गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

Introduction By Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Viṣaya---In the First Chapter was proved that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is faultless, is the master of unlimited inconceivable potencies, has
unlimited transcendental virtues, is the Supersoul present everywhere, is different
from everything, is the creator of the material world and the ingredient of which
the creation is made, is the controller and master of everything, is the object of
Vedānta study, and is described by all the Vedas.
In the Second Chapter the arguments claiming that this Vedānta philosophy is
contradicted by the smṛti- śāstra and by logic will be refuted, the sāṅkhya theory
that pradhāna is the original cause of creation will be refuted with clear logic, and
the Vedānta explanation of creation will be proved to be the only truth. These are
the topics that will be described. In the beginning the idea that the śruti-śāstra
contradicts the Vedānta view will be refuted.
Saṁśaya---Is the view that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original
cause of everything refuted by the sāṅkhya-smṛti or not?
Pūrvapakṣa---According to Vedanta philosophy the saṅkhya-smṛti is untrue.
The saṅkhya smṛti was written by the great sage Kapila as a commentary to explain
the jñāna-kāṇḍa portion of the Vedas. He hoped in this way to teach the path of
liberation. Kapila firmly approved of the agnihotra-yajñas and other rituals
described in the karma-kāṇḍa portion of the Vedas. The śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad
(5.2) glorifies him in the words ṛṣiṁ prasūtaṁ kapilaṁ (the great sage Kapila). In
his Kapila-smṛti, which contains statements like atha tri-vidha-duḥkhātyanta-
nivṛttir atyanta-puruṣārthaḥ (the complete cessation of the threefold miseries of
the material world is the ultimate goal of human life) and na dṛṣṭārtha-siddhir
nivṛtter apy anuvṛtti-darśanāt (The threefold miseries cannot be completely
stopped by any method seen in this world, for whenever they are stopped it is seen
that they always return) he explained in the words vimukta-mokṣārthaṁ svārthaṁ
vā pradhānasya (the pradhāna creates the material world either to fulfill the living
entities' material desires or grant them liberation), the words acetanatve 'pi
kṣīravac ceṣṭitaṁ pradhānasya (although it is lifeless and unconscious, the
pradhāna creates this world just as milk spontaneously creates cheese), and other
statements of his writings, the truth that insentient pradhāna is the independent
creator of the material universes. If the idea that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the original cause of everything is accepted, then the statements of the
Kapila-smṛti must be held to be useless. This is especially so because the Kapila-
smṛti is a book of philosophy with the understanding of the ultimate truth as its
sole objective. For this reason the Vedānta texts must be interpreted in such a way
that they do not contradict the great Kapila-smṛti. This interpretation, even if it
contradicts the Manu-smṛti and other smṛti- śāstras would not make these
scriptures useless. Because these scriptures explain the karma-kāṇḍa portion of the
Vedas, and because they explain the path of dharma (and not theoretical
philosophy), they would not be made useless by contradicting their philosophical