गोविन्द भाष्य (श्रील बलदेव विद्याभूषण - अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद वेदान्त ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य सटीक)

reached and understood only by loving devotional service. Those who thus serve
Him and understand Him may become free from having to repeatedly accept
various material bodies for continued residence in the material world. They
become liberated from this world, and obtain eternal spiritual bodies with which
to serve Him."
—5.14
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead grants eternal transcendental bliss to
His devotees is confirmed by the following statement of Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad
(1.5):
taṁ pīṭha-sthaṁ ye tu yajanti dhīrās
teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ netareṣām
"The saintly devotees who worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the
spiritual world attain eternal transcendental bliss. Except for them no others can
attain this eternal bliss."
This uselessness of the temporary benefits obtained by following the material
piety of the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas will be described in the third chapter
of this Vedānta-sūtra.
This may be summed up by saying: One who has studied the Vedas, Upavedas,
and Upaniṣads, understood them, associated with a self-realized soul, and in this
way understood the difference between the temporary and the eternal, who has
lost all attraction for the temporary and chosen the eternal, becomes a student of
the four chapters of Vedānta-sūtra.
It cannot be said that simply by completely studying and understanding the
karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas one will naturally take up the study of Vedānta-
sūtra. They who have studied karma-kāṇḍa but not associated with saintly
devotees do not become eager to understand Brahman. On the other hand, they
who have not studied karma-kāṇḍa, but who have become purified by association
with saintly devotees, naturally become attracted to understand Brahman.
Neither can it be said that simply by understanding the difference between the
temporary and the eternal, and simply by attaining the four qualities of saintly
persons, one will become attracted to understand Brahman. These things are not
enough. However, if one attains the association of a self-realized soul and follows
his instructions, then these ordinarily difficult-to-attain qualifications are
automatically attained at once.
Three kinds of persons inquire into the nature of Brahman: 1. Sa-niṣṭha (they
who faithfully perform their duties); 2. Pariniṣṭha (they who act philantropically
for the benefit of all living entities); and 3. Nirapek\sa (they who are rapt in
meditation and aloof from the activities of this world). According to their own
respective abilities all these persons understand the nature of Brahman. They
become more and more purified, and they eventually attain the association of
Brahman.
At this point someone may raise the following objection: Is it not so that the
words oṁ and atha are auspicious sounds that sprang from Lord Brahmā's throat in
ancient times? Is it not also so that these words are traditionally used at the