Translation

Translation 117
TRANSLATION
1To dust indeed I shall reduce their pride,

Who, unable to bear the Lord's command,
Wallow in the state that admits no stain,
And are excluded from all asramas.
2In this world there are some people who reject the duties of all
varti,as and tisramas, and resemble the Carvakas [materialists]. They have
become one even with the Car.i9"alas [outcastes] and do not pay any heed
to the rest,raints contained in the injunctions and prohibitions. They are
called 'Brahman knowers' merely by convention, and they throw the
whole world into confusion. 3Considering that any contact with them
whatsoever, such as speaking with them during a debate , leads to hell,
virtuous people keep far from them, and even at the mere sight of them
they look at the sun [cf. Yls III.42-43]. 4For it is stated by the Great
Seer:
5
Men go to hell by even speaking with those people who in vain
wear matted hair or shave the head , who eat in vain, who are
excluded from all rites of purification, and who avoid offering
water and rice balls to their ancestors.
6
N ow even though such a fall does not happen in the case of Sildras
and other low-caste 'Brahman knowers' whom he has approved of, as it
does in the case of 'Brahman knowers' belonging to the three upper classes,
nevertheless conversations with them that include such things as studying
and teaching "That art thou" and other Great Sayings, which constitute
an assault on dharma, are not allowed. 7 For statements such as the
following are found in smrtis:
There is no expiation for drinking the milk of a brown cow , for
having sexual relations with a Brahmin 's wife, and for imparting
the Veda to a Sildra.
8Nevertheless, desirous of laying to rest the assaults on the dharma,
we shall speak, keeping ourselves at a league's distance. 9Such a course

moreover is sanctioned by, among other things, the words of my teacher.
2 'Reject': The author plays on the word avadhuta, which , on the one hand,
indicates rejection or shaking off (like dust) , and, on the other, denotes the highest
type of ascetic who is free from all duties.
3 See Yls I.1 , III.42.
8 The reference here may be to Varada, the teacher of Vedanta Desika's
tt>ar·her: cf. Yls I.1.
118 Alepakamatabhaii.gavada by Vedanta Desika
lOExpiation is unnecessary for anything at all that one does at

the command of learned teachers because of the strength of their
words .
11 Is this condition of yours that is repudiated by all learned men [I]
an asrama, or [II] not an asrama [cf. below 138]? .
[I. REFUTATION OF ADVAITA RENUNCIATION AS AN ASRAMA]
12If it is the former, is it [A] something different from the four

asramas, or [BJ something not different from them?
13 [A J Now, it cannot be something different, because we do not find
a fifth asrama laid down in the Vedas , the smrtis, the itihasas, the Pural).as,
or other similar treatises. 14Texts such as: "Then, he enters the final
asrama" [SatU 323.1] that refer to renunciation are also well known.
15 For the term 'final' [carama] simply means 'last' and not something
beyond the well-known (asrama).
[OPPONENT]
l6How do you then account for the teaching on the sixteen types of
asramas?
[AUTHOR]
The objection is unfounded because that teaching is based on a four -
fold division of the same four (asramas).
17 [BJ It cannot even be something not different (from the four asra-
mas), first because it is not admitted, and second because it would place
you under the authority of the Veda.
[OPPONENT]
18Because the Veda enjoins (the acquisition of) knowledge, we too are
established in a special asrama .
[AUTHOR]
You should speak slowly before the learned! 19For the virtuous do not
permit you to enter an asrama without first submitting to a penance.
17 The meaning of this elliptical phrase is unclear . It seems to mean that

learned men do not admit such a condition within the fourfold cisrama structure [cf
below 19] and that, if the opponent's state belongs to the fourth cisrama , then he
would be subject to all Vedic rules on renunciation.
18 Cf Sarµ 31- 36, 47-52, and elsewhere.
19 Cf Ybh 41-42.
Translation 119
2oy ou are, moreover, incapable of performing a penance that is appro-

priate for the infamous libertinism that you have followed for a long time.
[OPPONENT]
21Libertinism, indeed, constitutes this great vow of ours limited to a
specific asrama.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, because we find no such injunction. 22 Furthermore,
given this great vow, which the whole world fulfils by its own inclination,
for what purpose do the scriptures vex us with endless restrictions uncon-
nected with the aims of existence? 23 What, moreover, is this asrama that
you assume even with mere words?
[OPPONENT]
24 It is a special kind of renunciation called 'Paramaharµsa.'
[AUTHOR]
That is incorrect, because the UpanifJads such as the Satyaya-
naka [cf. Yls I.6-12] and the smrtis of Parasara [cf. Yls I.14-18],
Dattatreya [cf. Yls I.65] , and . others, which establish the distinction
between special kinds (of ascetics) , such as the Paramaharµsa , teach a dress
and behavior code quite the opposite of what you have adopted. 25 We can
assert, therefore , that the prescription of a triple stick [cf. Ln 36- 37n], a
bowl, a water strainer, a water pot, a topknot, a sacrificial cord, and a staff
found in authoritative sources such as Manu is a general rule and that
it does not have a limited application. 26 So even today by resorting to the
elixir of the books of Bhaskara, Yadavapraka§a [cf. Yls 1- 3n], and
the like the old error is eliminated even among the single-staffed ascetics
who have abandoned the sacrificial cord and the like; 27 how much more
among people like you who have specifically assumed a status equal to
those who are excluded from the Veda? 28 We have already stated [cf. Ybh
136, 169], moreover, that the smrtis also establish an option between items
such as the triple staff and the single staff in terms of the principal and the
secondary course.
20 'Libertinism': The Sanskrit term svaira means living as one pleases,
unchecked by rules or customs. Such an antinomian view is held by Advaita , which
considers the renunciation of an enlightened man as a state not subject to any rule.
25 'Limited application' [vyavasthitavi,$aya or simply vyavastha] means that
not all provisions of a rule are applicable equally to all renouncers . For example,
certain provisions apply only to KutTcakas, whereas others apply only to Parama-
harµsas. Such an interpretation of a general rule regarding the articles a renouncer
must possess is found in Pm 5, 20, 208- 209.
120 Alepakamatabha:ngavada by Vedanta Desika
[OPPONENT]
29Surely, there are two types of Paramahaqisas: those with manifest
garb and conduct, and those with concealed garb and conduct. 300f these
the former type is established because articles such as the staff are enjoined
on Paramahaqisas in Vedic texts such as the Jabala' Upani:;iad and
the Kau:;iitaka Upani:;iad, in smrtis such as those of Bodhayana
Saunaka, Kratu , Kapila, and Vi§vamitra , which are based on th~
above Vedic texts , in the Mahabharata, and in Pural).as such as the
Brahma. The latter type is established because the total abandonment
of everything is enjoined in Vedic texts such as the Vajasaneya, the
Taittiriyaka, the Atharval).a, and the Ba:;ikala Upani:;iad, and in
smrtis such as the Bhagavad Gita, in the itihasas, and Pural).as such
as the Bhagavata, which are based on the above Vedic texts.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true , because, as we shall demonstrate, the statements on
abandonment refer to the abandonment of such things as the fruits of
action, attachment, and the idea that one is the agent of one 's action.
[OPPONENT]
31 Surely we see in the Maitrayal).Iya Brahmal).a and in the Lo-
kak:;ii Grhya Siltra , which is based on the former, that Paramahaqi-
sas are given the option of carrying or not carrying a staff. 32The
Maitrayal).Iya Brahmal).a, for instance, states :
A wanderer, clad in a single piece of cloth, shaven-headed, using
his stomach as a bowl, and living always in the wilderness, should
enter a village in order to beg food. In the evening (he should go)
begging clockwise to households of all van;ias without discrimina-
tion, avoiding those of a bad repute and of the outcastes. Without
a sacrificial cord and devoted to purification , let him , should he so
desire, take a single bamboo staff.
33 The phrase 'should he so desire' in this passage shows that carrying a
staff is optional. 34The Lokak:;ii Grhya Siltra introduces the topic
thus: "Now we shall explain the procedure of renunciation in the case of
Paramahaqisas." It continues: "Having shaved his hair together with the
topknot, and having discarded his sacrificial cord ... " [cf. Nrd 20,24]. It
then goes on to say:
35Silent and naked , let him go toward the east or the north . If he
so desires, he may take , with the words: "Thou art the bolt of
-----
32 Cf. Nrd 27n.
35 On this ritual see Ypra 18.lf, 21.116f.
Translation 121
Indra; friend, protect me," one straight and pleasant bamboo

