mind. Such reasoning, however, is strictly

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