Sutra Vahini Index

Janmaadyasya Yathah

"That from which the birth, etc. of This."

One has to know That as Brahman, the source of the origination, maintenance and disintegration [srishti, sthithi and pralaya] of this perceptible Cosmos. Brahmam is the entity from whom this Jagath [this apparently concrete ever changing product of the tendency of the mind to visualise] has originated. This is maintained as an organisation in spite of the ever-present flux, by Brahmam. This ultimately subsides or merges in Brahmam Itself. Should there not be One who designs and decides on some sort of control and regulation of this Jagath? Underlying the three phases of Jagath mentioned above, one can cognise not only inter-penetrating order and all-comprehensive Wisdom but also basic Ajnana or Mis-understanding. Asya [of this] - of this visible Universe [the composite of the Five Elements, Prapancha], Birth etc. [Janmaadi] - Origination, Maintenance and Disintegration - from whom [yathah], that is Brahmam.

We can know a great deal about the nature of the Cosmos. But the instrument of knowledge we possess is the human eye, is it not? Physical sciences have discovered much, but all that has been discovered by the human mind, is it not? They describe and analyse things as they are. However, how long do they exist as now? They are subject to modification each moment. But, in spite of the inescapable change that affects all things, one is aware of a truth or fact that is not affected in the least. That unchanging principle is the basis on which the three phases are manifested. That Principle is Brahmam, the Eternal Base, the Unmoving, the One, the Sathya, Truth.

One may hesitate to accept this fact and be involved in doubt since the basic brahmam, is not perceived and what are actually perceived are the Forms, with Names attached, which are in perpetual change. Consider what happens when a person sees at night the dry stump of a tree; he is afraid it is a ghost or a bizarre human being. It is neither, though it is perceived as either. The reason for this misperception is 'darkness'. Darkness imposes on something another thing that is not there. In the same manner, on account of the darkness spread through Maya or Incorrect Perception, the Primal Cause, Brahmam, is veiled and rendered unnoticeable and the Cosmos is imposed on It, as a perceptible reality. This deceptive vision is corrected by the awakened consciousness [Jnana] and transmuted into the vision of Universal Love [Prema]. The Cosmos of which the Earth is a part and with which we are embroiled has as its basic cause, as the stump for the ghost, Brahmam Itself.

Some others declare as the cause for the origin of the Cosmos [Prapancha], such factors as Innate Nature [Svabhaava], Order, Accident, Time, etc. But neither any one of these nor all of them together can be the Cause. For, they are not all inert, incapable of will or initiative. Even individual selves are bound by the manacles of joy-grief, growth-decay and birth-death. Each of these alleged origins is dependent and contingent. So, they cannot be accepted as the Cause, or the Origin of Prapancha or Jagath.

This Sutra, "Janmaadyasya Yathah", is intended to lead us to the discovery of the genuine Basis for all that 'is' and 'was' and 'will be'. It announces the Mahath Thatwa, the Supreme Principle which is the Cause for the Being turning into Becoming and the Orderly Behaviour of the Universe. Physics can probe into matter and explain how it is formed; but, it can not probe and discover why it is so formed. Surely, for each effect or happening, there should be a Cause. Neither the atom nor the self nor the absence of these can be reckoned as that Cause. The Sath, the Being, must be beyond both Subject and Object. Cogniser and the Cognised. But, when we have to delineate the Sath or Brahmam, it becomes necessary to use words in current usage, such as Creator, Lord, Providence, God and also as Brahmam.

When the inquiry into cause and effect is made from the point of view of the Cosmos, we reach the conclusion that God is the Cause, and the Cosmos or Jagath is the effect. When the distinction between subject and object is transcended we become aware that it is all Pure Consciousness or Brahmam, and that this is both the primary as well as the subsidiary factor. That is to say, it is the Mayor, or Primordial Nescience. That invokes both Brahmam, Jagath and the mergence in Brahmam. It is Maya that causes the delusion that one originates from the other.

There are others who contend that the two - Maya and Brahmam - are the twin causes of the Cosmos. Still others assert that Maya is solely responsible.

Some others assert that the Universe is a manifestation of Vishnu and that it has its being in Vishnu Himself. They declare that the emergence, subsistence and merging of the Universe are all caused by Vishnu.

Of course, nothing in the Universe can be made without a maker. What, then, must be the nature of the maker of the Cosmos? He must have limitless power, unbounded glory, and perfect omniscience. It is not possible for every one to visualise such a phenomenon, though it is the very fulfillment of the purpose of each one's life! It can, however, be conceived and confirmed by two characteristics: one, called Thatastha, and the other, Swarupa. Thatastha is the temporary time-bound indication. It cannot confer a correct picture or view. It can only reveal signs and glimpses, off and on. Swarupa means the very reality in its fullness. This is the result of the illumination of intuitive wisdom. It reveals the immanent and the transcendent, the limitless source of All.

