आगमे ब्राह्मे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

This is one of the three important works of Pujya Swamiji and the first of the three in chronology, the other two being Vedanta Prakriya Pratyabhijna and Mandukya Rahasya Vivriti. Swamiji gave two names to this book. The book is true to both the names. The first name Mulāvidyā-nirāsa means refutation of root-ignorance which was conceived under wrong notion and is being defended for the last one millennium out of inability to come out of it. What this book successfully attempts to do is not merely a refutation of a wildly imagined concept and the illogical defenses of it, but also a mindset which obsessively feels its need. How the author refutes it is shown by its another name Shankara Hrudayam or “The Heart of Shankara". Swamiji is not a system - builder just as Shri Shankara was not. Acharya refers to universal experience to show how ignorance is only an instinctive misunderstanding and goes to disprove it by appealing to universal intuition and reasons based upon it. Swamiji’s strength lies in following rigorously the Acharya’s foot steps in order to restore his heart.

Circumstances that gave rise to the book

In this connection we feel appropriate to extract some passages from Swamiji’s Auto-Biography in Kannada (Pages 309-312;321-22 ; 379-380; 384) and put them in English.

Shri Krishna Swamy Iyer used to take me for a daily evening walk, discuss with me many Vedantic points and acquaint me with those interested in Vedanta. Thus he was responsible in many ways for building and shaping my Vedantic orientation. After reading my translation of one of his English essays on Vedanta into lucid and effective Sanskrit, one day he suggested me to write a book with a title, Mulāvidyā-Kuthara, (Chopping down the root - ignorance). I asked what was Mulāvidyā, since I did not know it until then. Telling briefly about it, he said,

“Present day Vedantin’s hold that there is a Mula avidya, causal ignorance which constitutes the material cause of adhyasa (super-imposition) and the same continues in the form of seed in deep sleep and dissolution (of the world) and a trace of it remains in the Jnanis, the enlightened ones. This theory being totally opposite to Shankara’s siddhanta (teaching) and reason, it is very much necessary to write a book called Mulāvidyā-Kuthara in order to refute it".

Then I asked, “Who says so ?” Iyer replied,

“So is written in all the sub-commentaries on Vedanta. The Vedantins of these days and scholars belonging to Shankara Mathas too say so”.

I was greatly surprised at this, for, when Shri Virūpākṣha Shastri was teaching us Bhashyas, he did strictly in keeping with the Bhashyas and there was no reference to Mulāvidyā howsoever remote. Since, I was not the one who looks for sub-commentary even without the need, I never came to know that it occurred in Rathnaprabha, a sub-commentary on Sutra Bhashya. Hence, I told him explicitly, “Shri Shastri never taught this to us".

Thinking that it is necessary in the first place, to convince me of this, one day he took me to Shri Shastri’s house and broached the topic as follows :

Iyer - What is the proof of Advaita ?
Shastri - The experience of a Jivanmukta is the only proof.
I - Does a Jivanmukta see duality ?
S - Although he sees the duality continuing after its sublation, it does not affect him since it lasts only so long as his prarabdha lasts.
I - Why should even prarabdha remain, for that matter?
S - Owing to a trace of avidya remaining in him.(4)
I - When will be the attainment of absolute Advaita ?
S - After the death of the body.

Thus having found evidences from Shri Shastri to almost all of Iyer’s statements and contentions, we returned home. I was greatly astonished. Though, I never came across this avidya anywhere during my study of the Upanishad Bhashyas for so long, I became curious to investigate into Why does Shri Shastry say so ? and what is the basis for his views ? Thereafter, Shri Iyer had shown me this in the Ratnaprabha (sub-commentary) portion on Adhyasa Bhashya.(5)

Subsequently, I started to find it in many more places in other sub commentaries too.

Therefore, I started to read intently Brahadaranyaka Bhashya along with the gloss of Anandagiri on it, which I already had with me. I read it repeatedly many times, particularly the fourth chapter, third Brahmana where it is said that there is no avidya in deep sleep, the sentences read as follows:

on the Bhashya “अपहतपाप्माऽभयं रूपम्” (4-3-18) the gloss reads like this:

तत्र अभयमिति अविद्याराहित्यमुच्यते । सा च सुषुप्ते स्वरूपेण सत्यपि नाभिव्यक्ता भाति इति द्रष्टव्यम् |
Here, the word “abhayam” means free from ignorance.
Since avidya exists in deep sleep, we should take this Bhashya only to mean that it does not appear manifestly.

