Fruitive activity is not the goal of the scriptures - Govinda-bhasya
There are also passages in the scriptures that appear to suggest that fruitive activities and the performance of vows can bring eternal results. How can this idea be refuted?
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Fruitive activity is not the goal of the scriptures
However, there are also passages in the scriptures that appear to contradict this view, suggesting that fruitive activities and the performance of vows can bring one definitive benefits.
The Ṛg-Veda, for example, appears to discuss the worship of multiple deities, including Indra, Agni, the Aśvins, Maruts, and Adityas, Varuṇa, Soma, etc. Viṣnu is mentioned as the upholder of the cosmic order, but his position as the Supreme Lord is not directly emphasized. In the 8th Mandala of the Ṛg-Veda, Sūkta 18, for example, we find glorification of Soma, including promises of immortality by drinking the soma juice (or soma-rasa):
apama somam amrta abhuma
"We have attained immortality by drinking the soma juice." (Rg Veda 8.18.3)
This passage includes other verses of glorification to Soma, but as summarized in this passage, the main message of the passage is that one can obtain immortality by worshiping demigods.
Similarly, the Yajurveda describes:
aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati
"Indeed, the merits of one who performs the vow of cāturmāsya are inexhaustible."
Based on passages like these, one could argue that by simply discharging ordinary pious duties described in the dharma-sastras, one can attain immortality and eternal rewards. Thus, one could conclude that material dharma is everything, and there is no necessity to inquire about Brahman.
To this argument, Vyasadeva answers: athāto brahma-jijñāsā. After having come to human life and attained the opportunity of associating with saintly persons, one should enquire about Brahman. The absolute truth is the only source of true, eternal happiness.
In this sutra, the word "atha" means "now", and "atah" means "therefore". Atha atah (athāto) indicates the sequence after a cause. In other words, athāto means "therefore, after this", after coming to a certain point or attaining a certain position, it comes the time to inquire about Brahman.
Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains these words in the sense that they indicate something higher than the mere execution of pious material duties described in the Vedas. After studying the Vedas, following the Varṇāśrama system, observing vows, etc., one eventually comes into the association of self-realized persons. Through their association, one comes to understand that pious material activities recommended in the Vedas as a way to satisfy material desires give only temporary results, and that only the Supreme Brahman brings eternal knowledge that awakens eternal spiritual bliss within oneself. The absolute truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full of eternity, transcendental knowledge, unlimited spiritual bliss, and transcendental attributes.
In Raja-Vidya (ch.7), Prabhupada also explains these words, going in the direction that a person who is intelligent and comes to realize the shortcomings of materialistic life can start inquiring about the transcendental by approaching a spiritual master: "The beginning injunction of the Vedānta-sūtra is athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “Now is the time to inquire about Brahman.” The word atha means that one who is intelligent, who has come to the point of realizing the basic frustrations of material life, is capable of making inquiry. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that one should inquire from a spiritual master about subjects that are “beyond this darkness.” This material world is by nature dark, and it is artificially lighted by fire. Our inquiries should be about the transcendental worlds, which lie beyond this universe."
Understanding that all forms of material happiness are limited and temporary, and that true and eternal happiness exists only in the absolute truth, one rejects the sections of the Vedas that speak about pious fruitive activities and starts to inquire about the spiritual topics described in the four chapters of the Vedanta-sutra.
Positive factors in understanding the Vedas
To this, one could argue that the Vedas also speak about the absolute truth. What, therefore, is the need for specifically studying the Vedanta-sutra?
The problem is that verses from the scriptures can be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. This combination of misunderstanding and doubt may then lead one away from the real meaning of the Vedas, bringing him back to the materialistic platform. By studying the Vedanta-sutra, one strengthens his intelligence and gets the correct conclusions by which one can properly understand the Vedas.
