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On the path beginning with light, that being known.
The Sûtras now go on to determine the road which the soul of the wise man follows, after having—assisted by the Perso…
From the year to Vâyu; on account of non-specification and specification.
In their description of the path beginning with light the Chandogas mention the year between the months and the sun, …
year, 4. sun). The year and the world of the Gods are equally entitled—to the place after the months in so far as textual declaration goes; for both texts say 'from the months.' But we observe that the advance is throughout from the shorter periods of time to the longer ones ('from the day to the bright fortnight, from the bright fortnight to the six months of the northern progress'), and as therefore the year naturally presents itself to the mind immediately after the six months, we decide that the order is—months, year, world of the Gods, sun.—In another place (Bri. Up. V, 10) the Vâjasaneyins mention the wind as the stage preceding the sun ('the wind makes room for him—he mounts upwards; he comes to the sun'). The Kaushîtakins, on the other hand, place the world of the wind subsequent to light, referred to by them as the world of Agni ('Having entered on the path of the Gods he comes to the world of Agni, to the world of the wind,' &c., Kau. Up. I, 3). Now in this latter text the fact of the world of the wind following upon light is to be inferred only from the succession of the clauses ('to the world of Agni'—'to the world of the wind'), while the 'upwards' in the text of the Vâjasaneyins is a direct statement of succession given by the text itself; and as this latter order of succession has greater force than the former, we have to place, in the series of stages, the world of Vâyu directly before the world of the sun. But above we have determined that the same place (after the year and before the sun) has to be assigned to the world of the Gods also; and hence a doubt arises whether the world of the Gods and Vâyu are two different things—the soul of the wise man passing by them in optional succession—or one and the same thing—the soul coming, after the year, to Vâyu who is the world of the Gods.—They are different things, the Pûrvapakshin says; for they are generally known to be so. And there are definite indications in the text that the world of the Gods as well as Vâyu is to be placed immediately before the sun—this being indicated for Vâyu by the 'upwards' referred to above, and for the world of the Gods by the ablative case (devalokât) in the Chând. text, 'from the world of the Gods he goes to the sun'—and as thus there is no difference between the two, we conclude that the soul passes by them in either order it may choose.—This view the Sûtra negatives: 'From the year to Vâyu.' The soul, having departed from the year, comes to Vâyu. This is proved 'by non-specification and specification.' For the term 'the world of the Gods' is a term of general meaning, and hence can denote Vâyu in so far as being the world of the Gods; while on the other hand the term Vâyu specifically denotes that divine being only. The Kaushîtakins speak of 'the world of Vâyu'; but this only means 'Vâyu who at the same time is a world.' That Vâyu may be viewed as the world of the Gods is confirmed by another scriptural passage, viz. 'he who blows (Vâyu) is the houses of the Gods. '—Here terminates the adhikarana of 'Vâyu.'
3. Beyond lightning there is Varuna, on account of connexion. According to the text of the Kaushîtakins the soul goes…
Conductors, this being indicated.
The decision here is that light, Vâyu, and the rest mentioned in the texts as connected with the soul's progress on t…
From thence by him only who belongs to lightning, the text stating that.
The only leader from lightning up to Brahman is the not-human person connected with lightning; for the text states th…
(Him who meditates on) the effected Brahman, (thus opines) Bâdari; because for him going is possible.
The following question now presents itself for consideration. Does the troop of conducting divinities, Agni and the r…
And on account of (Brahman) being specified.
The text 'a person not human leads them to the worlds of Brahman' (Bri. Up. VI. 2, 15) by using the word 'world,' and…
But on account of nearness there is that designation.
Hiranyagarbha is the first created being (as declared by the text 'he who creates Brahma'); he thus stands near to Br…
On the passing away of the effected (world of Brahma), together with its ruler, (the souls go) to what is higher than that; on account of scriptural declaration.
On the passing away of the effected world of Brahma, together with its ruler Hiranyagarbha, who then recognises his q…
And on account of Smriti.
This follows from Smriti also, which declares 'when the pralaya has come and the end of the Highest, they all togethe…
The Highest, Jaimini thinks; on account of primariness of meaning.
The teacher Jaimini is of opinion that those deities lead on the souls of those only who meditate on the highest Brah…
And because Scripture declares it.
And Scripture moreover directly declares that the soul which has departed by way of the artery in the upper part of t…
And there is no aiming at the effected (Brahman).
The aim of the soul is not at Hiranyagarbha, but at the highest Brahman itself. For the complementary sentence 'I am …
Those not depending on symbols he leads, thus Bâdarâyana thinks; there being a defect in both cases; and he whose thought is that.
Bâdarâyana is of opinion that the deities lead those not depending on symbols, i.e. all meditating devotees other tha…
And Scripture declares the difference.
The text, 'He who meditates on name as Brahman, for him there is movement as he wishes as far as name extends,' &c. (…