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

Sūtra 18 anvayād iti cet syād avadhāraṇāt anvayāt—because of the connotation; iti—thus; cet—if; syāt—may be; avadhāraṇāt—because of the understanding. If it is said, "This inference cannot be made," then I reply, "It is right, for that is the understanding here". Purport by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Here someone may object: It is not possible to conclude, merely on the strength of the following passages, that the word "ātma" here refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, in the previous passages the word "ātmā" referred to inanimate matter as well as the individual spirit souls. If this is said, then the sūtra replies: "syāt" (It is right.) This means: It is right that the word “ātmā" here refers to the all-pervading, all-knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead. Why is that? The sūtra explains: “avadhāraṇāt" (for that is the understanding here). In the previous passages the word "ātmā" clearly referred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There it was said (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.5.1): tasmād vā etasmād ātmanaḥ "The Supersoul is full of bliss. From Him this world has come." To interpret the word "ātmā" in any other way would do violence to the meditation described in this passage about the Ānandamaya-puruṣa. In this passage, passing over the prāṇamaya-puruṣa and the other puruṣas, one comes to rest at the description of the Ānandamaya-puruṣa, who is certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As one may point to the star Arundhatī by first pointing to other stars as reference points, so the description of these other ātmās is meant to lead the reader to the Ānandamaya-puruṣa, who is the Supreme. Thus the passages that precede and follow the parable of the bird clearly show that the ātmā here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus it is proved without doubt.