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

[SŪ. 3. 3. 19. 610 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 6.] With whatever thought he departs from this world, that he becomes on departing to the other world. Let him meditate on the self, consist- ing of mind, having the breath for its body, of the form of light, having true resolves, having the ether for its soul" ¹ (Śat. Br. 10.6.3, 1-2 ²). In that very branch, i.e. in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, that medita- tion is recorded once again thus: "This person within this heart consists of mind, is of the nature of light, is like a grain of rice or a barley-corn. He, verily, is the ruler of all, the Lord of all, governs all this, whatsoever there is" (Bṛh. 5.6.1). Here the doubt is as to whether the two vidyās mentioned in the 'Mystery of Fire' and Bṛhadāraṇyaka are identical or not. The suggestion being that on account of repetition the vidyās are different, just as on account of the five-fold repetition, the preliminary offerings are so, — We reply: Just as the vidyās mentioned in different branches are the same, and consequently their special features are combined, so "in the same", i.e. in the same branch, the vidyās are identical, and conse- quently their special features are combined. Why? "On account of non-difference," i.e. because of the identity, in both the places, of the objects to be meditated on, viz. (the selves) endowed with the attributes of consisting of mind and the rest. If it be objected: There may be identity of vidyās in both the cases, and the combination of the attributes like 'being the ruler of all' and so on. But the laying down, over again, of (the attributes like) 'consisting of mind' and the rest does not stand to reason, — for if there be the laying down of the unknown attributes in one place, then the realization of our purpose results simply through a combination of them elsewhere.³ — ¹ The phrase 'having the ether for its soul' is put immediately after 'of the form of light'. The text really is: " . . . . having the form of light, having the ether for its soul, changing its shape at will, swift as thought, having true resolves, having true purposes . . . ." ² P. 806, lines 14-16. Cf. a very similar Śāṇḍilya-vidyā in Chānd. 3.14.1-4. ³ I.e. the attributes like 'being the ruler of all', etc., mentioned in the Bṛh., but not in the Śat. Br., — are to be inserted in the latter, and as such they serve a useful purpose. But the attributes like 'consisting of mind', etc. — mentioned in both the Bṛh. and Śat. Br. — are mere useless repetitions, serving no purpose.