Anubandha-Catuṣṭaya

While I was going through the commentary of Rāmatīrtha in Maitāyaṇī (Āraṇyaka) Upaniṣad I came across the phrase incorporating siddhāntanubandhacatuṣṭaya. It comes in the context of the passage that establishes the anubandha-catuṣṭaya not merely as a formal introductory convention, but as the logical framework connecting the preceding karma-kāṇḍa with the subsequent jñāna-kāṇḍa. 

The commentary says,

"Thus, through the relation of cause and effect between the preceding and the succeeding, the connection of the ritual section (karma-kāṇḍa) and the knowledge section (jñāna-kāṇḍa) is established. By this, the subject-matter, purpose and qualified aspirant of the subsequent section that is to be explained have been indicated. Since the subject-matter—the reality of one’s own Self—is established by other Vedāntic texts, and is the meaning to be established by the text under explanation, the fourfold preliminary connection (anubandha-catuṣṭaya) is thus established. We shall therefore explain this text section by section according to our understanding."

Anubandha-catuṣṭaya (अनुबन्धचतुष्टय)

This refers to the fourfold introductory factors (or preliminary connections) that every traditional śāstra or text is expected to state at the beginning. They are:

• Adhikārī – the qualified student
• Viṣaya – the subject-matter
• Prayojana – the purpose / goal
• Sambandha – the connection (between the text and the subject, or between the means and the end)

Anubandha-catuṣṭaya (अनुबन्धचतुष्टय) sets out the four essential connections of the teaching: Adhikārī, the qualified aspirant who seeks liberation; Viṣaya, the reality of the innermost Self (pratyagātman) as Brahman; Prayojana, the attainment of the highest human goal, namely liberation and supreme bliss; and Sambandha, the relation by which the teaching of the Self serves as the means to that goal. The Maitrāyaṇīya Upaniṣad presents this knowledge after the ritual section, explaining that ritual action, when performed appropriately and without attachment to its fruits, purifies the inner organ and prepares the aspirant for Self-knowledge. Thus, karma-kāṇḍa functions as a preparatory means, while jñāna-kāṇḍa directly reveals the ultimate reality. The fourfold connection thereby identifies who is qualified, what is to be known, why it is to be known, and how the teaching is related to its purpose.

~R