Brahma-Sūtra 4.2.13

English of translation of Brahmasutra 4.2.13 by Roma Bose:

“And (it is) declared by Smṛti.”

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

The departure of the knower “is declared by the Smṛti passage”. “But by it the soul is confined forsooth in all the abodes. It went out penetrating the crown of the head, and flew up towards the heaven” (Mahābhārata (Asiatic Society edition) 13.7764b-7705a).

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

The departure of the knower is declared by the Mahā-bhārata thus: “He who has become the self of all, who has a proper perception of beings at his path, even the gods are perplexed, seeking a path for him, who has no path” (Mahābhārata (Asiatic Society edition) 12.9657). This Smṛti passage denotes that the path leading to the attainment of the Highest Brahman is impassable. The phrase: ‘who has no path’ denotes that the knower, endowed with a subtle body, is devoid of a gross body. The phrase: ‘seeking a path’ denotes a special place.

It is declared at the end of Dāna-dharma too, beginning: “The sense-organs of Mm, the great-souled one went upwards” (Mahābhārata (Asiatic Society edition) 13. 7760b), and continuing: “But by it the soul is confined in all the abodes. It went out penetrating the crown of the head and flew up towards the heaven” (Mahābhārata (Asiatic Society edition) 13.7764b-7765a). Yājñavalkya also says: “Of them, there is one that is situated above, penetrating the disc of the sun. Having passed the world of Brahman, one goes to a supreme place through it” (Yājñavalkya-smṛti 3.167^[1]). Hence it is established that a knower too has to depart from the body for attaining Brahman.

Here ends the section entitled “Up to the beginning of the path” (5).

Comparative views of Śaṅkara:

He quotes the same passage quoted by Śrīnivāsa (Mahābhārata (Asiatic Society edition) 12. 9657) to show that a real knower has no departure.^[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

P. 75.

[2]:

Brahma-sūtras (Śaṅkara’s commentary) 4.2.14, p. 939.