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

[SŪ. 1. 4. 6.
222 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 1.]
Vedānta-kaustubha
Here pradhāna cannot be understood by the term 'unmanifest',
since here in the Kaṭha-valli, "there is statement about three alone",—
viz. the Supreme Soul, the worship of Him, and the worshipper,—
as the objects to be designated, "as well as question" about them as
the objects to be known, but not about pradhāna and the rest, estab-
lished by the Sāṁkhya-tantra. Thus, when three boons were promised
to Naciketas by Death with the words: ' "Since you have passed three
days in my house without eating, O Brāhmaṇa, a guest to be saluted,
salute to you, O Brāhmaṇa, may it be well with me, therefore choose
three boons for each (night)' " (Kaṭha 1.9), the former asked for the
propitiation of his father as the first boon thus: ' "May Gautama be
tranquil-minded, well-disposed, with anger appeased towards me,
O Death! May he cheerfully greet me, when dismissed by you,—
thus I choose as the first boon among the three' " (Kaṭha 1.10) Then,
being granted the propitiation of his father with the words: ' "Aud-
dālaka Āruni, dismissed by me ¹, will be cheerful as before, he will
sleep happily at nights, with his anger appeased' " (Kaṭha 1.11) and
so on, he asked for the knowledge of fire, called Naciketas, and a
means to salvation, thus: ' "You know, O Death, the heavenly fire;
tell it to me, who has faith. Those who live in the heaven-world
partake of immortality—this I ask as the second boon' " (Kaṭha 1.13).
The construction of the above text is as follows: 'O Death!' 'You
know', i.e. remember and know, the 'heavenly fire', i.e. the fire
which leads to salvation. So 'tell that to me', desirous as I am of
salvation. I choose as the second boon that knowledge of the fire,
whereby 'those who live in the heaven-world', i.e. those to whom
belong the heaven-world, viz. the world to be approached by the freed
souls through the path beginning with light as stated in the fourth
chapter ², or the Vedāntins, 'partake of', i.e. attain, 'immortality'
or salvation. Here the word 'heaven' applies to salvation equally,
this being well-known from other texts as well, such as, 'The world
of heaven is a golden sheath, covered with light', 'The knowers of
Brahman go to Brahman, to the world of heaven' (Bṛh. 4.4.8 ³)
¹ That is, commanded by me. Vide Ś.B on Kaṭha: 'Matprasṛṣṭaḥ mayā
anujñātaḥ san'.
² Vide Br. Sū. 4.3.1 et seq.
³ Correct quotation: 'Tena dhīrāḥ apiyanti brahma-vidaḥ svargaṁ lokam'.
Vide Bṛh 4.4.8, p. 237.