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

432 VEDĀNTA-PĀRIJĀTA-SAURABHA [SŪ. 2. 3. 39.
ADH. 10.]
SŪTRA 39
"AND LIKE A CARPENTER, IN BOTH WAYS "
Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha
The soul acts or does not act according to its own wish, "like a
carpenter", and as such a situation is possible "in both ways". If
buddhi be the agent, then there being the absence of desire and the
like on its part, there will be the absence of such a situation.
Vedānta-kaustubha
The soul,—the nature of which is to act or abstain from acting, and
which is possessed of the attributes of 'being an agent' and so on, lasting
so long as it itself does,—though connected with a group of instruments
like speech and the like, performs action or does not perform action
according to its wish, and thus if the soul be an agent a situation is
possible "in both ways",—just as a carpenter, though provided with
instruments like axe and the rest, constructs chariots, etc., according to
his wish. But acting or refraining from action is not possible on the
part of buddhi, which is an instrument like the axe, by reason of its
non-sentience. On account of the eternity of its proximity to a
sentient being, as well as on account of the absence, on its part,—of
any desire—the cause of action or inaction,—there must be either
eternal activity or eternal non-activity, on its part. Hence, it is
established that the soul alone is the agent.
Here ends the section entitled "The agent" (10).
COMPARISON
Śaṃkara and Bhāskara
This is sūtra 40 in their commentaries. Interpretation absolutely
different. They take it to be forming an adhikaraṇa by itself, con-
cerned with the question whether the individual soul is an agent by
nature or as connected with limiting adjuncts, and accept the second
alternative. Hence the parallel instance: "i e. yathā ca takṣā"
is interpreted differently by them thus: In ordinary life a carpenter
is miserable and so long as he is an agent, i.e. works with his tools,