SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
chith prakaraNam
sUthram 35
கர்த்ருத்வந்தான் ஈஶ்வராதீநம்.
karthruthvam thAn ISvarAdhInam.
Meaning
The soul’s agency is indeed dependent upon the lord.
Explanation
Having refuted the sAnkhya view and established that agency belongs to the individual soul, a doubt arises:
“Is this agency independent (svAyaththam), or dependent upon another (parAyaththam)?”
The author answers –
“karthruthvam thAn ISvarAdhInam.”
The agency belonging to the soul is not independent, but dependent upon the lord.
This is established by the vEdhAntha sUthram –
परात्तु तच्छ्रुतेः [brahma sUthram 2.3.40]
(parAth thu thachchruthE:)
which declares that the soul’s agency is dependent upon the supreme.
Agency must nevertheless be accepted as belonging to the soul, for otherwise scriptural injunctions and prohibitions would lose their purpose.
The knowledge (gyAna), desire (ichchA) and effort (prayathna) belonging to the doer are themselves dependent upon bhagavAn. Moreover, these faculties cannot become causes of action without his sanction. Therefore the soul’s agency is said to be dependent upon the lord.
AchchAn piLLai, in the vivaraNa, explains that bhagavAn grants permission after taking into account the effort arising from the individual’s intellect. Therefore the merit and demerit resulting from actions belong to the individual soul itself.
A doubt arises –
If agency is dependent upon bhagavAn, will not scriptural injunctions and prohibitions become meaningless?
This is answered by the vEdhAntha sUthram –
कृतप्रयत्नापेक्षस्तु विहितप्रतिषिद्धावैयर्थ्यादिभ्यः [brahma sUthram 3.2.40]
(kruthaprayathnApEkshas thu vihitha prathishidhdhA vaiyarthyAdhibhya:)
The lord’s sanction depends upon the prior effort of the soul; otherwise scriptural injunctions and prohibitions would become meaningless.
In other words, bhagavAn impels action only after taking into account the initial effort made by the individual soul.
How does this happen?
All conscious beings naturally possess gyAthruthva (knowerhood). Therefore they possess a general eligibility for both pravruththi (engagement) and nivruththi (withdrawal).
To sustain this essential nature, bhagavAn remains within all beings as the antharyAmi (Inner Controller).
The soul, endowed with the intrinsic capacity granted by him, acquires knowledge regarding various objects. From such knowledge arise –
- gyAna (knowledge),
- chikIrshA (desire to act),
- prayathna (effort).
The soul thus becomes engaged in activity.
At this point, the commentary introduces an important principle.
paramAthmA stands as a madhyastha (impartial mediator), appearing like an udhAsIna (detached observer).
The text says:
“அவ்விடத்தில் மத்யஸ்தனாகையால் உதாஸீனரைப் போலே இருக்கிற பரமாத்மாவானவன்…” (avvidaththil madhyasthanAgaiyAl udhAsInaraip pOlE irukkiRa paramAthmAvAnavan…)
That is, while remaining the inner controller, he does not arbitrarily force actions upon the soul.
Rather, taking into consideration the soul’s previous vAsanAs, he stands:
- granting approval (anumathi) in accordance with those tendencies,
- showing disregard (anAdhara) where appropriate,
- bestowing grace (anugraha) upon scripturally enjoined conduct,
- exercising anger (nigraha) regarding prohibited conduct.
The commentary explicitly says:
“விஹிதங்களிலே அநுக்ரஹத்தையும் நிஷித்தங்களிலே நிக்ரஹத்தையும் பண்ணாநிற்பானாய்.” (vihithangaLilE anugrahaththaiyum nishiththangaLilE nigrahaththaiyum paNNA niRpAnAy)
Thus:
- happiness (sukha) is granted as the fruit of merit (puNya) associated with his grace,
- suffering (dhu:kha) is granted as the fruit of sin (pApa) associated with his restraint.
The learned elders [nadAthur ammaAL in thathva sAram] summarise this teaching as follows:
आदावीश्वरदत्तयैव पुरुषस्य स्वातन्त्र्यशक्त्या स्वयं तत्तज्ज्ञान चिकीर्षण व्रयतानान्युत्पादयन् वर्तते । तत्रोपेक्ष्यततो अनुमत्य विधत्तन्निग्रहानुग्रहौ तत्तत्कर्मफलम् प्रयच्छति ततः सर्वस्य पुंसो हरिः ॥
(AdhAv ISvaradaththayaiva purushasya svAthanthryaSakthyA svayam thath thath gyAna chikIrshANa vrayathAnAnyuthpAdhayan varthathE | thathrOpEkshyathathO anumathya vidhaththannigrahAnugrahau thaththathkarma palam prayachchathi thatha: sarvasya pumsO hari: ||)
Its meaning is that hari first grants the soul the capacity for knowledge, desire and effort. Thereafter, taking these into account, he grants permission, grace, anger and finally the fruits of action.
The dhIpa prakASam further explains that in all actions bhagavAn prompts activity only after taking into account the soul’s initial effort (prathama-prayathna).
