RIDDLE NO. 9
HOW THE UPANISHADS CAME TO BE MADE SUBORDINATE TO THE VEDAS ?
In the preceding chapter it was shown that originally the Upanishads were not a part of the Vedas and that the two in the matter of doctrine were opposed to each other. It is instructive to compare the later relations between the Vedas and the Upanishads. The later relations between them are best illustrated by the controversy between two philosophers, Jaimini and Badarayana.
Jaimini is the author of a work called the Mimamsa Sutras while Badarayana is the author of Brahma Sutras. Jaimini is an upholder of the Vedas and Badarayana is an upholder of the Upanishads.
The point of dispute was—Is it necessary to perform sacrifices ? The Vedas say ‘yes’ and the Upanishads say ‘no’.
The position of Jaimini is stated by Badarayana in his Sutras 2-7, and explained by Shankaracharya in his commentary.
Jaimini contends that [1 ] :
“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 result 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 outlive 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 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 [2 ] :
1 See Badarayana Sutra 2 and Shankara’s comment on it.
2 See Badarayana Sutra 3 and Shankara’s comment.
‘Jaimini versus Badarayana’ was the title given to this chapter which was later scored out. This is a 9-page typed MS with modifications in the first two pages by the author.—Ed.