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

[sū. 1. 1] 13. ADH. 6.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 55 (Chānd. 6 2.1) and the rest, all refer to Brahman. Now, the author is showing that the texts about that which consists of bliss and the rest also refer to Brahman who, as possessed of unsurpassed bliss, is different in nature from the class of sentient beings also. In the Taittirīya, four sheaths, viz. that which consists of food, that which consists of the vital-breath, that which consists of mind, and that which consists of understanding, are spoken of in a successive order; and after that it is said: 'Verily, other than and within that which consists of understanding is the self which consists of bliss. By that this is filled' (Tait 2.5) Here a doubt arises, viz. whether by the words 'consisting of bliss', the individual soul is denoted or the Supreme Soul. What is reasonable here? If it be suggested, As in the passage: 'Of him is this very embodied soul which belongs to the previous one' (Tait. 2 5), an embodied soul is mentioned, as in another scriptural text: 'May my (sheaths) consisting of food, con- sisting of the vital-breath, consisting of the mind, consisting of under- standing and consisting of bliss, be purified' (Mahānār. 20 21) it is said that what consists of bliss is something to be purified, and as it is impossible for the ever-pure Supreme Soul to be something to be purified, so that which consists of bliss is the individual soul,— We reply: "that which consists of bliss" is the Highest self alone, possessed of unsurpassed bliss Why? 'On account of repetition', i e. because the word 'bliss' has been repeated many times (in Scrip- ture) in reference to the Highest Self alone, the Highest Person, in texts like: 'If there were not bliss in the ether, for this alone causes bliss' (Tait. 2 7),¹ 'He knows that Brahman is bliss' (Tait. 3.6) and so on; and because, beginning thus: 'This is an investigation into bliss' (Tait. 2.8), the concluding text: 'Knowing the bliss of Brahman, he does not fear from anything' (Tait. 2.8), is found to end by establishing that the bliss of Brahman alone is unsurpassable and illimitable. If it be said that here there is the repetition of the word 'bliss' ² only, and not of the words 'consisting of bliss' ³—(we reply) no, be- cause just as in the passage: 'In spring, he performs the jyoti-sacrifice' ¹ Complete quotation · 'For who indeed would breathe, who would live, if there were not this bliss in the ether' and so on Vide Tait. 2.7, p 70. ² Ānanda ³ Ānanda-maya.