Verse 4.149

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

पौर्विकीं संस्मरन् जातिं ब्रह्मैवाभ्यस्यते पुनः ।
ब्रह्माभ्यासेन चाजस्रमनन्तं सुखमश्नुते ॥ १४९ ॥

paurvikīṃ saṃsmaran jātiṃ brahmaivābhyasyate punaḥ |
brahmābhyāsena cājasramanantaṃ sukhamaśnute || 149 ||

Recollecting his former births, the twice-born person continues to study the Veda; and by his continuous study of the Veda, he obtains absolute, endless bliss.—(149)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

“Every man undertakes an action only when he desires to accomplish thereby something desirable. The recollection of former births, however, cannot be entirely pleasant. Why then is this described as the result following Vedic Study and the other three acts?”

In view of this question, the Author says—‘Recollecting his former births, he continues to study the Veda,’ i.e., he acquires faith in it; the idea being—‘Vedic study is such a good thing that it has enabled me to remember my other births.’ Hence, recollecting his other births, he again betakes himself to that study; and from this continuous Vedic study extending over several lives, ‘he obtains’—acquires—‘bliss’—in the form of the ‘attainment of Brahman’:—‘absolute’—i.e., without the chance of returning. The term ‘endless’ indicates a particular kind of bliss,—the self-sufficient complete satisfaction of the Soul; and the eternal character of this bliss is what is expressed by the term ‘ajasram,’ ‘absolute;’ the meaning being that ‘such and such a bliss is attained, and it never perishes.’ Though the two terms (‘absolute’ and endless’) are synonymous, yet they are not entirely tautological. Just as, in the case of the expression, ‘vṛttakam vahataḥ purīṣam,’ or ‘vṛttakam udakam purīṣam,’—where one (the term ‘vṛttakam’) is the conventional and the other (‘purīṣam’) the literal or etymological name of the thing; ‘purīṣam’ denotes, literally, that which fills, so that this latter stands for the soli d, and the former for the liquid, ordure.—(149)

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 229);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 320), which explains ‘Brahma’ as ‘Veda,’—and ‘anantam’ as ‘to be enjoyed for a long time.’