Sūtra 2.3.18

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of Sūtra 2.3.18:

उत्क्रान्ति-गत्य्-आगतीनाम्

utkrānti-gaty-āgatīnām

utkrānti – departure; gati – travel; āgatīnām – and of return

“Because of departure, travel and return.” (18)

Sūtra pagination:
Adhyāya 2:
  No Conflict Between Vedānta and Other Vedic Scriptures;
Pāda 3:
  The Supreme Personality of Godhead Manifests the Material Elements;
Adhikaraṇa 12:
  The Individual Spirit Souls are Atomic.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s commentary (Govinda-bhāṣya)

In this sūtra the word aṇuḥ [the atomic soul] should be understood from the previous sūtra. In this sūtra the genitive case is used in the sense of the ablative. The individual spirit soul is atomic and not all-pervading. Why is that? The sūtra explains: “Because of departure, travel and return.”

In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.2] it is said:

तस्य हैतस्य हृदयस्याग्रं प्रद्योतते. तेन प्रद्योतेनैष आत्मा निष्क्रामति चक्षुषो वा मूर्ध्नो वान्येभ्यो वा शरीर-देशेभ्यः

tasya haitasya hṛdayasyāgraṃ pradyotate. Tena pradyotenaiṣa ātmā niṣkrāmati cakṣuṣo vā mūrdhno vānyebhyo vā śarīra-deśebhyaḥ

“The soul shines in the heart. At the moment of death the effulgent soul leaves through the opening of the eyes, the opening at the top of the the head, or another opening in the body.”

In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.11] it is said:

अनन्दा नाम ते लोका
अन्धेन तमसावृताः
तांस् ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति
अविद्वांसो ‘बुधा जनाः

anandā nāma te lokā
andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ
tāṃs te pretyābhigacchanti
avidvāṃso ‘budhā janāḥ

“Sinful fools enter into planets known as the worlds of torment, full of darkness and ignorance.”

In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad [4.4.6] it is said:

प्राप्यान्तं कर्मणस् तस्य
यत् किञ्चेदम् करोत्य् अयम्
तस्मात् लोकात् पुनर् एत्य
यस्मै लोकाय कर्मणे

prāpyāntaṃ karmaṇas tasya
yat kiñcedam karoty ayam
tasmāt lokāt punar etya
yasmai lokāya karmaṇe

“At the time of death the soul reaps the results of his works. He goes to the world where he deserves to go. When the results of his past deeds are exhausted, again he returns to the middle planets, the world of karma.”

In this way the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad describes the soul’s travel from one place to another. If he were all-pervading, the soul would not be able to travel from one place to another, for he would already be everywhere.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [10.87.30] it is said:

अपरिमिता ध्रुवास् तनु-भृतो यदि सर्व-गतास्
तर्हि न शास्यतेति नियमो ध्रुव नेतरथा

aparimitā dhruvās tanu-bhṛto yadi sarva-gatās
tarhi na śāsyateti niyamo dhruva netarathā

“O Lord, although the living entities who have accepted material bodies are spiritual and unlimited in number, if they were all-pervading there would be no question of their being under Your control.”

However, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although all-pervading, can travel from place to place. This is possible because He possesses inconceivable powers.

Here someone may object: “The individual spirit soul can be all-pervading and unmoving, and still, because he mistakenly identifies with the external material body, he imagines that he goes and comes. He is like the ruler of a village who never really leaves his realm.”

To this the reply is given: Because it is said that he both departs and returns it is not possible that the soul is actually stationary and unmoving. The author of the sūtras confirms this in the following words.