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

[SŪ. 1. 1. 29.
82 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 11.]
3.1), i.e. having considered the boon 'yourself', 'choose', i e. give that
'to me' Thus told by Pratardana, Indra said " 'I am the vital-
breath, the intelligent Self Worship me, as life, as immortality' "
(Kauṣ 3.2); and again, later on. ' "The vital-breath, verily, is the in-
telligent self that taking hold of this body, makes it stand up' "
(Kauṣ. 3 3), " 'Let none desire to enquire after speech, but let him
know the speaker' " (Kauṣ. 3 8), and in conclusion also: ' "Now,
this vital-breath itself, forsooth, is the intelligent self, bliss, ageless
and immortal' " (Kauṣ. 3.8). Here, the doubt is, viz. whether a
certain individual soul is denoted by the words 'Indra' and 'vital-
breath', or the Highest Self ? What is reasonable here ?
The prima facie view is As the word 'Indra' is well-known to
be denoting an individual soul entrusted with a certain office, and as
there is a text regarding the object denotable by the term 'Indra', viz.
" 'I am the vital-breath' " (Kauṣ. 3.2),—the word 'vital-breath' also
denotes 'Indra'. From the text: " 'Worship me as life, as immor-
tality' " (Kauṣ. 3.2), he alone is known here as the object to be
worshipped.
With regard to this, the correct conclusion is as follows "The
vital-breath", i e the meaning of the word 'vital-breath' and what
is denoted by the words 'Indra' and the rest accompanying it, are the
Highest Self alone. Why? ' "On account of intelligibility in that
way," ' i e. because qualities like 'highest auspiciousness', 'being the
intelligent self', 'bliss', 'agelessness' and the rest are intelligible ' "in
that way" ', i.e. only if the Highest Self be understood. Thus, first,
it is said in the beginning 'The son of Divodāsa went to the beloved
abode of Indra' ¹ (Kauṣ. 3.1), where Indra, conceiving the dependence
of his own self on Brahman for its existence and activity, did not
think: 'I am Indra'; but, being merged in the bliss of Brahman and
conceiving that the sentient and the non-sentient objects have Brahman
as their self, reflected: 'Brahman, alone, is all this, I am Brahman';
and looked upon even those who had committed sins as his own self.
And, the object to be attained by the Self (viz. Indra) and by those
who were equal to the Self (viz. all other beings whom Indra looked
upon as his self) was Brahman alone; the means thereto being simply
the worship of His feet. Indra told to Pratardana, who had arrived
there, i.e. at his so-beloved place: 'Choose a boon'. And, thus
¹ The word 'tāvat' is not included in the quotation.