The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48
Religion
The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48
Vedanta
The two, entered into the cave and drinking their reward, are neither
the embodied soul together with the vital breath, nor the embodied soul
together with the buddhi; it is rather the embodied Self and the highest
Self which are designated by those terms. For this is seen, i.e. it is
seen that in that section the individual Self and the highest Self only
are spoken of as entered into the cave. To the highest Self there refers
I, 2, 12, 'The wise who by meditation on his Self recognises the Ancient
who is difficult to see, who has entered into the dark, who is hidden in
the cave, who dwells in the abyss, as God, he indeed leaves joy and
sorrow far behind.' And to the individual soul there refers I, 4, 7,
'Who is together with the vital breath, who is Aditi, who is made of the
deities, who entering into the cave abides therein, who was born
variously through the elements.' Aditi here means the individual soul
which enjoys (atti) the fruits of its works; which is associated with
the vital breath; which is made of the deities, i.e. whose enjoyment is
dependent on the different sense-organs; which abides in the hollow of
the heart; and which, being connected with the elementary substances,
earth, and so on, is born in various forms--human, divine, &c.--That the
text speaks of the two Selfs as drinking their reward (while actually
the individual soul only does so) is to be understood in the same way as
the phrase 'there go the umbrella-bearers' (one of whom only carries the
umbrella). Or else we may account for this on the ground that both are
agents with regard to the drinking, in so far as the 'drinking'
individual soul is caused to drink by the highest Self.
12. And on account of distinctive qualities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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