staff with its bark intact and reaching up to his head that is
offered to him by the Adhvaryu priest with the words: "Stay,
Lord, and take the staff."
36Here too, because we find the term 'desire' connected with 'if' , an option
is established. 37 Likewise, the Vaikhanasa Siltra while describing
the four asramas , each of which has four subdivisions, states:
38Paramahaqisas are those who , dwelling at the foot of a tree
with a single stem or in a deserted house or in a cemetery, and
clothed or naked, (search for liberation). For these there exists no
right [dharma] and wrong [adharma] , no truth and falsehood , no
purity and impurity, nor any such dualism. They are the same to
everyone, consider everyone as their own self, treat a clod of earth
and a piece of gold in the same manner, and beg from all varti,as.
. . . [VaiDh 1.9]
39Here the option 'clothed or naked' is meant to differentiate between
those whose conduct is manifest and those whose conduct is concealed.
40The Paramahaqisa Upani:;iad, on the other hand, in the following
and other similar passages, by censuring the wooden staff prescribes that
Paramahaqisas should be equipped with the staff of knowledge:
41 Carrying a staff, therefore, is not the principal course. Should
you ask who then is the principal type , this is the principal type:
A Paramahaqisa lives without a staff, without a topknot, without
a sacrificial cord, and without a garment. [Ph U 4 7 .1-4 J
42 He who carries the staff of knowledge is called single-staffed.
43A man who carries a wooden staff and eats from all people, but
who lacks knowledge , goes to dreadful hells called Maharaurava.
[PhU 50.3-5]
44Vi:;il). u also states:
45 The emblem is given for the sake of obtaining food. It is not
enjoined for the purpose of liberation.
46The Mok:;iadharma Parvan also states:
47 Even though he possesses this emblem, knowledge alone is the
cause of an ascetic 's (liberation) ; for deliverance from the suffer-
38 The edition of the Abh reads smasiine vii asina vii, which is evidently
wrong. I have followed the reading of the critical edition of the VaiDh: smasiine vii
viisina"IJ,, which is the reading given later on at Abh 73.
45 The meaning is that people recognize a renouncer by his emblem and give
him food.
122 Alepakamatabhari.gavada by Vedanta Desika
ing of this world all the emblems are useless. [MBh 12.308 .48]
48 My view is that these emblems - wearing an ochre dress,
shaving the head , the triple stick [cf. Ln 36-37n ], and the water
pot - are for obtaining food and not for gaining liberation . [MBh
12.308.4 7] .
49Elsewhere also it is said :
50Liberation, however, is achieved through the absence of em-
blems: this is the teaching of the Veda.
51 0ne should similarly consider also other texts aimed at censuring em-
blems . 52 "He lives without a visible emblem, and he keeps his conduct
concealed" [VDh 10.18] - this and other similar texts also are aimed pre-
cisely at the abandonment of emblems . 53 80, we conclude, there are in fact
two types of Paramaha.rpsas.
[AUTHOR]
54That wasn't very clever! The distinction among Paramaha.rpsas
that you seek is not established by these statements, which are for the most
part uttered by Gandharvas, and which, even if they are authoritative, do
not refer to this . 55To begin with , we exclude here some texts of question-
able Vedic or other scriptural authenticity, because they are dubious, for
Vijfiane§vara and others who favour your side do not cite them, and
Yadavaprakasa, Bhaskara Acarya, and the like who have refuted
your position do not allude to and censure many of these Vedic texts.
56 0ther texts we do accept but as referring to quit,e different objects.
57 Among the latter class of texts, in the MaitrayaI).Iya Brii.h -
maI).a and the Lokak~i Gi;hya Sutra , which is based on this Brah-
maI).a, the claim that Paramaha.rpsas are given the option of carrying or
not carrying a staff we find to be untrue, because these texts too intend to
point out only the option between a single and a triple staff that is
acknowledged by various smrtis and other authoritative texts. 5 8For what
the above texts intend to say is: "Let him, should he so desire, take a single
bamboo staff [cf. 32] or else a triple staff." 59 Similarly the intent of the
statement: "If he so desires, he may take . .. [cf. 35]," is: "If he desires to
take a single staff, then he may take one staff, otherwise he should take a
triple staff." 60If this were not the case, how can there be an option of
taking or not taking a staff in the case of a naked ascetic?
55 'Many of these ... ': the precise meaning of bahusrutelJ, in this context is
unclear.
Translation 123
[OPPONENT]
610nce we have established the division of renunciation in terms of
the enlightened and the non-enlightened, the taking of a staff pertains to
the non-enlightened and the not taking of a staff pertains to the en-
lightened.
[AUTHOR]
Look! When you are held by the ear why do you shake your lips?
62For the point of the question was just this : how can a naked ascetic take
a staff? 63 No one surely is born bearing a bamboo staff. 64Neither does a
naked ascetic with dishevelled hair who carries a single staff receive your
approval, nor is such an ascetic seen among you.
[OPPONENT]
65At the time of taking a staff he should also take an ochre robe.
[AUTHOR]
What is the authority for such a course?
[OPPONENT]
66 Various smrtis and the like.
[AUTHOR]
Then accept the meaning that we have pointed out on the basis of the
same texts. 67 Acknowledge, therefore, that in those texts such an appear-
ance [i.e., nakedness] is allowed only on the occasion of walking toward the
east or the north during the rite of renunciation, while immediately there-
after the ascetic is expected to take either a triple or a single staff according
to availability or preference, as well as an ochre robe and the like. 68As to
the assertion: "The taking of a staff pertains to the non-enlightened" [cf.
61], that too is just rash talk, because the staff is enjoined specifically with
reference to the enlightened. 69 How can you, a man of supereminent
wisdom, conclude that great seers such as Kapila, Pafica§ikha, and
Durv asas , who are stated in the itihasas and the PuraI).as to have
61 'Held by the ear': The opponent does not answer the objection but tries
to evade it by bringing up a different point .
63 The sarcasm is more evident in the Sanskrit. The term for 'naked' is
jiitarupadhara, literally 'clad as one was at birth .' So, the author retorts , if he
should be clad thus, then he should carry a staff only if he was born with one!
66 67
- The Visii:itadvaita interpretation of these texts is that an ascetic is
enjoined to become naked only as part of the renunciatory rite [cf. above 35n J,
which requires him to take the emblems of renunciation immediately after that.
These texts, therefore, do not enjoin nudity.
124 Alepakamatabhangavada by Vedanta Desika
worn ochre robes and topknots and to have carried staffs, as well as
Saqikara and other founders of your doctrine , and men such as Lord
Nathamuni , Bhaskara, and Yadavaprakasa are all unenlightened?
70 Now that is the cry of a non -Vedic doctrine , and so it pleases nobody.
71 The claim, moreover, that in the V aikhanasa Su tra "the op-
tion 'clothed or naked ' is meant (to differentiate) between those whose
conduct is manifest and those whose conduct is concealed " [cf. 39] is
untrue, since that statement cannot refer to this distinction simply be-
cause it is not established. 72 For in that passage such designations are
used so as to inculcate detachment. 73 The option in that passage, moreo-
ver, is not restrictive, just as the option in this statement is not: "dwelling
at the foot of a tree or in a deserted house or in a cemetery" [cf. 38]. 74 "For
these there exists no right and wrong , no truth and falsehood , no purity
and impurity, nor any such dualism. They are the same to everyone . . ."
[cf. 38]: neither does this statement contain an approval of wrong
[adharma], falsehood, and so forth, for if that were true the approval of
such things would extend also to ascetics with a manifest garb who are
referred to by the general term 'For these. ' 75 Now , you do not want that!
76 H ence this statement also declares that, according to his own situation,
each person should abandon wrong [adharma] , falsehood , and so forth , as
well as right [dharma] and the like, with the exception of the few duties
[dharma J that are part of his own iisrama.
77 The assertion, moreover, that the Pa r amahaqisa Upanisiad
by censuring the wooden staff enjoins the staff of knowledge [cf. 40] is
incorrect, because (that censure is made) just out of its zeal to enjoin the
staff of knowledge, in accordance with the maxim: "A censure is not used
to censure something deserving censure but to commend something other
72 'Such designations': i.e ., clothed [sambara] or naked [digambara].

73 In a restrictive option [vyavasthitavikalpa: cf. also Abh 25n] one alterna-
tive of the option, e.g., wearing clothes, applies to one type of individual, e.g ., an
unenlightened ascetic, while the other alternative, e.g., going naked, applied to
another type, e.g ., an enlightened ascetic . In non-restrictive options, on the other
hand, any one can choose one of the alternatives at will.
77
'Incorrect' : The edition of the Abh reads: tad api na hi .. . . It is evident that
one 'na' has been dropped, and that the sentence should read: tad api na , na hi . .. .
- 'A censure .. . ' : Cf. Babara on the PMS 2.4.21; Ramanuja on the VeS 2.2.41
(University of Poona ed. , p. 699); Yamunacarya, Agamapramal_lya, GOS 160
(Baroda, 1976) , p . 103. Yamuna (ibid., pp. 103- 105) gives a long explanation of this
rule and offers many examples. The meaning here is that the censure of a wooden
staff does not constitute a prohibition of it, but is intended merely to extol the
virtue of the staff of knowledge.
Translation 125
than that which is censured. " 78 As the censure of the sacrifice offered
before sunrise is inten ded to commend the sacrifice offered after sunrise, so
also is the case in the present statement. 79 0therwise, how can it say that
an ascetic who carries a wooden staff goes to the Maharaurava and other
hells, for if that were t rue it would mean that one should avoid from afar
those who carry a wooden staff, because the carrying of such a staff implies
that they are in a state of mortal sin. 80The same reasons establish that
the statement regarding the abandonment of the topknot, sacrificial cord,
and garment found in that text [cf. 41] refers to something else . 81 In every
instance it should be interpreted appropriately according to the directions
given below so that it refers to those with a manifest garb and other such
people. 82Thus, when one considers each statement within its own proper
context, it is abundantly clear that all smrti passages directed at the
censure of emblems int end to censure those who merely carry the emblems
but lack the respective virtues . 83 It is clear that the statement: "He lives
without a visible emblem and he keeps his conduct concealed" [cf. 52]
enjoins that one hides one's emblem and conduct so as to become an object
of others ' contempt, 84for the text does not state that he lives without an
emblem or that his conduct is evil. 85Therefore, the twofold division of
P aramahaqisas that you envisage does exist. 86 0ptions, such as that
between a t riple and a single staff, on the other hand , are quite appro-
priate.
[OPPONENT]
87Surely the Bhagavata Pural'._la declares that Paramahaqisas do
not perform rites:
In renunciation, the first is the Kuticaka, then the Bahudaka, the
Haqisa, and the non-performer of rites .
[AUTHOR]
So, what of it?
[OPPONENT]
88It establishes (the ascetic) whose conduct is concealed.
78 The Aitareya Brahmal_la [5.31], for example, censures the fire sacrifice
offered before sunrise, and concludes: "Every morning they tell falsehood who offer
the fire sacrifice before sunrise. " According to Mimarµsa, this does not entail a
prohibition of such a sacrifice. The text only declares that offering after sunrise is
more commendable. Cf. Nrd 99n.
88 'No': The edition of the Abh omits 'na', which is evidently a typographical
error. - 'It is improper ... ': The author's argument is that in a list of categories,
one enumerates only the categories and not subdivisions of some of them. So when
[AUTHOR]
No, because it is improper to point out a special category within the
class of Paramahaqisa when the latter is listed together with the three
(classes of renouncers) beginning with Kuticaka . 89 For when enumerating
the group of elements beginning with earth one does not include in that
enumeration also 'pot' and 'cloth'. 90If, on the other hand, it refers to
Paramahaqisas as such, then your supposition is not demonstrated. 91He
is said to be a non-performer of rites because the great number of rites
associated with each of the preceding classes is absent in his case, just as
one uses the term 'poor' to indicate a man who possesses little wealth.
92 Even you do not admit that all Paramahaqisas are divorced from all
rites, because such a position would entail the abolition of the distinction
between those whose appearance and conduct are manifest and those in
whom they are concealed.
[OPPONENT]
93 Surely the Venerable Teacher Saqikara - who has made plain
to all the meaning of all the smrtis, itihasas, and Purai:ias, who is the
foremost of all exegetes, and who is the leader of Paramahaqisa renouncers
- in his Upadesasahasrika, which contains the nectar gathered from
the ocean of all the Upanit,iads and smrtis, has explained repeatedly and
cogently the dharma of those whose conduct is concealed, which dharma
consists of the abandonment of the dharma of all var?J,as and asramas, and
has presented that as his own view.
[AUTHOR]
Alas, you wish to overcome sinful acts with the great merits derived
from the eulogy of your teacher! 94 Furthermore, how could the people
whose arguments are based on the authority of the absolute non-duality
'Paramaharµsa' is used in listing the four classes of renouncers, it must refer to all
Paramaharµsas and not to a particular subcategory of Paramaharµsas.
90 According to Advaitins, only the enlightened Paramaharµsas give up all
rites and not the unenlightened. If, therefore, the text refers to all Paramahamsas
then the term ni$kriya"IJ, [non-performer of rites] should have a different mea~ing:
such as that given in 91.
93 "(The Vedas) would not have declared that (the self) is by nature unrelated
to rites and to var7J,a and the like caused by rites, ifrites and ritual instruments such
as the sacrificial cord were not to be abandoned. He who seeks after liberation,
therefore, should abandon rites together with their instruments, because they
impede the knowledge of the identity between the self and the supreme self. He
should realize that his self is the highest self, having the characteristics mentioned
in the Vedas." UpadesasahasrI, II.1.32.
Translation 127
of the Self, the falsity of the universe, and other such doctrines taught by
him (Saqikara), have obtained a proper understanding of some mean-
ingless point, even though it has been determined by him? 95 By demolish-
ing the validity of 'liberation-in-life,' moreover, we have also crushed those
fallacies such as the doctrine of incorporeality that are brought forward to
demonstrate the abandonment of the dharma of var?J,as and asramas,
because a) the close connection between the body, and pleasure, pain, and
the like that are appropriate to that body, is established by means of
knowledge such as perception, and, therefore , its denial is prevented by the
same means of knowledge; b) relying on the fact that even though by
nature the soul is free from var?J,a and asrama, yet it possesses them insofar
as it is conditioned by the body, the action-oriented texts have, indeed,
established the performance of actions appropriate to that (body). 96 For
reliance on the error of taking the soul to be the same as the body does not
promote texts dealing with the other world. 97 Therefore, we find nothing
at all like the Paramahaqisa state followed by you, which permits com-
pletely unrestrained activity.
[OPPONENT]
98 Surely only those who carry the emblem of total indifference -
except that they desist from what is forbidden because of their aversion to
external sense objects - are truly the Brahman knowers called Parama-
haqisas. We, on the other hand, carry the articles (of a renouncer) .
[AUTHOR]
No, because even they do not abandon the special emblem and the
special dharma proper to their particular asrama. 99 Y ou say that the
aversion to sense objects is the reason why they desist from what is
forbidden . Now, is this an aversion [A] to all sense objects such as sound
and touch, or [BJ only to some [cf. 105]?
100[A J It cannot be the first, for we fail to see even the slightest
reduction in such things as the food they eat.
95 Liberation-in-life [ji'vanmukti] is the subject of criticism in Chapter 31 of

