Page:The Vedanta-sutras, with the Sri-bhashya of Ramanujacharya.djvu/351

258 with — "From whom all these beings are born, by whom, when born, they are all preserved, and to whom they go when they perish, do thou desire to know that well; that is the Brahman." [''Taitt. Up.'' III. ]. Here there arises the doubt whether or not it is possible to know the Brahman definitely by means of this passage. It is perhaps held that it is not possible. The words creation, &c., do not, indeed, define the Brahman by constituting His characterising attributes; for, (if they did), there would result the predication of non-unity in relation to the Brahman, in consequence of His being characterised by many attributes. Indeed to be the characterising attribute (of a thing) is to be that which distinguishes it (from other things). It may be urged that in the instance, — "Devadatta is brown, youthful, red-eyed, and symmetrical in form", — there is seen only one Devadatta, although there are many characterising attributes (in relation to him); and that, similarly, in the case here also there is only one Brahman. It can not be so. In that case, all the characterising attributes meet in only one individual, because the oneness (which relates to Devadatta) is made out through other means of proof. Otherwise, even in that case, the predication of non-unity would be unavoidable on account of this distinguishing character (of those attributes). But here, (in the case under discussion), it is intended to 'define the Brahman by means of this same (collectively given) attribute (of creation, &c.,); accordingly, that predication of plurality in relation to the Brahman, which results from a variety of distinguishing attributes, is unavoidable for the reason that the oneness of the Brahman is not made out by other means of proof. If it be said that that oneness is made out here also, because the word Brahman (in the scriptural passage under discussion) is only one, — it is replied that it cannot be so