Srila Vyāsadeva collected passages from the Vedas that deal specifically with spiritual knowledge and compiled them in the form of the 108 Upaniṣads, culminating with the Bhagavad-gītā, considered the essence of Vedic knowledge. On his purport to CC Adi 7.108, Srila Prabhupada gives a list of the 108 Upaniṣads, as listed in the Muktikopanisad:
"Regarding the Upaniṣads, the following eleven Upaniṣads are considered to be the topmost: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brhad-aranyaka and Svetasvatara. However, in the Muktikopanisad, verses 30–39, there is a description of 108 Upaniṣads. They are as follows: (1) Isopanisad, (2) Kenopanisad, (3) Kathopanisad, (4) Prasnopanisad, (5) Mundakopanisad, (6) Mandukyopanisad, (7) Taittiriyopanisad, (8) Aitareyopanisad, (9) Chandogyopanisad, (10) Brhad-aranyakopanisad, (11) Brahmopanisad, (12) Kaivalyopanisad, (13) Jabalopanisad, (14) Svetasvataropanisad, (15) Hamsopanisad, (16) Aruneyopanisad, (17) Garbhopanisad, (18) Narayanopanisad, (19) Paramahamsopanisad, (20) Amrta-bindupanisad, (21) Nada-bindupanisad, (22) Siropanisad, (23) Atharva-sikhopanisad, (24) Maitrayany-upanisad, (25) Kausitaky-upanisad, (26) Brhaj-jabalopanisad, (27) Nrsimha-tapaniyopanisad, (28) Kalagni-rudropanisad, (29) Maitreyy-upanisad, (30) Subalopanisad, (31) Ksurikopanisad, (32) Mantrikopanisad, (33) Sarva-saropanisad, (34) Niralambopanisad, (35) Suka-rahasyopanisad, (36) Vajra-sucikopanisad, (37) Tejo-bindupanisad, (38) Nada-bindupanisad, (39) Dhyana-bindupanisad, (40) Brahma-vidyopanisad, (41) Yoga-tattvopanisad, (42), Atma-bodhopanisad, (43) Narada-parivrajakopanisad, (44) Trisikhy-upanisad, (45) Sitopanisad, (46) Yoga-cudamany-upanisad, (47) Nirvanopanisad, (48) Mandala-brahmanopanisad, (49) Daksina-murty-upanisad, (50) Sarabhopanisad, (51) Skandopanisad, (52) Mahanarayanopanisad, (53) Advaya-tarakopanisad, (54) Rama-rahasyopanisad, (55) Rama-tapany-upanisad, (56) Vasudevopanisad, (57) Mudgalopanisad, (58) Sandilyopanisad, (59) Paingalopanisad, (60) Bhiksupanisad, (61) Mahad-upanisad, (62) Sarirakopanisad, (63) Yoga-sikhopanisad, (64) Turiyatitopanisad, (65) Sannyasopanisad, (66) Paramahamsa-parivrajakopanisad, (67) Malikopanisad, (68) Avyaktopanisad, (69) Ekaksaropanisad, (70) Purnopanisad, (71) Suryopanisad, (72) Aksy-upanisad, (73) Adhyatmopanisad, (74) Kundikopanisad, (75) Savitry-upanisad, (76) Atmopanisad, (77) Pasupatopanisad, (78) Param-brahmopanisad, (79) Avadhutopanisad, (80) Tripuratapanopanisad, (81) Devy-upanisad, (82) Tripuropanisad, (83) Katha-rudropanisad, (84) Bhavanopanisad, (85) Hrdayopanisad, (86) Yoga-kundaliny-upanisad, (87) Bhasmopanisad, (88) Rudraksopanisad, (89) Ganopanisad, (90) Darsanopanisad, (91) Tara-saropanisad, (92) Maha-vakyopanisad, (93) Panca-brahmopanisad, (94) Pranagni-hotropanisad, (95) Gopala-tapany-upanisad, (96) Krsnopanisad, (97) Yajnavalkyopanisad, (98) Varahopanisad, (99) Satyayany-upanisad, (100) Hayagrivopanisad, (101) Dattatreyopanisad, (102) Garudopanisad, (103) Kaly-upanisad, (104) Jabaly-upanisad, (105) Saubhagyopanisad, (106) Sarasvati-rahasyopanisad, (107) Bahvrcopanisad and (108) Muktikopanisad. Thus there are 108 generally accepted Upaniṣads, of which eleven are the most important, as previously stated."