the Satadii~ai:iI. - 'Action-oriented ... ': Dharma and, consequently, texts that deal
with dharma are divided into pravrtta [relating to action] and nivrtta [relating to
non-action or knowledge]: cf. Ypra 1.lln; MDh 12.88-89. The author's argument
is that Advaita texts, which by definition are nivrtta, are unqualified to deal with
issues such as var'IJ,a and i'israma which belong to pravrtta.
98 'Emblem of total indifference .. .': The meaning seems to be that they do
not carry any external emblem. -'Articles,' namely the staff, bowl, etc., that
constitute the external emblem of a renouncer.
[OPPONENT]
101Those things are unreal.
[AUTHOR]
Heaven forbid! 102Y ou are an ingrate! 103 If those who fuss around you
in the belief that you know Brahman and, placing you on the seat of honor,
daily feed you to your heart's content with the four kinds of food hear that
type of talk, how could they not be overcome with grief. 104The same
criterion, moreover, used to demonstrate the unreal nature of the food of
those who know Brahman would demonstrate the unreality also of the
food of those who are ignorant of Brahman, and it would thereby est ablish
that everyone without effort possesses an aversion to sense objects.
105 [BJ I n the second alternative also the question arises whether the
aversion is [l J to just some types of sense objects, or [2] only to things that
are forbidden . 106 [1 J If it is the first, then again there is nothing special,
since such an aversion is present even in other people [i.e., those ignorant
of Brahman]. 107 [2] Ifit is the second, again the question is raised whether
that aversion to forbidden things exists [a] merely because of their undesir-
ability, or [b J because they have ascertained that such things have been
determined by authoritative texts to be the cause of evil [cf. 116]. l08[ a J It
cannot be the first, because it does not allow an option. 109They must be
undesirable , moreover, either because everybody perceives them as disa-
greeable, just as swords, fire, thorns, and the like, or because Brahman
knowers perceive them as disagreeable, or else merely because one fails to
perceive that they are agreeable. 110It cannot be the first , for it goes
against the perception of the whole world. 111 The same reason precludes
the second alternative, because it contradicts the self-perception of
Brahman knowers . 112 For even when those who know Brahman look at
meat dishes and the like, they do not consider them disagreeable in the way
they would Neemb leaves. 113 It further contradicts what others infer from
their facial expressions and bodily gestures.
[OPPONENT]
114Their gestures and the like should be taken in the same way as those
of actors and the like.
108 The point seems to be that for there to be aversion or detachment a person
should have the choice to do the opposite, i.e., to be attached. It is impossible to
be attached to a truly undesirable or painful thing.
112 Neemb [Azadirachta Indica] leaves, that are chewed during certain cere-
monies, have a very bitter taste.
Translation 129
[AUTHOR]
No, because a) such a motive is impossible, for here the purposes (for
those gestures), for example deceiving or entertaining others, are unbe-
coming; b) a motive of self-interest, on the other hand, would annul the
aversion; and c) it is impossible for useful activities such as eating to be
performed without a motive.
[OPPONENT]
11 50nly forbidden actions are absent in them. Hence , there is no
reason (for their absence).
[AUTHOR]
That is incorrect, because through oversight even the knowers of
Brahman do perform forbidden actions . 116Forbidden actions deliberately
committed, on the other hand , are absent only because they have ascer-
tained that such actions have been determined by authoritative texts to
be the cause of evil. That is the second alternative [cf. 107]. 117 Accordingly,
you have the unacceptable conclusion that injunctive texts also are bind-
ing on them, because there is no difference between that and being subject
to the authority of prohibitory texts. 118Neither of these, however, is
acceptable to you .
[OPPONENT]
119Abiding at the summit of the Veda , the sage is never subject to
rules, for the fire of Brahman 's knowledge has burnt up all qualifi-
cations.
This statement sides with the view that (a Brahman knower) stands
outside the asramas. To the view that considers him as belonging to an
asrama, both the above conclusions are acceptable.
[AUTHOR]
In that case you should wear the prescribed emblem and follow the
prescribed conduct. 120Then we 'll have nothing to argue about.
115 The edition of the Abh omits na , which is required by the context.
119 'Subject to rules' : The edition of the Abh reads: vidhikirrikaralJ, . The editor
puts 'veda' in parentheses as an alternative reading for vidhi . In Ch. 62 of the
Satadii~ar_:1I (p. 258) this verse occurs with the reading veda . In that case, the
translation would be 'subject to the Veda. ' - 'Qualification' [adhikiira]: All injunc-
tions and prohibitions are directed at people who are qualified or entitled to
perform or to abstain from these actions . The concept of adhikara is at the heart
of the Brahmar_:1ical conception of dharma. The knowledge of Brahman, it is
claimed, erases all qualifications, and, therefore, the Vedic injunctions are not
applicable to those who possess that knowledge.
[OPPONENT]
121Even in the absence of obedience to authoritative texts, an enlight-
ened person does not deliberately perform forbidden actions purely
through the power of the latent propensities created by the complete
suppression of forbidden acts.
[AUTHOR]
That is not correct, for latent propensities created by the suppression
of forbidden acts prevents the performance of forbidden acts. 122 But acts
that are forbidden in the case of those who do not know Brahman are not
forbidden in the case of those who know Brahman, because if they were it
would be an unwarranted extension of the rule. 123 Consequently, since
they are not forbidden, (a knower of Brahman) would undoubtedly per-
form them, for otherwise we would also have to conclude that by reason
of latent propensities created by the suppression of activities forbidden
during the time of Vedic studentship, those acts would not be undertaken
in the later i'isramas.
[OPPONENT]
1240ne would begin to perform them again in those (i'isramas) on
account of specific injunctions.
[AUTHOR]
No , for that would result in people not performing some acts , such as
wearing garlands, that are forbidden to Vedic students but neither forbid -
den nor prescribed in the case of householders and the like. 125If, moreover ,
latent propensities suppress even non-forbidden actions merely because
they had been forbidden earlier, then those who know Brahman would not
engage in any type of activity whatsoever, because, if we take into account
the variety of people with different qualifications and the diversity of
place, time , and the like, every conceivable action is forbidden in some
context or other.
[OPPONENT]
126I admit that the knowers of Brahman among us are inactive in the
manner you have described.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, because such a condition does not exist outside of
contemplative trance, sleep, and other such states. 127 We do not object to
such a condition existing in a person while he is in a contemplative trance .
128Even such a person, when he rises from the trance, undoubtedly be-
comes subject to the authority of injunctions and prohibitions .
Translation 131
[OPPONENT]
129Let us then assume that aversion to forbidden acts is intended for
the welfare of the world.
tAUTHORJ
Then it is not an aversion but a suppression by force. 130Likewise,
then, one should also be favourably disposed toward performing acts that
are prescribed. 131 The welfare of the world, moreover, (becomes a motive)
only because one fears the sins resulting from scandalizing the world , and
therefore it constitutes obedience to authoritative texts.
[OPPONENT]
132 We can assume that the aversion to the insignificant delights of
things forbidden results solely from the delight of experiencing Brahman.

[AUTHOR]
That is incorrect, for it would imply that such a person would cease
to perform even those actions that are neither prescribed nor forbidden .
133Even if it is true, we have already said that it exists only in the state of
contemplative trance. 134 T he same argument refutes the claim that one
who knows Brahman has an aversion to pleasures because in him, as in an
old man, the faculty of enjoyment has been weakened . l3 5We can readily
grant, however, that such an aversion results from the non -availability (of
forbidden things) or from the fear of a strict king and the like. 136But that
is horse-celibacy! 137 The truly voluntary nature of the enterprise, however,
is obtained only when the availability is unimpaired.
[II. REFUTATION OF ADVAITA RENUNCIATION AS A NON-

ASRAMA]
l3 8The same argument refutes the aversion to forbidden acts even

within the context of the view that (such Paramaharp.sas) constitute a
state beyond all i'isramas. 139Why, may we ask, do you accept a non-asra-
136 'Horse- celibacy': The sexual restraint of horses achieved by force , i.e. ,
forced celibacy.
139 It is clear that the printed edition of the text is corrupt here, and that
several other alternative reasons are omitted. The author's rebuttal is addressed to
seven alternative reasons. Numbers 1 [at 140] and 2 [at 196] correspond to the first
two reasons given here. Numbers 3, 4, 5, and 7 [at 371, 374, 385, and 395,
respectively] of the author's rebuttal are absent here. Number 6 [at 389] of the
rebuttal corresponds to number 3 here. - 'Distinctive marks' of this state are
nudity, violation of customs, appearence of madness, etc.: cf. below 224f.
mic state? Is it [l] because there are authoritative texts that prescribe it
or [2] merely because we notice its distinctive marks (described in th~
authoritative texts) , [cf. below 196] or [3] because one is incapable of
performing (the duties of the asramas), [cf. Ybh 389] or [4] for some other
reason?
140[1] It cannot be the first, because we find no text that enjoins it; on
the contrary, it is explicitly forbidden by hundreds of smrti passages, such

