Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 34 — The Vedanta-Sutras, Part I (Sankara/Thibaut, page scans)

aration that the fruit of its cognition is immortality. For that immortality is the fruit of the knowledge of Brahman is known, for instance, from the mantra, ' A man who knows him only passes over death, there is no other path to go ' (vSVet. Up. VI, 15). — That immortality which the piirvapakshin asserts to be sometimes represented as the fruit of the knowledge of the air is a merely relative one ; for there (i.e. in the chapter from which the passage is quoted) at first the highest Self is spoken of, by means of a new topic being started (Bri. Up. Ill, 4), and thereupon the inferior nature of the air and so on is referred to. (' Everything else is evil.5)— That in the passage under discussion the highest Self is meant appears finally from the general subjectmatter ; for the question (asked by Naâketas in I, 2, 14, * That which thou seest as neither this nor that, as neither effect nor cause, as neither past nor future tell me that ') refers to the highest Self.

40. The light (is Brahman), on account of that
(Brahman) being seen (in the scriptural passage).

We read in Scripture, ' Thus does that serene being, arising from this body, appear in its own form as soon as it has approached the highest light' {Kh. Up. VIII, 13, 3). Here the doubt arises whether the word ' light ' denotes the (physical) light, which is the object of sight and dispels darkness, or the highest Brahman.

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The purvapakshin maintains that the word ' light ' denotes the well-known (physical) light, because that is the conventional sense of the world. For while it is to be admitted that in another passage, discussed under I, 1, 24, the word 'light' does, owing to the general topic of the chapter, divest itself of its ordinary meaning and denote Brahman, there is in our passage no similar reason for setting the ordinary meaning aside. Moreover, it is stated in the chapter treating of the nadis of the body, that a man going to final release reaches the sun (' When he departs from this body then he departs upwards by those very rays ; ' Kk. Up. VIII, 6, 5). Hence we conclude that the word 'light' denotes, in our passage, the ordinary light.

To this we make the following reply. — The word ' light ' can denote the highest Brahman only, on account of that being seen. We see that in the whole chapter Brahman is carried on as the topic of discussion. For the Self, which is free from sin, &c.

light.

To this we make the following reply. — The word ' light ' can denote the highest Brahman only, on account of that being seen. We see that in the whole chapter Brahman is carried on as the topic of discussion. For the Self, which is free from sin, &c. is introduced as the general subjectmatter in VIII, 7, 1 (' the Self which is free from sin ') ; it is thereupon set forth as that which is to be searched out and to be understood (VIII, 7, 1); it is carried on by means of the clauses, 'I shall explain that further to you' (VIII, 9, 3 ff.) ; after that freedom from body is said to belong to it, because it is one with light (' when he is free from the body then neither pleasure nor pain touches him,' VIII, 13, 1) — and freedom from body is not possible outside Brahman — and it is finally qualified as 'the highest light, the highest person ' (VIII, 13, 3). — Against the statement, made by the purvapakshin, that Scripture speaks of a man going to release as reaching the sun, we remark that the release there referred to is not the ultimate one, since it is said to be connected with going and departing upwards. That the ultimate release has nothing to do with going and departing upwards we shall show later on.

41. The ether is (Brahman), as it is designated as something different, &c. (from name and form).

Scripture says, c He who is called ether (aklra) is the revealer of all forms and names. That within which thesep. 233 forms and names are contained is the Brahman, the Immortal, the Self ' {Kh. Up. VIII, 14, 1).

There arising a doubt whether that which here is called ether is the highest Brahman or the ordinary elemental ether, the purvapakshin declares that the latter alternative is to be embraced, firstly, because it is founded on the conventional meaning of the word 'ether ;' and, secondly, because the circumstance of revealing names and forms can very well be reconciled with the elemental ether, as that which affords room (for all things). Moreover, the passage contains no clear indicatory mark of Brahman, such as creative power, and the like.

To this we reply, that the word c ether ' can here denote the highest Brahman only, because it is designated as a different thing, &c. For the clause, £That within which these two are contained is Brahman,' designates the ether as something different from names and forms. But, excepting Brahman, there is nothing whatever different from name and form, since the entire world of effects is evolved exclusively by names and forms.

hich these two are contained is Brahman,' designates the ether as something different from names and forms. But, excepting Brahman, there is nothing whatever different from name and form, since the entire world of effects is evolved exclusively by names and forms. Moreover, the complete revealing of names and forms cannot be accomplished by anything else but Brahman, according to the text which declares Brahman's creative agency, ' Let me enter (into those beings) with this living Self (^iva atman), and evolve names and forms ' (Kk. Up. VI, 3, 2). But — it may be said — from this very passage it is apparent that the living Self also (i. e. the individual soul) possesses revealing power with regard to names and forms. — True, we reply, but what the passage really wishes to intimate, is the non-difference (of the individual soul from the highest Self). And the very statement concerning the revealing of names and forms implies the statement of signs indicatory of Brahman, viz. creative power and the like. — Moreover, the terms 'the Brahman, the Immortal, the Self (VIII, 14) indicate that Brahman is spoken of.

42. And (on account of the designation) (of the highest Self) as different (from the individual soul) in the states of deep sleep and departing.

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In the sixth prapd^aka of the BnTiaddra^yaka there is given, in reply to the question, ' Who is that Self ? ' a lengthy exposition of the nature of the Self, ' He who is within the heart, among the pri/zas, the person of light, consisting of knowledge' (Bri. Up. IV, 3, 7). Here the doubt arises, whether the passage merely aims at making an additional statement about the nature of the transmigrating soul (known already from other sources), or at establishing the nature of the non-transmigrating Self.

The purvapakshin maintains that the passage is concerned with the nature of the transmigrating soul, on account of the introductory and concluding statements. For the introductory statement, ' He among the pr&«as who consists of knowledge,' contains marks indicatory of the embodied soul, and so likewise the concluding passage, ' And that great unborn Self is he who consists of cognition,' &c. (IV, 4, 22). We must therefore adhere to the same subjectmatter in the intermediate passages also, and look on them as setting forth the same embodied Self, represented in its different states, viz. the waking state, and so on.

In reply to this, we maintain that the passage aims only at giving information about the highest Lord, not at making additional statements about the embodied soul.