However, most passages of the Upaniṣads are very difficult to understand. We can see how much speculation there is around the Bhagavad-gītā, for example, with different authors using the verses to sustain the most diverse theses. Vyāsadeva, thus, wrote the Vedanta-sutra, giving the correct conclusions for the verses of the Upaniṣads. Without these conclusions, it's almost certain that one will misunderstand their meaning.
Studying the Vedanta-sutra, however, is not a casual matter. It demands intelligence and purity to understand the many delicate philosophical points. Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa lists two helpful factors in this direction.
1- The first is to execute the āśrama duties of a Brāhmana, such as truthfulness, austerity, and chanting of mantras, which purify the heart and help one to understand the spiritual reality. That's one of the reasons Srila Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura and later Srila Prabhupada were initiating their disciples as Brāhmanas and teaching them to follow brāhminical principles, since these principles are helpful for one trying to understand spiritual knowledge.
This point is confirmed in numerous passages:
a) In the Brhad-Aranyaka Upanisad, Yājñavalkya discusses with Janaka, the king of Videha, about self-realization. At first, Yājñavalkya questions Janaka on what he learned from his different teachers, dismissing each of the answers as incomplete. When Janaka offers that prāna is Brahman, for example, Yājñavalkya exclaims: ekapād vā etat samrāḍ iti, "This, O emperor, is just one quarter of Brahman!"
In this way, Yājñavalkya exposes the incompleteness of all that the King previously knew, and at the same time establishes that the different material coverings of the conditioned soul (speech, vital air, eye, ear, mind, heart), are the abode of the Supreme Brahman, but at the same time fail to represent the Supreme Lord in plenitude, being just portions of His energy. The exclamation of each component being just one quarter of Brahman also indicates that the other three quarters (the transcendental sky) are not visible here.
Amazed by the superior knowledge displayed by Yājñavalkya, the King surrenders and asks him to teach him. Janaka had studied many parts of the Vedas, but when questioned by Yājñavalkya about where he would go after leaving his body, he had to apologetically admit he didn't know. Yājñavalkya then gives him knowledge about the presence of the Lord inside the heart, which is the center of energies of the body. The Lord is transcendental, ingraspable by the senses and incomprehensible by intellect, but when one attains Him, he becomes completely free from fear. In this way, the sage directs the king onto the path of self-realization.
Yājñavalkya then describes the position of the jīva inside the heart and three states of consciousness enjoyed by the conditioned soul (the waking state, dream and deep sleep) and how each of these three states are connected with the Lord, hinting at His presence behind all these manifestations and pointing to the transcendental stage, where all material designations cease.
Next, Yājñavalkya describes the journey of the soul while leaving the body, moved by the results of karma and lingering desires. With this, he again pushes the king on the path of self-realization, making him examine the results of material desire and seek the Lord, who can free one from this cycle. When one sees himself as the soul, all material desires are destroyed, and by seeing himself in connection with the Supreme Lord, who is the support of all material elements and the root cause of the material creation, one becomes immortal.
How can this Supreme Brahman be finally attained? Here we come to the central quote of this passage. Ultimately, one can attain the Lord when one fully dedicates one's body, mind, and words to Him. However, before coming to this stage, one should come to the stage of Brāhminical life:
tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā
vividiṣanti yajñena dānena tapasānāśakena"By Vedic study, sacrifice, charity, austerity, and fasting, the brahmanas strive to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Brhad-Aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.22)
Krsna offers a similar verse in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.5) where He mentions: "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls."