as: "A twice-born shall not remain even for a day outside the asramas"
[ =MBh I.1618*]. 141 0ne should not view this passage as referring to
non-enlightened people, because there is nothing that would indicate such
a restriction, 142for it can be so restricted only if there exists a rule that
enjoins a state outside the asramas . 143 Even for the enlightened what is
prohibited is not an asrama but libertinism [cf. Abh 20n]. 144So, for
example:
One who does not desist from wrong conduct, who is not calm,
who is not collected, and whose mind is not tranquil, will not
attain Him through knowledge. [Katha Up. 2.24]
[OPPONENT]
145As water adheres not to the leaf of a lotus flower, (so evil action
adheres not to him who knows this). [Ch Up 4.14.3; cf. BhG 5.10]
Undesired, desired, and mixed - threefold is the fruit of action
that ensues after death for those who practise not abandonment,
but never for men of renunciation. [BhG 18.12]
Surely these Vedic and smrti texts teach that sins committed after (their
enlightenment) do not defile those who are enlightened.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true , because by force of the Vedic text that teaches one
to desist from wrong conduct [144], the Vedic and other texts that speak
of non-defilement [145] refer to (sins committed) unintentionally and to
times of adversity. 146The Sutras, moreover , admonish:
And all types of food are permitted (only) when one's life is in
danger , because that is shown (in the scriptures) [VeS 3.4.28],
and again:
And, hence, there is also a scriptural text on not acting wantonly
[VeS 3.4.31].
[OPPONENT]
147 "Performing actions in this world , indeed, let a man wish to live a
hundred years " - after stating that, the text goes on to say: "actions do
Translation 133
not adhere to a man " [IsU 2]. Thus the Veda teaches that even deliberate
actions do not defile (an enlightened person).
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, because this passage either refers to desireless actions
that form a subsidiary element [cf. Sarµ 48n] of knowledge , or is intended
as eulogy of knowledge. 148 Accordingly , (Badarayai:ia) gives the foll-
owing sutras:
"(The rule does) not (specially apply to the enlightened) because
there is no specification" [VeS 3.4.13],
and:
"Or else the permission (of actions) is intended as eulogy of
knowledge" [VeS 3.4.14].
For otherwise it would go against what was stated before.
[OPPONENT]
149Js it not rather the Vedic text on desisting from wrong conduct
[145] that you should explain as having some other reference?
[AUTHOR]
No, because we see no other object that could be its purport.
[OPPONENT]
150Jn this passage too the purport is derived only from the opposition
(of these qualities) to knowledge.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true for the following reason. By teaching that when the
abstention from wrong conduct and the like are not present there arises the
defect of not attaining the object of knowledge , the statement censures
wrong conduct and the like, and thereby it shows that knowledge is
characterized by their absence. The passage refers to this attribute of
knowledge.
[OPPONENT]
151The abstention from wrong conduct and the like is for the purpose
of attaining knowledge. One who has attained knowledge, however, insofar
as he is totally indifferent, is permitted to act as he pleases.
151 The author's aim is to show that wrong conduct is not merely an impedi-
ment to knowledge - a point his opponent will readily grant - but that it also
impedes the attainment of the goal of knowledge, i.e., Brahma, even in the case of
a person who has already attained that knowledge. The argument rests on the
masculine pronoun enam ['him'] used in the passage, for this pronoun cannot refer
to the neuter noun jiiiinam [knowledge] but only to the masculine brahmii.
[AUTHOR]
That is not correct, because the passage teaches: "(One) will not attain
him" based on the fact that wrong conduct and the like are opposed to the
attainment of Brahma, 152for the text does not say : "One who does not
desist from wrong conduct will not attain knowledge ."
[OPPONENT]
153The purport of the statement is to deny knowledge (to such a
person), just as the statement "A pauper does not eat dainty food" denies
special ingredients such as milk.
[AUTHOR]
That is not correct for the following reasons. a) The ·very use of the
instrumental case connected with causal priority and posteriority shows
that (knowledge) has already been achieved . Taking (the sentence) to
mean that (knowledge) is something yet to be achieved would contradict
it. This meaning, moreover , does not follow the natural and obvious sense
of the sentence. 154The same argument, as well as the fact that, unlike a
meal, Brahman cannot be attained in any other way (than by knowledge),
refute the claim that this passage should be interpreted in the same way
as the sentence "A pauper does not eat with milk ." 155b) Even if we t a ke
(the sentence) to mean that (knowledge) is something yet to be achieved ,
it has been taught that desisting from wrong conduct and the like also
should be practised until death for the complete attainment of knowledge
that one must pursue and increase every day, because it has been taught
that knowledge should be pursued until death . l.'i6Qiven the fact, therefore ,
that there is a life-long prohibition of libertinism , and that (Br ahman) is
not attained in any other way (than by knowledge), we must interpret
153 'A pauper . .. ': When one says that a pauper does not eat dainty food , he
does not mean that a pauper eats no food at all , but only that special ingredients
such as milk that make food dainty are absent in a pauper 's food . Similarly, the
opponent argues , when the passage refers to Brahma with the masculine pron oun
enam [him], what it really refers to is the attribute that accompanies the attain-
ment of Brahma, i.e., knowledge . Without knowledge, of course, one would not
attain Brahma at all. The argument is clearer and the connection between the
passage and the example is more evident in the Sanskrit where a single word ,
sarripannam, is used for 'dainty food .' - 'Instrumental case ' : In the passage the
word prajnanena ['through knowledge'] is put in the instrumental case, which
indicates its causal priority to the attainment of Brahma. It suggests, therefore,
that this knowledge is already in hand and that it is not something that needs to
be acquired.
Translation 135
passages such as "Performing actions, . . . " (14 7) as refe:ring to the

injunction on actions that form a subsidiary element [cf. Saqi 48n] of
knowledge or as eulogies of knowledge.
158Though thou art the most sinful of all sinners, thou shalt cross
over all evil by the boat of knowledge alone. [BhG 4.36]
159As a burning fire reduces the firewood to ashes, Arjuna, so the
fire of knowledge recluces all actions to ashes. [BhG 4.37 ]
16°Casting actions upon Brahman, who so acts abandoning
attachment, evil cleaves not to him as water cleaves not to a lotus

leaf. [BhG 5.10]
161He whose self is free from the thought of I , whose intelligence
is untainted, slays not, though he slay these creatures, and he is
not slain. [BhG 18.17]
15 7 , 162 These also and other similar statements, therefore, are made with
the intention of prohibiting attitudes such as the attachment to the fruits
and the notion that one is the author of one's actions, and with the
intention, for example, of teaching the excellence of a special type of
knowledge. They do not indicate the approval of libertinism. 163 For this
very reason, immediately after the statement:
If a man worships me with undivided devotion, even though he
be of very evil conduct, yet he must be regarded as righteous , for
he has the right resolution [BhG 9.30] ,
the author sets it right with the statement that begins :
Quickly he becomes righteous and he goes to everlasting peace.
[BhG 9.31]
[OPPONENT]
164"Therefore, let a Brahmin become disgusted with learning and wish
to live as a child" [BaU 3.5.1] - on account of this rule that enjoins the
enlightened to live as a child, we obtain the practices such as travelling ,
speaking, and eating at one's pleasure.
[AUTHOR]
But in this passage the expression 'as a child' does not refer to the
condition of a child, l6 5for one cannot assume it as a special period of life.
166But one can assume a child 's behavior in not revealing one 's greatness.
The injunction, therefore , refers to this , for otherwise it would contradict
16l 'He is not slain' [na nihanyate]: The critical edition of the MBh [6.40.17]
reads: na nibadhyate [he is not bound] , and does not even give our reading as a
variant.
136 Alepakamatabha:ti.gavada by Vedanta Desika
what we have stated above. 167 A sutra, moreover , states: "(The passage
enjoining a child 's life means that the ascetic is to live) not revealing (his
greatness) , because thus it fits the context" [VeS 3.4.50]. l68The smrtis
enjoin that yogins should behave like fools by not revealing their greatness
in order to assist their yogic endeavor. 169 So, for example:
Let the wise man, though he knows, behave among men as if he
were an idiot [MDh 2.110], because praise is fatal to the success
of yoga. [ViP 2.13 .42]
170 , 175 Sanatsujata also in verses such as the following extols the man
established in Brahman - the man who places before our eyes Brahman,
the inner self of all beings, and who is the boundless friend of the whole
world:
171
If one always sees oneself in beings occupied with their various
tasks, why should one worry any more? [MBh 5.45.22]
172I am, indeed, your mother and father. I also am your son. I am
the self of all this - both of what exists and of what exists not .
[MBh 5.45.25]
173I am the ancient grandfather, 0 Bharata, the father and the
son as well. You are my very self, but you are not mine and I am
not yours . [MBh 5.45.26]
174The self alone is my abode and the self is my birth. [MBh
5.45.27]
177 Sanatsujata then enjoins such a person to guard his condition in verses
such as:
176People who are learned in the Veda prescribe for him proper
conduct. One would thus not think that he is an eminent man
internally or externally. [MBh 5.42.248*]
179Then he prescribes the contemplation of the true nature of the immacu-
late self in verses such as:
178Now a Brahmin ought to strike at the inner self which is
signless, motionless, perfect, and free of all duality . [MBh 5.42.24,
251 *]
181 Then Sanatsujata censures the man who perceives the self wrongly:
180He who perceives the self other than it really is, how can he, a
thief and a plunderer of the self, not commit a sin? [MBh
5.42 .252*; cf. MDh 4 .255.]
176 I am not sure of the exact meaning of the second half of the verse.
178 The meaning is not very clear. VAN BurrENEN translates: "What brahmin
can thus kill the inner soul 1"
Translation 137
183Finally he explains that (a knower of the self), though he is truly a

cultured person, poses as an ill-mannered man only to bring contempt on
himself:
l8 2Let him be unwearied, esteemed for not accepting gifts, and
harmless. A wise Brahmin who knows Brahman, though cultured,
should not behave as a man of culture. [MBh 5.42.25]
184The point is further clarified in the same text:
185Those (who act like) fools always eat vomit not for enjoyment
but to shun praise and to guard their strength. They thus eat
vomit because they enjoy their strength. [MBh 5.42.22]
186Praise and holiness never go hand in hand. The wise know that
praise belongs to this world and holiness to the next. [MBh
5.42.30]
187 For the Taittiriya BrahmalJ.a states:
188Therefore, let him who knows thus appear to dance, let him
appear to tremble, let him appear to dart his eyes around while
he speaks, let him appear to be exhilarated, let him appear to
revel, and let him appear to butt with the horns. (He thinks) :
"Would they abuse me, or would they destroy my sins? " [TB
2.3.9.9]
l89Now, even this text only prescribes activities common to all (renoun-
cers), such as behaving like madmen , in order to eliminate sins and to bring
disgrace upon themselves. It prescibes neither the performance of forbid-
den acts, such as adultery, by Paramaha:qisas nor even the abandon-
ment of the permanent and occasional rites [cf. Pm 45n]. 190Manu also
states:
l9 1Let a Brahmin shrink from honor as he would from poison. Let
him always long for scorn as if it were nectar. [MDh 2.162]
192 , 195 This same point is made also by other smrtis in passages such as the
following:
182 The reading of the first half-verse in the Abh is corrupt and unintelligible.
In the translation I have followed the reading of the critical editon of the MBh:
asrantal} syad anadanat sarri,mato nirupadraval}. VAN BmTENEN's translation of the
second half misses the point: "educated in reality rather than appearance as a
brahman-knowing sage." The intent of the text, as the Abh clearly points out, is
that an ascetic should outwardly behave as an uncultured and uneducated person
so as to bring the contempt of the world upon himself.
185 The meaning is not totally clear. See the variants in the critical edition of
the MBh and v AN BurTINEN's translation.
188 The edition of the Abh reads uttame for uta me , the TB reading, which I
have followed.
138 Alepakamatabhailgavada by Vedanta Desika
193He whom no one considers either as good or as evil, either as

