The Infinitude of attributes of Vedic Brahman is indicated by the All-Creatorship of Vedic Brahman. This has a deeper meaning. Firstly, the notion that Infinitude means Completeness of attribute is Vedic Brahman, must be known by a study of shāstra. From this, Brahman’s attribute, attribute in Brahman, attribute of Brahman etc., expressions which seem to distinguish the attribute from the Object Brahman, are known to be improper while understanding the nature of Parabrahman of the vēda. The idea that the Infinitude of attributes Itself is Parabrahman should be derived from the All-Creatorship of Vedic Brahman. This is not possible unless there is the knowledge of All-Creatorship of Vedic Brahman and such a knowledge should be with the knowledge of the All-Destructorship of Vedic Brahman. For the unconditional birth of such a knowledge, there is only one path: it is study of shāstra and having an unbiased dedication towards study of shāstra.
To accept the All-Creatorship of Vedic Brahman simply means to grasp it. It also means grasping the non-doership on one’s own part. Although the world may look at it as an individual’s work, that individual must grasp it as the work of Brahman and under the world around accordingly. This means, everything in this world is grasped such that it does not contradict the All-creatorship of Brahman, in spite of the fact that certain entities are said to be beginningless and are eternally present. This is possible only by a continuous study of shāstra. One who does not have that study, for that person, all this will simply be a mere talk.
We should note that other notions about Brahma, Rudra, etc that float around, for example, ‘all Gods are one and the same’ is not according to śrī vēdavyāsa’s teachings. Although such ideas are there to bring social harmony among conflicting groups of people, are they really Vedic ideas?
Can we alter Veda just because it may bring a solution to a certain social conflict ? We should note that other notions about mukti, that all muktas become identical with God is not according to śrī vēdavyāsa’s teachings. We should note that other notions such as, that in mukti there is jeeva-brahma-sāmya is also not according to śrī vēdavyāsa’s teachings. We should note that other notions such as, that a jeevan-mukta while living in this world that never was, having realized “That thou art” gets into a functionless, partless, devoid of all attributes, universal caitanya which is all-knowledge with no content in it, is also not according to śrī vēdavyāsa’s teachings. What do we do now ?. This is why a proper study of shastra is stressed over and over again.
The knowledge of the All-Creatorship of Vedic Brahman results in the knowledge of His Creatorship of knowledge, bliss etc., If dukha etc., are because of wrong-understanding of this world, then, the nature of this world is that of sukha and jñāna. When the fit person has this understanding, All-Doership, World-Creatorship and Creatorship of knowledge and bliss, these three will have the same meaning.
When God is described as Defectless ‘sarvadōṣa vinirmuktam’ the word dōṣa has a shāstraic meaning. All-Doership means All-Creatorship and All-Destructorship. Every idea that is opposed to this is a defect. Parabrahman does not have such a defect.
Parabrahman is often described as ‘अनन्तकल्याणगुणपूर्ण Ananta-kalyāṇa-guṇapūrṇa’. This may give the idea that guṇas are of two kinds: kalyāṇa and akalyāṇa. Among all the guṇas, Parabrahman has only one variety of them. This would imply that Parabrahman only has a few guṇas and is not poorṇa. For this reason, the upanishadic teaching that All-Doership is the characteristic of Vedic Brahman is not in line with the idea.
Parabrahman of the Veda is above our distinction of good and bad.
When it is said, All-Doership establishes guṇa-pūrṇatva, what exactly is guṇa-pūrṇatva of Brahman? We can’t say guṇa-pūrṇatva means He is filled with attributes, because, it may give rise to the notion that Paramātman and guṇas are different. Establishing the All-Doership Defectlessness of Parabrahman, “guṇarūpaṁ” which means guṇa itself is Paramātma. As pertaining to Paramātman, this guṇa is Complete. Thus, guṇapūrṇa means pūrṇaguṇa and that itself is “guṇarūpa”. This Completeness has the characteristic of All-Doership Defectlessness. In order to understand the depth and breadth of what is being said here, study of shāstra with all its components is the only way. In the ‘pūrṇaguṇa’ Parabrahman, in any attribute that is Complete, if a part is imagined or if a diminution is imagined, then there is no paramātma-siddhi. Part and diminution are the result of not knowing the Completeness of guṇa.
A mukta is said to become ज्ञानानन्दरूप jñānānandarūpa i.e., of the form of knowledge and bliss. Without understanding this properly one should not imagine that a mukta will have similarity or identity with Parabrahman of the Veda. Such thoughts arise when the Independence of Paramātman is not known. One should continue his studies in shāstra till this knowledge dawns upon him/her.
Even divinities such as caturmukha, rudra etc., should not be imagined as having similarity or as having identity with Vedic Brahman. One should not imagine similarity among divinities either. After the Independence of Vedic Brahman is understood, it is impossible to think similarity or identity of Parabrahman with other divinities. The greatness of a divinity is caused by the Will of Parabrahman. Once this Vedic concept is grasped, it becomes clear that those divinities have knowledge of Parabrahman in gradations and they have their devata-svarūpa based on their level of knowledge of Parabrahman. Hence, among those divinities, there is no such thing as similarity or identity. Each devatā has his/her own svarūpa. Starting from humans all the way upto caturmukha, all kinds of jīvātmans have gradations in their knowledge of Parabrahman. Since their knowledge is responsible for their emancipation, this hierarchy among humans, among devatās continues even after they are emancipated. Getting a proper knowledge of Supremacy of Vedic Brahman from a proper study of shāstra involves getting a proper knowledge of this hierarchy among devatās etc., and that is the sādhana for mukti.
With this background we may now study the 14th mantra as follows:
उपनिषत् upaniṣat
सम्भूतिं च विनाशं च यस्तद् वेदोभयँ सह
विनाशेन मृत्युम् तीर्त्वा सम्भूत्याऽमृतमश्नुते ॥ १४ ॥
sambhūtiṁ ca vināśaṁ ca yastad vēdōbhayam̐ saha | vināśēna mr̥tyum tīrtvā sambhūtyā’mr̥tamaśnutē || 14 ||
Parabrahman’s Creatorship and Destroyership of this world (सम्भूतिं च विनाशं च sambhūtiṁ ca vināśaṁ ca), one who (यस्तद् yastad) understands both of them together as one in the other, (वेदोभयँ सह vēdōbhayam̐ saha) such a person, by the knowledge of the destroyership of God, (विनाशेन vināśēna) having crossed death i.e., having become free from all klesha, (मृत्युम् तीर्त्वा mr̥tyum tīrtvā) and by the knowledge of the creatorship of Parabrahman (सम्भूत्या sambhūtyā) attains amritatva i.e.,attains mōksha (अमृतमश्नुते amr̥tamaśnutē) which is the state of experiencing eternal bliss.
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