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

[SŪ 1. 4. 6. ADH 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 223 and so on. Then, having obtained the knowledge of the fire, taught thus · ‘ “I tell it to you, learn it from me, knowing the heavenly fire, O Naciketas ! The attainment of the infinite world, and the support’ ” (Kaṭha 1 14) and so on, he,—by means of a question regarding the real nature of salvation, characterized by the attainment of the Supreme Soul, the highest end of men,—asked, as the third boon, about the real nature of the object to be attained, the real nature of the attainer and the real nature of meditation, the means, thus: “ ‘When a man is dead there is this doubt, some saying that he is, others that he is not. This may I know, taught by you, this is the third among the boons’ ” (Kaṭha 1.20) Thus, when the real nature of salvation was asked thus, the reply given by Yama, preceded by an examination of Naciketas's fitness for that teaching, was as follows: “ ‘Him, who is difficult to be seen, who is hidden, who has entered within, who is hidden in the cave and who dwells in the abyss, by knowing Him as God through the knowledge of the Yoga relating to the soul, a wise man discards joy and sorrow’ ” (Kaṭha 2 12) Having been thus taught, in a general manner, Naciketas with a view to understanding clearly the real nature of the object to be attained, indicated by the word ‘God’, the real nature of the means, viz. knowledge, demonstrated by the phrase ‘by knowing’, and the real nature of the attainer, demonstrated by the words ‘wise man’, once more asked about meditation, different from means like merit and demerit, thus: “ ‘Different from the right, different from the non-right’ ” (Kaṭha 2.14); about the object to be approached, not limited by time, thus “ ‘Different from what has been done and what has not been done, different from what has been and what will be’ ” (Kaṭha 2.14); and also about the attainer, as this latter question is a question about the attainer, the sentient being as well, the latter, too, being eternal and included among the objects to be attained.¹ Or else, this text is concerned with a question about the object to be approached. Like the co-ordination of the two words ‘different’, mentioned in the text “ ‘Different from the right, different from non- right’ ” (Kaṭha 2.14), there is also a co-ordination between the two words ‘different’, mentioned subsequently, and so in this question

¹ That is, the last portion of Kaṭha 2 14 is a question about both Brahman, the object to be attained, and the individual soul, the attainer, since the latter, too, is eternal and an object to be attained like the former.