learned or as ignorant, either as virtuous or as vile - he truly is a
Brahmin.
194Let a wise man follow his observances, adopting a disguise and
unknown to others. Let him roam the earth as if he were blind,
foolish, and dumb . [NpU 147]
l9 5Not abandoning the conduct proper to one, guarding one's
strength, and the practice of non-possession - these are regarded
as the means of purification.
l96 [2] The same argument refutes also the second reason [cf. 139]; the
mention of distinctive marks [cf. above 139n] amounts to nothing when,
on the one hand, (such a state) contradicts express Vedic texts [cf. Pm
61n], and, on the other, it does not result from an injunction . 197 There is ,
moreover, no mention of distinctive marks, 198 for the same text (that gives
this episode) explains that even Adi-Bharata adopted completely the
conduct of an idiot to attain perfection in yoga. 199So, for instance, we find
this passage in the Adi-Bharata account of the SrI Vi$.QU Pura,r:ia:
200After his death there he was born as a Brahmin with the
memory of his former lives. He was born in a pure and eminent
family of yogins who followed the path of righteous conduct.
201 He possessed all knowledge and he knew the true import of all
sacred texts . He viewed the soul, 0 Maitreya, as different from
primal matter.
202 Imbued with the knowledge of the self, 0 great sage, he always
looked upon gods and all other creatures as identical with himself.
203He did not rehearse the Vedic texts that the teacher taught
him after his Vedic initiation. He paid no heed to rituals and he
did not learn the sacred texts.
204Even when something was said to him repeatedly, he re-
sponded with an incoherent speech that was both ungrammatical
and vulgar.
205 With a filthy body and dirty clothes, with matted hair and
rotten teeth, he was despised by urbane gentlemen.
2oo 'After his death ... ': The story goes that King Bharata, due to his
attachment to a doe , was reborn as a deer. After atoning for his attachment, the
Bharata-deer died and was reborn in a Brahmin family .
201 The reference is to the well-known Sarµkhya doctrine of the distinction
between primal matter [pralcrti] and soul [puru$a]. The knowledge of this distinc-
tion is the cause of liberation.
Translation 139
206"Praise is fatal to the success of yoga, and a yogin who is

scorned by men attains the perfection of yoga .
207Therefore, without reviling the path of the virtuous let a yogin
act in such a manner that people will despise him, and let him
never associate with them."
208Keeping these words of Hira,r:iyagarbha in mind, the wise one
presented himself to the world in the guise of an idiot and a
madman.
209His food was worm-eaten and broken grain, vegetables, wild
fruit , and grains of corn. He ate a lot of anything he happened to
come by, paying no heed to rules regarding the proper time.
21DAfter his father's death his brothers, cousins, and relatives put
him to work in the fields and fed him vile food.
211As he had a firm and robust body and played the idiot in
outward act, he was employed by everybody, receiving only food
as wages.
212seeing him thus, uncouth but having the aspect of a Brahmin ,
the head servant of King Sauvira thought him a suitable man to
work (for the king) without pay. [ViP 2.13.36-48]
213Similarly, further on, it is said
214Yogins, without being recognized in their true nature, roam
about this earth in various disguises helping people. [ViP 3.15.23]
215Now, no adharmic course of action is mentioned here, nor is it an assault
on dharma . 216He [Adi-Bharata] did not undertake rites such as Vedic
sacrifices simply because he was a Vedic student. 217 For this very reason
it is also stated there: "without reviling the path of the virtuous" [207].
218Moreover, since the Bhagavata Pura,r:ia mentions among other
things that he wore a sacrificial cord and the like, it follows that he
belonged to an asrama . 219 For it states:
22owho art thou, roaming in disguise? What great ascetic art
thou , wearing the Brahmin 's cord? [BhP 5.10.16]
207 I read du$ayan , following the reading below at 217, which fits the context
better. The edition of the Abh reads du 9ayet .
209 I read akalasarriyamarri , with the elision of 'a' before 'e' . WILSON translates:
" ... as part of a necessary, but temporary affliction," and explains lcalasarriyama
as "a state of suffering and mortification lasting only for a season, or in other words
bodily existence, the body being contemplated as a sore, for which food is un -
guent." This seems an unnecessary and forced interpretation . Clearly the point of
the whole episode is to point out that Adi-Bharata flouted all norms of conduct and
etiquette. Here he is said to have paid no heed to rules regarding proper food and
the proper time for eating.
221Here the phrase "roaming in disguise" explains that he does not display
his greatness. 222So, even the statement: "He did not rehearse the Vedic
texts that the teacher taught him after his Vedic initiation" [203], does not
deny that he had undergone Vedic initiation. 223 He abandoned Vedic
recitation also either because the Vedas became naturally manifest to him
as a result of, among other things, the fact that he remembered them
through latent mental impressions derived from his previous lives, or
because he remembered the Vedas upon hearing them just once . 224 Also
the vow of insanity and the like undertaken by Durvasas and others were
practised occasionally by men deeply grounded in the dharma of the
asramas to reap fruits such as that of being the butt of people's ridicule;
such vows do not constitute the abandonment of all i'isramas. 225 The
smrtis, therefore, disclose that Durvasas afterwards became a renouncer
and was equipped with such (emblems) as the ochre robe and the staff.
[OPPONENT]
226Since the authoritative texts disclose that ~bhu, Suka, Sarµvarta,
and the like practised nudity and other similar vows, we believe that they
were outside all the asramas .
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, because even nudity is a special kind of vow that aims
at enduring rain, wind, heat, and the like; a vow that is associated with the
special practice of eating each mouthful completely (as soon as it is re-
ceived). It is a vow that only certain unique men of ancient times were
qualified to perform . 227 If he were outside the asramas , how could the king
have chosen Sarµvarta , who was subsisting on air alone, as the priest for
his sacrifice '? 228 Nudity, therefore, is just a special vow common to all
var?J,as and asramas, 22 9for only householders can perform priestly func-
tions and the like . 230 In the olden days even a widower, after fulfilling
certain conditions such as taking a (new) wife, was considered fit to
function as a priest.
[OPPONENT]
2310ver five hundred royal courtesans flocked to him. [MBh
12.312,37]
226 For the story of Suka see MBh 12.312f, and for the story of ~bhu see BhP
5.5.28f. ~'Eating each mouthful ... ': A naked renouncer has no begging bowl. He
receives his food directly in his hand, eating the food as soon as he receives it. For
a detailed description of this type of begging, see Ypra 57 .33- 68.
227 The story of Sarµvarta and King Marutta is recorded in the MBh 14.5- 9.
231 'Over .. .': Here I follow the critical edition of the MBh and read para'f(I, in
Translation 141
After he had eaten, my dear, each of them in turn showed him the
beautiful park of the female quarters in the palace. [MBh
12.312.39]
Surely, these texts show that the great seer, Suka, a knower of Brahman,
also ate in the company of courtesans .
[AUTHOR)
Wrong, because that statement is also made with reference to a
situation in which these women were employed as servants to feed Brah-
mins and others who had completed their Vedic initiation, and, after the
meal, to perform such services as fanning. 232It is quite clear that the intent
here, indeed, was only to test Suka's chastity and other such virtues.
233The text does not indicate that he ate forbidden food.
235When one has known the ultimate truth and it is ever present
and immediately perceived in one's heart , what need is there to
live in the asramas and in the forest? This I ask you . Do explain
it to me. [MBh 12.313.20-21]
23 4 , 236 For, when he was so questioned by Suka further on in the text ,
Janaka replied that it is obligatory to perform those very duties of the
asramas after giving up attachment to them.
238No one attains liberation without learning and knowledge,
and, according to the smrtis, no one acquires learning without the
tutelage of a teacher. [MBh 12.313.22]
239Jn this work the teacher is called his boatsman and learning his
boat. After he has acquired knowledge, after he has done all there
is to do, and after he has crossed over (the river of sarrisara), he
may abandon both. [MBh 12.316.40]
240 Abandon dharma and adharma. Abandon even truth and un-
truth. Having abandoned both truth and untruth, abandon that
by which you did the abandoning. [MBh 12.316.40; 318 .44]
237 , 241 In this passage found in the same text, moreover, the statement:
"after he has crossed over (the river of sarrisara), he may abandon both,"
declares that until one has attained liberation one should, indeed, attend
to the means of attaining it, namely le~rning and the teacher. 242 · 244 The
verse: "Abandon dharma and adharma . . . ," on the other hand, does not
accord with your position , because its meaning is made clear by this verse:
place of puralJ,. This episode occurs in the story of Suka's encounter with King
Janaka, to whose palace he had been sent by his father , Vyasa, to learn from the
king about liberation.
142 Alepakamatabhari.gavada by Vedanta Desika
243Abandon dharma by abstaining from desire . Abandon adharma

by practising non-injury. Abandon both truth and untruth by
discernment, and discernment by absolute certainty . [MBh
I :? .:11 Ii 11 l
245 , 250 In the following passage of the Bhagavata Pura r:ia describing
the appearance of the Paramaharµsa Suka, moreover , the phrase "he had
no visible emblem" [246] is used to indicate the concealment of the em-
blem, because such a concealment is associated with the vow of nudity.
24 6While he was roaming the earth, the blessed son of Vyasa
[Suka] , rid of all care and content with the knowledge of his self,
happened to come there. He had the appearence of an Avadhuta,
he had no visible emblem, and he was surrounded by children.
247 He was sixteen years old, with delicate feet, hands, thighs,
arms , shoulders, cheeks, and body. He had a face with charming
red eyes , a prominent nose, even ears, and fine eyebrows, and his
beautiful neck was shaped like a conch.
248- 249 Flesh covered his collarbones, and his chest was broad and
high. His navel was like an eddy, and his belly was handsome with
many folds. He was dark and naked , with dishevelled curly hair.
He captivated the hearts of women with his handsome youth, his
charming body, and his enchanting smile. He had long hands and
a delicate head . The sages rose from their 's eats to meet him .. ..
[BhP 1.19.25-28]
251, 255The following passage of the Asvamedhika Parvan, further-
more, also indicates nothing more than the fact that Sarµvarta assumed
the guise of a madman , because he is introduced as "virtuous" [dharmika]
and because he is said to be devoted to the special dharma of dwelling
constantly in a holy place.
252The virtuous [dharmika] son of Angiras, 0 King , Sarµvarta by
name, roams the wide world naked and bewildering the people.
[MBh 14.6.18]
253Roaming at will in the guise of a madman , he dwells constantly
in the city of VaranasI. [MBh 14.6.22]
248- 249 'Handsome youth': The reading is uncertain. The edition of the Abh
reads sadapiiccalaya [sic], which I have emended to sadap'icyavayo , following the
Nin:iaya Sagar Press edition of the BhP.
250 I read nagnacaryaparatval lingasya in place of the reading of the Abh
edition: ... paratvalingasya.
252 The Abh edition reads cankumate, which I believe is a printing error and
should read cankramate . The critical edition of the MBh reads cankram'iti disa'JJ,.
Translation 143
254 He follows neither dharma nor adharma , neither good nor evil.
[Cf. MBh 14.19.7; 12.App.20.102.J
256It is, moreover , incorrect to explain the Ajagara narrative [MBh
12.172] in accordance with libertinism [cf. Abh 20n]. 257 Thus, to Yudhi -
~thira's question:
Thou knowest all modes of conduct! What mode would enable a
man to roam the earth free from sorrow? And what should a man
do to attain in this world the supreme state? [MBh 12.172.1]
BhI~ma replied:
258 0n this point too they relate this ancient legend, the conversa-
tion between Prahlada and the sage Ajagara.
259The learned Prahlada, the wisest of the wise, 0 King , asked a
certain wandering Brahmin who was even-minded and healthy.
[MBh 12.172.2- 3]
260 Prahlada:
You are composed, pure, gentle, and patient, and you seek com-
plete indifference to the world. You have no ill will , and you are
praiseworthy and highly esteemed. You are wise, but you wander
among men like an idiot. [MBh 12.172.4]
261 With such words Prahlada's question first points out the virtues of the
Brahmin, virtues which should be practised by those who desire liberation.
262 You appear to stand above matters of dharma , wealth [artha] ,
and pleasure [kama]. You do not attend to dharma or concern
yourself with wealth. Neither do you occupy yourself with pleas-
ure. [MBh 12 .172.6- 7]
This statement made there also refers only to optional rites and so forth ,
for otherwise it would contradict what is said a little later about his
accepting lawful [dharmya] food [cf. MBh 12.172.24: below 271]. 263Ques-
tioned by Prahlada, the Brahmin asserts there the impermanence of all
things, and goes on to say:
264 When a man knows the beginning and the end of things , what
remains there for him to do? [MBh 12.172 .13]
265Seeing all creatures in the embrace of death, I look upon
everything as the same . Soundly I sleep; there is nothing that I
need to do. [MBh 12 .172.18]
266 I eat any meal I get by chance, be it ever so large . But many
a day I go to sleep without any food . [MBh 12.172.19]
262 The Abh edition reads dharmopabhoga-. I have emended it to dharmyopa-

