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

[Sū. 3. 4. 18. ADH 1.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 729 OPPONENT'S VIEW (Sūtra 18) SŪTRA 18 "(THERE IS ONLY) A REFERENCE (TO THOSE STAGES OF LIFE), JAIMINI (THINKS SO), ON ACCOUNT OF THERE BEING NO INJUNC- TION, FOR (SCRIPTURE) CONDEMNS (SUCH STAGES OF LIFE)." Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha In the text: "There are three branches of religious duty" (Chānd. 2.23.1¹), there is only a re-mention of those stages of life, in view of the fact that there is no injunctive word there Also as the text: "He who extinguishes the gods" (Tait. Sam 1.5 2 ²) contains a condemnation of other stages of life, such stages are not to be adopted,—such is the view of "Jaimini". Vedānta-kaustubha The statement that such stages of life are mentioned in scriptural texts and hence they exist,—is not justifiable, since when the section concerned with the injunction about the worship of the Sāman ³ has been fully expounded, Scripture, changing the subject, makes "a reference", i.e. a re-mention simply, in the text: "There are three branches of religious duty" (Chānd. 2.23.1), of those stages of life which are celebrated in Smṛti, with a view to eulogizing a separate meditation on Brahman as the praṇava, that being the subject of discussion; but does not enjoin them. Why? "On account of the absence of any injunctive text." And, scriptural texts like: "He who extinguishes the fire is the slayer of the hero among the gods" (Tait. Saṃ. 1.5.2), "After having brought an acceptable gift to the teacher do not cut off the line of progeny" (Tait. 1.11), "He who is childless does not possess the world" (Ait. Br. 33.1 ⁴) and so on, "condemn" other stages of life. Hence the stage of a house-holder is to be adopted and not other stages,—so the teacher "Jaimini" thinks. 1 Ś., R., Bh., Śk. 2 P. 57, lines 5-6, vol. 1. Ś., R., Bh., Śk. 3 Vide Chānd. 2.22. 4 P. 838, Ānandāśrama sans. series ed.