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

[SŪ. 1. 2. 1. 92 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.] determination. According to what his determination is in this world, so does he become on departing hence Let him form a determination. He who consists of mind, has the vital-breath for his body, is of the form of light' (Chānd. 3 14.1-2 ¹) and so on. Here, a doubt arises, viz. whether the individual soul ² should be understood as the object to be meditated on, possessed of the attributes of consisting of mind and the rest, or the Highest self. What is reasonable here ? (Prima facie view.) If it be suggested: The individual soul. Why? Because the individual soul is well-known to have the mind and the vital-breath as its instruments, because Scripture declares that Lord Brahman, the Supreme Being, has no connection with mind and the vital-breath, in the passage 'Without the vital-breath, without mind, pure' (Muṇḍ. 2.1.2); and, finally, because having the heart for its abode as well as being atomic, stated in the passage 'This is the soul ³ within the heart, smaller than a grain of rice, or a barley-corn' (Chānd 3.14.3), are possible in the case of the limited individual soul alone. If it be objected: of the six proofs, viz scriptural statement, mark, text, topic, place and name, each succeeding one is weaker than the preceding one. Of these, scriptural statement means an independent statement, and mark means the power of words (to indicate some meaning). Now, here, the scriptural statement, viz.: 'All this, verily, is Brahman' (Chānd. 3.14.1), is of a greater force than the mark of the individual soul, viz consisting of mind and the rest, it being mentioned first, (the rule being that of these six, each preceding one is of a greater force than each succeeding one). Hence, Brahman alone, mentioned above, is to be construed here as the object to be meditated on,―(we reply:) no, because as that text fulfils its purpose simply by teaching, as a means to the attainment of tranquillity, that everything has Brahman for its soul, thus. 'Tranquil, let one meditate', so it is not concerned with laying down any injunction regarding the meditation on Brahman (here ends the original Prima facie view) . . .

---

¹ This passage occurs also in Śat. Br. 10.6.3. It forms a part of the famous Śāṇḍilya-vidyā, or the Doctrine of Śāṇḍilya. For a further account see footnote (5), p. 1078 f. ² 'Kṣetrajña, means 'Knower of the field', or the body, i.e. the soul, the conscious principle in the corporeal frame. ³ Correct quotation. 'Eṣa ma ātmā . . .' Vide Chānd. 3 14.3, p. 158.