bhoga- , following verse 271 below.
267 Sometimes a lot of rich food comes my way , and at other times
very little . Sometimes I obtain nothing at all. [MBh 12.172.20]
26 8Sometimes I eat a little grain, and at other times I even eat
oil-cakes. I eat rice and meat, rich as well as poor food . [MBh
12.172.21]
269I wear rags, and I also wear hemp, linen, and skin. Some days
I even wear very expensive clothes. [MBh 12.172.23]
27 0Some nights I sleep on a bed, and other nights on the bare
ground. It happens that sometimes I even sleep in palaces. [MBh
12.172.22]
271 I do not refuse lawful food that comes my way by chance, and
I do not pine for what is difficult to get. [MBh 12.172.24]

27 2Keeping pure, I practise this python [ajagara] vow, which
brings joy to the heart, and which the niggards cannot follow. In
this vow food and drink are not obtained by forethought, and fate
determines the proper time and place. [MBh 12 .172.27]
27 3Keeping pure, I practise this python vow with true insight,
realizing that joy and sorrow, wealth and poverty, pleasure and
disgust, life and death, are all determined by fate. [MBh
12.172.30]
27 4(Keeping pure, I practise this python vow.) I have no fixed
abode, and I possess naturally (the virtues of patience, self-
restraint, austerity, and sincerity.) [MBh 12.172.32]
275 Here too the author is careful to point out specifically that (Ajagara) has
not departed from the dharma. He does so by using the term 'lawful'
[dharmya: 271] even when he describes the life style in which a person lives
on what he happens to get by chance. 276 Later on also in verses such as the
following he teaches this mode of life and the avoidance of praise as
consisting of total indifference:
277 Without praising, without saluting, and without accepting
gifts, wander alone in the wilderness , indifferent to the pairs of
opposites and dwelling anywhere at all. [MBh 12.234.9]
278He who wears anything, who eats anything , and who sleeps
anywhere at all - the gods call him a Brahmin. [MBh 12.237.12]
27 9He who desires not, nor performs rites, who salutes not, nor
offers praise, who changes not, and whose actions have ceased -
the gods call him a Brahmin. [MBh 12.237.24]
274 De§ika cites only the first words of this verse. I have supplied within
parentheses the translation of the remaining section.
Translation 145
280 He who , although alone, always considers himself complete like

space, and for whom a crowd is like a deserted spot - the gods call
him a Brahmin. [MBh 12.237.11]
281He within whom words vanish like stones thrown into a well
and do not return to the speaker - the gods call him a Brahmin.
[MBh 12.237 .8]
282 He who has no upper garment, who sleeps without a mattress,
who uses his hand as a pillow, and who remains tranquil - the
gods call him a Brahmin. [MBh 12.261.29]
283 He who shrinks from company as from a snake, from praise as
from death , and from women as from a corpse-the gods call him
a Brahmin. [MBh 3. App .19 .65]
284It is quite clear that statements such as: "Having taken the vow of a
silent sage, he remained silent (even when men spoke to him)" [BhP
5.5.29], teach only that one should pretend to be an idiot and the like.
285When the Lord noticed that this world was definitely opposed
to the practice of yoga, he considered any resistance to it as
abhorrent and he undertook the vow called 'python' [ajagara].
Thereafter he ate, drank, chewed, and passed urine while he was
in a prone position .... [BhP 5.5.32]
Likewise, following the life style of cows, deer, and crows, he
behaved like them, drinking and passing urine while he was
walking, standing, and sitting down. [BhP 5.5.34]
These and all other seemingly perverse statements given there refer to a
special vow of imitating the life style of pythons, cows, and deer, a vow
that attracts the contempt of the world and assists in the practice of yoga.
286Consequently, it involves no contradiction when the text informs us
that B,~abha, who, in fact, led such a life, was subject to injunctions and
prohibitions . 287 In the very introduction (to his story) , therefore, it is said:
"Intending to undertake the dharma of Paramaharp.sas which is character-
ized by devotion , knowledge, and detachment ... " [BhP 5.5.28].
288 , 304The word 'though' [api : 302] and other similar pointers make it
clear that in the aforesaid manner statements such as the following given
285 The Abh edition reads yogasyuttha(vyuttha"JJ,1) pratfpam iha cak§anas tat-
prakrtakarma bfbhatsitam ajagararri . . . . My reconstruction is based on the Nir.r:iaya
Sagar Press edition of the BhP.
300 The other teachers are: pigeon, python, sea, moth , bee, elephant, honey
bee, deer, fish , the courtesan Pingala, osprey, child, maiden , blacksmith, serpent,
spider, and wasp. Cf. BhP 11.7.34. The symbolism of these teachers is explained in
BhP 11.7.37- 9.33.
IO
later in the same work are hyperboles intended to praise the person who
is firmly established in yoga:
289Seeing an Avadhiita Brahmin, handsome . and wise , roaming
about fearlessly, Yadu, who knew the dharma , asked him :
290Jnactive as you are , 0 Brahmin, how have you acquired this
sharp intelligence, endowed with which you , though wise , roam
this world like a fool?
291In this world men for the most part strive after dharma , wealth ,
pleasure, and the acquisition of knowledge for the sake oflongev-
ity, fame , and fortune.
292 You, however, are competent, wise , clever, and handsome , and
your speech is measured. Yet, like an idiot, or a lunatic, or a
goblin, you have no desire to do anything at all.
293 While people continue to be engulfed by the forest fire of
passion and greed, you, a liberated man, are not burnt by that
fire , like an elephant submerged in the waters of the Ganges.
294 Y ou have no contact with pleasures, and you live by yourself.
We ask you , 0 Brahmin, what is the cause of the bliss that you
find in yourself? Deign to answer us. [BhP 11 .7.25-30]
295 , 298 So requested, the Avadhiita Brahmin began:
296 , 297 , 299 I have many teachers , 0 King, to whom I have gone for
wisdom. Receiving some wisdom from each of them I stand here
liberated. Listen to who these teachers are: earth, air , space,
water, fire, moon, sun, . . . I have resorted to these twenty-four
teachers, 0 King . [BhP 11.7 .32-35]
300Having thus enumerated the series of teachers, he said:
30lA yogin is like the wind. He pays no heed to merit and defect,
and, although immersed in all sorts of sense objects everywhere,
he is not attached to them. [BhP 11.7.40]
302A self-controlled man is like fire . Brilliant, blazing by reason of
austerity, and unapproachable , he uses his stomach as a bowl, and
he is not tainted by impurity even though he eats everything
indiscriminately. [BhP 11.7.45]
303Sometimes hidden and sometimes visible, he is to be worship-
ped by those who seek freedom's bliss. He eats everywhere, burn-
ing away the past and future sins of those who offer him food.
[BhP 11. 7.46]
305The introductory question, moreover , shows that he possessed virtues
such as non-possession and humility. 306 The same point is made also in the
reply. 307The proper meaning of the remark about eating everything,
Translation 147
therefore, is that, with regard to food he obtains at random , he has given

up distinguishing the good from the bad.
308Some say that texts such as the following demonstrate the use of
the hands as a begging bowl even when eating food other than that which
is obtained at random:
309Let a sage follow the madhukara [bee-like: cf. Pm 4511] way
without hurting the households. Let him eat small morsels just
enough to sustain his body. [BhP 11.8.9]
310He should not store away begged food for use in the evening or
the next day . Let him not be a gatherer like a bee, but use his
hand as a bowl to receive what is just sufficient for the stomach .
[BhP 11.8.11]
311As the sun absorbs water with its rays and in due course
releases it without clinging to it, so a yogin enjoys the objects with
his senses and in due course lets them go without clinging to them.
[BhP 11.7.50]
312These also, on the contrary, refer to such things as the abandonment of
durable begging bowls, because some permit renouncers at the time of
begging to receive food in funnels made of old leaves.
314A man who is established in knowledge, or who is detached
from the world, or who is devoted to me, or who is totally
indifferent should abandon the asramas along with their distinc-
tive emblems and live beyond the range of injunctions. [BhP
11.18.28]
315Although he is wise, let him play around like a child. Although
he is clever, let him act like a fool. Although he is learned, let him
speak like a lunatic. Although he is an expert in the Veda, let him
behave like a cow. [BhP 11 .18.29]
316A sage should eat food that he gets by chance, whether it is
good or bad. Let him use clothes and a sleeping mat that he has
similarly obtained. [BhP 11 .18.35]
313, 317 This passage too found further on in the same work should be
interpreted in the aforementioned manner as referring to the rule that
while a person performs actions he should focus the mind on the thought
that he is not the agent of his actions. 318 0therwise, how can injunctions
such as: "(He should) live beyond the range of injunctions," found in that
very passage, obtain?
319, 322 I have not been able to identify this work of Vararuci.
148 Alepakamatabharigavada by Vedanta Desika
320Let a wise man abandon those aspects of his condition associ-

