Second Section (द्वितीयः परिच्छेदः)
ॐ॥
Om.
“ब्रह्मा शिवः सुराद्याश्च शरीरक्षरणात् क्षराः। लक्ष्मीरक्षरदेहत्वादक्षरा तत्परो हरिः। स्वातन्त्र्यशक्तिविज्ञानसुखाद्यैरखिलैर्गुणैः। निस्सीमत्वेन ते सर्वे तद्वशाः सर्वदैव च। सर्गस्थितिक्षययतिप्रकाशावृतिबन्धनम्। सर्वक्षराणामेकः स कुर्यात् सात्त्विकमोक्षणम्। सर्गस्थितियतिज्योतिर्नित्यानन्दप्रदोऽक्षरे। चेष्टाप्रदश्च सर्वेषामेक एव परो हरिः। तस्य नान्योऽस्ति सर्गादिकर्ता निर्दोषकश्च सः॥”
“Brahmā, Śiva, and the gods beginning with them are perishable because their bodies decay. Lakṣmī is imperishable because she has an imperishable body; Hari is superior to her. By his limitlessness in independence, power, knowledge, bliss, and all other qualities, they are all indeed always subject to him. He alone can effect the creation, maintenance, destruction, control, illumination, concealment, and bondage of all perishables, and the liberation of the sāttvika beings. With respect to the imperishable one, he bestows creation, maintenance, control, illumination, and eternal bliss; he also bestows activity upon all. Hari alone is supreme. No one else is the agent of creation or the other functions with respect to him, and he is faultless.”
इति परमश्रुतिः।
Thus says the Parama Śruti.
“ब्रह्मशेषसुपर्णेशशक्रसूर्यगुहादयः। सर्वे क्षरा अक्षरा तु श्रीरेका तत्परो हरिः॥”
Brahmā, Śeṣa, Suparṇa, Īśa, Śakra, Sūrya, Guha, and all the others are perishable; but Śrī alone is imperishable, and Hari is higher than her.
इति स्कान्दे।
Thus, in the Skānda.
“यं कामये तन्तमुग्रं कृणोमि तं ब्रह्माणं तमृषि तं सुमेधाम्। अहं रुद्राय धनुरातनोमि ब्रह्मद्विषे शरवे हन्तवा उ। अहं जनाय समदं कृणोम्यहं द्यावापृथिवी आविवेश। अहं सुवे पितरमस्य मूर्धन् मम योनिरप्स्वन्तः समुद्रे॥” - ऋग्वेदसंहिता १०/१२५/५-७
“Whomever I desire, I make that person formidable, a brahman-priest, a seer, and wise. For Rudra I stretch the bow, so that the arrow may indeed slay the hater of sacred formulation. I make conflict for the people; I have entered heaven and earth. I bring forth the father at the summit of this world. My womb is in the waters, within the ocean.” — Rigveda Samhita 10/125/5-7
“यमन्तःसमुद्रे कवयोऽवयन्तितदक्षरे परमे प्रजाः। यतः प्रसूता जगतः प्रसूती तोयेन जीवान् व्यससर्ज भूम्याम्। यदोषधीभिः पुरुषान् पशूंश्च विवेश भूतानि चराचराणि। अतः परं नान्यदणीयसं हि परात् परं यन्महतो महान्तम्। यदेकमव्यक्तमनन्तरूपं विश्वं पुराणं तमसः परस्तात्। तदेवर्तं तदु सत्यमाहुस्तदेव ब्रह्म परमं कवीनाम्॥” - महानारायणोपनिषत् १/३-६
“Whom the seers discern within the ocean; creatures are in that supreme imperishable. From whom the source of the world was born, he sent forth living beings on the earth through water. Which entered human beings and animals through plants, as well as moving and stationary beings. Indeed, there is nothing else subtler or higher than this—the one higher than the high and greater than the great; the one, unmanifest, of infinite forms, the All, ancient, beyond darkness. They call that alone ṛta and that indeed truth; that alone is the seers’ supreme Brahman.” — Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 1/3-6
“अस्य देवस्य मीळ्हुषो वया विष्णोरेषस्य प्रभृथे हविर्भिः। विदे हि रुद्रो रुद्रियं महित्वं यासिष्टं वर्तिरश्विनाविरावत्॥”,ऋग्वेदसंहिता ७/४०/५“चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश्चक्षोः सूर्यो अजायत। मुखादिन्द्रश्चाग्निश्च प्राणाद् वायुरजायत॥” - ऋग्वेदसंहिता १०/९०/१३
“The branches of this bounteous god, of swift-moving Viṣṇu, at the presentation with oblations; for Rudra knows Rudra’s own greatness. May you two, O Aśvins, travel a path rich in nourishment.” — Ṛgveda Saṃhitā 7/40/5 “The Moon was born from the mind, and the Sun was born from the eye. From the mouth came Indra and Agni, and from the vital breath Vāyu was born.” — Ṛgveda Saṃhitā 10/90/13
“एको नारायण आसीन्न ब्रह्मा नेशानो नाग्नीषोमौ नेमे द्यावापृथिवी” - महोपनिषत् १
“Nārāyaṇa alone existed—not Brahmā, not Īśāna, not Agni and Soma, nor these two, Heaven and Earth.” — Mahopaniṣad 1
“एको नारायण आसीन्न ब्रह्मा न च शङ्करः। स मुनिर्भूत्वा समचिन्तयत् तत एते व्यजायन्त। विश्वो हिरण्यगर्भोऽग्निर्यमो वरुणरुद्रेन्द्रा इति॥”,
Nārāyaṇa alone existed—not Brahmā, nor Śaṅkara. Having become a sage, he reflected. Then these were born: Viśva, Hiraṇyagarbha, Agni, Yama, Varuṇa, Rudra, and Indra.
