Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras

Chapter 4: Guṇavāda

Sūtra 4.1

गुणवाद इति निर्गुणब्रह्म विवर्तितं दशगुणस्पन्देन ॥ ४.१ ॥
guṇavāda iti nirguṇabrahma vivartitaṃ daśaguṇaspandena ‖ 4.1 ‖

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guṇavādaḥ: string theory; iti: according to; nirguṇa-brahma: unqualified + source; vivartitam: apparently changed; daśaguṇa-spandena: through tenfold + vibration

“String theory states that the unqualified source is apparently changed through tenfold vibration.”

Sūtra 4.2

चतुष्पथः प्रमेयद्वंद्वाः ॥ ४.२ ॥
catuṣpathaḥ prameyadvaṃdvāḥ ‖ 4.2 ‖

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catuṣpathaḥ: four dimensions; prameya-dvaṃdvāḥ: measurable + pairs of opposites

“The four dimensions are measurable pairs of opposites.”

Sūtra 4.3

चतुष्कारणस्य पुरुषः प्रतिरूपकारणम् ॥ ४.३ ॥
catuṣkāraṇasya puruṣaḥ pratirūpakāraṇam ‖ 4.3 ‖

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catuṣkāraṇasya: of the four causes; puruṣaḥ: spirit; pratirūpakāraṇam: formal cause

“Of the four causes, spirit is the formal cause.”

Sūtra 4.4

चतुष्कारणस्य प्रकृतिर् उपादानकारणम् ॥ ४.४ ॥
catuṣkāraṇasya prakṛtir upādānakāraṇam ‖ 4.4 ‖

~~~

catuṣkāraṇasya: of the four causes; prakrtiḥ: nature; upādānakāraṇam: material cause

“Of the four causes, nature is the material cause.”

Sūtra 4.5

पुरुष आशयो विद्याया प्रकृतिर् आशयोऽविद्यायाः ॥ ४.५ ॥
puruṣa āśayo vidyāyā prakṛtir āśayo’vidyāyāḥ ‖ 4.5 ‖

~~~

puruṣaḥ: spirit; āśayaḥ: abode; vidyāyāḥ: of wisdom; prakrtiḥ: nature; āśayaḥ: abode; avidyāyāḥ: of ignorance

“Spirit is the abode of wisdom; nature is the abode of ignorance.”

Sūtra 4.6

पुरुषप्रकृत्यलौकिकद्वंद्वः ॥ ४.६ ॥
puruṣaprakṛtyalaukikadvaṃdvaḥ ‖ 4.6 ‖

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puruṣa-prakrtī: spirit + nature; alaukika-dvaṃdvaḥ: non-local + pair of opposites

“Spirit and nature are the nonlocal pair of opposites.”

Sūtra 4.7

ईश्वरः संयोगस् तस्य द्वंद्वस्य ॥ ४.७ ॥
īśvaraḥ saṃyogas tasya dvaṃdvasya ‖ 4.7 ‖

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īśvaraḥ: oversoul; saṃyogaḥ: union; tasya: of that; dvaṃdvasya: of pair of opposites

“The oversoul is the union of that pair of opposites.”

Sūtra 4.8

चतुष्कारणस्येश्वरो निमित्तकारणम् ॥ ४.८ ॥
catuṣkāraṇasyeśvaro nimittakāraṇam ‖ 4.8 ‖

~~~

catuṣkāraṇasya: of the four causes; īśvaraḥ: oversoul; nimittakāraṇam: efficient cause

“Of the four causes, the oversoul is the efficient cause.”

Sūtra 4.9

पुरुषो ज्ञाक्षेत्रज्ञे प्रकृतिर् ज्ञेयक्षेत्र ईश्वरो ज्ञानसंयुक्तक्षेत्रे ॥ ४.९ ॥
puruṣo jñākṣetrajñe prakṛtir jñeyakṣetra īśvaro jñānasaṃyuktakṣetre ‖ 4.9 ‖

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puruṣaḥ: spirit; jñā-kṣetrajñe: knower + knower of the field; prakṛtiḥ: nature; jñeya-kṣetre: known + the field; īśvaraḥ: oversoul; jñāna-saṃyuktakṣetre: knowledge + the unified field

“Spirit is the knower and the knower of the field; nature is the known and the field; the oversoul is the knowledge and the unified field.”

Sūtra 4.10

त्रिगुणब्रह्मैकादिर् एव पुरुषप्रकृतीश्वराः ॥ ४.१० ॥
triguṇabrahmaikādir eva puruṣaprakṛtīśvarāḥ ‖ 4.10 ‖

~~~

triguṇa-brahma: threefold + source; eka-ādiḥ: one + first; eva: thus; puruṣa-prakṛti-īśvarāḥ: spirit + nature + oversoul

“The threefold source is thus:

Sūtra 4.11

तत् त्रयं प्रधानम् ॥ ४.११ ॥
tat trayaṃ pradhānam ‖ 4.11 ‖

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tat: that; trayam: triad; pradhānam: major

“That triad is major.”

