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

[SŪ. 4. 3. 2.
838 VEDĀNTA-KAUSTUBHA ADH. 2.]
"on account of non-specification and specification", i.e. because in
the text: "He comes to the world of fire, to the world of air" (Kauṣ.
1 3) the air is taught non-specifically, and because the text : "There
it makes way for him like the hole of a chariot-wheel. Through it he
ascends higher up. He comes to the sun" (Bṛh. 5.10.1 ¹), contains,
a specification
Vedānta-kaustubha
It has been said that everywhere the same path is designated,
viz. the one beginning with light. Now the process of arranging
its stages, mentioned in different places, is being determined.
In the Bṛhadāraṇyaka-text. "From the months to the world
of gods, from the world of gods to the sun" (Bṛh. 6.2.15), the world
of gods is mentioned in between the months and the sun. But in
the Chāndogya-text: "From the months to the year, from the year
to the sun" (Chānd 4.15.5), the year is mentioned in between these
two. These two (viz the world of gods and the year) are to be
mutually combined, the path being the same in both the cases. The
year is to be placed in between the months and the world of gods,
mentioned in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, since the order being day, after
that the fortnight, then the six months,—the year is appropriate after
the months.² The world of gods is to be placed in between the year
and the sun, mentioned in the Chāndogya.³
This being so, in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka-text: "When, verily, a
person departs from this world, he comes to the world of air. There
it makes way for him like the hole of a chariot-wheel Through it he
goes up. He comes to the sun" (Bṛh. 5.10 1), the air is mentioned
before the sun. But in the Kauṣītaki-text: "Having reached this
path of gods, he comes to the world of fire, to the world of air" (Kauṣ.
1.3), the air is mentioned immediately after fire, consisting in light and
denoted by the words 'world of fire'. Here the doubt is as to whether
the knower goes to the air immediately after fire consisting in light,
¹ Op. cit.
² Here the progress is from shorter periods of time to longer ones.
³ Thus the preliminary order is: light, day, bright fortnight, six months
of the northern progress of the sun, year, world of gods, sun. This, first of all,
explains away the apparent inconsistency between Bṛh. 6.2.15 and Chānd.
4.15.5.