sarbani sarkar rath

On Parä and Aparä

From Muëòakopaniñad

First Part Section 1

` äüa devana< àwm> sMbÉUv

ivñSy ktaR ÉuvnSy gaeÝa,

s äüiv*a< svRiv*aàitóam!

AwvaRy JyeópuÇay àah.

om brahmä devänäà prathamaù sambabhüva

viçvasya kartä bhuvanasya goptä|

sa brahmavidyäà sarvavidyäpratiñöhäm

atharväya jyeñöhaputräya präha|| 1:1:1

Translation: Brahmä, the creator and protector of the world, manifested first among the Gods at his own will. He instructed his eldest son Atharväë on Brahmavidyä, which is the foundation upon which all other knowledge is established.

AwvR[e ya< àvdet äüa-

wvaR ta< puraevacaiÁgre büiv*am!,

s ÉarÖajay sTyvhay àah

ÉarÖajae=iÁgrse pravram!.

atharvaëe yäà pravadeta brahmä-

tharvä täà puroväcäïgire bahmavidyäm|

sa bhäradväjäya satyavahäya präha

bhäradväjo'ïgirase parävaräm|| 1:1:2

Translation: Atharväë passed on this instructions on Brahmavidyä to Aìgirä, who in turn taught it to Satyavaha of Bharadväja gotra. Satyavaha passed it down in his parampara and finally the knowledge came back to Aìgirasa.

zaEnkae hvE mhazalae=iÁgrsm! ivixvÊpsÚ> prCD,

kimÚu Égvae iv}ate svimd< iv}at< ÉvtIit.

çaunako havai mahäçälo'ïgirasam vidhivadupasannaù paraccha|

kaminnu bhagavo vijïäte savamidaà vijïätaà bhavatéti|| 1:1:3

Translation: Çaunaka, the great householder, approached Aìgirasa with the requisite çastras and asked him, “Which is that thing, by knowing which, everything can be known?”

tSmE s! haevac, Öe iv*e veidtVye #it h Sm ydœ äüivdae vdiNt pra cEvapra c.

tasmai s hoväca| dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma yad brahmavido vadanti parä caiväparä ca|| 1:1:4

Translation: Aìgirasa replied, that according to the Brahmavids there are only two things to be known; namely, parä and aparä.

 tÇa pra \Gvedae yjuveRd> samvedae=wvRved> iz]a kLpae Vyakr[< iné´< DNdae Jyaeit;imit, Aw pra yya td]rmixgMyte.

taträ parä ågvedo yajurvedaù sämavedo'tharvavedaù çikñä kalpo vyäkaraëaà niruktaà chando jyotiñamiti| atha parä yayä tadakñaramadhigamyate|| 1:1:5

Translation: Of these, Åg Veda, Yajur Veda, Säma Veda, Atharva Veda, Çikñä, Kalpa, Vyäkaraëa, Nirukta, Chanda and Jyotiña are aparä. Parä is that by which one can realise/attain the Akñara (Brahma).

Çaìkarabhäñyam

 tÇ ka ApreTyuCyte \Gvedae yjuveRdœ> samvedae=wvRved> #Tyete cTvarae veda> iz]a kLpae Vyakr[< iné´< cNdae Jyaeiti:mTy¼ain ;–fe;apra iv*ae´a,

Aw #danIm! #y< pra iv*a %Cyte yya tTv]mai{vze;[m! A]rm! AixgMyte àaPyte AixpUvRSy gme> àayz> àaÞywRTvat!, n c pràaÝervgmawRSy c Éedae=iSt, Aiv*aya Apay @v ih pr àaiÝnaRwaRNtrm!,

nnu \Gvedaidbaýa tihR sa kw< pra iv*a SyaNmae]saxn< c, ya veÓaýa Sm&tyae yaí kaí k…†òy> #it ih SmriNt, k…†iòTvaiÚ:)LTvadnadeya Syat!, %pin;da< c \GvedaidbaýTv< Syat!, \GvedaidTve t! p&wkœ kr{mnwRkm! Aw pra #it,

n ve*iv;yiv}anSy ivvi]tTvat!, %pin;Öe*a]riv;y< ih iv}animh pra iv*eit àaxaNyen ivvi]t< naepin;CDBdraiz>, vedzBden tu svRÇ zBdraizivRvi]t>, zBdrZyixgme=ip yÆaNtrmNtre[ guvRiÉgmnaidl][m! vEraGy< c na]raixgm> sMÉvtIit p&wkœ kr[< äüiv*aya> pra iv*eit.