तत्र च अविद्यायाः यदा प्रविविक्तो भवति । (There when he becomes separated from avidya). On this Bhashya the gloss says (4-3-21)

प्रविविक्तत्वं कार्यकारणाविद्या विरहितत्त्वम् |
Being separate = being without both - causal and effected avidyas.

अन्यत्व - प्रत्युपस्थापक-हेतोः अविद्यायाः अभावात् । (4-3-21) (for, there is no avidya which presents something other). On this the gloss says -

यद्यपि सुषुप्ते अविद्या विद्यते, तथापि सा अनभिव्यक्ता अस्तीति अनर्थ-परिहारोपपत्तिः इत्यर्थः |
Although avidya exists in deep sleep (tentative) freedom from sorrow is possible, only because it is not manifest there (and not because avidya does not exist). ___

अविद्या-काम-कर्म-विनिर्मुक्तमेव तद्रूपम्, यत् सुषुप्ते आत्मनो गृह्यते प्रत्यक्षतः इति । (4-3-22) (The nature of the self which is free from avidya, desire and action - is directly intuited in deep sleep). On this the gloss says,

प्रत्यक्षतः स्वरूप-चैतन्य-वशात् यथोक्तात्म-रूपस्य सुषुप्ते गृह्यमाणत्वम् उत्थितस्य परामर्शाद् अवधेयम् The phrase directly intuited only means that from the memory of the waker we should conclude that the self of above stated nature was experienced in deep sleep.

Thus I found how the glossator distorted the meaning of all the sentences of Bhashya which are so plain. Right then, I underlined all of them with a green pencil. The very next day I told Shri Iyer with enthusiasm there are open statements in the Bhashya denying that there is any avidya in deep sleep. By then it became clear that what is referred in the context of Brahadaranyaka Bhashya is not Mulāvidyā and in fact there is no Mulāvidyā at all anywhere in the entire Bhashya.

Rightly at that time, we got Panchapadika Vivaranam and Advaita Siddhi along with its commentaries from Shri Venkatesha Shastri. As we were going through Panchapadika and Vivaranam, it was getting clear that totally a new prakriya was showing up which was different from that of Bhashya. I would note down the new points from it and discuss them in the same evening. As I went on like this, I developed a mental picture and also noted the points to be included in the book. I also copied several points, now and then, from the English footnotes of Shri Iyer. I would discuss all these ideas with both Shri Vithal Sastry and Shri Venkatesha Sastri. Out of them Vithal Sastri was the first one to come to our side. As for Venkatesha Sastri, he was getting annoyed in the beginning thinking we are disrespecting the traditionalists. But as we proceeded further, he too started to accept it.(4) With all this happening, foundation was ready for Mulāvidyā-nirāsa.

There was one Shri Ramasesha Sastri who was a younger brother of Shri Iyer’s Guru. I found a book called “Guru Jnana Vasiṣṭha" with him. It condemns not only certain doctrines of Advaita but also attempts in many places to refute particularly a doctrine that there is no avidya in deep sleep. After reading this, I felt sure that the subsequent sub commentaries have stubbornly pursued the doctrine of avidya in deep sleep not only to be in consonance with Vivarana and other sub commentaries but also out of fear and vengeance for works like Guru Jnana Vasistha. I noted down this point from the book as the material for Mulāvidyā nirāsa.

One Shri Shiva Ramayya lent me three volumes of Brahadaranyaka Vartika from the Sanskrit College library, strictly for three days only, as he had no permission to do so. I used every minute of all the three days to study and note all the important verses. On the last day, I read all the day and night to be able to complete it before the dead line.

I got Tattva-Pradipika of Chitsukhacharya, which I read thoroughly and noted the arguments. There, in Bengaluru I used to go to Sankara Matha to listen to some portion of Bhamati which Shri Virūpākṣha Sastri was expounding to some students. Again, at some later time, he taught me Panchapadika Vivaranam along with some other students.

