z:\ ambedkar\vol 04\vol4 04.indd MK SJ YS 23 9 2013/YS 8 11 2013 158
158 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
“No one undertakes a sacrificial act unless he is conscious of the fact that he is different from the body and that after death he will go to heaven, where he will enjoy the results of his sacrifices. The Texts dealing with self-knowledge serve merely to enlighten the agent and so are subordinate to sacrificial acts.”
In short Jaimini says that all that Vedanta teaches is that self is different from the body and outlives the body. Such a knowledge is not enough. The Self must have the aspiration to go to Heaven. But it can’t go to heaven unless it performs Vedic sacrifices which is what his Karmakand teaches. Therefore his Karmakand is the only way of Salvation and that the Jnankand from that point of view is quite useless. For this Jaimini relies on the conduct of men who have believed in Vedanta [1] :
“Janaka, emperor of Videha performed a sacrifice in which gifts were freely distributed” (Brih. 3.1.1); “I am going to perform a sacrifice, sirs” (Ch. 5.11.5). Now both Janaka and Asvapati were knowers of the Self. If by this knowledge of the Self they had attained Liberation, there was no need for them to perform sacrifices. But the two texts quoted show that they did perform sacrifices. This proves that it is through sacrificial acts alone that one attains Liberation, and not through the knowledge of the Self as the Vedantins hold.”
Jaimini makes a positive assertion that the scriptures unmistakably declare [2] “that knowledge of the Self stands in a subordinate relation to sacrificial acts.”
Jaimini justifies it because he says [3] :
“the two (knowledge and work) go together (with the departing soul to produce the results.)”
Jaimini refuses to give an independent position to Badarayana’s Jnana kanda. He takes his stands on two grounds.
First [4] “Knowledge of the Self does not independently produce any result.”
Second [5] according to the authority of the Vedas “Knowledge (of Self) stands in a subordinate relation to work.”
This is the position of Jaimini towards Badaryana’s Jnanakanda. What is the position of Badarayana towards Jaimini and his Karma Kanda? This is explained by Badarayana in Sutras 8 to 17.
The first position [6] taken up by Badarayana is that the Self spoken of by Jaimini is the limited self i.e. the soul and is to be distinguished
See Badarayana Sutra 3 and Sankara’s comment.
Badarayana Sutra 4.
See Badarayana Sutra 5.
Badarayana Sutra 6. Shankar’s commentary.
See Badarayana Sutra 7. Shankar’s commentary.
See Badarayana Sutra 8. Shankar’s commentary.