Every entity, article, or thing in the Universe has five qualities: Asthi, Bhathi, Priyam, Roopam, Naamam. Asthi means 'Is'. So, Is-ness is the feature of all that is. Bhaathi means 'shining', luminescence. The thing that is known to us is capable of being known to us because it shines: It has the power to enter our consciousness. Then, we have the word, Priyam. Everything is capable of being used or benefited from and therefore becomes dear, attractive; fondness is the meaning of Priyam. The two other features, Roopam and Naamam. They do change and can be modified. All things seem to undergo some transformation or other and often assume again the original form. They are apparent alterations of the basic entities, which have the first three features always. Name and Form are superimpositions on the basic reality of 'Is-ness', 'Illumination' and 'Joy'. The Divine is the base, the Divine Will is the superstructure. The beads are many but the inter-connecting, integrating string of the rosary is one. So, too, for the entire world of living beings, God, the permanent, omnipresent, Parabrahma, the Supreme Divine consciousness, is the base. 'Soham', 'He is I', 'I am that', all these axioms indicate that even those which differentiate themselves under names and forms are in fact God Himself. This is the reason why it is proclaimed in the Vedas, 'He who knows Brahmam becomes Brahmam Itself'. This awareness is the awareness of the Reality.

The bubble born of water floats in it and bursts on it to become one with it. All the visible objective worlds are like the bubbles emanating from the vast Ocean of Divinity, Brahmam. They are on the waters and are sustained by water. How else can they arise and exist? Finally, they merge and disappear in water itself. For their origination, subsistence and mergence, they depend on water only. Water is one, bubbles are plentiful. Water is real, bubbles are appearances. Water is the basis: bubbles are delusive forms of the same imposed on it.

One is struck with wonder at this wonderful manifestation. But, in the ancient eras of time and in the far corners of space, from the inert unconscious tangle of Nature, the mystery of life emerged and proliferated into men and god-men. This is a fact known to all and cognisable by all. But, can the low be posited as the cause of the high? The low can only be the cause of the low. We can say that the inert can at best be the cause of the mind, which also is part of the body complex, but only the Divine Will can be the cause of all creation, having the five features already mentioned. How else the complex mind arose and got established no one can describe.

The theory is that all events in the Universe follow certain laws and norms. It is not always self-evident but physics is tending to prove that it is quite feasible. The very first Sutra indicates the Universal Supreme called Brahmam. This second Sutra describes the same Brahmam in another form, through another facet. The first lays down the Truth, Wisdom and Freedom (Satyam, Jnanam and Swatantra). The second Sutra lays down the creative aspect of Brahmam, and declares that the aspect cannot be limited to this particular cosmos.

Each has its own Dharma or innate specialty or individuality or love characteristics. This rule applies equally to blades of grass and the stars. The cosmos is not one continuous flux. It is progressing persistently towards achieving a totality in the qualities and circumstances. Man too can transform himself through self-effort and discrimination from his present status. The moral forces permitting the cosmos will certainly promote our achievement. But, man is too immersed in the all-pervasive delusion to take advantage of these and elevate himself. He is not aware of the path of peace and harmony in the world. He is not able to hold on to the good and avoid the bad. He cannot establish himself in the Dharmic Path.

"That" from which the birth, etc, of This". THAT from which has emanated the manifest Cosmos, with its moving and unmoving entities, "That" which prompts, promotes and fosters their progress, "That" in which, ultimately, they merge - know THAT as Brahmam.

The Taithiriya Upanishad announces: "Yatho vaa imaani bhoothaani jaayanthe, yena jaathaani jeevanthi, yath prayanthyabhi samvisanthi, thad vijijnaasaswa thad Brahmethi". From which they grow and into which they dissolve - that is Brahmam. Among the Adwaithins or Monists who posit Brahmam thus, there are vast differences and deep conflicts of opinion as regards the Causation of the Cosmos. Some hold that Brahmam is the Cause while other assert that it is caused by Maya or the play of delusion. Others ascribe it to the operation of both Brahmam and Maya. A few others declare that it originated from Vishnu, and that it merges in Vishnu. It is protected by Vishnu alone. Some declare that the statement about Brahmam is only indicative, a clue to realise the principle behind the Cosmos, a Thatastha Lakshana, so to say. Brahmam has endless facets and faculties and causing Creation, preserving the Created and subsuming it into itself are clues to glimpse It.

There are others who believe that the Mind is the cause of Creation since matter and all the five elements are mere structures projected by the Mind and that the Mind itself is a transmutation of the inert Prakrti or Nature. The working of the Mind defies explanation. There is a Supreme Consciousness and it has caused this Creation. These are all guesses or theories framed through their intellectual sharpness by various thinkers.