Sacrifice, penance and charity purify us and help us to ascend to the platform of devotional service, and therefore should not be rejected as mundane activities, the main point is that they should be performed according to the recommendation of the scriptures (not whimsically) and for the satisfaction of the Lord, following the principles of karma-yoga. As Krsna declares, these pious acts can purify even great souls.
b) The same point is reinforced in the Muṇḍaka Upanisad, where Angirasa explains to Śaunaka Ṛṣi about the nature of the Lord, the nature of the souls, and how everything that exists is connected with Him. Both the soul and the Lord live inside the heart, but although they share similar qualities, they are not the same. The soul is meant to serve the Lord, but somehow we become forgetful and fall into illusion. When this illusion is removed, we find ourselves again immersed in eternal bliss in the service of the Lord. This explanation is deepened with the famous example of the two birds residing on a tree. The soul is the bird who eats, trying to enjoy the tree's fruits, while the Lord observes. The soul is transcendental, just like the Lord, but when we forget our eternal position of service to the Lord, we become entrapped. However, when we turn our face to the Lord, we become free from all material lamentation.
How can the Supreme Lord be attained? Angirasa concludes that the Lord can be attained only by one who is freed from all material desires and who satisfies the Lord to the point He desires to reveal Himself. Imbued with spiritual strength, resulting from undeviating spiritual practice, one can finally attain the Lord. However, just as described in the Brhad-Aranyaka Upanisad, that's a tall order. Is there something that helps us to ascend to this platform? That's precisely the quote offered by Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa:
satyena labhyas tapasā hy eṣa ātmā
samyag jñānena brahmacaryeṇa nityam"This Supreme Self is attainable through the practice of truth, austerity, perfect knowledge, and constant discipline." (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.5)
Why is truth so important? Angirasa offers an explanation in the next verse: "Truth is always victorious. It always prevails over untruth. By practicing the truth one takes the ascending path called devayāna, by which great sages who have exhausted all their material pursuits attain the Supreme destination." (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.6)
The practice of truth and other auspicious qualities puts us on the pious path, which brings us close to Krsna. By itself, the path of piety does not bring us to the Lord, but when practiced with a devotional attitude, it brings us to the platform of devotional service.
Sri Baladeva next offers a quote from the Manu-Samhitā that points us in the same direction, mentioning the chanting of mantras recited as part of one's brāhminical duties (such as the gāyatrī mantra and different mantras recited during the performance of sacrifices) as also bringing one gradually to the platform of perfection. Not only the Upaniṣads, but also the dharma sastras agree that performing one's duties according to the varṇāśrama system is helpful in purifying the heart and being gradually elevated to the transcendental platform.
japyenaiva ca saṁsiddhyed brāhmaṇaḥ nātra saṁśayaḥ
kuryād anyan na vā kuryān maitro brāhmaṇa ucyate
"Whether he performs other rituals and duties or not, one who perfectly chants mantras glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be considered a perfect brāhmana, eligible to understand the Supreme Lord." (Manu-Samhitā 2.87)
2- A second factor, even more important than the first, is the association of pure devotees, self-realized souls who understand the truth, since this association brings one to the platform of transcendental knowledge. If a person is fortunate enough to get into the association of devotees, and with faith, inquires from them about the absolute truth, his path back home, back to Godhead, becomes wide open.
This point is very strongly emphasized in the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam (chapters four to six), where Nārada Muni describes how the association of pure devotees was decisive in his previous life, elevating him from a low birth as the son of a maidservant to the highest platform.
tatrānvahaṁ kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ pragāyatām, anugraheṇāśṛṇavaṁ manoharāḥ
tāḥ śraddhayā me ’nupadaṁ viśṛṇvataḥ, priyaśravasy aṅga mamābhavad ruciḥ
"O Vyāsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedāntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step." (SB 1.5.26)
This point is also emphasized in one of the most iconic verses of the Bhagavad-gītā:
tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." (Bg 4.34)
As mentioned by Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa in his commentary: "By this association, Nārada and many other spiritual seekers became eager to inquire about devotional life and by this process became eligible to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face-to-face. Many other great sages, such Sanat-kumāra also have helped many devotees in the same way by giving their association."
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