Ramanuja-mata-saara-sangrah part 4

Nimitta and Upaadaana kaarana

Now the acharya discusses about Bhagwaan being abhinna-nimittopaadaana kaaranam.
Kaarana: Cause
Kaarya: Product

Both kaarana and Kaarya in jagat-sristhi are Bhagwaan himself.

Kaaranam is two fold: Upaadaana kaaranam (material cause) and Nimitta kaaranam.

The nimitta and upaadaana kaaranam for the creation is Bhagwaan himself.

Upaadaana kaaranam is that which transforms into the product. For the product pot, clay is the upaadaana kaaranam or material cause, and potter is the nimitta kaaranam. In Ramanuja-siddhantam, Bhagwan is Upaadaana kaaranam as well as Nimitta Kaaranam the srishti of the universe. Let’s see how:

‘Upaadaana kaarana‘: Prakriti-Mahadaadi-shareerak Bhagwaan. Bhagwaan who has for its body, Mool Prakriti and Mahat etc.

‘Nimitta kaarana‘: aashraya of sankalpa and Shareeraka of Kaala is nimitta kaarana. (Bhagwan who possesses sankalpa-shakti and has kaala as his shareera).

‘Kaarya‘: Mahadaadi-shareeraka Bhagwaan is the kaarya or product. (Bhagwan who has Mahat, Ahankaara etc as his body. Important to note here that Mool-Prakriti is never a kaarya and is only a kaarana).

So, we can see Bhagwaan having as his shareera mool-prakriti etc., is the material cause, and the Bhagwan having as his shareera Mahat etc., is the kaarya or product. Bhagwan with his sankalp shakti is the Nimitta kaarana.

There is no difference between the kaarana and kaarya or, in other words: upaadana (material cause) and upaadeya (product) are one and the same i.e., Bhagwan. Like, Mud and the pot are one and the same. Gold and Golden ornaments are one and the same. On looking at the pot and ornament, we say that it is mud or gold, respectively. There is no hindrance in this identification. Bhagwaan is both Upasana and update i.e. Bhagwan who is a mool-prakriti shareer, transforms into a Mahat etc shareer.

There is only avastha bhedam or difference of stage. Like taala leaves were used to make ear-ornaments. It goes through different stages but at all the stages it is taala leaf only.

Similarly, Before creation and after creation; there is transformation of the shareera of bhagwan from sukhma (subtle) to sthoola (gross).

NOTE

Question can be asked regarding the shareera and shareeri but the doubts will get clear when we discuss how Ramanuja defines shareera.

Another question can be that, “Bhagwan’s shareera is the upaadana kaaranam. Why do you say that Bhagwan is the upaadaana kaaranam?”

These doubts will be cleared when we study ‘aprithak-siddhi-visheshan’. Entire chit and achit are aprithak or inseparable from Bhagwan in both Sukshma avastha and sthoola avastha, as bhagwaan pervades them as shareeri. No any substance can be seen separately from Bhagwan.

Next, we shall discuss Panchikaranam.