ated with the body, lineage , and so forth , and defined by var?J,a
and iisrama, and fix his mind on the true condition of his self.
321 How can he continue to belong to a var?J,a or an iisrama when
he knows that the true nature of a Brahmin is the perpetual
consciousness free from all attributes.
3l9,3 22 This passage found in the Svarupagrantha ofVararuci 's work
can be taken either as containing a teaching, under the assumption that
Vararuci was a seer, or as making an argument. If it is the former,
then the passage should be so construed as not to contradict the univer-
sally accepted statements of various seers, smrtis, and so forth. It should
then be taken as referring to an injunction connected with a special dharma
of var?J,as and iisramas, which dharma consists of contemplating the essence
of the pure self in its true reality. If it is the latter, then those who respect
authority should loathe it as the work of a wicked sophist - the root of all
perversions of dharma - just as one loathes books such as the materialist
text written by B:rhaspati. 323The method employed above also explains
the episode of Vidura.
324Muttering prayers, performing austerities, going on pilgrim-
age, taking to renunciation, performing incantations, and engag-
ing in divine worship - these six cause women and Sudras to fall
from their caste.
Even though smrtis such as this declare that muttering prayers, perform-
ing austerities, and so forth, which are outside (their dharma of) serving the
husband or the three upper var?J,as, cause women, Sudras, and the like to
fall from their caste, nevertheless, just as renunciation is authorized for
superior Kr:_,atriyas, so even Sudras and the like are permitted to perform
certain types of vows. 325 In their case the offense of abandoning the
sacrificial cord and the like is inapplicable, because they do not possess
these items even before (taking the vows) . 326Those noble men who prac-
323 The method referred to is the general assumption that outrageous modes
of conduct recorded in ancient texts were employed only to court dishonor and not
to give up the dharma of var1J,as and asramas. Vidura is a well-known Mahabharata
character, the son of Vyasa by a slave girl. Although of low birth, he is the ideal
wise man of the MBh and the Purai;ias. I am not sure what episode is referred to
here by Desika.
324-3 25 The term 'vows' here seems to indicate some type of renunciation.
Thus, women and Siidras are permitted to adopt a renunciatory way of live. In
their case, however, the absence of a sacrificial cord is not an offense, because they
did not possess one even before their renunciation.
Translation 149
tised nudity did so only after attaining the acme of chastity. 327For the
Vedas mention "seers girded with the wind" [RV 10.136.2] and "seers
girded with the wind were ascetics and celibates" [TA 2.7]. 328They do not ,
however, mention (naked) people like you who own storehouses full of
clothes, thread, and the like, who reject the distinctions between such
things as Brahmins and outcastes, and milk and liquor, who resort to the
wives of other people, who live like cattle and deer, and who continue to
engage in procreation. 329Sanatkumara and the like were naked because
they remained children permanently, for the Vedas refer to these noble
ones as children who were totally engrossed in the contemplation of
Brahman alone. 330The nudity of Pasupati is a subsidiary element [cf. Sarp
48n] of a special Pasupata vow; therefore, irrespective of whether it ac-
cords with or is contrary to dharma, it is totally unacceptable to those who
are devoted to the Vedic dharma. 331 With regard to Siva's pattern of
behavior, such as deluding the righteous wife of the sages, which is con-
trary to the teachings of the Veda, it is clearly stated there that Siva, who
was totally detached from sensual pleasure, had no intention of deceiving
her . 332Even otherwise, those who admit his divine lordship should shun
(such behavior) precisely because of his lordship, 333 for it is said: "One
should not imitate the gods." 334The Mahapasupatas, furthermore, de-
clare: "(The Lord) is autonomous and he is untainted even by actions
contrary to the norms of the world and the teachings of the Veda ."
335 Those who do not accept Siva as the Lord, on the other hand, should
excuse (such conduct) as resulting from the greatness of his lustre . 336 For
the smrtis contain statements such as:
Transgression of the dharma and violence are found among the
ancient sages. They committed no sin on account of the greatness
of their lustre. A man of later times who, seeing their conduct,
follows it, falls. [ApDh 2.13.7- 9]
337This explains the spontaneous playfulness of the Lord of all [Knn:ia ], the
blessed son of Vasudeva, whereby he confounded the judgment of the
329 Sanatkumara appears as the teacher of Narada in the ChU 7.1. Later
tradition views him as one of the four or seven mind-born sons of Brahma. The
Harivarµsa (12.14-16) considers him a renouncer who always remained as he was
born. This explains his name, which means 'perpetual child.'
331 The story is about ArundhatI, the wife of the seven seers, who left her alone
and went to the Himalayas. Siva, assuming the guise of a Brahmin mendicant,
came to her home and asked for food . Cf. MBh 9.47.28f.
334 This quotation is found also in Udayana's Nyayakusumaiijali (Kashi
Sanskrit Series, 30; Varanasi , 1957), pp . 15-16. There it reads: lokavedaviruddhair
api nirlepalp svatantras ceti.
cowherds' wives. 338Blessed Parasara and others, moreover, have shunned

such conduct, because it resulted from the fact that (K.r1?1J.a) was not
subject to the law of karma . 339It is, moreover, said: "The wives of cow-
herds (attained union with him) through passion" [BhP 7.1.30], and,
"Behavior corresponding to the love of the Lord is aimed only at libera-
tion."
[OPPONENT]
340How is it possible that, on the one hand, he comes into being "to
establish the dharma " [BhG 4.8] and , on the other, he disturbs it?
[AUTHOR]
That is not correct; we have already answered this objection. 341Du-
ring the time when he was outwardly pretending to be the son of the
cowherd Nanda he had no obligation to follow the conduct proper to his
own var?J,a and asrama. 342The Abhira women too were, in fact, divine
damsels who in previous lives had performed a vow beseeching that the
Lord alone be their husband. So, in their case one should look for the
contemplation suitable for nymphs. 343It is not a fault for the Lord to
grant to each the fruit he or she may desire. 344From the time, however,
the Lord , acting as if he had realized that he was the son of V asudeva ,
assumed the K$atriya dharma appropriate to the race of Yadu , he always
observed all his duties with great care. 345Thus, for instance, it is narrated
everywhere:
346 There is nothing in the three worlds, 0 Partha, that I need to
do, nor anything unattained that I need to gain. And yet I am
engaged in work. [BhG 3.22]
347 Likewise:
Madhava took a bath, adorned himself, and performed the silent
recitation. He then made a fire oblation and worshipped the rising
sun.
348Similarly, when he brought back to life the foetus of Virata's daughter
burnt by the fire of Asvatthama's missile, the Lord himself, who had
enjoyed over sixteen thousand women while he lived in the V,rndavana and
who spent the prime of his youth amidst a multitude of cowherdesses, said:
338 Not being subject to karma is a characteristic of God: cf. Ramanuja,

Sr1bha1?ya on VeS 1.6.7 (Univ. of Poona ed. , p. 409) , where the supreme being is
called akarmavasya!J,. The reasoning here is that one who is not subject to karma
need not worry about sin and virtue.
348 For the story see MBh 14.67- 68 and BhP l.8.7f.
Translation 151
349 If I have been chaste, if I have spoken the truth , and if my

sovereign power remains unimpeded - then may the infant live.
[MBh 14.68 . *138]
[OPPONENT]
350Surely the epilogue of the Svetasvatara Upani$ad [6.21]
establishes the state beyond the asramas as the necessary condition of
people who are entitled (to study) that Upani$ad. This passage, therefore,
enjoins that state, because it is something not hitherto obtained (by any
other injunction).
[AUTHOR]
No, because that term [i.e., atyasramin] can be explained either as
indicating a person belonging to a special asrama that is very eminent
[atisayita], or as indicating a person belonging to a particular asrama that
is beyond [atikranta] the three beginning with Vedic studentship, or else by
using some other cogent reason. 351 0therwise, the result is that this pas-
sage would openly contradict hundreds of Vedic, smrti , itihasa, and other
authoritative texts whose meaning is perfectly clear.
[OPPONENT]
352By prescribing the abandonment of all duties texts such as the
following do establish the state beyond the asramas: " ... performing only
such actions as are needed for his body's maintenance . .. " [BhG 4.21] ,
" ... he abandons all undertakings ... " [BhG 12.16] , "Having abandoned
all duties . . " [BhG 18.66].
[AUTHOR]
That is incorrect, for in each such instance the beginning and other
indicators of meaning clearly point out the respective object (of the aban -
donment) as either the attachment to fruits , the belief that one is the
author of one's actions, and so forth , or areas of dharma different from
those that (the text) is in the process of enjoining.
353I wish to know , 0 Mighty-armed, the true nature of renuncia-
tion. [BhG 18.1]
350 "By the power of austerity and the favor of god, the wise Svetasvatara
duly spoke about the supreme and pure Brahman to those who had gone beyond
the asramas [atyasramin], that which is pleasing to the company of seers. " SvU
6.21. - 'Not hitherto obtained': i.e., this state beyond the asramas has not been
enjoined previously. The claim, therefore, is that this passage contains a new and
original injunction [a,purvavidhi] .
352 'Beginning and other .. .': Cf. Nrd 157n.
152 Alepakamatabhai1gavada by Vedanta Desika
354To Dhanaiijaya, who had thus approached him with the desire of
understanding the true nature of renunciation and abandonment, the Lord
replied:
355Even these actions , however, should be done only after aban-
doning attachment and the (desire) for the fruits (of those ac-
tions): this, 0 Partha, is my surest and final judgment. [BhG 18.6]
356It is improper to renounce prescribed actions. To abandon
them through delusion is said to constitute the 'Dark' type of
abandonment. [BhG 18.7; cf. below 387]
357, 360Consequently, even statements such as those cited below, though
they are aimed at prohibiting every form of activity, should be explained
by reference either to the liberated condition or to the condition of ecstatic
rapture.
358The man, however, whose delight is but in the self, whose
satisfaction is in the self, and who is totally content in the self, has
nothing that he needs to do. [BhG 3.17]
359For him there is no purpose here in actions done or left undone,
and he has no reliance on any being for any end . [BhG 3.18]
361It is established, therefore , that terms such as 'renunciation' and 'aban-
donment' refer as appropriate either to a particular asrama or to such
things as the attachment to the fruits (of action) and the belief that one
is the author of one's actions, and that they do not amount to libertinism
[cf. Abh 20n].
362Some have obtained immortality not through rites, progeny, or
wealth, but through renunciation. [MNU 227]
Renunciation, indeed, surpasses (all these lower austerities).
[MNU 516]
That is why they say that renunciation has surpassed (all) these
austerities. [MNU 538]
These passages, for example, and others such as those cited below, there-
fore, should also be explained as appropriate either with reference to a
specific dharma and the like, or with reference to such acts as the offering
of one's self.
For what purpose shall we continue to study, for what purpose
shall we continue to sacrifice? [Ait.A 3.2 .6]
357-360 Cf. Pm 178- 9. Here Desika follows Ramanuja's commentary on the

