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

[sū. 1. 4. 18.
ADH 5.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 249
' "Where, O Bālāki, did this person lie ? What, verily, did he become ?
Whence did he return"?' (Kaus 4.19). As Bālāki was unable to
answer the question, Ajātaśatru himself replied. ' "When the sleeping
person sees no dream whatsoever, then in this vital-breath alone he
becomes one ; when he wakes up, . . . then from
this soul all the vital-breaths proceed, each towards its place, from the
vital-breaths the gods, from the gods the worlds" ' (Kaus. 4.20).
On account of such question and answer the Supreme Soul, different
from the individual soul, is to be understood here. The sense is
this : During the period of deep sleep, the soul, having drawn forth
the whole group sense-organs, and having entered into the Supreme
Soul,—denoted by the term 'vital-breath' which stands in apposition
with the pronoun 'this' in the text: 'In this vital-breath' (Kaus
4.19),—becomes self-abiding and tranquil. Then, when time comes,
it goes out from that very vital-breath for undergoing retributive
experiences. This Supreme Soul, celebrated to be the substratum
of deep sleep ¹ and the rest, and different from the individual soul,
is the object to be known,—such is the view of Jaimini as well. The
mention of Jaimini is for the purpose of clearly indicating that the
meaning stated above by us is highly commendable.
"And thus some", i.e the Vājasaneyins designate the Supreme
Soul as different from the individual soul, consisting of intelligence.
There, too, a dialogue between Bālāki and Ajātaśatru has been intro-
duced, containing a question and an answer. The question is: ' "He
who consists of intelligence, what did he become then? Whence did
he come ?"' (Brh. 2.1.16); and the answer is: ' "That which is the
ether within the heart, in that he lies"' (Brh. 2 1.17 ²). That the
ether is the Supreme Soul has been established under the section,
concerned with the text: 'Small is the ether within that' (Chānd.
8.1.1 ³). This difference between the individual soul and the Lord
has been demonstrated before by the author of the aphorisms in many
aphorisms like: 'And on account of the designation of difference'
(Br. Sū 1.1.18 ⁴), etc. Incidentally it is confirmed here too as being
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¹ Vide Br. Sū. 3.2 7.
² The Bālāki Ajātaśatru-samvāda in Brh. 2.1 is exactly similar to that in
Kaus 4, only the latter makes no mention of the ether.
³ Vide Dahara-adhikarana, Br. Sū. 1.3.14-24.
⁴ Vide also Br Sū. 1.1.22, 1 2.4, 1 2 21, 1.2.23, 1.3 5, etc. (The num-
bering is Nimbārka's.)