The Vedânta-Sûtras, Part II, with the Commentary by Sankarâkârya — SBE Vol. 38

time, viz. whether any restrictive rules exist or not. — Against the view of those who maintain that such rules exist because we have analogous rules concerning the locality, &c., of Vedic works, the Sutrakara remarks that all rules concerning direction, place, and time depend on the aim merely ; that is to say : Let a man meditate at whatever time, in whatever place and facing whatever region, he may with ease manage to concentrate his mind. For while scripture prescribes an easterly direction, the time of forenoon, and a spot sloping towards the east for certain sacrifices, no such specific rules are recorded for meditation, since the requisite concentration may be managed indifferently anywhere. — But, an objection is raised, some passages record such specific rules, as e. g. the following one, ' Let a man apply himself (to meditation) in a level and clean place, free from pebbles, fire and dust, noises, standing water, and the like, favourable to the mind, not infested by what hurts the eyes, full of caves and shelters' (Svet. Up. II, 10). — Such particular rules are met with indeed ; but the teacher being friendlyminded says that there is no binding rule as to the particulars mentioned therein. The clause 'favourable to the mind' moreover shows that meditation may be carried on wherever concentration of the mind may be attained.

1 2. Up to death (meditations have to be repeated) ; for then also it is thus seen in scripture.

The first adhikara;za (of the present adhyaya) has established that repetition is to be observed with regard to all meditations. But now a distinction is made. Those meditations which aim at complete knowledge, terminate — in the same way as the beating of the rice grains is terminated by the husks becoming detached from the grains — with their effect being accomplished ; for as soon as the effect, i. e. perfect knowledge, has been obtained, no further effort can be commanded, since scriptural instruction does not apply to him who knows that Brahman — which is not the object of injunction — constitutes his Self. On the other hand a doubt arises whether the devotee is to repeat those meditations which aim at certain forms ofp. 352 exaltation for a certain time only and then may stop ; or whether he is to repeat them again and again as long as he lives.

Here the purvapakshin maintains that such meditations are to be carried on for some time only and then to be given up, since this satisfies the demands of those scriptural passages which teach meditations distinguished by repetition.

To this we make the following reply. The devotee is to reiterate those meditations up to his death, since the supersensuous result (of such meditations) is reached by means of the extreme meditation. For such works also as originate a fruit to be enjoyed in a future state of existence presuppose, at the time of death, a creative cognition analogous to the fruit to be produced ; as appears from such passages as, 'Endowed with knowledge (i.e. the conception of the fruit to be obtained) he (i.e. the individual soul) goes after that (viz. the fruit) which is connected with that knowledge' (Brz. Up. IV, 4, 2) ; ' Whatever his thought (at the time of death), with that he goes into Pra;^a, and the Pra;za united with light, together with the individual Self, leads on to the world as conceived (at the moment of death)' (Pr. Up. IV, 2, 10). This also follows from the comparison to the caterpillar (Bri. Up. IV, 4, 3). But the meditations under discussion do not, at the time of death, require any other creative cognition but a repetition of themselves. Such meditations therefore as consist in the creative conception of a fruit to be obtained must be repeated up to the moment of death. Analogously the scriptural text, ^at. Bra. X, 6, 3, 1 — 'With whatever thought he passes away from this world ' — declares that the meditation extends up to the time of death. Similarly Smrz'ti says, ' Remembering whatever form of being he in the end leaves this body, into that same form he ever passes, assimilated to its being' (Bha. Gita VIII, 6) ; and 'At the time of death with unmoved mind' (Bha. Gita VIII, 10). And that at the moment of death also there remains something to be done, tlie scriptural passage (K/i. Up. Ill, 17, 6) also proves. ' Let a man, at the time of death, take refuge with this triad.'