MANDUKYA UPANISHAD with GAUDAPADA’S KARIKA: 34 - Swami Advayananda.

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Saturday 21, September 2024, 06:10.
MANDUKYA UPANISHAD 
GAUDAPADA’S KARIKA
Agama Prakarana – “The Scriptural Treatise”

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GAUDAPADA’S KARIKA:  PART 4/4:   ALAATA-SHANTI PRAKARANA (100 mantras): Quenching the Firebrand:
The SANKHYANS Refuted:
Karika Section 4.3:   
Mantras - 14-23 (10 No.) 
Mantram - 4.19:  The Logical Conclusions Presented 
Post-34.

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Mantram - 4.19:  The Logical Conclusions Presented 

1 

Ashaktih apari-jnaanam, =The inability to reply; the ignorance

 2 

krama kopah atha vaa punah; =  about the matter; and the impossibility of establishing sequence– 

3  

evam hi sarvathaa buddhaih, =  in every way, these make the truly wise ones 

4

ajaatih pari-deepitaa. = clearly assert their doctrine of ‘Birthless’ Reality.

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The Teacher, in drawing the above conclusions, seems to have overwhelmed the 

person being addressed. The latter is stunned into silence, like a boxer who has been dealt 

the ‘knock-out’ blow by his opponent. 

The reader will appreciate that all this is done in a healthy spirit. The Vedantin may 

be relentless in his search, but never malicious. 

The natural conclusion which Sri Gaudapadacharyaji is driving at is this: It is improper 

to look for Causality (as in relationships between cause and effect) in matters relating to the 

Unreal Creation. If Creation is unreal, what is the point in trying to find out its cause? 

Conclusion :  

The wise do not pay much attention to causality in their search for the ‘Causeless’ 

Cause. If they do use it, it is only a temporary means employed by them to explain to 

students whose understanding is still developing, and who need such relative explanations. 

Beyond a certain stage of growth, such concepts have to be dropped and higher Truths have 

to be adopted. This is how a true student of Truth is expected to view the intellectual grasp 

of a subject that transcends the intellect.  

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The Meemamsaki responds to the Vedantin’s irrefutable argument with the  following objection:

Objection 1: Trickery? 

Poorvapakshi: 

We were on the topic of Causality – the relationship between cause  and effect. 

However, unceremoniously, you have resorted to a play upon words and run us  

down by trickery, referring to “birth of a father from his son”, 

and “two horns of a cow”, and so on. You have misread our argument. 

We were only saying that the body aggregate, as a cause, produces one’s Karma; and 

then that Karma, as a cause, produces the body for the next birth. What is the harm in that? 

It is like saying that a sprout comes from a seed; and then the seed comes from the sprout. 

This is accepted in everyone’s experience. Why do you ridicule it?  

Answer: [To this charge, the Teacher makes the following stirling reply.]  

Mantram -4.20: The ‘Unproved’ Used as Proof! 

Continued

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