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

[SŪ. 3. 2. 27.
ADH. 6.] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 553
as referring to the relevant portion only ¹ The serpent, having the
form of a rope and the material constituting the coil, is the cause ,
and analogous to it is Brahman, endowed with all powers, and the
one non-different efficient and material cause of the world. The coil,
having the form of a bracelet, is the effect; and analogous to it is
the Universe, consisting of the corporeal and the incorporeal, the
effect. Among these, the coil is dependent on another, something to
be pervaded and an effect; while in contrast to it, the serpent is
self-dependent, the pervader and the cause Hence there is a
difference between the two. And, since the coil has no existence
and activity apart from the serpent, it is non-different as well from the
serpent. In the same way, the Universe, the effect of Brahman who
is possessed of the powers of the sentient and the non-sentient, is both
different and non-different from Brahman, the cause. There is a multi-
tude of scriptural texts in conformity with the aphorisms, viz "Two
birds, close friends" (Ṛg. V. 1.164 20 ²; Mund. 31.1, Śvet. 4.6), "Think-
ing the Mover and the soul to be separate" (Śvet. 1.6), "And all this,
verily, is Brahman" (Chānd. 3.14.1), "All this has that for its soul"
(Chānd. 6.8.6, etc.), "Brahman alone is all this" (Nṛ. Ut. 7), "The soul
alone is all this" (Chānd. 7.26.1) and so on. The sense is that there
can be no negation of the corporeal and the incorporeal, because they
have Brahman for their soul.
COMPARISON
Śaṃkara and Bhāskara
This is sūtra 28 in Bhāskara's commentary.
They take this sūtra as stating a prima facie view regarding the
relation between Brahman and the individual soul, i.e. how to reconcile
the texts designating difference and those designating non-difference.
Hence the sūtra: "But on account of the designation of both (i.e.
because in Scripture we meet with two kinds of texts, one designating
difference, the other non-difference), (the individual soul is both
different and non-different from Brahman), like the serpent and the
coil". That is, the snake is one as a whole, yet is different, as having
¹ As shown under V.K. 3.2.20-21.
² P. 146, line 1.