A further doubt may arise from the upanishadh statement [kaushIthaki] –
एष ह्येव साधु कर्म कारयति तं यमेभ्यो लोकेभ्य उन्निनीषति । एष एव असाधु कर्म कारयति तं यमधो निनीषति ॥
(Esha hyeva sAdhu karma kArayathi tham yamEbhyO lokEbhya unninIshathi | Esha Eva asAdhu karma kArayathi tham yam adhO ninIshati ||)
“He causes one whom he wishes to elevate to perform good deeds; he causes one whom he wishes to cast down to perform evil deeds.”
Does this mean bhagavAn directly makes everyone perform good and evil actions?
The commentary says no.
This statement is not universally applicable.
It refers to special cases.
One who is firmly established in extraordinary favour towards bhagavAn is blessed by him with attraction towards highly auspicious acts that serve as means to attain him.
One who is firmly established in extraordinary hostility towards bhagavAn is allowed to become attached to acts that obstruct attainment of him and lead to downfall.
bhagavAn Himself teaches this in the SrI bhagavath gIthA –
अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते ।[SrI bhagavath gIthA 10.8]
(aham sarvasya prabhavO maththa: sarvam pravarthathE)
The lord is the source and cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution.
and
तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् । ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥[SrI bhagavath gIthA 10.10]
(theshAm sathatha yukthAnAm bhajathAm prIthipUrvakam | dhadhAmi budhdhiyOgam tham yEna mAm upayAnthi thE ||)
The lord himself bestows the discriminative knowledge that leads directly to him.
while regarding those hostile to him he declares:
तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान् संसारेषु नराधमान् । क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥[SrI bhagavath gIthA 16.19]
(thAn aham dhvishatha: krUrAn samsArEshu narAdhamAn | kshipAmyajasram aSubhAn AsurIshvEva yonishu ||)
The lord consigns the hostile and wicked to repeated births among demonic beings.
तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थमहमज्ञानजं तमः । नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ॥[SrI bhagavath gIthA 10.11]
(thEshAm EvAnukampArtham aham agyAnajam thama: | nASayAmi AthmabhAvasthO gyAnadhIpEna bhAsvathA ||)
The lord, residing within, dispels ignorance by kindling true knowledge.
Starting with
असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् [SrI bhagavath gIthA 16.8]
(asathyam aprathishtam thE jagadh Ahur anISvaram)
To
मामात्मपरदेहेषु प्रद्विषन्तोऽभ्यसूयकाः [SrI bhagavath gIthA 16.18]
(mAm AthmaparadhEhEshu pradhvishanthO’bhyasUyakA:)
They reject truth and god, claiming the world is born only of desire. Holding to this view, they act destructively. Driven by endless cravings, pride, and false beliefs, they live impurely, thinking pleasure is the highest aim. Bound by hopes, anger, and greed, they unjustly seek wealth. They boast of power and victories, blinded by ignorance. Confused and deluded, they cling to pleasures and fall low. Conceited and arrogant, they perform empty, hypocritical rituals. Finally, filled with ego, pride, desire, and anger, they hate the lord within themselves and others.
Therefore:
anumanthruthva (being the permitter) is universal,
whereas
prayOjakathva (being the direct impeller) applies only in special situations.
bhAshyakArar himself explains all this under:
कृतप्रयत्नापेक्षस्तु
(kruthaprayathnApEkshas thu)
Thus, keeping all these teachings in mind, the author concludes:
கர்த்ருத்வந்தான் ஈஶ்வராதீநம் (karthruthvanthAn ISvarAdhInam)
The soul possesses real agency, but that agency is dependent upon bhagavAn in all states.
The discussion leading to this conclusion may be summarized as follows:
- First, by stating “ஜ்ஞாநாசரயமாகையாவது ஜ்ஞாநத்துக்கு இருப்பிடமாயிருக்கை“ (gyAnaSrayamAgaiyAvadhu gyAnaththukku iruppidamAyirukkai), the soul was established as the locus of knowledge (gyAnaSraya), thereby refuting those who held that the soul is nothing but knowledge itself.
- Having established gyAthruthva (knowerhood), it was then shown that karthruthva (agency) and bhOkthruthva (enjoyership) naturally follow from knowerhood and belong to the same conscious self.
- Next, the view that agency belongs only to the guṇas or prakruthi and not to the soul was refuted, and the soul’s own agency was firmly established.
- Thereafter, it was explained that worldly forms of agency are not entirely intrinsic to the soul’s essential nature, and the manner in which such agency arises in saṃsāric existence was clarified.
- Finally, it was demonstrated that although agency truly belongs to the soul, that agency is never independent. In every condition and state, it remains dependent upon bhagavAn.
Thus the conclusion reached is that:
The soul is a knower, a doer, and an experiencer; yet its agency always functions under the sovereignty and sanction of the supreme lord.
All of these teachings arise as consequences of the original statement that the soul is the locus of knowledge (gyAnaSraya).
adiyen vAsudhEva rAmAnuja dhAsan
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