The Hidden Lives of Brahman: Sankara's Vedanta through His Upanisad Commentaries, in Light of Contemporary Practice

Chapter 7

 Perfecting the Vedic imagination Imagery and Rhetoric in Śaṅkara’s Upāniṣad Commentaries Given the frequent emphasis on aesthetic sensitivity in the Saṁskṛta training described in previous chapters—which enables brāhmaṇas to defend and artfully glorify the brahman-power of vedic rituals and sources, and thus confirms their being “of brahman” (brāhmaṇa)—it is not surprising that Śaṅkara makes distinctively artful and imaginative use of imagery and rhetoric in the TUbh and BUbh. Chapter 4 has already alluded to this art in the language and imagery of Śaṅkara’s prescriptions regarding attending to oneself as food, Prajāpati, and prāṇa; but artful deployment of imagery and words is equally important in passages even more central to Śaṅkara’s teaching, which emphasize brahman’s omnipresent constancy and describe the blindness that obscures it, and thus broaden the view of the TUbh and BUbh provided in part 1. Such passages show that Śaṅkara’s reliance on the imaginative aspect of saṁskāra no doubt strengthens his logical arguments about brahman’s utter transcendence, thus supporting development of discriminating insight. But they also show Śaṅkara valuing artful use of Saṁskṛta words as a uniquely effective means for nurturing the affective qualities of disenchantment with limited enjoyment and yearning for something more. Expanding on Suthren Hirst’s (2005) analysis of the way Śaṅkara supports his logical description of brahman via imaginative use of examples and stories, in this chapter I draw attention to widely overlooked examples of Śaṅkara using literary and rhetorical techniques to enhance his systematic analyses of brahman’s constant nature. Throughout the chapter I correlate Śaṅkara’s use of imagery and rhetoric in the TUbh and BUbh with the features of Saṁskṛta literary culture outlined in chapter 5 and illustrated in diagram 2 of the appendix, using the same enumeration of elements Chapter 7 the hidden lives of brahman 180 to emphasize grammatical and aesthetic features of Śaṅkara’s prose that are commonly eclipsed in translation: (1a) standard inflection of word endings for syntactical coordination, (1b) alliterative resonance, (1c) artful classification of language, (3a-b) coordinated use of nature imagery, and (3c) rhetorical word plays—all (2) coordinated and explained by a teacher commentator.1 My point is not that such correlations are surprising; specialists can no doubt point out similar parallels in the work of most Saṁskṛta authors, who are after all similarly conditioned. Rather I claim that Śaṅkara is uniquely effective in the way he injects attention-grabbing literary and rhetorical techniques, which remain largely hidden until one looks closely at the Saṃskṛta form of his prose, into his analyses of brahman’s nature. Continuing the “nitty-gritty engagement with text and commentary” begun in chapter 4, as urged by Suthren Hirst’s (2005, 5) emphasis on three types of commentary found in Śaṅkara’s works, I once again begin with focus on (i) word glosses and (ii) explanations of the form, context, and content of his source. In the final third of the chapter I also expand the scope of investigation to consider (iii) his “free-standing arguments…taking off from the text and leaving it far behind.” Proceeding through this “nitty-gritty engagement,” I emphasize that, just as the uniqueness of Śaṅkara’s upāsana declarations stem from his focus on upāniṣads, so too his distinctive use of imagery and rhetoric stems in large part from close attention to the striking images, wording and syntax of his vedic sources. As noted in chapter 1, Śaṅkara’s decision to analyze upāniṣads directly, rather than creating or commenting on some secondary work that summarizes their essential features, seems itself to be distinctive. And it is the unique genre of these upāniṣadic sources that most clearly distinguishes works like the TUbh and BUbh from the commentary of not only the Saṁskṛta adhyāpaka guiding students in the study of classical verse, but even of more expert teachers guiding advanced students in the study of grammar, logic, and ritual. To begin with, in comparison with classical poetry, ancient upāniṣads are mostly written in prose, and the verses they do feature are generally simpler than classical ones. With regards to content, as evidenced by the TU and BU examples examined so far, ancient upāniṣads highlight mystical connections between the...