tatra kä aparetyucyate ågvedo yajurvedù sämavedo'tharvavedaù ityete catväro vedäù çikñä kalpo vyäkaraëaà niruktaà cando jyotiñmityaìgäni ñaåeñäparä vidyoktä|

atha idäném iyaà parä vidyä ucyate yayä tatvakñamäëviçeñaëam akñaram adhigamyate präpyate adhipürvasya gameù präyaçaù präptyarthatvät| na ca parapräpteravagamärthasya ca bhedo'sti| avidyäyä apäya eva hi para präptirnärthäntaram|

nanu ågvedädibähyä tarhi sä kathaà parä vidyä syänmokñasädhanaà ca| yä vedbähyä småtayo yäçca käçca kudåñöayaù iti hi smaranti| kudåñöitvänniñphaltvädanädeyä syät| upaniñadäà ca ågvedädibähyatvaà syät| ågvedäditve t påthak karaëmanarthakam atha parä iti|

na vedyaviñayavijïänasya vivakñitatvät| upaniñadvedyäkñaraviñayaà hi vijïänamiha parä vidyeti prädhänyena vivakñitaà nopaniñacchabdaräçiù| vedaçabdena tu sarvatra çabdaräçirvivakñitaù| çabdaraçyadhigame'pi yatnäntaramantareëa gurvabhigamanädilakñaëam vairägyaà ca näkñarädhigamaù sambhavatéti påthak karaëaà brahmavidyäyäù parä vidyeti||

Translation: Out of these which are the Aparä vidyä? In answer he says, Åg Veda, Yajur Veda, Säma Veda and Atharva Veda, the four Vedas and Çikñä, Kalpa, Vyäkaraëa, Nirukta, Chanda and Jyotiña, these six Vedäìgas, are the Aparä vidyä.

Then it is being said, that Parä Vidyä is that by which the Brahma, whom I will describe later, is attined. Because ‘adhi’ pürvak ‘gam’ dhätu usually means to ‘attain’. There is no difference in meaning between ‘attaining’ the Brahma and ‘perceiving’ the Brahma. Because it is by suppressing the avidyä that one attains the Brahma, there is no other way.

The apprehension is this that if Parä vidyä is outside the Åg Veda etc. then how can one call it Parä vidyä and the sädhana for mokña? The Småtis have said that all the books out side the Vedas are untrue, fruitless and tämasik. So Parä vidyä will be ignored as false and useless and the Upaniñads will be considered to exist outside the Vedas. If Parä vidyä is inside the Åg Vedas etc. then there would not have been any need to speak about it as separate from the Vedas etc. 

No, that is not what is happening. Because Parä vidyä is perceiving/realising the Knowable. Meaning, that the experience of perception/realization of the Brahma from the Upaniñads and the Vedas is what is intended to be expressed (vivakñita), not the collection of words that are the Upaniñads. As for Veda, everywhere it implies a heap of words. But all though these collection of words gives an idea of the Brahma, the realisation/perception of the Brahma is not possible without going to a guru and subsequent vairägya (aversion to worldly attachments/asceticism). Hence, the experience of perception/realisation that comes from Brahma related knowledge is called Parä vidyä separately.

Note: Later, in his commentary on çloka 1.2.1 he has differentiated between Karma related Aparä and Brahma related Aparä, as all Aparä knowledge does not lead to the attainment of the Brahma or Parä vidyä. He says that only the vidyäs mentioned in çloka 1:1:5 can lead one towards the attainment of the Brahma.