Sūtra 4.12

संयुक्तसाम्यं तस्य षड्गुणवैषम्यस्य सप्तगुणब्रह्म चतुरादिर् एव सदानन्दचिज्जीवसत्त्वरजस्तमांसि ॥ ४.१२ ॥
saṃyuktasāmyaṃ tasya ṣaḍguṇavaiṣamyasya saptaguṇabrahma caturādir eva sadānandacijjīvasattvarajastamāṃsi ‖ 4.12 ‖

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saṃyukta-sāmyam: combined + equality; tasya: of its; ṣaḍguṇa-vaiṣamyasya: of sixfold + inequality; saptaguṇa-brahma: sevenfold + source; catur-ādiḥ: four + first; eva: thus; sat-ānanda-cit-jīva-sattva-rajas-tamāṃsi: existence + bliss + consciousness + soul + mind + emotion + physics

“The combined equality of its sixfold inequality is the sevenfold source thus:

Sūtra 4.13

एतत् सप्तकम् अप्रधानम् ॥ ४.१३ ॥
etat saptakam apradhānam ‖ 4.13 ‖

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etat: this; saptakam: heptad; apradhānaḥ: minor

“This heptad is minor.”

Sūtra 4.14

सदानन्दचितः पौरुषत्रयं सत्त्वरजस्तमांसि प्राकृतत्रयम् ॥ ४.१४ ॥
sadānandacitaḥ pauruṣatrayaṃ sattvarajastamāṃsi prākṛtatrayam ‖ 4.14 ‖

~~~

sat-ānanda-citaḥ: existence + bliss + consciousness; pauruṣa-trayam: spritual + triad; sattva-rajas-tamāṃsi: mind + emotion + physics; prākṛta-trayam: material + triad

“Existence, bliss, and consciousness are the spiritual triad; mind, emotion, and physics are the material triad.”

Sūtra 4.15

सत्तमस्यानन्दरजसीचित्सत्त्वानि लौकिकद्वंद्वाः ॥ ४.१५ ॥
sattamasyānandarajasīcitsattvāni laukikadvaṃdvāḥ ‖ 4.15 ‖

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sattamasī-ānandarajasī-citsattvāni: existence and physics + bliss and emotion + consciousness and mind; laukika-dvaṃdvāḥ: local + pairs of opposites

“Existence and physics, bliss and emotion, and consciousness and mind are the local pairs of opposites.”

Sūtra 4.16

जीवः संयोग एतेयोस् त्रययोश् च संयोग एतेषां द्वंद्वाश् च ॥ ४.१६ ॥
jīvaḥ saṃyoga eteyos trayayoś ca saṃyoga eteṣāṃ dvaṃdvāś ca ‖ 4.16 ‖

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jīvaḥ: soul; saṃyogaḥ: union; eteyoḥ: of these; trayayoḥ: of triads; ca: both; saṃyogaḥ: union; etaṣām: of these; dvaṃdvāḥ: pairs of opposites; ca: and

“The soul is both the union of these triads and the union of these pairs of opposites.”

Sūtra 4.17

ईश्वरो भा सूर्यसहस्रस्य जीवोऽशेश्वरस्य ॥ ४.१७ ॥
īśvaro bhā sūryasahasrasya jīvo’śeśvarasya ‖ 4.17 ‖

~~~

īśvaraḥ: oversoul; bhā: light; sūrya-sahasrasya: sun + of a thousand; jīvaḥ: soul; aṃśaḥ: part; īśvarasya: of the oversoul

“The oversoul is the light of a thousand suns; the soul is a part of the oversoul.”

Sūtra 4.18

सदानन्दचित आशया मुमुक्षुत्ववैराग्यविवेकानां सत्त्वरजस्तमांस्याशयोऽस्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशानाम् ॥ ४.१८ ॥
sadānandacita āśayā mumukṣutvavairāgyavivekānāṃ sattvarajastamāṃsyāśayo’smitārāgadveṣābhiniveśānām ‖ 4.18 ‖

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sat-ānanda-citaḥ: existence + bliss + consciousness; āśayāḥ: abodes; mumukṣutva-vairāgya-vivekasya: of seeking liberation + non-attachment + discernment; sattva-rajas-tamāṃsi: mind + emotion + physics; āśayāḥ: abodes; asmitā-rāgadveṣa-abhiniveśānām: of egotism + attachment and aversion + inertia

“Existence, bliss, and consciousness are the abodes of seeking liberation, non-attachment, and discernment; mind, emotion, and physics are the abodes of egotism, attachment and aversion, and inertia.”

Sūtra 4.19

निर्गुणब्रह्म पारमार्थिकसत्यं त्रिगुणब्रह्म प्राधानिकसत्यं सप्तगुणब्रह्म व्यावहारिकसत्यम् ॥ ४.१९ ॥
nirguṇabrahma pāramārthikasatyaṃ triguṇabrahma prādhānikasatyaṃ saptaguṇabrahma vyāvahārikasatyam ‖ 4.19 ‖

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nirguṇa-brahma: unqualified + source; pāramārthika-satyam: absolute + reality; triguṇa-brahma: threefold + source; prādhānika-satyam: primary + reality; saptaguṇa-brahma: sevenfold + source; vyāvahārika-satyam: transactional + reality

“The unqualified source is the absolute reality; the threefold source is the primary reality; the sevenfold source is the transactional reality.”

Sūtra 4.20

त्रिगुणब्रह्म सप्तगुणब्रह्मैकत्र पूर्णदशगुणब्रह्म ॥ ४.२० ॥
triguṇabrahma saptaguṇabrahmaikatra pūrṇadaśaguṇabrahma ‖ 4.20 ‖

~~~

triguṇa-brahma: threefold + source; saptaguṇa-brahma: sevenfold + source; ekatra: together; pūrṇa-daśaguṇa-brahma: complete + tenfold + source

“The threefold source and the sevenfold source together are the complete tenfold source.”