The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1
Religion
The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankaracarya: Sacred Books of the East, Volume 1
Vedanta
It has been declared (in the preceding Sutra) that the small (ether) is
the highest Lord, on account of the reasons contained in the subsequent
passages. These subsequent reasons are now set forth.--For this reason
also the small (ether) can be the highest Lord only, because the passage
complementary to the passage concerning the small (ether) contains a
mention of going and a word, both of which intimate the highest Lord. In
the first place, we read (Ch. Up. VIII, 3, 2), 'All these creatures, day
after day going into that Brahma-world, do not discover it.' This
passage which refers back, by means of the word 'Brahma-world,' to the
small ether which forms the general subject-matter, speaks of the going
to it of the creatures, i.e. the individual souls, wherefrom we conclude
that the small (ether) is Brahman. For this going of the individual
souls into Brahman, which takes place day after day in the state of deep
sleep, is seen, i.e. is met with in another scriptural passage, viz. Ch.
Up. VI, 8, 1, 'He becomes united with the True,' &c. In ordinary life
also we say of a man who lies in deep sleep, 'he has become Brahman,'
'he is gone into the state of Brahman.'--In the second place, the word
'Brahma-world,' which is here applied to the small (ether) under
discussion, excludes all thought of the individual soul or the elemental
ether, and thus gives us to understand that the small (ether) is
Brahman.--But could not the word 'Brahma-world' convey as well the idea
of the world of him whose throne is the lotus[185]?--It might do so
indeed, if we explained the compound 'Brahma-world' as 'the world of
Brahman.' But if we explain it on the ground of the coordination of both
members of the compound--so that 'Brahma-world' denotes that world which
is Brahman--then it conveys the idea of the highest Brahman only.--And
that daily going (of the souls) into Brahman (mentioned above) is,
moreover, an inferential sign for explaining the compound
'Brahma-world,' on the ground of the co-ordination of its two
constituent members. For it would be impossible to assume that all those
creatures daily go into the world of the effected (lower) Brahman; which
world is commonly called the Satyaloka, i.e. the world of the True.
16. And on account of the supporting also (attributed to it), (the small
ether must be the Lord) because that greatness is observed in him
(according to other scriptural passages).
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