Brahma Sutras – According to Shankara 1-3-3

In the previous section because the epithet ‘Truth’ is generally applied to Brahman, the Bhūman was interpreted as Brahman.

Following the same argument the opponent holds that the word ‘Akṣara’ should mean the syllable ‘Om’ in the texts to be taken up for discussion in this section, for ‘Akṣara’ generally means word or syllable.

“O Gārgī, the Brāhmaṇas call this Akṣara” etc. (Brih. 3. 8. 8).

Here the question is whether ‘Akṣara’ means the syllable ‘Om’ or Brahman.

The doubt arises because ‘Akṣara’ etymologically means a syllable and therefore commonly represents the syllable ‘Om’, which is also an object of meditation.

The Sutra however says ‘Akṣara’ here stands for Brahman. Why?

For the text says, “In that Akṣara, O Gārgī, is the ether woven like warp and woof” (Brih. 3. 8. 11). This attribute of supporting everything, even the Ākāśa, the first entity in the order of creation, can be true only of Brahman.

Then again “it is neither gross nor minute, neither short nor long” etc. (Brih. 3. 8. 8) shows that all relative qualities are absent in it. Therefore the ‘Akṣara’ is Brahman.

 “Under the mighty rule of that Immutable (Akṣara), O Gārgī, the sun and the moon are held in their positions” (Brih. 3. S. 9).

This command or rulership cannot be the work of the non-intelligent Pradhāna. So the Pradhāna cannot be the ‘Akṣara’ which supports everything up to Ākāśa.

All other qualities referred to in the text, as, for example, seeing, hearing, thinking, knowing, etc. (Brih. 3. 8. 11) point to a conscious principle and therefore negate the Pradhāna etc.

Nor can it be the individual soul, which is not free from limiting adjuncts as the Akṣara is described.