BhG 3.17, where Ramanuja interprets the statement as referring to a person who
has already reached mok§a.
Translation 153
Our world is the self; so what is the use of offspring to us? [BaU
4.4.22]
363Consequently, even ifwe do find a statement on the abandonment of all
asramas , it should be interpreted only according to maxims given above
[cf. 351, 370]. 364 Such a statement, however, does not exist. 3650n the
contrary, the Veda first establishes the asramas in the passage: "There are
three divisions of dharma, " and goes on to declare that immortality is
gained only by the knowers of Brahman who belong to an asrama: "He
who is established in Brahman attains immortality" [ChU 2.23]. 366The
following passage teaches that a knower of Brahman who devotes himself
to the householder's dharma until death does not return to this life:
He, indeed, who conducts himself in that manner all his life
reaches the world of Brahma and he does not return again - he
does not return again. [ChU 8.15.1]
367Passages such as the following, moreover, teach that rites devoid of
knowledge produce temporary results, whereas rites accompanied by
knowledge produce permanent results.
Whosoever, 0 Gargi , without knowing this Imperishable (per-
forms sacrifices, worships, performs austerities in this world for a
thousand years , he obtains from them only a temporary result).
[BaU 3.8.10]
368It is not possible, therefore, to abandon the dharma proper to one's own
varr:ia and asrama at any time during one's life.
369There are other passages which are not found in acknowledged
Vedas and smrtis. Sinful people, because of their devotion to opinions that
accord with their conduct, first interpolate them and then claim to find
them in some PuraJ.laS that are not well known, or whose collections are
lost, or whose beginnings and ends are not determined. These passages are
not admitted in venerable assemblies distinguished for their meticulous
study of express Vedic and other authoritative texts [cf.Pm 61n]. 370Even
if such passages are considered authoritative, they should also be explai-
ned according to the maxim: "(A scriptural text) should be interpreted so
as not to contradict well-known (scriptural texts)."
371 [3] It cannot be the third [cf. above 139n J, because we find no text
that points to the state beyond the asramas [cf. 350-51].
[OPPONENT]
372 In the case of a person liberated in this life, the state of not
belonging to an asrama is established by just presuming the existence of
such a Vedic statement.
154 Alepakamatabhailgavada by Vedanta Desika
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, for that state is without foundation , because (the
doctrine of liberation in this life) has been refuted .
[OPPONENT]
373We can grant that all i'isramas are abandoned by virtue of eternal
liberation.
[AUTHOR]
That is not true, because the treatise containing instructions on the
means of liberation, in the section that deals extensively with this topic,
refutes also that (type of liberation ).
374 [4] The fourth [cf. above 139n ], on the other hand, is utterly
perverse.
[OPPONENT]
375We accept the abandonment of all the asramas, because it has been
done by Gauc;lapada, Hari , and the like.
[AUTHOR]
Look! These prelates - a fallen Brahmin, a Sudra's son, and the like
- are not held up by the learned as examples of proper conduct. You, who
follow their example, are likewise shunned by the learned. 376Moreover, in
that case why don't you accept the doctrines of even the Buddhists, the
materialists, and so forth , for they have been followed by Dhar-
makirti and the like? 377 For even if you follow them your liberation
will not be obstructed!
372 'Presumption' [arthapatti] is a recognized means of cognition [prama~a] in
Mimarµsa. The classical example is that of a man who is fat, although he is never
seen to eat during the day. So we presume that he eats at night . Similarly, here the
express Vedic text [cf. Pm 61n] declares the state of liberation in this life. Then we
must presume that there should be texts lost or unknown to us that prescribe the
state beyond the asramas, because a liberated person is not subject to rules.
~'Refuted' : Vedanta Desika refutes the doctrine ofjfvanmukti in the 31st chapter
of his SatadiisanI.
373 I am·n~t sure what is meant by 'eternal liberation' [nityamukti]. It may
mean that one can abandon the asramas in anticipation of or with respect to the
liberation that will come after death.
375 Hari , in all probability, refers to Bharti;hari. Both Gauc;lapada and Bhar-
ti;hari had a bad reputation in orthodox Brahmin circles. Gauc;lapada was sympa-
thetic to Buddhism, and Bharti;hari is said to have at one time become a Buddhist
monk. Cf. S. DASGUPTA, A History oflndian Philosophy (Reprint; Delhi, 1975), I ,
pp. 423- 424; S. RADHAKRISHNAN, Indian Philosophy (Reprint; New York, 1962),
II, p. 465. .
Translation 155
[OPPONENT]
378That is true; but as long as we live we need to have a livelihood. So
we comport ourselves in a manner that would gratify the people.
[AUTHOR]
At last you have let out this hidden truth! 379This is the secret of the
materialist practice. So by attacking the latter we attack the former also.
380For even you do not openly admit materialists into your assemblies .
Neither do you openly favor the name 'materialist. '
[OPPONENT]
381Surely, you cannot deny that the epithet 'Brahman-knower' is used
with reference to us .
[AUTHOR]
That is right. 382But we maintain that it is founded on an error, and
is , therefore, as meaningless as the contemporary use of 'seer' and other
similar terms among the Digambara Jains and the like.
[OPPONENT]
383Jn holy places you yourself address us as 'knowers of the t ruth .'
[AUTHOR]
So what?
[OPPONENT]
384(We possess) truly the knowledge of the truth.
[AUTHOR]
That is nonsense. We use this title either to mock you or having regard
to times when we gain something by rites that depend on you.
385 [5] It cannot even be the fifth [cf. above 139n], because that would
result in sinfulness [adharma]. 386Y ou contend that you abandon all
dharma because following the dharma of your asrama causes you distress
and you fear that it would disrupt your contemplation of the self. This may
well be a true and sincere statement. Nevertheless, the Vedas, the smrtis ,
and other authoritative texts are enraged when the dharma is neglected by
able men. The certain conclusion, therefore , is that such people must either
renew themselves by performing a penance or fall into hell. 387 For this type
of abandonment is said to be the 'passionate' [cf. 355]:
388If a man abandons an action , deeming it painful, through fear
of bodily distress, his abandonment is the passionate type, and he
shall never reap the fruit of abandonment. [BhG 18.8]
389 [6] The sixth [cf. above 139n J, on the other hand , would be a
splendid reason if the disability is natural and absolutely true, 390for rules
have no force with regard to those who are disabled. 391 There exists no real
disability, however, because, on the one hand, we see no difference between
(you) and other able people who follow the rules, and, on the other, it
contradicts the testimony of your own heart. 392There are, moreover, other
witnesses of human conduct:
393Sun and Moon, Wind and Fire,
Heaven and Earth, Water, one 's heart, and Yama,
Day and Night, both the Twilights, and Dharma -
They know the deeds a man commits. [MBh 1.68.29]
394Even in conditions such as that of a widower it is clear that a person
should practise, for instance, the dharma common to all . If he deviates
from that he has to do a penance, and if he fails to do it he falls into hell.
395 [7] Neither can it be the seventh [cf. above 139n], for, on the one
hand, it is annulled by the entire body of general rules , and, on the other,
it is nowhere specifically stated. It is impossible, therefore, that sins
deliberately committed could ever be non-defiling.
[OPPONENT]
396Surely, you people purify even the lowest born men, calling them
the devotees of the Lord. You too are thus bent on the destruction of
established rules of conduct. Hence this is a feature common to us all. So
what makes you different from us?
[AUTHOR]
That is not true. 397 What is it that you suggest as the cause of this
destruction? a) Is it the respect we show to those men after they have been
liberated by setting up their images, worshipping them , and so forth? b)
Or is it our acknowledgment, by leaving out, for instance, marks of
disrespect in our dealings with them, that while still alive they are superior
to others?
398a) It cannot be the first. Nescience, karmic residues, the connection
to a physical body, and the like have been totally eliminated in them by
the special power derived from worshipping the Lord, and their identity
with the Lord has been made manifest. As such they are not connected to
a particular caste. Treatises on the setting up and the worship of the
images of devotees, nevertheless, note that one should make images of
them corresponding to the appearance they formerly had on earth so as to
exclude other people. Following the authority of the appropriate texts,
these treatises then prescribe from among the teachings on the topic of
Translation 157
worship only that form of worship that is appropriate for each case. Now ,
how can you infer that this causes the destruction of dharma? 399It is
established that, according to the Vedic text: "(They traverse) these
worlds" [TU 3.10.5], these, who in the liberated state are equal to Ananta,
Garuc;la, and Visvaksena, perform such acts as following the Lord.
4oob) It cannot be the second either, because while they are present in
this body the esteem given to them does not go far enough to create such
a destruction. 401w e respect in them the eminence they have achieved over
others in their caste by their devotion to the Lord. 402 But we do not
actually deny as you do the very distinction among castes and so forth.
Such a denial would cause the destruction of the established rules of
conduct. 403It cannot be said that, since we avoid certain types of rela-
tionships with them in accordance with their caste and the like, we should
also show marks of disrespect to them , even though they are devotees of
the Lord. True, as required by time, we avoid contact with them, just as
we do in the case of our own mother who shares female qualities . If we are
to remain faithful to the scriptures, however, it does not follow that we
should show marks of disrespect to them or to her, because they are
eminently qualified to receive mental and verbal expressions of esteem, as
ascertained by hundreds of passages in the Pura.l).as and itihasas, and
statements of the Lord. 404 Now, the Lord has said:
"Let a wise man not treat with contempt my devotees , even
though they may be equal to Sudras ."
4 05All of us assuredly obey the rule that elephants, horses, birds, cattle,
deer, and the like, as well as domestic priests, ministers, generals, queens,
hump-backs , dwarfs, deaf men, and others who have attained a rank of
honor by their association with the king , and who , above all, should not
be treated with contempt, have qualities dissimilar to those native to their
respective classes. There can be no fault , then, when we obey the same rule
also with regard to the people who have resorted to the Lord; the maxim
says: "The Lord, the King of kings , should be treated like a king ."
406It is well known from the Pura.l).as that (these devotees) were
various incarnations of the earliest devotees such as Ananta and Garuc;la.
407 Following the treatises on setting up images of devotees, one should
ascertain that the setting up of their images, their worship, and so forth,
4o3 'Mother' : One avoids contact with one's mother during her monthly
period, yet one does not show disrespect to her.
4o&--40? Here the reference is to low caste devotees who have died and who are
now regarded as saints.
158 Alepakamatabharigavada by Vedanta Desika
are to be carried out in the same way as , for example, those of Rama,
Knn.ia, and the other incarnations of the Lord.
That concludes the Alepakamatabhangavada, the sixty-fifth ar-
gument of the Satadi1sia1;I.

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Translation 117

1To dust indeed I shall reduce their pride,

we shall speak, keeping ourselves at a league's distance. 9Such a course

lOExpiation is unnecessary for anything at all that one does at

an asrama, or [II] not an asrama [cf. below 138]? .

[I. REFUTATION OF ADVAITA RENUNCIATION AS AN ASRAMA]

12If it is the former, is it [A] something different from the four

17 The meaning of this elliptical phrase is unclear . It seems to mean that

2oy ou are, moreover, incapable of performing a penance that is appro-

Indra; friend, protect me," one straight and pleasant bamboo

72 'Such designations': i.e ., clothed [sambara] or naked [digambara].

95 Liberation-in-life [ji'vanmukti] is the subject of criticism in Chapter 31 of

things forbidden results solely from the delight of experiencing Brahman.

[II. REFUTATION OF ADVAITA RENUNCIATION AS A NON-

l3 8The same argument refutes the aversion to forbidden acts even

the contrary, it is explicitly forbidden by hundreds of smrti passages, such

passages such as "Performing actions, . . . " (14 7) as refe:ring to the

attachment, evil cleaves not to him as water cleaves not to a lotus

183Finally he explains that (a knower of the self), though he is truly a

193He whom no one considers either as good or as evil, either as

206"Praise is fatal to the success of yoga, and a yogin who is

243Abandon dharma by abstaining from desire . Abandon adharma

262 The Abh edition reads dharmopabhoga-. I have emended it to dharmyopa-

I do not pine for what is difficult to get. [MBh 12.172.24]

280 He who , although alone, always considers himself complete like

therefore, is that, with regard to food he obtains at random , he has given

320Let a wise man abandon those aspects of his condition associ-

cowherds' wives. 338Blessed Parasara and others, moreover, have shunned

338 Not being subject to karma is a characteristic of God: cf. Ramanuja,

349 If I have been chaste, if I have spoken the truth , and if my

357-360 Cf. Pm 178- 9. Here Desika follows Ramanuja's commentary on the

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