One Voice, Many Texts: The Unity of the Śāstras

A Brief Exegetical Exploration of the Link Between Śrīmad Bhāgavatam's first verse, the Vedānta-sūtras, and the Veda Saṁhitās

Among the many connections between the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the precise, philosophically rigorous conclusions of the Vedānta-sūtras, one appears almost at the very outset of both works - a direct and deliberate link that signals to the listener that they are about to receive the distilled philosophical conclusions of enlightened sages on the nature of reality and Brahman. In this short article, I want to present three Sankrit words, the weight and power of which will reveal the deep and profound connection between these Śāstras, and the way in which they prepare the listener to understand their philosophical unity.

Before examining these three important words, I wish to briefly outline what is meant by the philosophical unity of the Śāstras. The Śāstras, the scriptures of Sanātana Dharma, do not differ in essential conclusions, nor do they offer conflicting conclusions regarding the nature of reality and Brahman. While they may emphasize one aspect over another, depending on the purpose of the Śāstra in question, this emphasis never compromises their unity. Rather, it serves an important purpose: guiding the spiritual aspirant to improve and purify themselves by following the Vedic injunctions appropriate to their stage in the spiritual journey. What this means is that apparent differences are due to context and purpose, but the final siddhānta (conclusion) is one - not that all verses are identical in content, but that the overarching conclusions are aligned with one another.

The Vedānta-sūtras, also known as the Brahma-sūtras, are the sacred thread of Upaniṣadic revealed wisdom on the nature of Brahman, Brahman’s relationship to the world of conscious and non-conscious entities, and the attainment of Brahman as the ultimate goal of the conditioned being. The term “sūtra” means “thread.” In this sense, each aphorism, or sūtra, is a concise thread of teaching concerning Brahman: Its nature, Its relationship to the world, and Its attainment as the supreme goal of every being. Already, we can clearly see that the Vedānta-sūtras are intimately related to the Upaniṣads.

Three important words: Janmādy Asya Yataḥ

These sūtras are inseparable from the Upaniṣads they summarize. But, further, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is their natural fulfillment and commentary. As Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.1 begins with the phrase janmādy asya yataḥ, directly echoing the opening definition of Brahman in Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2, the connection is deliberate and reflects the principle described above - namely, the Śāstras are all in agreement on the conclusions pertaining to ultimate reality (Brahman).

The Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2 reads:

janmādy asya yataḥ

The translation given for this is: Brahman is that from whom proceed the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of this (varied and wonderfully fashioned universe).

The full understanding of this sūtra is given in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, in verse 1.1.1:

Auṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

The translation to this verse given to us by Srila Prabhupada is:

O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.

The key phrase here is janmādy asya yataḥ, the very same three words found in Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2. In both contexts, the meaning is the same - Brahman is the “primeval cause of all causes: the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the manifested universes.” However, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the full import is made explicit in a personal sense, as these words are preceded by oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Thus we understand that this Brahman is none other than Vāsudeva - the son of Vasudeva - Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Personality of Godhead, from whom (yataḥ) janma-ādi - creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the manifested universe (asya) - emanates.

Further, this verse of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam was the focus of Jīva Gosvāmī in his Tattva-sandarbha, where he establishes the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam as the cream of the Vedas and the highest epistemological source of knowledge. Jīva Gosvāmī highlights that the phrase janmādy asya yataḥ must be understood as a direct allusion to the Gāyatrī-mantra:

Because Gayatri is the origin of all Vedic mantras, it would have been improper to utter it directly. The first verse of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam alludes to the meaning of Gayatri by the phrases janmādy asya yataḥ.¹

Further, the verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.1.1 ends with dhīmahi, which means “I do meditate upon.” This, again, is to be understood as another allusion to the Gāyatrī-mantra. As Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on this verse:

Śrīla Vyāsadeva therefore gives the reader the chance to gradually develop spiritual realization before actually relishing the essence of the pastimes of the Lord. Therefore, he purposely invokes a Gāyatrī mantra, dhīmahi. This Gāyatrī mantra is meant for spiritually advanced people.

In this brief essay, I have sought to illustrate just one small example of how the Śāstras are inextricably interconnected, each ultimately arriving at the same conclusion and directing us toward the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.

1. PP. 122; Sri Tattva Sandarbha, Jiva Goswami, Translation by Satyanarayana Dasa