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

[SŪ. 2. 3. 17. ADH 7.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 409 the scriptural texts: ‘A wise man is neither born nor dies’ (Kaṭha 2.18 ¹), ‘Eternal among the eternal’ (Kaṭha. 5 13 ²), ‘An unborn one, verily, lies by, enjoying’ (Śvet. 4 5 ³) and so on, the eternity of the individual soul is known. Vedānta-kaustubha If it be argued In conformity with the texts: ‘One desirous of heaven should perform sacrifices’ (Tait Saṁ. 2 5 5 ⁴), etc , which lay down the means to attaining lordship in the next world, let the designa- tion: ‘Devadatta is born and dead’ refer to the birth and death of the body. But like the ether and the rest, birth and death must pertain to the individual soul as well at the time of creation and dissolution (respectively). Thus there is no conflict whatsoever with any text.— We reply: “Not, the soul, on account of non-mention in Scripture”. The singular number ‘soul’ implies the class,⁵ in accordance with the scriptural text teaching the plurality of souls, viz. ‘Eternal among the eternal, conscious among the conscious’ (Kaṭha. 5.13, Śvet. 6.13), and in accordance with the aphorism, to be mentioned hereafter, viz. “And on account of non-continuity, there is no confusion” (Br. Sū. 2 3 48). The soul is not born, nor dies. Why? ‘On account of non-mention in Scripture’, i.e. because there are no scriptural texts designating the birth and death (of the soul) at the time of creation and dissolution; and, because on the contrary, “the eternity” of the soul is known “therefrom”, i e. from the scriptural texts like: ‘“Imperishable, verily, O ! is this soul, possessing the virtue of being indestructible”’ (Bṛh. 4.5.14), ‘A wise man is neither born, nor dies’ (Kaṭha. 2.8), ‘Eternal among the eternal, the conscious among the conscious, the one among the many, who bestows objects of desires’ (Kaṭha. 5.13; Śvet. 6.13), ‘The two unborn ones, the knower and the non-knower, the lord and the non-lord’ (Śvet 1.9), ‘One unborn one, verily, lies by, enjoying Another unborn one leaves her who has been enjoyed’ (Śvet. 4.5) and so on; as well as from the following Smṛti passages, viz. ‘“Nor at any time, verily, was

¹ Ś, R, Śk, B. ² R, Śk, B. ³ Not quoted by others. ⁴ P. 208, line 27, vol. 2. ⁵ And not that there is only one soul.