Karma Yoga Sastra -Tilak
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CHAPTER X
THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL
Therefore, Karma embodied in Maya has been called eternal in the Vedanta- Sutras[1], and even in the Bhagavadgita, the Blessed Lord has, after saying that Prakrti is not independent, but "is My Maya" [2], said further on that this Prakrti, that is, Maya, and Purusa are both 'eternal [3]. In the same way, in describing Maya, Samkaracarya has said in this Bhasya or commentary, that 'sarvajnesvarasya 'tmabhute iva 'vidyakalpite namarupe tattvanyatvabhyam anirvacaniye samsaraprapancabijabhute sar- vajnasyesvarasya 'maya' ' saktih' ' pmkrtir' iti ca srulismrtyor' abhilapyete " [4], i. e., "the Names and Forms imagined to exist in the fundamental Brahman as a result of the ignorance ( of the organs ), which are supposed to be of the nature of the Atman of the All-Scient Paramesvara, but of which, it is not possible to say whether they are different or not-different (tattvanyatva) from the Paramesvara, since they are Gross, and which are the root of the ( visible ) expansion of gross world, are, in the Sruti and Smrti texts, called the ' maya', 'sakti' or 'prakrti’ of the all-knowing Para- mesvara"; and "as the subsequent universe seems to have come into existence from the Paramesvara on account of His Maya, this Maya, though perishable, is essential and extremely useful for the creation of the visible universe, and it is seen to have been given the names of ' avyakta ', ' akasa ' and 'aksara ' in the Upanisads" [5]. The Samkhyas look upon the Elements, Knowledge-formed (cinmaya) Spirit, and inactive (acetana) Maya (Prakrti) as independent and eternal ; 'but, it will be seen from the above, that, though Vedantists admit the eternity of Maya from one point of view, they do not accept the position that Maya is self-created and independent ; and on that account, in describing the Maya embodied in worldly life by comparing it to a tree, the Gita says, "narupam asyeha tathopalabhyate nanto na cadir na ca sampratistha" [6], i. e., "the FORM, END, BEGINNING, root, or habitation of this tree of worldly life (samsara vrksa) cannot be found". In the same way, the descriptions which are come across in the third chapter, such as, "karma brahmodbhavam vidhi" [7], i. e., "Karma was created out of the Brahman" ; or, "yajnah karmasamudbhavah" [8] i. e., "even the Yajna springs out of Karma" ; or, "sahayajnah prajah srastva" [9], i. e., "the Brhmadeva created praja (srsti) and yajna (Karma) at the same time", mean that, "Karma, or Yajna in the form of Karma, and the srsti, that is, praja (the creation) all came into existence at the same time". |
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