Page:The Vedanta-sutras, with the Sri-bhashya of Ramanujacharya.djvu/97

 4 Sri-Buasuya. [Chap. 1. Part. 1.

association of drihattva, i. ec. greatness, (with the thing denoted by it); and whatever greatness is, by nature as well as by qualities, unsurpassed in excellence, that is its primary and natural meaning*®. And He (who possesses such greatness) is alone the Lord of All. Hence the word Brahman is primarily used to signify Him alone. In cases where, on account of the association of a small modicum of that quality, other things than He are meant (by the word Brahman), it must be used in a secondary sense ; because it is improper to postulate a variety of meanings (for it), as (it is improper) in the case also of the word Bhagavat’'. For the sake of attaining immortality, He alone has to be desired and to be known by (all) those who are afflicted with the three miseries'*. Hence, the Lord of All is in- deed the Brahman who forms the object of (our present) enquiry.

Jijnasa is (literally) the desire to know. As (every) desire has for its basis the thing to be desired, here, that

10. In Indian literature it is held that the power of words to denote meanings is of three kinds, viz. de- notative, figurative and purportive. The purportive signification of words is by some maintained to be different from the suggestive signification, and accordingly the power of words is also said to be fourfold. See Advya- prakésa, chapters, H. & III.

11. The word Bhagavat means the Divine Lord. It is, however, used frequently enough as a term of re- spect in association with the names of great and holy men, such as Vyasa, Bodhayana, &c. It is held that in all such cases the applicability of the word asa term of respect is due to the fact of such men possessing more or less the godly qualities of the Divine Lord.

12. The ‘three miseries’ are the three kinds of miseries known as the Adhyatmika 7. e. those which are due to one’s self, the Adksidaivika, those that arise out of deities supernatural origin, and the AdAi- bhautika, those that arise out of natur- al causes and beings. For example, fever and other such diseases, anger, desire, and other such passions form the misery known as the Adhyatmika. Thunder, storm, lightning, &c., pro- duce the Adhidaiwika misery. The Adhibhautika _ misery ghosts, devils, &c.