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

[SŪ. 2. 3. 32. 426 VEDĀNTA-PĀRIJĀTA-SAURABHA ADH. 10.] Adhikaraṇa 10: The section entitled "The agent". (Sūtras 32-39) SŪTRA 32 "(THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL IS) AN AGENT, BECAUSE OF SCRIPTURE HAVING A SENSE." Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha The soul indeed is "an agent", because the scriptural texts, informing us about the means to enjoyment and salvation, such as 'One desiring heaven should perform a sacrifice' (Tait. Saṃ. 2.5.5 ¹), 'One desiring salvation should worship Brahman' ² and so on, have a sense. Vedānta-kaustubha Now incidentally, the problem whether the soul is an agent is being discussed. On the doubt, viz. whether the individual soul is an agent or not,—if the prima facie view be as follows: In the Kaṭha-vallī it is denied that the individual soul is an agent, thus: 'If the killer thinks to kill, if the killed thinks himself killed, both these do not know. This one does not kill, nor is killed' (Kaṭha. 2.19); and it has been declared by the Lord too: '"All actions are done by the guṇas of prakṛti. The soul, deluded by egoism, thinks: 'I am the agent' "' (Gītā 3.27). Hence, the guṇas alone are agents, but never the soul,— We reply: The soul alone is the agent. Why? "Because of Scripture having a sense", i.e. because the scriptural texts, teaching the means which are dependent on sentient beings, subject to enjoyment and salvation, viz. 'Only doing works here, let one desire to live a hundred years' (Īśā. 2), 'One desiring heaven should perform sacrifices' (Tait. Saṃ. 2.5.5), 'One desiring salvation should worship Brahman', 'Let one worship calmly' (Chānd. 3.14.1) and so on, have a sense. If those non-sentient objects (viz. the guṇas) be the agent, the scriptural texts teaching the means must be senseless. The (above-quoted) scriptural text, on the other hand, shows that the soul being eternal cannot be killed; but it is not by any means ¹ R, B, p. 208, line 27, vol. 2. ² R. B.