“वासुदेवो वा इदमग्र आसीन्न ब्रह्मा न च शङ्करः। नेन्द्रसूर्यौ नच गुहो न सोमो न विनायकः॥’
Vāsudeva indeed was all this in the beginning; Brahmā was not, nor was Śaṅkara—neither Indra nor Sūrya, nor Guha, nor Soma, nor Vināyaka.
इत्यादिश्रुतिभ्यश्च।
and from śruti passages beginning thus.
“यस्मात् परं नापरमस्ति किञ्चित्” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/९
“There is nothing higher than whom; something inferior exists.” — Śvetāśvataropaniṣad 3/9
इत्यत्राप्यपरमस्तीत्येवार्थः। अन्यथा
Here too, the meaning is precisely, “Something inferior exists.” Otherwise…
“तेनेदं पूर्णम्” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/९
“By him, this is filled.” — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3/9
“ततो यदुत्तरतरं तदरूपमनामयम्” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/१०
“That which is still higher than that is formless and free from affliction.” — Śvetāśvataropaniṣad 3/10
इति वाक्यशेषविरोधात्।
because this conflicts with the continuation of the passage.
“तेनेदम्” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/९
“By him, this…” — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3/9
इत्युक्तमेव
Thus indeed it is stated.
“ततः” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/१०
“Than that …” — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3/10
इति परामृश्यते। अन्यथा
It is referred back to in this way. Otherwise …
“यस्मात् परं न” - श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् ३/९
“Than whom no higher…” — Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3/9
इत्युक्तिविरोधात्।
because this contradicts the statement, “thus.”
“नामानि सर्वाणि यमाविशन्ति तं वै विष्णु परममुदाहरन्ति”,
Him whom all names enter, they indeed declare to be the supreme Viṣṇu.
“अस्यैव सर्वनामानि व्यतिरिक्तस्य सर्वतः। यः स्वतन्त्रः सदैवैकः स विष्णुः परमो मतः॥”
All names belong to him alone, who is distinct from everything. He who is always the sole independent one—he, Viṣṇu, is held to be supreme.
इत्यादिश्रुतिभ्योऽन्यनामान्यस्यैवेति नान्येषां सर्वेश्वरत्वादिकमुच्यते। सर्ववेदेष्वप्यस्यादोषवचनादादावभावावचनाच्च तद्वचनाच्चान्येषां सर्वेषां वेदेषु सर्वेषु। तेषां सर्वनामत्वानुक्तेश्च।
From śruti passages such as these, it follows that names belonging to others are his alone; lordship over all and the like are not stated of others. For in all the Vedas he is declared faultless, his nonexistence in the beginning is not stated, and that nonexistence is stated of all the others in all the Vedas; and it is not stated that all names belong to them.
“उत्पत्तिर्वासुदेवस्य प्रादुर्भावो नचापरः। देहोत्पत्तिस्तदन्येषां ब्रह्मादीनां तदीरणात्। देहोऽनादिर्हरेर्नित्योब्रह्मादीनामनित्यका। मुख्योत्पत्तिस्तदन्येषां प्रादुर्भावो हरेर्जनिः॥”
“Vāsudeva’s origination is manifestation and nothing else. The bodily origination of those other than Him—Brahmā and the rest—is through His prompting. Hari’s body is beginningless and eternal; those of Brahmā and the rest are non-eternal. Origination in the primary sense belongs to those other than Him; Hari’s birth is manifestation.”
इति परमश्रुतेश्च।
And thus also from the Paramaśruti.
॥ इति श्रीमदानन्दतीर्थभगवत्पादाचार्यविरचिते श्रीमद्विष्णुतत्त्वनिर्णये द्वितीयः परिच्छेदः समाप्तः ॥
Thus ends the Second Section of the Śrī Viṣṇutattvanirṇaya, composed by the venerable Ānandatīrtha Bhagavatpāda.
