English translation of T. V. Kapali Sastry's commentary on Vasishtha Ganapati Muni's Sat-darshana - sanskrit version of Sri Ramana's 'Ulladu Narpadu' in Tamil.
T. V. Kapali Sastry's Sat-Darshana Bhashya (commentary) on Vasishtha Ganapati Muni's सद्दर्शनम् - a Sanskrit version of Sri Ramana's 'Ulladu Narpadu' in Tamil
D. — The trinity (triputi) of knower, known and knowledge is an appearance; you say that there is a unity behind it, supporting it. What is this unity, is it a powerful one? M. – It is an All-powerful existence, सर्वशक्तम D. -You have often said, and the books also say, that Brahman is immobile. Now you say, it is all powerful. Does it not then move? M. Power implies movement. Though Ishwara moves by his power sakti, which is movement, He transcends the movement, He is acala, atita. D. Is there no difference between sakti and sakta, the Power and the Powerful? M. – No. That depends upon your attitude. There is only one Truth. Looking at the movement, one calls it sakti Power; settling himself in the support of the movement, asraya, another calls it सद्वस्तु acala. If the former is activity, vyapara, the latter is its support, asraya, substance. sakti and vastu, force and substance, are inseparable, are indeed two aspects of one and the same Truth. Only without the sakti, vyapara or the movement of the power, the substance Real वस्तु स्वरुप is not apprehended. ‘बिना शक्तिं नरश्रेष्ठ स्वरूपं न प्रतीयते’ (Ramana Gita. XII: 20) D. What is the true character of sakti ? M. It is eternal with the eternal Ishwara, it has no existence apart from him. It is the eternal activity vyapara of Ishwara, creating the myriads of worlds. D. Worlds are created and they perish. How can you say that this activity vyapara is eternal ? M. Supposing all the worlds in course of time are dissolved still they persist in the activity in the movement, lying latent, लीनवत That is to say, the sakti does not perish. After all what is all this movement, every moment there is creation, every moment there is destruction? There is no absolute creation or absolute destruction. Both are movement, and that is eternal. D. Then shall I take it that the sakti and vastu vyapara and asraya, both are aspects of the same Truth? M. -Yes, but this whole movement, the creation, called a play of sakti is a formulation kalpana of the Lord ईशकल्पना. If this kalpana is transcended, what remains is svarupa.
D. — The trinity (triputi) of knower, known and knowledge is an appearance; you say that there is a unity behind it, supporting it. What is this unity, is it a powerful one?
M. – It is an All-powerful existence, सर्वशक्तम
D. -You have often said, and the books also say, that Brahman is immobile. Now you say, it is all powerful. Does it not then move?
M. Power implies movement. Though Ishwara moves by his power sakti, which is movement, He transcends the movement, He is acala, atita.
D. Is there no difference between sakti and sakta, the Power and the Powerful?
M. – No. That depends upon your attitude. There is only one Truth. Looking at the movement, one calls it sakti Power; settling himself in the support of the movement, asraya, another calls it सद्वस्तु acala. If the former is activity, vyapara, the latter is its support, asraya, substance. sakti and vastu, force and substance, are inseparable, are indeed two aspects of one and the same Truth. Only without the sakti, vyapara or the movement of the power, the substance Real वस्तु स्वरुप is not apprehended. ‘बिना शक्तिं नरश्रेष्ठ स्वरूपं न प्रतीयते’ (Ramana Gita. XII: 20)
D. What is the true character of sakti ?
M. It is eternal with the eternal Ishwara, it has no existence apart from him. It is the eternal activity vyapara of Ishwara, creating the myriads of worlds.
D. Worlds are created and they perish. How can you say that this activity vyapara is eternal ?
M. Supposing all the worlds in course of time are dissolved still they persist in the activity in the movement, lying latent, लीनवत
That is to say, the sakti does not perish. After all what is all this movement, every moment there is creation, every moment there is destruction? There is no absolute creation or absolute destruction. Both are movement, and that is eternal.
D. Then shall I take it that the sakti and vastu vyapara and asraya, both are aspects of the same Truth?
M. -Yes, but this whole movement, the creation, called a play of sakti is a formulation kalpana of the Lord ईशकल्पना. If this kalpana is transcended, what remains is svarupa.
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