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[SŪ. 3. 3. 52.
ADH. 21 ] VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA 693
CORRECT CONCLUSION (Sūtra 52)
SŪTRA 52
“BUT (THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL IS TO BE MEDITATED ON IN ITS
STATE OF RELEASE) DIFFERENT (FROM ITS STATE OF BONDAGE,
AND) NOT (IN ITS STATE OF BONDAGE), BECAUSE OF BECOMING OF
THAT NATURE, AS IN THE CASE OF REALIZATION.”
Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha
¹At the time of meditation, the individual soul is to be conceived
of in its freed state, different from its state of bondage,—since during
release, it is to become of that very form, just as one attains the
Highest Self in accordance with meditation.
Vedānta-kaustubha
With regard to it, we reply:
The word “but” implies emphasis. The individual soul is not
to be conceived of simply in its state of bondage, i.e. simply in its
form of a knower, a doer and so on. On the contrary, it is the real
nature of the soul, in its state of release, possessed of the manifested
attributes of freedom from sins and so on, and possessed of the attri-
butes of being a knower and so on, which is “different” from its
nature in its state of bondage, that is to be conceived of at the time
of meditation. Why? “Because of becoming of that nature,”
i.e. because during the state of release, the soul becomes “of that
nature”, i.e. of the nature of its real form, conceived, in accordance
with Scripture, at the time of meditation,² “As in the case of realiza-
tion”. That is, just as there is the realization of Brahman in accord-
ance with meditation, so is the case here, as declared by the scriptural
texts: “As the purpose of man is in this world, so will he be on depart-
ing” (Chānd. 3.14.1). “Howsoever he meditates on him, such alone
he becomes” (Śat. Br. 10.5.2, 20 ³). Hence it is established that during
¹ The C.S.S. ed. adds “Tan na”—“that is not so”, p. 68.
² I.e. the form which is meditated on during bondage is the form which is
attained later on during salvation.
³ P. 725, line 13. Cf. a very similar passage in Mudg. 3, p. 384, lines 8-9.