Scientists have investigated in their own ways and reached diverse conclusions. They explain that Time has been the Cause of the origin of the Cosmos and Time sustains and subsumes it through integration and disintegration. So, it is all the effect of Time which controls it. A few ascribe the entire process to the inner nature of things and its urge towards unfolding. Each thing manifested its genuine nature in its own manner, and time. For example, a mango seed when planted results in a mango tree only. From the womb of a tiger, only a tiger cub can emerge, not a baby goat. Thus, we find that from very ancient times, varieties of contending theories have been propounded on the origin of Creation. Nevertheless, every one has failed to define and declare what exactly is the Cause.

The Cosmos is a magnificent wonder, a source of continuous amazement. It cannot but impress one as a supreme marvel, whoever he may be. When an object has to be made, we know, we need one who has the skill and the intelligence, the sakthi, the power. "Without a maker nothing can be made. Therefore how do these objects that are visible to us - the sun, the moon, the stars, the constellations, their brilliance, movements - move and behave as they do without a Designer, a Maker, a Master? Can these yield to any ordinary power? No. Intelligent people can easily infer, observing the objects designed and made having such mighty capabilities, how immeasurable must be the Power of the Maker Himself.

Look at the marvelous variety in Creation. No one thing is the same as another; no one person resembles another. This can only be the lila or sport of the Phenomenon with limitless glory; God. Anyone can understand that no lesser power could be the source. On the basis of the mystery that inheres in Creation one can easily infer the Almighty Power that has created it. Those who are incapable of unravelling the mystery of the Created can never unravel the nature of the Creator.

Creation or the Cosmos is the manifestation of the Will latent in Brahmam. All this is God's sankalpa, Will or Plan. The theorists who frame and propagate the other explanations mentioned above are only wasting their time; arguments and counter-arguments are mere barren exercises. Or they can be pronounced as exhibitions of the scholarship of pundits, or as intellectual gymnastics of the learned. They cannot satisfy the yearnings of those whose minds are pure and whose consciousness is clarified. Everything is caused by the Divine Will - this is the firm belief of theists. Each one decides this problem from his own level of awareness; the Sutras mention these varied points of view and consider the validity. Birds that fly reach heights proportionate to the power with which they can use their wings. So too, these thinkers gave their explanations on the Creation, continuance and collapse of the Cosmos on the basis of the faith and the intelligence they had.

But, all that any one can depend upon as evidence or proof in this inquiry is, at best, only indicative characteristics or thatasttha lakshanas. These characteristics cannot take us far. The genuine characteristics, Swarupa Lakshanas, alone can reveal the Truth. They are Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham, Truth, Wisdom, Unlimitedness. The genuine nature of Brahmam is Truth, the Eternal IS. It is the Universal Consciousness, Jnanam. It is Everlasting, beyond Time and Space. And, these are immanent in every entity, living or non-living, in the Universe.

Indicative proofs are temporary signs by which one can identify some other thing or person one desires to know. For example, when the moon is just a little arc in the sky and one desires to see it, a person indicates it with his finger pointed towards it. Or, when one desires to look at a particular star, a person says, "there, just above that branch of this tree." The moon is far away, and the star is much farther. At the moment when one expresses his yearning, it could be seen just above the branch, but that is only a temporary location. Soon, the location changes. The finger can no longer be correct, for the star or moon moves across the sky.

The genuine characteristics, the Swarupa Lakshana, never undergoes change. It abides in all. The form may suffer change; the name may change. Times may change; the space occupied might alter. But the core of Truth, the Swarupa Lakshana, will not change. That core is denoted as Asthi, Bhaathi and Priyam in Vedanta Texts. The thing is, Asthi. It exists. Existence is the unchanging truth. It may change its form and name, in time and space but the isness is genuine. It makes itself known as existing, through the native characteristic of Prakasa or luminosity or capacity to attract our awareness and confer knowledge - Bhaathi. We can know it, because it has bhaathi; all things we know have this innate characteristic. Each thing has the characteristic of Priyam also - likeability, capacity to invoke attachment and love, as a result of usability.

The above three are together the nature of God. On these three as the basis, forms are constructed by the mind and names for the forms follow. But, the forms and names undergo modification. They are therefore designated as Maya - relative realities, temporary superimpositions on the basic Truth. Paramatma, the One Omniself is the basis on which everything with form and name is imposed. The appearance of name and form on the Real is due to the operation of the Maya principle.

Name and Form which are structures raised by the mind on the basis of Brahmam are to be considered as indicative proofs for the Truth on which they arise and disappear. Brahmam can be known only when the basic characteristics are known Swarupa Jnanam. Once Brahman is known, the awareness makes the person, who is aware, Brahman itself. "Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi". This is the assurance given by Sruthi, the Vedas. In truth, the basis as well as the entities resting on it, the appearance and the Real are both Divine, caused by Brahmam. So, if this is established in one's knowledge by inquiry, Brahmaji jnaasa, life fulfils itself.