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CHAPTER IV This is called अलातशान्ति, presumably after the simile of the अलात (fire-brand ) used in the text ( 47-50 ). It contains one hundred Karikás, and may be said to give the quintessence of Gaudapāda's teachings. It also contains a मङ्गलाचरण containing a salutation to द्विपदां वर (which expression is generally taken to refer to Nārāyana by some, and to Gautama Buddha by others ), inany a Buddhistic philosophic term and a reasoned exposition of Ajătivāda (see Introduction for a detailed exposition of these topics ). K. bhāşya thus introduces this Prakarana:- ओङ्कारनिर्णयद्वारेणागमत: प्रतिज्ञातस्याद्वैतस्य बाह्मविषय भेदवैतथ्याच्च सिद्धस्य पुनरद्वैते शास्त्रयुक्तिभ्यां निर्धारितस्यैतदुत्तमं सत्यमित्युपसंहारः कृतः । अन्ते तस्यैतस्यागमार्थस्याद्वैतदर्शनस्य प्रतिपक्षमता द्वैतिनो वैनाशिकाश्च तेषां चान्योन्यविरोधात्रागद्वेषादिक्लेशास्पदं दर्शनमिति मिथ्यादर्शनत्वं सूचितम् । क्लेशानास्पदत्वात्सम्यग्दर्शनमित्यद्वैतदर्शनं स्तूयते । तदिह विस्तरेणान्योन्यविरुद्धतयासम्यग्दर्शनत्वं प्रदर्श्य तत्प्रतिषेधेनाद्वैतदर्शनसिद्धिरूपसंहर्तव्याऽऽवीतन्यायेनेत्यलातशान्तिरारभ्यते I धर्मान्-आत्मन: (K. bhäşya, ); objects, elements of existence ( Prof. Vidhuśekhara ). It does not matter what meaning is assigned to धर्म, for धर्म and धर्मिन्are one and the same, according to Advaita view. Both ज्ञान and धर्म are like आकाश; the common property being जरामरणविमुक्ताय referred to in Karikā 10 below), अमलिनत्व implied in III. 8 above ), अभिस्रज्य referred to in III. 6 above ), अनादित्व (referred to in Kärikä 91 below). ज्ञेयाभिन्नेन a is usually taken as going with ज्ञानेन; we think that it should be taken as उपलक्षणे तृतीया, used as a kind of adverbial clause, who realised the धर्मs as being not different from the ज्ञेय, thar is, Brahman'. In III. 33, is already declared to be ब्रह्मन्. Gaudapāda salutes in this Kárikā the द्विपदां वर at (best amongst men or bipeds ) who realised by his आकाश-like ज्ञान, the आकाश-like धर्म as being not different from ब्रह्मन्. Whatever the exact reference to द्विपदां वर, it could not be Gautama Buddha who is meant, for Brahman could not be said to have been realised by Buddha. द्विपरां वर-It is true that this expression is usually associated with Buddha in Buddhistic literature, but so are the epithets, विनायक, गणेश, नारायण, etc. The MBh. uses द्विपदावर to refer to नैषध, धृतराष्ट्र and नारायण. द्विपदां वर can not claim exclusive association with बुद्ध in any case. Anandagiri says that नारायण is meant here (आचार्यों हि पुरा बदरिकाश्रमे नरनारायणाधिष्ठिते नारायणं भगवन्तमभिप्रेत्य तपो महदतप्यत । ततो भगवानतिप्रसन्नस्तस्मै विद्यां
