Brahma-Sūtra 4.4.14

English of translation of Brahmasutra 4.4.14 by Roma Bose:

“In (its) presence, as during the state of waking.”

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

As in the presence of the body and the rest created by itself too, the enjoyment of sportive pleasures is possible on the part of the freed soul,—so it sometimes creates these through its own wish too, corresponding to the sport of the Lord.

Śrīnivāsa’s commentary (Vedānta-kaustubha)

The words ‘on account of possibility’ are to be supplied. As in the presence of the body and the rest created by itself, the enjoyment of sportive pleasures on the part of the freed soul is possible, “as during the state of waking”, so there is also no fixed rule that the freed soul itself never creates its own body and the rest. Just as a man in the waking state creates,—so far as it lies within his power,—sons, houses, chariots and the like,—included within the sphere of His creation,—with the help of man, wood, stone and the rest, and enjoys them,—so the freed soul too having, through the Lord’s grace, the power of realizing its wishes, creates, in accordance with His sport,^[1] fathers, relative and the like, as well as its body and the rest, through its own wish, corresponding to His wish, and enjoys His sportive pleasures,—this is the sense.

Comparative views of Śaṅkara and Bhāskara:

They interpret the sūtra thus: When there is a body, the objects desired by the freed soul have real existence.^[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Cf. the Sūtra “Loka-vat tulita-kaivalyam” All objects are created by the Lord in sport. So the objects created by a freed soul conform to such sportive creative designs of the Lord.

[2]:

Brahma-sūtras (Śaṅkara’s commentary) 4.4.14, p. 974; Brahma-sūtras (Bhāskara’s Commentary) 4.4.14, p. 246.