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

12 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA [SŪ. 1. 1. 1.
ADH. 1.]
form of an Ego, has its very nature, existence and activity under the
control of the Lord, is atomic in size, different in every body; and
subject to bondage and release. As has been said: 'The individual
soul is of the nature of knowledge, under the control of the Lord, fit
to be associated with and dissociated from a body, atomic, different
in every body, possessed of the quality of being a knower and that
which they call, endless But through the grace of the Lord, verily
they know it, the form of which is associated with beginningless Māyā ¹
The (ever-) free, the bound and the bound-freed,² (such are the three-
broad classes of souls), and then again it should be known that there
is a multitude of divisions (of these, viz. the ever-free, etc.)'. (D.Ś.
1-2).³ There are scriptural and Smṛti texts, as well as aphorisms to
this effect, viz.: 'Verily, different from this (soul) consisting of the
mind is another internal soul, consisting of intelligence' (Tait. 2.4),
'Just as a lump of salt is without an inside and an outside, and is
entirely a mass of savour simply, so, verily, O! this self is without
an inside or an outside, and is entirely a mass of intelligence simply'
(Bṛh. 4.5.13), 'Here this person becomes self-illuminating' (Bṛh
4 3.9 14), 'O! undecaying, verily, is this self, possessing indestructible-
ness as its attribute' (Bṛh. 4.5.14), 'Now he who knows: "Let me
smell this", which self is he?' 'This person who among the senses
is made of knowledge, who is the light within the heart' (Bṛh. 4.3.7).
'This, verily, is the person of the essence of intelligence who sees,
. . . . hears, tastes, smells, thinks and knows' (Praśna 4 9),⁴
'There is, verily, no cessation of the seeing of the seer, because it
(i.e. the soul) is indestructible; there is, verily, no cessation of the
hearing of the hearer, because it is indestructible; there is, verily, no
cessation of the thinking of the thinker, because it is indestructible;
there is, verily, no cessation of the knowing of the knower, because it
is indestructible' (Bṛh. 4 3.23), '"By whom, O! should the knower
be known?"' (Bṛh 2 4.14, 4.5.15), 'This person simply knows',
'The seer does not see death, nor disease, nor, again, suffering'
¹ That is, the real nature of the soul is distorted through its connection
with māyā or matter and karma, yet individuals can know the real nature of
their selves through the grace of the Lord See V.R.M., pp. 20-21.
² That is, the souls which were bound once, but are freed now
³ For details, see V.R.M.
⁴ Quotation incomplete. The correct quotation is ' . . who sees, touches,
hears, smells, tastes, thinks, knows and acts'. Vide Praśna 4.9, pp. 41-42.