वेदान्त पारिजात सौरभ (भगवद् निम्बार्काचार्य - द्वैताद्वैत वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

486 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA [SŪ. 3. 1. 8 ADH. 2.] the six months of the northern progress of the sun, the world of fathers, the ether and the moon,¹ i e. through the order: the moon, the ether, the air, smoke, mist, cloud and rain ² Why ? "On account of what is seen and Smṛti." 'What is seen' means Scripture, and it declares the descent of the soul as possessed of the remnants of its works thus: 'Then those who are of a pleasant conduct here,—the prospect is indeed that they will attain a pleasant birth, the birth of a Brāhmaṇa, or the birth of Kṣatriya, or the birth of a Vaiśya Now, who are of a stinking conduct here,—the prospect is indeed that they will attain a stinking birth, the birth of a dog, or the birth of a pig, or the birth of a Caṇḍāla' ³ (Chānd. 5 10.7). The sense is: 'Those who are of a pleasant conduct', i.e. those who perform good deeds, when re-descended here from heaven, attain the births of a Brāhmaṇa and the rest But 'those who are of a stinking conduct', i e. those who perform contemptible deeds, having returned here from hell, attain the births of dogs, pigs, and the rest Smṛti too declares the descent of the soul as possessed of the remnants of its works thus· 'Men of (different) castes and stages of life, who are devoted to their own works, having departed and having undergone the fruits of works, attain, through the remnant of these, births in distinguished castes and families, endowed with beauty, longevity, scriptural knowledge, wealth, happiness and intelligence' (G.D.S. 11 29). COMPARISON Bhāskara Reading slightly different, viz. he leaves out the "Ca".⁴ Baladeva He divides this sūtra into two separate sūtras,—thus· "Kṛtā'tyaye . . ." and "Yathetam . . . ca" ⁵ ¹ Vide Chānd. 5.10.3-4. This is, the order of ascent. ² Vide Chānd. 5.10.5-6. That is, the order of descent is partly similar ("Yathetam") to that of ascent, and partly dissimilar ("anevam ") to it. The two journeys are alike, as in both cases the soul passes through the moon, the ether and smoke; but different, as the descending soul passes through the air and does not pass through the world of fathers and the rest of the stages of ascent. Vide also Bṛh. 6 2.16—exactly similar account given. ³ An outcaste, born of a Brāhmaṇa mother and a Śūdra father. ⁴ Bh. B 3.1.8, p. 154. ⁵ G.B 3.1.8.