Though the book was written with all enthusiasm, we had to face a severe disappointment when we started to take interest in getting it printed. Shri Vitthal Sastri introduced me to a lawyer in Chikmagaluru who had a liking for Vedanta. When I approached him, he said, “How dare you write this book ? Where is the need of this book when Vidyaranya and other such stalwarts already wrote books?” Then I requested him politely, ‘Please go through the book and then give me whatever is your opinion.’ Turning his deaf ear to my request and remaining adamant, he continued, “I see no need at all of this book”. Then I started to wonder how people would welcome its publication and how the scholars would respond to it after it is published.

Even as this book was under preparation, the news reached Shri Virūpākṣha Sastri who thought I was writing something against tradition. One day he called me after the class and even as I stood in front of the Matham, he said in a warning tone, “You must not write anything that betrays Sankara”. I said politely in reply, “I am only answering those who wrote against Sankara”.(5) I said only this much and neither I went into the details about the subject matter nor he asked me. But on some other day during the class when Mulāvidyā came up in the lesson, he said “I heard people telling me that Subba Rao (i.e. myself) does not accept Mulāvidyā. God knows what he really said, and also what they have understood from it”. I did not wish to argue in front of so many people and therefore kept silent. I had neither impudent audacity nor the good luck to directly discuss with Shri Sastri, as I felt that was not the right occasion, but unfortunately the right occasion never came.

The book was ready by now. In 1927, I submitted the same to the committee of Devaraja Bahaddur Charity Fund - Literary Section (Mysore), seeking some financial assistance. By God’s grace, I got rupees three hundred for it. But a condition was also laid that the book must be published within a specified time. But I had no single pie with me to meet the remaining expenses. I tried with education department (of Maharaja) but in vain. As the time was running out! applied for an extension of time-limit, which was rejected. One printer came forward on Shri Iyer’s recommendation to print it with his own expenses. He too went on postponing for some time and eventually gave up. At last, I submitted the original copy to the Maharaja of Mysore requesting him to sponsor it. To my bad luck, it had reached the hands of Shri Virūpākṣha Sastri for review. He disapproved it saying the subject matter is against tradition, although the style of writing and language are beautiful.(4) There was a possibility of getting it reviewed by others. However, I requested the original copy to be returned as I wished to publish it soon on myself. Later on, once I referred it to Dr. Radhakrishnan when he visited Bengaluru. He told that he, as the V.C. of Kolkatta University, would recommend for assistance, but that too did not materialize.

At last, we came to establish in 1928 Adhyatma Prakasha Printing Press of our own. Then this book came out in 1929.

Avasthaic view

In this book three states of consciousness such as waking, dream and deep sleep are taken for examination but if they are looked at from the common man’s standpoint i.e. from waking alone, one is sure to misunderstand the discussion throughout the book. To be able to understand correctly one should look at them from the standpoint of Vedanta. Hence, we would like to present certain basic features of this standpoint here.

A person should examine his own states and not those of others, because others are part of one’s waking state alone.
States are known directly through universal intuition and neither through sense perception, not volition nor through yogic or mystic experience.

The entire waking world is pervaded by the waking state and it does not exist outside the state, just as the dream world is within the dream state and not outside.(5) Just as the dream body, mind as well as dreaming subject and object are within the dream state, so too the waking body, mind and the waking subject are within the waking state.
The time series experienced in the waking state is different from that of dream and both are limited to their respective states only. There is no common time series as the basis for them. As for the deep sleep, there is no time related to it. Hence, it is a mistake to feel that the three states are occurring in a sequence. No one state can be accepted as preceding or succeeding the other. Therefore, no relation between them can be thought of.

A translation into English

This was translated into English by late A.J. Alston, which was published from Shanti Sadan, London, in 1997. He was a lover and follower of Swamiji’s prakriya, since he knew Sanskrit well he also translated Vedanta Prakriya Pratyabhijna of Swamiji before this book and published from the same place under the name “The Method of Vedanta”.

Though he was sincere, his translation particularly of this book is not very good. At many a places, he could not follow the construction of the sentence and badly failed to understand the purport.

Special features of this edition

Swamiji’s name in his former life (Purva Ashrama) before he renounced was Yellambalase Subrahmanya Sharma, but he was also known as Y. Subba Rao. Sri K.A. Krishnaswamy Iyer refers to him by this latter name in his Introduction. In this edition we substituted it for his present well-known sanyasa name on the front page.

