As a continuation of the previous article about the Vedanta Sutra, today we will study the meaning of two of the Sutras, 1.1.22 and 1.1.23. These two Sutras are a good example of how the sutras give conclusions to different philosophical discussions from the scriptures.
These two sutras are centered around the nature of ether and prana. As usual, the sutras are very compact:
1.1.22: ākāśas tal-liṅgāt
1.1.23: ata eva prāṇaḥ
What do they mean?
Here is the word-for-word meanings:
akasah: ether (space); tat: that; lingat: on account of qualities.
atah: for the same reason; eva: also; pranah: life, vital air.
Here is a direct translation:
- Akasa means brahman on account of qualities
- For the same reason, prana (is also Brahman).
As you can see, even understanding the meaning of the words doesn’t help much. To understand the sutras we need to understand the context of the philosophical discussions being held and how the sutras give conclusions to them.
Let’s take the first sutra, for example, “ākāśas tal-liṅgāt”, which is centered around the definition of akasa. This is a word usually used for ether or space, but this sutra gives a higher definition for it.
First of all, what is ether? According to the Vedas, there are five material elements: earth, water, air, fire, and ether. The “ether” mentioned in the Vedas is not connected with the disproven theory of the luminiferous ether from past centuries, nor is it just a vacuum, like in space. The Vedic conception of ether is a subtle element that serves as a fabric for all material manifestations by the interaction with the mind, intelligence, and false ego. The subtle elements (the mind, intelligence, and false ego, as well as all desires, ideas, and so on) are created from the ether, and from the further interaction of these subtle elements with the ether, gross elements (earth, water, air, and fire), as well as all physical manifestations are created.
However, different passages of the Upanisads appear to refer to something else apart from the ordinary element ether when using the word akasa. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad 1.9.1, it’s mentioned: asya lokasya kā gatir iti ākāśa iti hovāca/ sarvāṇi hā vā imāni bhūtāny ākāśād eva samutpadyante/ ākāśaṁ pratyastaṁ yānty ākāśaḥ parāyanam
“What is the origin of this world? Akasa, he replied. For all these beings come from akasa and return into akasa. Akasa is greater than all, akasa is their rest.”
If we take the word “akasa” in the verse as the ordinary element ether, we will end up with some nihilistic philosophy similar to Buddhism, believing that everything comes from space and merges back into space, and therefore the ultimate goal is to just annihilate our existence, merging back into the voidness.
However, this sutra calls our attention to the fact that the akasa mentioned in these verses is not the material element ether, but the Supreme Brahman. In this way, Brahman is the origin of the world. All beings come from Brahman and return to Brahman. Brahman is greater than all.
How can we understand that akasa refers to the Supreme Brahman and not to the ordinary element ether? Because the qualities described there are qualities of the Supreme Brahman, and not of the ordinary material element. Ether is not a conscious being that can create and give rest to different living beings. Ether is just a raw material that has to be manipulated by superior forces.
If I say that “from iron, all cars come from”, one could misunderstand it to mean that iron is the ultimate cause, while the correct understanding is that iron is the raw material that is manipulated by a human being and thus transformed into cars and other things. Similarly, different material manifestations are created from the ether by a superior force, and this superior force, Brahman, is the ultimate cause. Therefore, the correct understanding of this verse from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad and other similar passages is that the Supreme Brahman is the origin.
Another meaning of this sutra is in the context of the universal form described in the second canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Seeing the powerful material energies (like ether) as representations of the Lord can help one to meditate on Him. Srila Prabhupada mentions this point in his purport to SB 3.5.32: “In the Vedic hymns it is said, etasmād ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ. The sky is the symbolic representation of the Supreme Soul. Those who are egoistic in passion and ignorance cannot conceive of the Personality of Godhead. For them, the sky is the symbolic representation of the Supreme Soul.”
What about the second sutra, ata eva prāṇaḥ?
This sutra discusses the nature of prana, the vital air. The literal translation is: For the same reason, prana (is also Brahman).
The word prana can be used in the sense of “air”, but a more exact meaning is “life air”. When we take into this meaning, prana means the five types of vital airs that sustain the life of all living beings.
On his purport to SB 4.25.21, Srila Prabhupada mentions that: “The vital force of a living entity includes the five kinds of air working within the body, which are known as prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna. The vital force is compared to a serpent because a serpent can live by simply drinking air. The vital force carried by the air is described as the pratīhāra, or the bodyguard. Without the vital force one cannot live for a moment. Indeed, all the senses are working under the protection of the vital force.”
Not only these five kinds of vital air are responsible for maintaining the body, but they also serve as a sitting place for the soul inside the heart. When the soul leaves the body, the vital airs also leave, and this is the end of life for the body. After prana leaves, the body becomes just a corpse and starts decomposing.
However, just like in the case of ether, there are passages in the Vedas that appear to suggest that prana is the origin of everything, which can again lead one to some nihilistic conclusion. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, it’s mentioned: katama sa devateti prāṇa iti hovāca sarvāṇi hā vai imāni bhūtāni prāṇam evābhisamviśanti prāṇam abhyujjīhate.
“They asked: “Who is this Deity of whom you speak?” He replied: “It is prana. From praṇa all
the material elements have emanated, and into prana, they enter at the end.”
One could argue that this indicates that prana is the supreme origin, but that’s not the case. Just like in the previous sutra, the prana mentioned here means ultimately the Supreme Brahman. Due to the workings of the material energy, prana maintains the life of all living beings. Just like ether, prana is just an instrument and not the cause.
Another argument is that the verse mentions that prana creates and destroys, but these are qualities of Brahmnan, not of the material prana. When we say that “the hammer hit the nail” one can understand that a human being took the hammer and used it to hit the nail. It would be incorrect to understand that the hammer hit the nail by its own will.
Being just an inanimate force, prana is just a tool for the will of the Supreme Lord, being part of His energy. Thus, when the verse speaks about prana, it is actually speaking about the Supreme Brahman working through it.