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

[sū. 1. 2. 17. ADH 4] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 119 it is said: 'Listen, O Father Yudhiṣṭhira, to the merits of chastity. He who leads a life of chastity from birth to death, and practises the "Great Vow", there is nothing, know, O King, that is unattainable by him Many millions of Vṛṣis dwell in the world of Brahman, those who are truthful, ever self-controlled, leading a life of chastity Chas- tity is a supreme duty, honoured in all stages of life, and if resorted to, chastity burns, O King, all sins', and so on. In accordance with the scriptural text, viz • 'Desiring which people practice chastity, that word I tell you in brief' (Katha 2.15), as well as in accordance with the statement by the Lord, viz • '“Desiring which people practise chastity, that word I will tell you in brief”' (Gītā 8.11), chastity alone is the chief means to the supreme region. The repetition of the means, to be mentioned hereafter in the aphorism • 'Repetition, more than once, because of teaching' (Br. Sū. 4.1.1), may also be resorted to by a Naisthika. The text 'This verily' (last portion of Praśna 1 10) and so on indicates Brahman, who is to be attained through the path which begins with light, and to be enquired into. (The meaning of the text---Chānd. 4.15.5-6---is as follows·) 'Now', i e. when he is dead, whether people perform proper funeral ceremonies or do not perform them, in either case, the wise, un- obstructed in their progress, and wishing to attain the nature of the Lord, attain the presiding deity of light, through that the day, after that, they successively attain, the presiding deities of fortnight, the six months of the northern progress of the sun, the year, the wind or the world of gods, the sun, the moon, lightning the worlds of the king of water (i.e. Varuṇa) and Indra, then the world of Prajāpati After that, breaking through the sphere of prakṛti, they attain the Virajā, the best of rivers and forming the boundary of the supreme place After having crossed that river and having entered the world of Viṣṇu,—called 'supreme void', 'supreme place', 'world of Brah- man' and so on, having the stated marks,¹ and unapproachable by those who are averse to the Lord,—they roam about, attaining the nature of Brahman,—this is the resulting meaning. This we shall expound in details in the fourth chapter.² 'This is the path of Gods', because it is characterized by having Gods as the conductors. It is the 'path to Brahman', because it is the way to Brahman, the object

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¹ Vide V.K. 1.1.1. ² Vide V.K. 4.3.5.