Meanings of some difficult words of Introduction are provided in the foot notes. This is an addition in this edition. Shri Iyer was a great critical scholar of both Eastern and Western philosophy. He was also a scholar and a poet in English. Therefore, his English is both philosophical and poetic. Hence, we felt these footnotes necessary at least for some people.

Swamiji knew Shri K.A. Krishna Iyer from his college days, when the latter helped him in many ways. In fact, Swamiji wanted to write his biography but unfortunately he could not make it. But he composed some verses in praise of him in Sanskrit and one of which was printed on the back cover of the first edition. We reproduce below the verse followed by his comment from his autobiography.

श्रुतिशिरसि निगूढं शुद्धमद्वैततत्त्वं
कुमतिभिर् अनवाप्यं ह्य् एतदर्थं निबद्धम् ।
व्यतनुत कृपया यः प्रेरयित्वा धियो मे
तम् अखिल-हृदयज्ञं कृष्णसंज्ञं नतोऽस्मि ॥

“I salute the one known as Krishna (Krishnaswamy Iyer) who knowing the heart of every one, kindly inspired my mind to enable me to compose this book, because the pure truth of Advaita found in the Vedanta is not easily comprehensible to the people of average intelligence.”

The idea of this verse is that it is the Lord Shri Krishna alone who, through Krishnaswamy Iyer, motivated me to write this book. And it is a fact that it is only due to his inspiration and encouragement throughout that the book has seen the light of the day. He had such a great enthusiasm for this book that he, who would definitely go to sleep every night by 9.00, had kept himself awake until 12 p.m. only to discuss and praise the book.

Editing

We corrected the printing mistakes stated in the errata of the first edition and many others too. The sources of all the quotations in the body of the text as well as the foot notes have been traced and stated there itself in the brackets.
We have mentioned some of the printing errors of the first edition in the foot notes only to highlight that they were retained and translated as they are in his English translation by A.J. Alston.
There were mistakes in numbering the sub-sections in the first edition, they are straightened in this edition.
A few of the sub-headings in the contents vary slightly from those in the body of the text. We have retained them as they are, firstly because they were found in the first edition from Swamiji’s hand and secondly because it does not come in the way of recognizing them (to be the same as stated in the contents) and the meaning too does not differ.

Main headings were numbered in the contents but not in the body, whereas sub-headings were not numbered in the contents but were done in the body. This is not changed in the present edition.

We intended to discuss or add the following topics also.

A brief summary of the whole text.
Two appendices-(a) Cross references where Swamiji expressly mentioned (b) Tracing the sources of all the views and arguments of opponents
Notes on difficult words (in the appendix).
Swamiji’s plan of II volume. Pujya Swamiji planned the following topics for the second volume and got it printed in Sanskrit on the back flap of the first edition.

a) The traditional method of Vedanta.
b) Refuting the objection that this book deviates into alien philosophy.
c) Replies to objections and doubts raised against the contents of first volume.
d) A critique of Eastern and Western schools of philosophy and establishing that the Vedanta is the best of all, on account of its invincible logic and harmony with universal experience.
e) A glossary of important words.

Certain clarifications and replies

a) Accusation that Swamiji has no tradition and its reply.
b) Influence of Westerners particularly of Kant.
c) Accusation of solipsism or Eka-jiva vada against Swamiji.

Complete translation of the text into English.

As for the 2 (b) above, we are providing only ten of them in the appendix 1. These are enough to show how Swamiji is honest and without any prejudice in citing the opponent’s views and arguments correctly without any distortion before he goes to refute them. The material on the above topics is incomplete and underway and will be published shortly as a supplement.

For the benefit of the readers the lists of English & Sanskrit books published by the Karyalaya is included in the Appendix II.

For Kannada books, please write to Karyalaya.

The Karyalaya expresses its profound gratitude to all the Saints, Scholars and others who have rendered selfless services in bringing out this book. Sri Nataraj. K. Hulamani has done well in composing job. Printing is by Sri Ganesha Maruthi Printers. May the blessings of Sadguru shower always on all of them.

We hereby express our gratitude to all donors (see next page….) who have magnanimously contributed towards this reprint edition. We solicit the opinion of discerning readers on this book & on all the activities of the Karyalaya. We conclude this note remembering the lotus feet of Swamiji who rendered a yeomen service in the field of Vedanta & laid a firm foundation in the form of Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya for its propagation.

Publishers
Jyeshta Suddha Prathama Virodhi Samvattsara