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

[sū. 1. 2 22. ADH. 6.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 129

‘Imperishable’ in the first passage, then how can the text: ‘Higher than the Imperishable, the Light’ (Muṇḍ 2.1.2) be possible, it being impossible for one to be higher than one’s own self, and there being no reality higher than Brahman, the Imperishable, the cause of the world and the topic of discussion, as evident from the declaration by the Lord Himself, viz. ‘“There is nothing else, higher than me, O Dhanañjaya” ’ (Gītā 7.7), as well as from the scriptural text: ‘There is nothing higher than the Person’ (Kaṭha 3.11)² Hence, let either pradhāna or the individual soul be the meaning of the word ‘Imperish- able’, mentioned first, (Muṇḍ. 1.1.5), and let the Highest Self, higher than that high Imperishable, be omniscient,— (We reply.) Not so, because the word ‘Imperishable’, mentioned for the second time, (Muṇḍ. 2 1 5) does not refer to the Highest Self Thus, from the knowledge, called ‘higher’,—mentioned in the passage· ‘The higher is that whereby that Imperishable is apprehended’ (Muṇḍ. 1 1.5),—it is gathered that the Imperishable is the Highest Brahman alone, since no other knowledge, except that of Brahman, can be high. Thus, having begun with the Highest Self, denoted by the word ‘Imperishable’ and celebrated in the texts · ‘He teaches in truth that knowledge of Brahman whereby one knows the Imperish- able, the Person, the True’ (Muṇḍ. 1.2.13), ‘As the hairs and the body-hairs arise from a living person, so from the Imperishable arises this Universe’ (Muṇḍ. 1 1 7), ‘As from a well-lit fire thousands of sparks of a similar form emit forth, so do, my dear, manifold existences from the Imperishable’ (Muṇḍ. 2.1.1) and so on, and with the Imper- ishable, possessed of the attributes of invisibility and the rest, in the passage: ‘Now, the higher is that whereby that Imperishable is known’ (Muṇḍ. 1 1 5), Scripture, with a view to demonstrating His qualities and nature, designates Him once more as ‘higher’ than the ‘Imperish- able’, i.e than the individual soul which is His own part; as well as than the ‘high’, i e. pradhāna which His own power,—i.e. designates Him as their source and controller. Or, else, the ‘Imperishable’ is that which pervades the mass of its own modifications; ‘higher’ than that imperishable is pradhāna which is superior to its own modifica- tions; and ‘higher’ than this pradhāna is the Highest Self. Or, else, the Supreme Person is ‘higher’ than the Person within the aggregate (or Hiraṇyagarbha) who is higher than the Imperishable, viz. pradhāna, —this is the sense