Brahma-Sūtra 4.1.5

English of translation of Brahmasutra 4.1.5 by Roma Bose:

“The view of Brahman, on account of superiority.”

Nimbārka’s commentary (Vedānta-pārijāta-saurabha):

The viewing of the mind and the rest as Brahman is indeed proper, but not the viewing of Brahman as the mind and the rest, “on account of the superiority” of Brahman.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

To the objection, viz. In the above cases, let Brahman alone be the object to be meditated on, viewed as the mind and so on,—the author replies:

The mind, name and so on are to be viewed as Brahman. Why? “On account of superiority,” i.e. on account of Brahman’s superiority to the mind, name and the rest. But Brahman is not to be viewed as the mind, name and the rest. Just as to view a minister as the king is proper, but not the king as a minister, so is. the case here. Hence it is established that the self is not to be sought for in a symbol.

Here ends the section entitled “The Symbol” (3).

Comparative views of Baladeva:

He takes this sūtra as constituting an adhikaraṇa by itself, concerned with an entirely different topic, viz. “The view of Brahman (is to be super-imposed upon the Lord), on account of superiority (of such a meditation)”. That is, just as the Lord is to be meditated on as the self of the devotee, so He is to be meditated on as Brahman as well, i.e. as possessed of great attributes and powers, since such a meditation is the highest of all.^[1]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Govinda-bhāṣya 4.1.5, p. 7, Chap. 4.