गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

dārāpatya-dhanādayaḥ yat-samparkāt priyā āsaṁs tataḥ ko 'nyaḥ paraḥ priyaḥ "Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society, and all paraphernalia which are very dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who is more dear to us than the Supreme Person?" In this interpretation the word kāma means "happiness" and the dative case is used in the same sense as the previous interpretation. This interpretation means that by the will of the Paramātmā, by the nearness of the Paramātmā, or by the touch of the Paramātmā, even what is ordinarily unpleasant becomes blissful. Therefore when the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad says ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ (The Self should be seen), the word ātmā means the dear Lord Hari. It is not possible to interpret the word ātmā here to mean the jīva because here the primary meaning of ātmā is the supremely powerful Personality of Godhead. To interpret ātmā in any other way would contradict the way the word had been used in the previous passage (vākya-bheda). We do not see how it is possible to interpret ātmā in a way different from the way it was clearly used in the immediately previous passage. In this way the word ātmā in ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ must be the Paramātmā. In both passages (ātmanas tu kāmāya and ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ) the word ātmā cannot mean the jīva, for in these contexts the word ātmā can only refer to Brahman. Although Auḍulomi is a nirguṇa-ātmavādī (impersonalist) as will be explained later on in the words (Vedānta-sūtra 4.4.6) citi tan-mātreṇa tad-ātmakatvād ity auḍulomiḥ (When he is liberated the jīva enters the Supreme Intelligence, for the jīva is actually intelligence only. This the the opinion of Auḍulomi.), still Auḍulomi maintains that in order to dispel ignorance and reveal the true nature of the self Lord Hari should be worshiped, as will be explained in the following words (Vedānta-sūtra 3.4.45): ārtvijyam ity auḍulomis tasmai hi parikrīyate (Just as a Vedic priest is purchased to perform a yajña, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is purchased by His devotees' love). In this way it is proved that pure devotion to Lord Hari fulfills all desires. Our opponent may say: So be it. However, in the same Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (2.4.12) we find the following words: sa yathā saindhava-khilya udake prāptam udakam evānulīyate na hāsyodgrahaṇāyaiva syād yato yatas tv ādīta lavaṇam evaivaṁ vā. are idaṁ mahad bhūtam anantam apāraṁ vijñāna-ghana evaitebhyo bhūtebhyaḥ samutthāya tāny evānuvinaśyati "As a little salt merges into water and cannot be again extracted from it, although the water itself becomes salty, so does this great being, limitless, endless, and full of knowledge, rise from these elements and then vanish into them." How do you reconcile this statement with your interpretation of the word ātmā in this Upaniṣad? Clearly this passage refers to the jīva described in the Kapila- tantra because that is the appropriate interpretation. To answer this doubt he says: